Sarasota native and longtime educator brings lifelong commitment to learning, creativity and community engagement to nonprofit organization
Tanna Horner will be the new executive director of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County, effective Nov. 2, the nonprofit organization announced on Oct. 12.
“A Sarasota native with a career spanning education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement, Horner brings a personal connection to the community and a longstanding belief in the power of learning and discovery to transform lives,” a news release points out.
“Tanna has built a career out of coming up with unique solutions to achieve big goals,” said Kat Wingert, board president of the Library Foundation, in the release. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our team to see how her leadership and creativity can expand our libraries’ impact throughout the community.”
The release notes, “Horner began her career as a public school teacher and went on to serve nearly a decade as a principal. She comes to the Library Foundation from the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, where she developed and grew programming designed to inspire people through art, nature, education, and shared experiences.” The release adds, “Across each chapter of her career, she has focused on creating opportunities for people to learn, explore, connect, and grow.”
“I am honored to join the Library Foundation and to have the opportunity to serve a community that has given me so much,” said Horner in the release. “Sarasota is not simply where I live — it is my hometown, the community that helped shape who I am and what I value. Supporting our libraries feels like a meaningful way to give back,” she added in the release.
Her connection to the Library Foundation “stems from a deep belief in the unique role libraries play in a community,” the release continues.
“A library is one of the rare places in our community that truly belongs to everyone,” Horner added in the release. “It can be the place where a child first discovers the joy of reading, where a teenager begins imagining a future they had never considered, where an adult learns a new skill, or where someone simply finds connection and belonging.”
The release explains, “As executive director, Horner will lead the foundation’s efforts to secure philanthropic support, while advocating and expanding opportunities for the Sarasota County Library System and the people it serves. Horner said she is eager to build on that work and engage donors, community members, and library supporters in investing in the future of the community.”
“Books may bring us through the doors, but what happens within those walls can reach far beyond the pages,” Horner said in the release. “Together, we can ensure that learning, discovery, and possibility remain within reach for everyone in our community.”
The release also points out, “Since its founding in 2011, the nonprofit Library Foundation for Sarasota County has raised more than $8 million in private funds for the benefit of Sarasota County public libraries.”
To learn more about the Foundation and how persons can support its mission, visit SarasotaLibraryFoundation.org or call 941-404-3139.