POWERING
PROGRESS Gulf Coast Community Foundation Welcomes Three Accomplished Women to its Board of Directors BY TOM R EESE
As any strong community foundation would do, Gulf Coast Community Foundation is consistently looking for ways to ensure even greater community impact, increase its partnership network, listen to fresh perspectives, and meet challenging philanthropic goals. With these goals and its mission in mind, Gulf Coast has recently appointed three exceptional and highly distinguished women to its board of directors who will all contribute in a large way to the foundation’s incredible impact in our region for today and tomorrow. Deb Kabinoff Deb worked tirelessly to launch and build two successful software and technology companies throughout her career. Described as a trailblazer by her peers, she retired in Sarasota in the early 1990s after selling one of her companies at the age of 42. Although technically retired, Deb dove headfirst into the world of philanthropy and has never slowed down. “When I moved here from California, I immediately got involved in philanthropy and many nonprofit organizations. As a Jewish woman, I felt a responsibility through the tradition of ‘tikkun olam’ to give back to my community and heal the world for the privilege of
having been given this life. I started out volunteering with and contributing to arts organizations, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Selby Gardens, and several other nonprofit groups,” said Deb. Deb and her late husband, Larry, realized there was a serious affordable housing crisis in Sarasota county and immediately got to work to remedy the situation, eventually launching a new company to build amenitypacked affordable houses in North Port. “I was happy to be building a lot of houses and helping various charities, but I wanted to make a bigger overall impact on the community in a more strategic way. I wanted to work with an organization that would add to my ability to make a significant contribution in our area. I learned about Gulf Coast and the ways they were addressing the needs of our region, and I knew that it was the organization I had been looking for.” Deb began by opening her own donor-advised fund through Gulf Coast. “Because my career was based on starting and building software companies, I’m especially interested in participating in projects that use technology to JANUARY 2026 | SARASOTA SCENE
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