Leadership Sarasota County Announces 2017 Outstanding Leadership Honorees

Leadership Sarasota County will host Celebrate Outstanding Leadership Awards on Tuesday, April 18 (click here to find out how to reserve your seat). Awards will honor three influential graduates of the Leadership Sarasota County program in three categories: Lifetime of Leadership, Impact In Action, and Leadership Sarasota Dedication.

From the Leadership Class of 2002, Kathy Lehner will receive the “Lifetime of Leadership” Award. Kathy is passionate about community, and has demonstrated this commitment through her involvement with a variety of organizations including the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce, where she has been a member since 1991 and served as board chair, Venice MainStreet, where she served as board president, the American Cancer Society, where she chaired the Cattle Barron’s Ball, and Sertoma Club of Venice, where she served as President. Kathy also contributes her talent as an emcee at many charitable events around the community – helping to raise money for the causes she cares most about.  She began her career in real estate more than 20 years ago and currently works for Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

Tim Self is the honoree for the “Impact In Action” Award. Tim is Senior Vice President of Investments at Insignia Bank and a graduate of the 2014 Leadership Class. He has been active in the Sarasota business community since 1996 and has served on the boards of several organizations including Women’s Resource Center, Designing Women Boutique, Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Sertoma Club of Greater Sarasota, and, most recently, national Sertoma, Inc.  Tim played a key role in growing and developing the Sertoma Kids program, an outpatient speech clinic located at the Euclid branch of the Sarasota YMCA and recently expanded to ChildrenFirst. The clinic offers therapy for children with special speech and language needs arising from a variety of developmental disorders, including autism, and provides these services regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

Since 2002, Monica Van Buskirk has been involved as a volunteer, board member, and donor to the Van Wezel Foundation, and now serves as its President and CEO. Under Van Bus Kirk’s leadership The Foundation realized double-digit annual growth and won numerous awards, including the 2014 Frank G. Berlin, Sr. Best Cultural Organization of the Year award from the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the 2003 Leadership Sarasota Class and has been a passionate volunteer for the program ever since.  She served on the Leadership Sarasota Steering Committee for a several years and co-chaired the “Celebrate Outstanding Leadership” luncheon in 2012.  Because of her legacy of commitment, Monica will be honored with the “Leadership Sarasota Dedication” Award.

These recipients were nominated by fellow Leadership Sarasota County Alumni members.

For reservations for the Celebrate Outstanding Leadership Luncheon, register at sarasotachamber.com or contact Barbara Hines at The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, (941) 556-4026 or bhines@sarasotachamber.com, if you have any questions.

Source: The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce