Men on the Scene: Mason Ayres & David Verinder

Taking the lead in keeping this area on the forefront of healthcare are two men who have forged a partnership based on trust, respect and mutual goals. Mason Ayres, President of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, leads philanthropic efforts that support patient care, research, education, facilities and technology at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Philanthropy is critical as Sarasota Memorial President and CEO David Verinder oversees the hospital’s largest expansion in its 95-year history. Currently under construction are a full-service hospital in Venice and an eight-story comprehensive cancer center that will provide world-class cancer care close to home. “We are thrilled that the community continues to step forward and get involved. It makes a tremendous difference,” Ayres says. “We call philanthropy the margin of excellence.” Since he joined the Healthcare Foundation in 2016 after 10 years as Development Director for NCH Healthcare System in Naples, Ayres has been actively involved in identifying the healthcare needs and conveying those to donors whose interests may align. This has resulted in successful fundraising for life-saving equipment in trauma and cardiac care, for example. Verinder, who joined the hospital in 2006, served as CFO and COO before being named CEO in 2014. He shepherded the growth of graduate medical education programs with FSU to help address local physician shortages. Those efforts, with philanthropic support, have helped the hospital rank among the top 100 in the U.S. and earn the highest quality and safety rating by Medicare. “We continue to provide care and grow our programs, and the Healthcare Foundation puts an extra layer on top of that,” Verinder says. “They take a great hospital and help make it even greater.”