Former Johnson & Johnson exec to join Sarasota foundation board as chair

A retired Johnson & Johnson executive is taking a seat at the board of a local foundation. 

Marilyn Thompson was announced as the new chair of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, succeeding Daniel DeLeo. Paul Hudson, senior managing director at Northern Trust, was announced as vice chair.

The treasurer and secretary roles didn’t change with the new 2023-24 board announced as Andrew Stultz, president and owner of Atlas Building Company of Florida, and Felice Schulaner, a retired executive of Coach Inc., will continue in those roles, respectively, according to a statement.  

The foundation did announce four new board members: Dr. Karen Hamad, David Joyner, Patricia Mathews and Terri Vitale. Each was appointed to serve three-year terms. 

“Each brings a wealth of experience and expertise, and each person is deeply committed to our community,” Thompson says of the new members in a release. “This board is united in a passion for helping our community become a place where everyone can thrive.”

The foundation is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council. It has roughly $460 million in assets. 

An internal medicine specialist, Hamad brings 28 years of experience with her to the board. Currently, she’s a clinical associate professor of internal medicine at Florida State University College of Medicine.

In addition to the Community Foundation’s board Joyner, the owner and president of Venice-based Joyner Family Insurance, also serves as the board chair for the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce.

Throughout 40 years of human resources experience, Mathews has worked for a handful of Fortune 100 companies including Anheuser-Busch Companies and Occidental Petroleum, as well as nonprofit and public organizations.

Terri Vitale, a 15 year community activist and former student at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, now known as the IMG Academy in Bradenton, previously served on the board from 2011-20. A former Forty Carrots Family Center board member, Vitale currently serves on the Lee Wetherington Foundation and Out-of-Door Academy boards, and is the board chair for All Faiths Food Bank. 

Laura Mattia, Mercedes Soler, Jeff Troiano, Janet Taylor, Charles Williams and Mary Lou Winnick are all continuing their roles on the board, the release states. 

The story was updated to reflect Terri Vitale's current board position with Forty Carrots Family Center as well as the foundation's most up-to-date financial information.