Joy Mahler retiring as president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast
Joy Mahler, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast for the past 41 years, announced this month that she plans to retire in summer 2024.
The board of directors and Mahler have agreed that she will play a leadership role through the selection and transition of her successor. Mahler became president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast in 1983.
“Being a part of an organization that inspires the potential of youth has been a tremendous career knowing we have made a difference in the life of others, “Mahler said. “Being the one-to-one connector of young people to another generation of caring committed adults will change their trajectory and make a better community and world. It just doesn’t get better than that.”
Under Mahler’s leadership, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast has grown from a small Venice area nonprofit serving 30 children to a 10-county organization serving almost 1,800 youth from Manatee County to Collier, including opening offices in Highlands, Hardee, Desoto and Hendry counties.
Mahler was central in merging six previous Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies and the Family Resource Connection. As an inception member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Florida in 1995, she led the strategic plan and chaired the BBBSAF from 1997 through 2000. She was elected to Legislative Chair from 2000 through 2007. As Legislative Chair and member of the state board, Mahler collaborated with then-Gov. Jeb Bush on the Mentoring Initiative for Florida.
Board chair Michael A. Nachef has appointed a CEO search committee, chaired by Randall Woods, and they have engaged BoardWalk Consulting, a national executive search firm focused exclusively on nonprofit leadership. The search is expected to be complete by later this summer.
“Our goal is to make this a seamless transition,” Nachef said. “Joy is an exemplary leader. She has assembled an excellent team of capable staff who will accelerate Big Brothers Big Sisters’ success through the search and transition processes. Joy can never be replaced, but the next great leader will continue to build her long-standing success.”
Submitted by Gina Taylor
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: President of Big Brothers Big Sisters Sun Coast retiring after 41 years
