SARASOTA, Fla., Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Van Wezel Foundation and the City of Sarasota are pleased to announce the community members who will serve on the architect selection task force for the Sarasota Performing Arts Center. The five distinguished members of the task force bring a breadth of experience, passion, and a commitment to realizing the promise of this transformative project for Sarasota and the region.
The task force will be chaired by Dr. Jenne K. Britell, Vice Chair Van Wezel Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Britell has been an acclaimed director and trustee of public companies and private organizations for over 20 years, following an international career as a senior officer of several financial institutions, including GE Capital, and Chairman of United Rentals. The task force includes Mary Bensel, Executive Director of The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and member of the Broadway League and Florida Presenters; Mark Famiglio, co-founder of Sarasota Film Festival, a 50-year Sarasotan, and investor in the development and growth of many of Sarasota's neighborhoods; Michele Hooper, CEO of the Directors Council and highly regarded governance expert and business leader recently named to Forbes 50/50 Women Making an Impact; and Dr. Larry R. Thompson, long-time President of Ringling College of Art and Design who successfully led the creation of the Sarasota Art Museum and served as the founding executive director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.
"The arts have the magic and the power to transform lives and communities at every level. I have seen this power as a participant in similar large scale cultural projects elsewhere. Now I am honored to bring this experience home --to Sarasota," said Task Force Chair, Dr. Jenne K. Britell.
The RFP will be issued by the City through their BidSync public system to attract national interest from a broad and diverse number of respondents. The architect selection process is estimated to take six months and will be funded through an appropriation from the State of Florida. The meetings of the task force will be open to the public and the selection process will culminate in a short list of finalists who will come to Sarasota to present their qualifications.
"This is a once-in-a-generation project for the City of Sarasota and as such, the most accomplished and experienced professionals were included in the architect selection task force," said City of Sarasota Manager Marlon Brown. "This group understands how important a new performing arts center is to the legacy of Sarasota. I'm looking forward to working closely with them as we move through the proposal process."
"We are fortunate to have such a prestigious group of community leaders that will help create an iconic symbol for Sarasota," said Cheryl Mendelson, CEO of the Van Wezel Foundation. "With the opening of the first phase of the Bay Park, we are an important step closer to fulfilling the promise of the more than 18,000 community members across the region who shared with us their aspirations for a new performing arts center."
The orientation meeting of the architect selection task force will take place on October 31, 2022.
Task Force Members:
Dr. Jenne K. Britell
Chair, Architect Selection Task Force
Vice Chair of Board, Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation, Inc.
Bio: Dr. Jenne Britell has been an acclaimed director and trustee of public companies and private organizations for over 20 years, following a successful career as a senior officer of a number of financial institutions, including GE Capital. Retired as the Chairman of United Rentals, Dr. Britell is currently a director of Ocwen Financial Corporation and Zenbusiness.com. Dr. Britell has previously served on other public company Boards, including TIAA-CREF, Lincoln Financial and Quest Diagnostics, as well as having previously served on a number of nonprofit arts, housing, and education boards, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, the New York City Housing Partnership, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Santa Fe Institute, and the Santa Fe Opera. In 2011, Dr. Britell was selected as the National Association of Corporate Directors' (NACD) Director of the Year. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the advisory board of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Dr. Britell also has two published case studies from Harvard Business School highlighting her work with United Rentals.
Mary Bensel
Executive Director, The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Bio: Mary Bensel has been executive director of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for over 14 years. She served as general manager of the Barbara Mann Hall in Ft. Myers, the Walnut Street and Merriam Theaters in Philadelphia; and booking director for Troika Entertainment, a producer of Touring Broadway Shows. Bensel is a Tony-Voter, member of the Broadway League, Florida Presenters, board member of Florida Venue Managers and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota. Under Bensel's direction, Van Wezel was named the #1 theater in its size worldwide and went from having operating losses to earning surpluses of over one million dollars pre-COVID.
Mark Famiglio
Board Member, Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation, Inc.
Bio: Mark Famiglio is involved with real estate, construction, finance, information technology, aviation, and biologics. A 50-year Sarasotan and graduate of New College, he is active in the community and in philanthropic causes in southwest Florida and beyond. Mark has been a major supporter of the Florida State University College of Medicine and The Ringling Museum, where spaces have been named in his honor. He has owned and rehabilitated numerous significant historic buildings and is a co-founding producer and chairman of the Sarasota Film Festival. He has served on the opera and ballet boards as well as having served as president of United Cerebral Palsy. He is a longtime supporter of the Van Wezel Foundation; various children's services organizations as well as being a past trustee of the Economic Development Corporation of Manatee County.
Michele Hooper
Board Member, Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation, Inc.
Bio: Michele J. Hooper is president and CEO of The Directors' Council, which consults with major companies on board effectiveness and corporate board of director recruitment, focused primarily on diverse candidates. She is an audit committee financial expert with over 30 years of experience chairing the audit committees of several major companies and is a highly regarded governance expert and business leader. In 2017, Ms. Hooper was selected as the National Association of Corporate Directors' Director of the Year. This year, she was named to Forbes Magazine's 50 Over 50 Impact list. Ms. Hooper currently serves on the boards of directors of UnitedHealth Group as lead independent director and United Airlines where she chairs the Audit Committee. Ms. Hooper is vice chair of the Smithsonian Institution's National Board, and a member of the boards of Van Wezel Foundation as well as West Coast Black Theater Troupe
Dr. Larry R. Thompson
President, Ringling College of Art and Design
Bio: Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design since July 1999, champions the need for businesses to embrace creativity to thrive in the 21st century global economy. A lawyer and an educator, Thompson previously served as Special Assistant to the President of The Ohio State University; CEO of Flint Cultural Center; and the founding Executive Director of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Dr. Thompson is former President of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) and currently serves on its Executive Committee; is the former Chair of the President's Council of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF); and serves on the boards of many local arts and civic organizations. Dr. Thompson has been the recipient of numerous academic and humanitarian honors and awards for his service as a visionary leader and educator.
On April 4, 2022, The Van Wezel Foundation and the Sarasota City Commission formed a partnership for the planning, financing, design, and construction of the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center located at the heart of the Bay Park master plan. The Van Wezel Foundation is proud to partner with the city of Sarasota and the Bay Park Conservancy to bring this exciting new dream to life.
Please visit http://vwfoundation.org/ for more information.
SOURCE Van Wezel Foundation
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