University Communications and Marketing
Marrie Neumer, the associate vice president for advancement at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, has been named a member of Leadership Sarasota’s next elite class of 50 Sarasota leaders who will immerse themselves in the challenges facing the community and foster connections that will drive positive change in Sarasota.
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors Leadership Sarasota, said in a news release that Neumer and others in the program’s Class of 2024 were chosen through a rigorous process, including interviews with previous participants, “for their exceptional achievements and potential to contribute significantly to the future growth and prosperity of Sarasota and beyond.”
Marrie Neumer, associate vice president for advancement, USF Sarasota-Manatee.
“Their dedication, diverse expertise and passion for community betterment make us confident that they will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Sarasota,” said Heather Kasten, CEO/president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
At USF Sarasota-Manatee, Neumer leads the campus’s advancement office, overseeing fund-raising and other development efforts that support students, faculty, research and outreach initiatives at the university, as well as alumni relations.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity Leadership Sarasota will provide me to learn more about the community that I and USF are so proud to be a part of, and the chance I will have to share with my classmates and others the many wonderfully exciting things happening on our campus, such as our campus expansion projects and our recent admission into the Association of American Universities,” Neumer said. “USF is a leader in Sarasota, but none of what we are trying to accomplish, whether it’s campus expansion or addressing important challenges affecting local residents, is possible without the support of our community.”
Other organizations represented by Leadership Sarasota’s Class of 2024 include Sarasota County government; Coca-Cola Beverages, Florida; Ringling College of Art and Design; Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium; Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; and several charitable foundations and other non-profit organizations.
USF Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook said the Leadership Sarasota program offers the campus an invaluable opportunity to further raise its profile in the area at a pivotal moment in its history. Neumer, Holbrook said, is the perfect ambassador for the university.
“Marrie is a dynamic, generous leader on our campus and at USF,” Holbrook said. “It will be exciting to see what happens when others in the community learn everything she has to offer, and when she brings back to USF Sarasota-Manatee what she has learned from her community colleagues.”