Kristi Hoskinson, a veteran business and government executive with extensive experience in program management, employee training and development, marketing and communications and consulting, has been named assistant vice president for strategy and campus initiatives at the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Hoskinson described her new role as an interdisciplinary position that will touch on the campus’s academic, student success and other functions. Hoskinson is still finding her footing in her new job, but she said she anticipates working with others to shape the direction of myriad projects, including the development of the Baldwin Risk Partners School of Risk Management and Insurance and planning for a new Nursing/STEM building, a centerpiece of campus expansion efforts.
“I am thrilled to be joining the senior leadership team at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus, an organization that touches so many parts of life in the region in such tremendous ways,” Hoskinson said. “I hope that the experience I’ve gained and the contacts I have made during my more than 20 years in the area will help USF as we embark on a period of transformative growth for the Sarasota-Manatee campus.”
Hoskinson first came to the attention of campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook when, as a representative for the FCCI Insurance Group, where she worked, Hoskinson implored officials at a public hearing to not let consolidation of the three USF campuses affect the operation of the School of Risk Management and Insurance, which has produced numerous graduates now working in the insurance industry in Sarasota-Manatee and beyond.
“Her experience in business and other fields, and with helping organizations develop strategies for success, makes her a perfect fit with so much we are doing right now on the Sarasota-Manatee campus,” Holbrook said. “You will see Kristi contributing to many of the exciting initiatives taking place now and in the future at USF.”
In her new role, Hoskinson is now involved with RMI leadership in setting a strategic course for the school, after Baldwin Risk Partners, a Tampa-based insurance services firm, donated $5.26 million — the largest gift in the history of the Sarasota-Manatee campus — for the expansion of its programs. The goal now, Hoskinson said, is to ensure the gift strengthens and grows the talent pipeline between USF classrooms and the industry.
A native of Canada and former competitive figure skater, Hoskinson got her first big break when at the age of 22, she was promoted from being a cast member to performance director for Disney on Ice, a position she held for three years. She later was recreation manager for Manatee County government and ran the employee wellness program for the School District of Manatee County.
Hoskinson, who describes herself as a “professional nomad,” also started a consulting firm helping businesses develop employee wellbeing strategies and programs. In 2015, she joined FCCI, where she held various positions in training and development, marketing and communications and customer experience. Hoskinson also worked for a year as vice president of CareerEdge at the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, in charge of its workforce development program, before joining USF in early October.
Volunteer positions she has held include being a board member for CareerSource Suncoast, the Team Tony Cancer Foundation and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Hoskinson said her new job gives her a chance to fulfill a life-long passion for education — her mother was a teacher, her father an elected member of a local school board in Ottawa, Ontario. She originally had planned a career in education before earning a degree in health, another passion of hers, from Eastern Oregon University.
She said she is excited to now be working on projects that promise to affect the lives of USF students.
“That’s my inspiration every day.”