VIN'S PEOPLE: A salute to driving force behind Bradenton's downtown cultural renaissance
All the best to Johnette Isham, retiring as the dynamic executive director of Realize Bradenton, the unique nonprofit she’s led since its formation in 2009.
Her inclusive leadership, imagination and deft networking enabled the nonprofit to make the words, “We Bring People Together,” reality.
“Johnette has helped infuse our downtown with a sense of unity, vision and accomplishment,” said Carrie Price, chair of Realize Bradenton’s board of directors. “Her impact will be felt well beyond her 13 years of service.”
That collaboration with various entities – such as the City of Bradenton, Downtown Development Authority, Manatee Chamber of Commerce, cultural organizations, business sponsors – helped reinvigorate downtown through promotion and celebration of the arts, culture and its heritage.
Among the accomplishments: the development of Riverwalk Park; Riverwalk East expansion; the Bradenton Blues Festival; Bradenton Public Market; and ArtSlam.
On Johnette’s watch, Realize Bradenton also won $3.4 million in grants for downtown’s renaissance, and accolades including the Knight Cities Challenge Award, Manatee Chamber Nonprofit Organization of the Year, and American Planning Association Outstanding Public Interest Group.
Karen Corbin, director of Realize Bradenton’s community partnerships, will succeed Johnette.
• Uh, oh! Cindy Denison is one year shy of the Big 6-0!
• It’s been an emotional time for Mike Estes, former Manatee High trainer who spent 21 years at Florida Gulf Coast University.
First, he left FGCU as a senior associate athletic director and started a new career with A-G Administrators, which specializes in intercollegiate insurance.
“Between NCAA changes and just being tired of working nights and weekends, it was time,” Mike said. “Two years of COVID didn’t help either. Life the past year put things in perspective.”
Then Ian hit and, though his home in Fort Myers withstood the hurricane, his family did not.
“My mom passed during the storm. She had been evacuated from her facility, because of surge warning, to a safe facility. I could not be with her.”
Yet days later, something truly nice happened. His daughter, Monica, got engaged.
“The venue for the engagement surprise was destroyed, so one of her best friends hosted an engagement party. Not the way it was supposed to go down, but there was light out of all this.”
• Alan Frank is 39. Again.
• Good luck to the qualifiers for the Florida Youth Running Association’s Middle School State Cross Country Championship.
The girls are Nolan’s Quinn Hossenlopp, McKayla Kvapil, Maeve Murray and Avery Stewart; Mona Jain’s Kayla Hawk, Julia Mulligan and Alina Petkov; Braden River’s Alexis Hutter and King’s Kendall Johnson.
The boys are Mona Jain’s Ryan Butler and Liam Christensen; King’s Riley Craig and Joe Fonesca; Nolan’s Gael Ferrer and Sean Spergl; Johnson’s William Morales and Lane Spivey.
The Nolan girls and boys teams also qualified, as did the King and Mona Jain boys teams.
• That’s 24 years of wedded bliss for Beth Brannon-Trent and husband Todd.
• And well done to Kara Chadwick, Emilee Sweetland and Tina Smith, who went 1-2-3 in Southeast High’s annual Faculty Chili Cook Off.
Principal Ginger Collins said the chili wasn’t crazy spicy – “No one went to the tears and sweat of heat level” – but the winners had more meat and beans and green peppers.
“Smooth and delicious,” she said.
Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944. Twitter: @vinmannix.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: VIN MANNIX: Johnette Isham retiring as director of Realize Bradenton
