Past chairs reflect on 30 years of USF Sarasota-Manatee's Brunch on the Bay

• October 1, 2024
• Campus News, Events

By Marc R. Masferrer, University Communications and Marketing

Over the past 30 years, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee's Brunch on the Bay has grown in significance and stature to become the campus's signature philanthropic event and a highlight on the local social calendar. Each year, alumni, business leaders and other community members gather on the campus to dine on fine cuisine from some of the area's leading restaurants and caterers and, more importantly, join the region's preeminent university in supporting and awarding scholarships to deserving students.

Some of those who attend, even as a student, have later gone on to help organize future events as chair or co-chair of the Brunch on the Bay organizing committee. USF Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook said the chairs, from Charles Baumann in 1994 to Bill Mariotti and Scott Olthoff this year, have been key to the event's success.

"We are so grateful for the leadership of our Brunch chairs and for being wonderful ambassadors, not only for Brunch on the Bay but for USF Sarasota-Manatee, for the past 30 years," Holbrook said. "They have been instrumental to introducing the campus to so many new friends and supporters, and making Brunch on the Bay the outstanding event it is each year."

The 30th Annual Brunch on the Bay is set for Nov. 3, co-chaired by Mariotti, a USF Sarasota-Manatee alumnus and a member of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board; and Olthoff, president of CORE Construction Florida, the construction manager for the Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall, which opened in August. For information on tickets and available sponsorships, click here.

Alumna Lauren Henry, who graduated in 2016, co-chaired Brunch on the Bay in 2018 and 2019.

"My first experience with Brunch on the Bay was as a student ambassador for the university, and I saw right away how special the event was," said Henry, co-founder of a leadership training firm. "It's a lovely opportunity for the community to join together in supporting students who are so deserving and need some extra help to be able to realize their dreams through further education."

Since 1994, Brunch on the Bay has raised almost $7 million, supporting scholarships for more than 2,000 USF Sarasota-Manatee students. Brunch also has supported campus initiatives like a future Nursing/STEM building planned for across the campus courtyard from the student center and residence hall.

During most of Brunch on the Bay's history, especially since USF Sarasota-Manatee opened its current location in 2006, the accomplishments and reputation of the campus have flourished, as reflected by the growth in enrollment and the expansion of available academic offerings. Highlights of that success include USF's invitation to join the prestigious Association of American Universities in June 2023 and the opening of the Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall at USF Sarasota-Manatee.

As Brunch on the Bay has grown, so has USF Sarasota-Manatee and the community it serves. That is not a coincidence, said Holbrook, the regional chancellor at the campus since 2018.

"Brunch on the Bay each year celebrates the incredibly beneficial relationship the University of South Florida enjoys with the Sarasota-Manatee area, and the generous support we have consistently received from the community through Brunch and other endeavors," Holbrook said. "The scholarships made possible by Brunch on the Bay are an investment that make USF Sarasota-Manatee a more attractive option for many students, and create for them new opportunities to succeed and play their own part in the growth of the community."

Dr. Anila Jain was on the committee, chaired by Baumann, a principal with the Kerkering, Barbeiro & Co. certified public accounting firm, that organized the first Brunch on the Bay in 1994, held on the campus USF Sarasota-Manatee then shared with New College of Florida. Jain, an alumna and member of the Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board, has been part of several Brunch committees and most recently co-chaired Brunch on the Bay in 2022 with her mother, the late Mona Jain. That Brunch set a record, raising about $537,000.

"This event has demonstrated what is possible when a community and university unite in support of higher education for future generations through student scholarships and campus expansion," Jain said.

Robert "Buzz" Turner also was on the inaugural committee and later co-chaired Brunch on the Bay in 1996. He said he was pleased to find that a school like USF had a presence in the area, when he moved to Manatee County 45 years ago.

"The benefits were obvious and the potential even more appealing," said Turner, a retired president and publisher of the Bradenton Herald. "Since that time USF Sarasota-Manatee has exceeded expectations for individuals working to improve their lives and businesses trying to entice and keep valuable employees in the community."

"Brunch on the Bay has been a significant part of that impact, creating scholarships and making dreams come true," Turner said.

John Clarke, who co-chaired the 1998 event, said community support like that on display each year at Brunch on the Bay, was key to USF's campaign to open a new Sarasota-Manatee campus 18 years ago.

"I could see the need for our own campus and a wide range of study options for our local students," said Clarke, the former president and CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc., the developer of Lakewood Ranch. "(USF President) Judy Genshaft gave us the energy and (USF Sarasota-Manatee CEO) Laurey Stryker gave us the leadership. The Sarasota County and Manatee County communities responded to the fundraising for a full campus."

The past chairs and co-chairs said they are excited to again gather on that campus for the 30th Annual Brunch on the Bay, to celebrate what Brunch on the Bay has brought to USF Sarasota-Manatee and the community it calls home, and how those ties promise to pay off in the future.

"It is wonderful, to see this beautiful legacy of empowering the next generation through further education continue to blossom in our community," Henry said.

"We will celebrate the past and look forward to our bright future with our new Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall, and the planned Nursing/STEM building," Jain said. "Our family has resided in Sarasota and Manatee counties for almost 60 years and has supported USF systemwide and especially our hometown campus. I am proud of what we all have accomplished together and look forward to celebrating this milestone."