Sarah Owen, president & CEO of Collaboratory, leads a passionate and
diverse team of possibility makers committed to coordinating the
solving of all the social problems in Southwest Florida on a daring 18-year deadline.
Her journey into the nonprofit sector began as the leader of a grassroots hunger fighting organization, following a career in investor relations, public relations, and corporate communications. Her corporate experience was in the automotive and engineering industries, and Sarah was sought out by innovators and entrepreneurs developing emerging technologies. Sarah brings this focus on innovation to her work at Collaboratory. In 2017, Sarah oversaw the execution of a public-private partnership with the City of Fort Myers to create Collaboratory’s headquarters in the historic Atlantic Coast Rail Depot, a $10.5 million project funded with New Market Tax Credits.
The LEED Gold campus comprises the renovated 1920s ACL Depot and a 14,000 square foot addition designed to provide a physical and virtual space to connect the region’s problem solvers and their work, including nonprofit organizations, businesses, resident partners, and governmental agencies.
A graduate of Florida Southern College and the University of South Florida, Sarah holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, as well as certifications in environmental sciences from the University of Florida’s TREEO Center.
She is married to David Owen, and they have three adult children pursuing their own dreams for the future.
Sarah Owen, president & CEO of Collaboratory, leads a passionate and
diverse team of possibility makers committed to coordinating the
solving of all the social problems in Southwest Florida on a daring 18-year deadline.
Her journey into the nonprofit sector began as the leader of a grassroots hunger fighting organization, following a career in investor relations, public relations, and corporate communications. Her corporate experience was in the automotive and engineering industries, and Sarah was sought out by innovators and entrepreneurs developing emerging technologies. Sarah brings this focus on innovation to her work at Collaboratory. In 2017, Sarah oversaw the execution of a public-private partnership with the City of Fort Myers to create Collaboratory’s headquarters in the historic Atlantic Coast Rail Depot, a $10.5 million project funded with New Market Tax Credits.
The LEED Gold campus comprises the renovated 1920s ACL Depot and a 14,000 square foot addition designed to provide a physical and virtual space to connect the region’s problem solvers and their work, including nonprofit organizations, businesses, resident partners, and governmental agencies.
A graduate of Florida Southern College and the University of South Florida, Sarah holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, as well as certifications in environmental sciences from the University of Florida’s TREEO Center.
She is married to David Owen, and they have three adult children pursuing their own dreams for the future.
Sarah Owen - Monday
Peter D. Pearson - Tuesday
Sarah Owen - Monday
Peter D. Pearson - Tuesday
Peter Pearson was the President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in Minnesota for 25 years. He retired from that position in December of 2016. The Saint Paul Friends group is unique in two ways. First, the one organization acts as both a Friends’ group and a library foundation. And second, the organization is in a fortunate position of having assets of approximately $16 million at its disposal. The 72 year-old organization has a paid membership of 2,500 individuals. Its mission is threefold: to offer adult programming at the libraries; to conduct lobbying activities in support of strong public funding; and to raise private funds for the library’s collections and special needs. The organization uses interest income from its endowments to pay its operational costs and staff salaries. Last year, the organization provided over $1.7 million in total financial assistance to the library from its fundraising activities and lobbying efforts. In 2000, the organization completed a $21 million capital campaign to renovate Saint Paul’s historic Central Library. In 2015 the organization just completed another $14.5 million capital campaign for needed branch renovations.
Since retirement, Mr. Pearson has been an active consultant in the areas of fundraising and Board development. While at The Friends, Pearson created Library Strategies, a non-profit consulting arm of the organization which in recent years has billed over $1 million in consulting fees annually. Pearson has also consulted with arts and community organizations in Florida, the Twin Cities and around the country. He is actively involved as a fundraising consultant with two cultural organizations and three libraries at this time.
Mr. Pearson has a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Minnesota. He has been a classroom teacher, school principal, and executive director of two non-profit educational programs prior to taking a position as President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. He is on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County and is the immediate past chair of its political advocacy committee. He is also on the Human Services Advisory Council for Sarasota County which recommends $4-5 million of grants from County funds annually to nonprofit organizations in Sarasota County. Mr. Pearson currently sits on the Board of Directors of United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association representing Friends, Foundations, Trustees and Advocates. Pearson is a past Board President of this division. Pearson was also the Board Chair of Libraries for the Future (LFF) in New York for three years. Mr. Pearson has also served as a Trustee of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, which is the Twin Cities’ regional library system. In June, 2005, Mr. Pearson was inducted into the American Library Association’s Advocacy Honor Roll as an outstanding library advocate in Minnesota and the U.S. He is a frequent speaker and presenter at state and national library conferences. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Pearson lived in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area for over 45 years. He now resides full time in Sarasota, Florida.
Peter Pearson was the President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in Minnesota for 25 years. He retired from that position in December of 2016. The Saint Paul Friends group is unique in two ways. First, the one organization acts as both a Friends’ group and a library foundation. And second, the organization is in a fortunate position of having assets of approximately $16 million at its disposal. The 72 year-old organization has a paid membership of 2,500 individuals. Its mission is threefold: to offer adult programming at the libraries; to conduct lobbying activities in support of strong public funding; and to raise private funds for the library’s collections and special needs. The organization uses interest income from its endowments to pay its operational costs and staff salaries. Last year, the organization provided over $1.7 million in total financial assistance to the library from its fundraising activities and lobbying efforts. In 2000, the organization completed a $21 million capital campaign to renovate Saint Paul’s historic Central Library. In 2015 the organization just completed another $14.5 million capital campaign for needed branch renovations.
Since retirement, Mr. Pearson has been an active consultant in the areas of fundraising and Board development. While at The Friends, Pearson created Library Strategies, a non-profit consulting arm of the organization which in recent years has billed over $1 million in consulting fees annually. Pearson has also consulted with arts and community organizations in Florida, the Twin Cities and around the country. He is actively involved as a fundraising consultant with two cultural organizations and three libraries at this time.
Mr. Pearson has a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Minnesota. He has been a classroom teacher, school principal, and executive director of two non-profit educational programs prior to taking a position as President of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. He is on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County and is the immediate past chair of its political advocacy committee. He is also on the Human Services Advisory Council for Sarasota County which recommends $4-5 million of grants from County funds annually to nonprofit organizations in Sarasota County. Mr. Pearson currently sits on the Board of Directors of United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association representing Friends, Foundations, Trustees and Advocates. Pearson is a past Board President of this division. Pearson was also the Board Chair of Libraries for the Future (LFF) in New York for three years. Mr. Pearson has also served as a Trustee of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, which is the Twin Cities’ regional library system. In June, 2005, Mr. Pearson was inducted into the American Library Association’s Advocacy Honor Roll as an outstanding library advocate in Minnesota and the U.S. He is a frequent speaker and presenter at state and national library conferences. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Pearson lived in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area for over 45 years. He now resides full time in Sarasota, Florida.
