Photos by Brian Brakebill
People of St. Pete: Tiffany Ford By Tina Stewart Brakebill St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique. This month we’re placing local theater director and art educator Tiffany Ford in the limelight. Ford is passionate about using the power of artistic expression to “empower people to connect, collaborate, and achieve more together.”
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GREENBENCHMONTHLY.COM / MARCH 2022
From Whitney to Belle and Beyond: Finding Her Heart’s Desire A native Floridian, Ford grew up in Palm Beach Gardens as the youngest child of a stained-glass artist/art director and a professional golfer. With artists and athletes as role models, she might have envisioned herself as a painter or perhaps a Master’s champion like her grandfather Douglas Ford. Young Ford saw a different future: She’d be the next Whitney Houston! That 8-year-old girl’s dream guided her path for years. She performed in secondary- school chorus and musical productions, entered the musical theater program at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and even spent a summer playing “Belle” at Disneyland. She enjoyed the stage, but soon realized that the founding of UCF’s student-run production company, Project Spotlight, manifested her true heart’s desire: “working collaboratively with a group of people to create a new thing.” After earning her bachelor’s degree in arts and theater with a minor in philosophy, she allowed that realization to guide her choices.
