Visit Sarasota County has announced the appointment of its new executive committee members for fiscal year 2024. They are Richard Russell, general director, Sarasota Opera, chair; John LaCivita, president, Willis Smith Construction, vice chair; Tim Self, senior vice president of investments, Gulfside Wealth,  Secretary/Treasurer; and Nick Mavrikas, general manager, Spark by Hilton, past chair. The other members of the Visit Sarasota County 2024 board of directors are the Hon. Ron Cutsinger, Ann Frescura, Mark Gordon, Rick Konsavage, Kara Morgan, Mike Quillen, Wes Santos and Susie Bowie.

Architect Sarah Lyons, AIA, has opened her own firm, S.Ly architecture LLC, in Sarasota. She brings more than 14 years of experience at renowned architecture firms including SOM, Pelli Clarke & Partners and HOK.

Visible Men Academy, a tuition-free K-5 school in Bradenton, recently announced that it will be moving to a new, rent-free home on the campus of Just for Girls of Manatee County, and that it received a five-year charter extension from the Manatee County School District.

Art 4 Change recently announced the winners of its inaugural “A Better World Through Art” poster contest. Open to students in Sarasota and Manatee counties, the competition invited students to use their creativity to design poster artwork exemplifying their vision of a better world. The 2024 contest winners are Mazie Zoller, Savannah Toomey, and Amelie Goff of Rowlett Middle Academy in Bradenton. Each of the winners received a framed print of their artwork, an Art 4 Change T-shirt and a gift card.