Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast provides one-to-one mentoring relationships to children ages 6-18 years old throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Highlands, Hardee, Charlotte, Lee, Hendry, Glades and Collier counties.
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Since 1968, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping to change kids’ perspectives while giving them the opportunity to reach their potential.
In 1977, the organization was reorganized and renamed, Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Sarasota County. During this period, children in communities such as Englewood, North Port, Nokomis, Laurel, Osprey and Venice were serviced.
In 1996, The name was officially changed to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast. Accompanying this change was an expanded service area that added West Charlotte County and established satellite offices in North Port and Englewood.
Since then, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast has extended their reach to include the rest of Sarasota County, DeSoto County, Manatee County, Highlands and Hardee County, Lee County, Collier County, plus Hendry and Glades County.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast believes a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization is one where all staff, volunteers, youth, and families feel valued and respected. Through an ongoing commitment to our growth as an agency, we are accessing tools to help our children overcome equity barriers and forge a pathway to achieve their potential.
“I’m excited about his future. I can picture him going far in life, and it’s amazing I get to be a part of that.”
5731 Rosin Way,
Sarasota FL 34233
Venice: (941) 488-4009
Sarasota: (941) 331-4376
Family Services Center,
21500 Gibralter Dr,
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Port Charlotte: (941) 764-5812
Englewood: (941) 473-4003
1012 Goodlette Road, Suite 201
Naples, Florida 34102
1017 US Highway 17 North
Wauchula, FL 33873
8280 College Parkway, Suite 201
Fort Myers, FL 33919
1812 27th Street East,
Bradenton, Florida 34208
6919 Outreach Way #B112
North Port, FL 34287
President & CEO, Kamala Martinez is a distinguished philanthropy executive with extensive experience in aligning philanthropic initiatives with corporate strategy, particularly within Fortune 500 environments. Prior to joining BBBSS, she served as Vice President of Development at the United Way of South Sarasota, she has successfully implemented inclusive grant processes and secured over $1.1 million in funding within her first six months. Previously, as CEO of the United Way of Will County, she spearheaded a transformative launch of a crisis line serving over 700,000 residents. Kamala’s leadership at KidsMatter and RR Donnelley further exemplifies her ability to drive significant organizational growth and community impact. With a Bachelor’s Degree in communications and broadcasting from the University of Iowa, she is also an active community leader, having served on various boards and committees.
VP of Communications and Marketing, Vinicia "Vinnie" Mascarenhas is a marketing and communications executive with 25+ years of experience leading brand strategy, public relations, digital marketing, and stakeholder engagement across the nonprofit, government, healthcare, and technology sectors. She specializes in building integrated marketing and communications strategies that elevate brand visibility, strengthen organizational reputation, inspire community engagement, and drive mission-focused growth. She provides executive leadership for the organization's marketing, communications, media relations, brand management, digital strategy, and public engagement initiatives across a 10-county service area. She oversees integrated campaigns that amplify the organization's mission, strengthen community awareness, support fundraising and volunteer recruitment, and deepen relationships with donors, partners, volunteers, and the communities we serve. She is passionate about building brands that inspire action, telling stories that create meaningful connections, and developing communications strategies that transform awareness into engagement and measurable community impact.
![Jennifer Fritch](https://bbbssun.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JeanieBaik3.png")
VP of Programs, Jeanie Baik, was the Senior Director of Engagement and Operations in the Office of District Planning for the New York City Department of Education for two years. Prior to that, Jeanie was the Senior Advisor in the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality. She has a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Jeanie comes to us with an extensive background in developing community outreach and communications plans in support of citywide planning initiatives.
Jennifer Fritch serves as the Senior Regional Director of Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, where she leads fundraising initiatives, community engagement, and strategic partnerships to expand opportunities for youth through one-to-one mentoring. She works with individuals, businesses, foundations, and community leaders to build meaningful support for BBBS programs across five counties throughout the organization’s North and Central Florida footprint. Prior to joining BBBS of the Sun Coast, Jennifer built a career centered on relationship development, community partnerships, and advancing mission-driven organizations. Since joining BBBS, she has helped grow awareness, secure philanthropic support, and connect the community to the organization’s vision of creating life-changing mentoring relationships. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a concentration in Finance and a Master of Science in Leadership with a concentration in Organizational Communication from Northeastern University in Boston. Her background in nonprofit development, leadership, and strategic communication supports her commitment to bringing people together to make a lasting impact.
VP of Finance, comes to us after successful careers at Kraft Foods, local government, and non-profits in high level accounting/finance roles of growth.
VP of Operations, has 26 years in non-profit accounting/IT experience and has been with the Agency for 21 years. Previously employed by a non-profit in Lee County Florida as a Program Manager/Business Manager for seven years.
VP of Human Resources, Jan Boram was the Human Resources Manager for Home Products International-NA, Inc. in Seymour, Indiana. Prior to that, she was the Human Resources Manager for PMG Indiana in Columbus, Indiana. She is certified in all areas of Human Resources Management and has over 25 years of experience being responsible for recruitment and retention at all levels including Executive, Professional, Engineering, Supervisory and plant level. Her HR experience includes domestic and international. She has an extensive background as being the administrator of all benefits including medical, dental, life, vision, etc. as well as developing safety initiatives and resolving work-related problems and issues.
Executive Assistant to the President/CEO, Michael Peterson has been working as an executive assistant for over twenty years. His formative experience as an executive assistant was the decade he spent at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he supported the president of that institution and an academic department in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. This was followed by positions in executive offices in two colleges, a hospital system, and several non-profits, supporting CEOs, CFOs, and COOs, and other executive leaders. Originally from Idaho, Michael earned a Bachelors Degree in Biological Sciences from Southern Wesleyan University and a Master’s Degree in Systematic Theology from the Washington Theological Union, in addition to academic work in philosophy at St. Mary’s Seminary and University. Immediately prior to joining the team at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Michael spent a year teaching Math and Science to at-risk 5th graders in Bradenton, Florida.
Coming soon.
Chief of Staff Lee Health Michael joined the Lee Health team in July of 2016. He has been a member of the Southwest Florida community for nearly three decades. Michael is most proud of being husband to Felicia and father to Chloe, Charlotte, Reagan, and Lincoln! In his tenure at Lee Health, Michael has served as Director, System Director, and Vice President of Government Relations. He now serves in a senior leadership role as Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff advises and collaborates on strategic projects for the CEO. This position resolves problems and ensures the successful implementation of company initiatives. The role supports internal operations as well as representing and speaking for the organization with external constituents. The Chief of Staff leads the Lee Health Government Relations department, working closely with elected officials and their staff on the local, state, and federal levels of government. Michael has over six years of experience working in Florida State government. As a Legislative Assistant with the Florida Senate, he helped to craft legislation and move it through the legislative process. Prior to his work in the Florida Senate, he worked with the office of the University President at Florida Gulf Coast University. Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, cum laude, from Florida Gulf Coast University. Michael is the immediate past Chair of the Big Brothers Big Sister of the Suncoast Corporate Board of Directors. He is the Chair of the Sanibel and Captiva Chamber of Commerce. He is past Chair of the Florida Gulf Coast University Alumni Board of Directors and served on the FGCU Foundation Board. He is a graduate of College Leadership Florida and an active member of the Leadership Florida organization. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Florida Greenways and Trails Council and served from 2019 to 2022. Michael serves on the Florida Tax Watch Board of Directors and is a member of the executive committee. Michael was recognized as one of the News Service of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in the Sunshine State in 2024. He won the inaugural Naples and Lee Herald Young Professional of the Year Award in 2016 and was named as one of the 40 under 40 by the Naples Herald in 2017. Michael was honored as the 2025 Florida Gulf Coast University Alumni of Distinction.
Rene Hebda is the Executive Director of the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, where she leads one of the region’s premier organizations dedicated to connecting CEOs, presidents, and entrepreneurs through peer learning, leadership development, and meaningful relationships. Prior to her current role, Rene served for 11 years as Director of Institutional Advancement at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School. In that role, she provided strategic leadership for admissions, fundraising and development, special events, and community engagement, helping to strengthen the school’s growth and mission. With extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, relationship building, strategic planning, fundraising, and organizational development, Rene is passionate about helping organizations grow, fostering strong community partnerships, and serving in ways that create lasting impact.
Coming soon.
Entrepreneur, Inventor, Technology Leader, Early Stage Investor, Community Organizer Peter Offringa was born in West Point, NY. As the son of a career Army officer, he lived in 10 different places before college. His high school years were spent in Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he attended Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. He played rugby at Princeton and participated in ROTC. After college, Peter spent four years in the U.S. Army as a communications officer. He was stationed in Georgia, South Korea and Colorado. During his last post at Fort Carson, he managed the army base's wide area network, gaining early exposure to the burgeoning Internet. In 1995, Peter left the Army and moved to Dallas, Texas. In Dallas, he co-founded a web development consultancy and began building Internet web sites as a software engineer. His firm's largest client was a rapidly growing AdTech company in San Francisco. They soon hired him to lead engineering and moved him to San Francisco, where he spent the next 18 years. Building on this experience, Peter ascended into technology executive positions at some of the world's largest consumer Internet brands. These included roles as VP of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer within Comcast's Spotlight Division, CBS Interactive and CNET Networks. He has also been part of the executive team of several exciting start-ups, leading technology through multiple funding rounds. His final job in San Francisco was as SVP of Engineering at Zoosk, which is a global online dating service with 30 million members across 60 countries. Zoosk registered for its IPO in 2014 and Peter was a named executive on the S-1 filing, representing a unique distinction in the start-up space. An innovator at heart, Peter is a listed inventor on 3 patent applications for Internet advertising and content delivery. In 2015, Peter and his wife moved to Sarasota, Florida. He spent several years as the CTO of Boatsetter, the leading peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace. After building out the technology team and completing a $10M Series A funding round, he decided to step away from daily operations. In 2020, Peter parlayed his technology experience into conducting deep equity analysis within the software infrastructure industry, highlighting investment opportunities in leading providers. He founded the popular equity research service Software Stack Investing, where he published analysis, consulted with leading hedge funds and presented at investor conferences. As part of this, Peter was a guest lecturer for the top-ranked London Business School's Masters in Finance program for 3 years. Peter is an active venture capital investor and supporter of the Sarasota start-up community. He serves as the Board Chair of Bridge Angel Investors, which is the largest angel investing group in Sarasota. Peter has participated in over 20 seed investments and listens to pitches from over 100 companies a year. Peter serves on the board of Sarasota Tech, which is a community organization that delivers monthly meet-ups, special interest groups and an annual conference. Sarasota Tech has grown substantially since Peter joined the leadership team, with over 2,800 members, meet-ups regularly attracting several hundred attendees and the most recent conference event selling out with 550 tickets. Peter also leads the investment advisory board for the Suncoast Venture Studio, which incubates disruptive business ideas in the AI space. He has served on the Advisory Board for the 26 West Entrepreneurship Center at the State College of Florida and actively participates in the Sarasota County EDC Technology and Entrepreneurship Working Group. Outside of his professional roles, Peter has been involved in various community organizations. He is the current President of the Princeton Club of Sarasota, the past President and board member of the Ivy League Club and co-chair of the Ivy League Professionals networking group. These alumni organization leadership activities allow him to tap into a large and growing constituency of Ivy League graduates in the Sarasota area. Peter has also been active with various youth organizations, serving as a volunteer mentor for Unidos Now, Comfort Zone Camp, AMI Kids and the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs Program at the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota. Finally, Peter serves on the board of the Hermitage Artist Retreat. He recently joined the Governance committee and was elected to serve as the board’s vice president. Peter and his wife live near downtown Sarasota in Southside Village. Outside of working and volunteering, Peter is a regular tennis player and likes to get out on the water whenever possible.
