Stacey Corley Takes the Helm at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | Photo by Nancy Guth | October 2022

When Mason Ayres announced in May that he was retiring this fall, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation knew it had to find the right person to succeed him. In his six-year tenure, the Healthcare Foundation raised more than $130 million, including two of the biggest gifts ever received in the organization’s nearly 50-year history. Ayres also transformed the organization into one of the most successful nonprofits in the area and helped support the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System in its role as the region’s healthcare leader. As the only hospital in Sarasota County that provides trauma care, maternity services, newborn intensive care, pediatrics, and behavioral health services for people of all ages, it’s an indispensable part of our community’s overall health and wellbeing.

Enter Stacey Corley, the former Vice President for Advancement at Ringling College of Art and Design who led multiple large-scale capital campaigns, created significant new individual and business partnerships, and helped the college in its pursuit for preeminence. With Corley’s close ties to the community and ability to fundraise at the highest levels, she was exactly what the Healthcare Foundation was looking for. 

“I’m leaving Ringling College on a high note and will continue to cheer them on,” Corley says. “They have a fabulous leadership and advancement team there that is excelling. This was an opportunity for me to join an organization that has also experienced tremendous growth in the last few years and is on a trajectory to grow even more as the health system and our population continues to expand.” She’s especially pleased by how being part of the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation connects to the decade of work she did at Bristol-Myers Squibb early in her professional career.

“I love hospitals,” she admits. “I’m energized by them. I am passionate about what they represent and how they can have such a wonderful impact on our community. SMH is vital to everyone who lives in the area.” She notes that part of the reason for such growth in our area is because of our health system. “People want beaches, sure, but they find top-level healthcare equally attractive. Businesses, too, appreciate the opportunity to thrive where their employees can enjoy quality healthcare.” Considering that the 2022 SMH Community Update reports that more than $1 billion has been invested in “new world-class facilities, advanced technology, and the specialists and staff needed to address vital healthcare needs in our growing community, it’s easy to see why people are choosing to live and work here.

Corley adds that philanthropy is critical in helping Sarasota Memorial maintain its rank as a top hospital. 

“As president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, David Verinder has a clear understanding about how community support not only provides additional resources for major projects, but also helps sustain the quality of care across the board. The health system can do so much more when we have the generous support of our donors.” 

Sarasota Memorial was created in 1925 through donations and support of Sarasota County’s early founders. 

“Sarasota Memorial has been caring for this community for nearly a century, through generations and decades of change,” Verinder said. “Throughout our history, donor support has enabled us to go above and beyond in the programs and services we can provide. Our close collaboration with Stacey and the Healthcare Foundation team will keep the momentum going.” 

The Cornell Family Behavioral Health Pavilion and Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute are excellent examples of how donors can make a significant difference. Construction of the Cornell Pavilion is well under way, bringing leading-edge design and behavioral health services to the area. The Jellison Cancer Institute’s Radiation Oncology Center, and inpatient Oncology Tower that opened in November 2021, are providing state-of-the-art cancer services close to home. The Healthcare Foundation’s Leading with Care cancer campaign has helped raise $62 million to date, which is helping expand and support SMH’s oncology nurse navigation program, genetic counseling services, the inpatient care team at the Oncology Tower, and much more.

With construction slated to begin soon on the new outpatient Cancer Pavilion on the SMH-Sarasota campus, Corley will be spearheading the Healthcare Foundation team’s effort to reach the campaign’s $75 million goal. 

The Healthcare Foundation has been enhancing patient care, facilities, technology, and supporting clinical education and medical research at SMH.

“We have a wonderful team here, they’re very passionate about their work,” Corley says of her new colleagues. “I look forward to leading us to the next level. With my experience and connections to the community, my intention is to continue working closely with David and his team to help optimize healthcare philanthropy in our community, and strengthen our already-impressive, world-class health system.”

For more information on Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, please visit smhf.org or call 941.917.1286.