What is the evolving role of leadership in our rapidly changing world, and how are nonprofit leaders stepping up to meet the challenges of tomorrow? Four local leaders set out to explore these questions and more during the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Conference morning panel: Emerging Leadership for the Future, moderated by Walter Jennings, Director of Student Success Initiatives at Helios Education Foundation.
Panelists included:
- Terry Marks, Nonprofit consultant and former CEO of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance
- Celeste Roberts, President & CEO, The Skills Center
- Ann Shaler, Senior Vice President, Tampa Bay Market Executive, Bank of America
- Mike Sutton, President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside
Panelists shared four central takeaways to help all nonprofit professionals accept the mission of leading with vision and purpose in the years ahead. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Partnership is paramount.
Being stronger together as a sector was a theme that resonated across panelists.
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside CEO, Mike Sutton, said, “We cannot do the work we do without partners. When we can move silos out of the way, everyone wins.”
Celeste Roberts, CEO of The Skills Center, underscored the importance of collaboration but also the need to define it.
“Collaboration is an easy thing to say, but it can be a very hard thing to do,” said Celeste. “Control gets in the way. We must keep our eye on the goal and think differently by allowing other groups to play their role. I don’t have to be good at everything, I just have to do what I’m good at. I can collaborate with others to do the rest.”
In addition to defining collaboration, Ann Shaler, senior vice president at Bank of America, encouraged leaders to set aside egos and really look creatively at how partnerships can accelerate progress, even if that means through nonprofit consolidation or creative collaboration to deliver services.
“Is your mission actually better suited as a program of another nonprofit? We have to have honest conversations around the sustainability of organizations,” Ann shared.
Terry Marks gave us a simple way to remember this: “Your ego is not your amigo.”
Finally, when it comes to partnership, panelists believe that also extends to staff.
Mike acknowledged that nonprofits are doing really hard work while facing greater challenges than ever before. He encouraged nonprofit leaders to lead courageously by leaning on their staff, being transparent with them about challenges, and supporting them.
2. Use data to light a fire for change.
While funders want and need data to understand the impact of their investment, Ann Shaler encouraged nonprofit leaders to be equally as focused on sharing important data with the community as they are with funders.
“Data isn’t just for sharing impact with funders,” she said. “Data can light a fire for change.”
Celeste reminded leaders that when it comes to data, it’s important to not just ask for feedback and hear their voice but to actually do the things that will impact lives.
3. Be an artist: Share your story.
As the former CEO of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and a nonprofit consult who has worked with many art organizations, Terry Marks reminded nonprofit leaders that each of us is an artist in some way. “You wouldn’t be nonprofit professionals if you didn’t have creativity,” she said.
With that in mind, Terry believes successful nonprofits must tell their story, sharing their missions not just on paper but emotionally and passionately.Â
From a funder perspective, Ann Shaler reminded leaders that economics speak loudly to companies in the financial services industry. “All the work nonprofits do feed our economy. It prepares our youth to work. It helps people become stable and secure. The economic story is a powerful one.”
4. Now is the time to be bold.
With many conversations centering on collaboration, Mike Sutton challenged nonprofit leaders to be bold and think courageously.
“It’s time to be bold,” Mike exclaimed. “We have to start acting like a region and not let a 7-mile body of water get in the way of what we can do together. The Tampa Bay nonprofit community has so much opportunity to raise our profile and do more. But we have to be willing to be bold.”
Don’t Miss the Next Nonprofit Leadership Conference
The Nonprofit Leadership Conference is the premier gathering for nonprofit professionals and community leaders who are called to be the change that changes everything. Hosted annually by the Nonprofit Leadership Center in Downtown Tampa, nearly 1,000 leaders unite to learn, lead and lift up our communities together. Learn more about this transformative event. 2026 dates will be announced later this year.
