Sarasota, Fla. (July 19, 2017) – The board of directors for the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. (SANCA), the non-profit that manages Sarasota County’s Nathan Benderson Park (NBP), has announced that Stephen V. Rodriguez, of the Florida Sports Foundation, will come on board as the organization’s president and CEO. Rodriguez brings to the park more than 25 years of event marketing and management experience, coupled with over thirteen years of professional experience in the sports industry. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the park’s operations and management and will officially take the reins in August.
According to Bill Robinson, chairman of the SANCA board, Stephen is a perfect fit for Nathan Benderson Park. “Stephen’s expertise in sports promotion combined with his background marketing the State of Florida as a premier sports destination meshes impeccably with SANCA’s mission,” said Robinson. “Paul created NBP, Bob has maintained it, and we are confident Stephen will propel it in into the future!”
A Florida Gator, Rodriguez comes to Sarasota from an eighteen-year tenure at the Florida Sports Foundation where he served as senior vice president since 2010. Over his duration at the Foundation, he was responsible for administration, event planning, finance, fundraising, government relations, program management, tourism and economic development. He is also the longest standing director of the Sunshine State Games and the Florida Senior Games.
Prior to the Foundation, he was employed by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Sports Institute. While there, he was responsible for the administration of the Commission’s Unified Youth Sports Program for the county and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicker Award, in addition to hosting events, such as the NAIA Spring Championship Games and NPAL Baseball World Series among many others. Before Palm Beach, he was the office manager and membership chair at the USA Track & Field/Florida Association.
“Nathan Benderson Park has established itself as a world renowned rowing center and versatile county park that hosts numerous events for the entire community to enjoy. I couldn’t be more excited to bring my experience and passion for the entire area to SANCA,” said Rodriguez. “I look forward to working with the SANCA staff and board, as well as the Sarasota County Government, in taking NBP to the world stage, beginning with the World Rowing Championships in September, NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships in 2018, and 2018 World Rowing Masters Regatta.”
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ABOUT SANCA
The Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. (SANCA), is a not-for-profit business created to manage Nathan Benderson Park, a county-owned, community/public asset and world-class, multi-use sports venue. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for our community and be an economic generator for the Sarasota-Bradenton area. SANCA’s primary purpose is to develop and promote Nathan Benderson Park as a world class event center, team training site and Sarasota County Park, while providing outreach programs through recreation, safety training, education and volunteering as a service to our community.