Glasser/Schoenbaum Center selects executive director

As the Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center prepares for a year of growth, a new leader has been selected to guide the organization.

Jay Berman will assume the role of executive director and CEO Jan. 1. Berman will follow Phil King as executive director.

King, who began working as executive director in May 2009, announced his retirement earlier this year, though he plans to continue working with the center.

The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center is a nonprofit organization that houses 17 nonprofit health- and human-services agencies. The center seeks to improve the quality of life of underserved, low-income community members.

Berman, a benefits specialist with the Sarasota company Professional Benefits, has served on the Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center board for the past three years. He was drawn to the center after speaking with the late founder Kay Glasser, who emphasized the organization’s collaborative nature.

“The center — it’s a collaboration,” Berman said. “It saves money for the nonprofits, who can pass that onto the 10,000 people a month who use it.”

Berman will take the helm as the center begins to undergo a period of expansion. Construction is underway on the Sam and Sally Shapiro Medical Center, which will serve as the center’s children’s health facility. When the new center opens, Berman said, the current children’s health center will be refurbished and used as space for additional nonprofit groups.

“First and foremost, our goal is to get the Sam and Sally Shapiro Medical Center done,” Berman said.

“Then, with the old center, we’ll have some space, and we’ll see what are some good fits that can go in there.”

Berman has also served on Sarasota County’s Human Services Advisory Council, which works with the county’s health- and human-services nonprofits.

King said Berman’s background, both personally and professionally, made him a natural fit to lead the organization.

“He’s in the community on all levels,” King said. “He has been involved in the not-for-profit world for many years. He knows every agency in town.”

King will work with Berman for the next few weeks to transition him into his new role. King is excited to see what Berman can do once he begins working full-time.

“The momentum is so great, and it’s unlimited as to what the center can do,” King said. “We’ve moved the center to a great level, and with his knowledge and expertise he can move it to an even greater level.”

Contact David Conway at [email protected]