Sarasota Chamber Member Accepted into Leadership Florida

July 11, 2022 – Sarasota

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Heather Kasten, President/CEO, has been selected as one of the 55 professionals from across the state of Florida to join the next Leadership Florida class as part of the Cornerstone Class.  Leadership Florida focuses on identifying and educating individuals who show promise to be leaders in their areas and works to create a statewide community.  Over a nine-month period, participants will engage in educational programming to cultivate business and relationship growth.  “I am incredibly excited and humbled to be a part of the Leadership Florida program and represent our region at the state level. Sharing best practices and connecting with community leaders from around the state will be a true opportunity to bring innovative ideas back to Sarasota”, Kasten states.

Heather has been in the Sarasota region for over 12 years and has served as the Sarasota Chamber President/CEO for three, overseeing membership of close to 1,200 businesses.  Prior to coming to the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, she was the President/CEO for the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance for five years. 

Heather’s community involvement includes membership on the board of directors for CareerSource Suncoast, United Way Suncoast, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, and she also serves on several local advisory councils, including the USF Muma College of Business advisory board, and the 26 West Entrepreneurship Center advisory board. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Iowa in Business Administration, and she has an MBA from Webster University in Management/Marketing.