Nonprofit promotes executive director to CEO

ST. PETERSBURG — Tampa Bay Watch, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection and restoration of Tampa Bay marine and wetland environments, has promoted Dwayne Virgint to CEO.

Virgint, according to a news release, had been serving as executive director of the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center at the St. Pete Pier. In his new role, he will assume responsibility for overall organizational leadership and strategic direction.

Tampa Bay Watch founder Peter Clark, the release states, will continue as president of the organization but his focus will shift to major development activities, community outreach and bay restoration.

“I am pleased and excited by the opportunity to expand my role at Tampa Bay Watch and enhance our commitment to the regional watershed,” Virgint states in the release. “Peter Clark has created an organization that has achieved incredible results, supported by a passionate staff and dedicated community. Surges in red tide and the loss of marine life demonstrate that our work is needed now, more than ever.” 

Virgint, who joined Tampa Bay Watch in 2019, boasts more than three decades of experience with mission-based organizations such as zoos, aquariums and museums. He served for 12 years as executive vice president and COO of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Indian Pueblos Marketing and affiliated companies in Albuquerque, N.M.