Gulf Coast Strengthens Team

Gulf Coast Community Foundation has selected Veronica L. Thames for the new role of Senior Vice President for Talent and Innovation|COO. Thames, who currently serves as Vice President of Human Resources at Blake Medical Center, will join the Gulf Coast team in early August.

Gulf Coast also recently enhanced our support for donors by welcoming Kelly Borgia as development coordinator. Kelly joined us from our great partner and friend Asolo Repertory Theatre, where she managed the Mertz stage for nearly a decade.

Entrepreneurial and innovative

“Veronica Thames is an extraordinarily talented professional who will bring dynamic energy to our nationally recognized initiatives and bolster our status as one of the best nonprofits in the nation to work for,” said President | CEO Dr. Mark S. Pritchett in a news release announcing Veronica’s selection. “I am beyond thrilled to welcome her into a leadership role at Gulf Coast. She is entrepreneurial and fits perfectly into our innovative culture.”

At Blake, Thames has broad, executive-level responsibilities for key operations and personnel management of a 1,300-employee organization. Her accomplishments there range from operating Manatee County’s top-ranked childcare facility to overseeing the largest community health and wellness program within Blake’s parent corporation, Healthcare Corporation of America. She also has led everything from Blake’s logistics during last year’s Hurricane Irma to award-winning participation in the charitable organization that supports her organization's employees.

Outside of work, Veronica and her husband, Patrick, have a beautiful 19-month-old daughter. They have resided in Lakewood Ranch since 2010, but previously Veronica lived everywhere from Orlando to Los Angeles to Buenos Aires—where she was born. Veronica speaks Spanish, volunteers extensively in our community, loves to travel, and enjoys big gatherings (that she doesn’t have to cook for!). 

Managing donors’ experience

If you’ve been wowed by a stage performance at Asolo Repertory Theatre in recent years, it’s likely thanks in no small part to the focus, flexibility, organization, and responsiveness of Kelly Borgia.

Before joining Gulf Coast full-time earlier this month, Kelly served as Asolo Rep’s production stage manager, working on more than 50 productions, including The Grapes of Wrath, Bonnie & Clyde, and last season’s smash hit Evita. Hers was an off-stage role but a vital one, which local media have aptly called “the glue that holds everything together” and “the organizational foundation behind every production.” (And while Kelly was a star behind the curtain, her beloved French bulldog actually made it on stage at a rehearsal or two!)

Stage management to donor development might seem like a leap from “house left” to “house right,” but not so, says Veronica Brady, Gulf Coast’s senior vice president for philanthropy. “Kelly brings a proven commitment and level of service that fits right in with the exceptional experience we want every Gulf Coast donor to have,” she says.

As her last name might suggest, Kelly can trace her heritage back to Sicily, but she is a lifelong Floridian who was born in Jacksonville before her family moved to west central Florida. While the rest of her family attended Florida State University (she named her dog Doak!), Kelly earned her BFA in Theatre/Stage Management from University of Central Florida. She is the proud step-mom of a 10-year-old daughter, and she and fiancée Travis are expecting a baby sister for her in October! 

To meet the rest of the Gulf Coast team, go here.