Here to Serve You

Duggan launched his fundraising career at age six with door-to-door requests to support him in the annual community bike-a-thon for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since then, his life has been consumed with service to nonprofits and he has raised more than $85 million in support of well-respected community institutions.

In 2016, Duggan was hired by Pinellas Community Foundation indicating its board’s desire to enhance the trajectory of the foundation. He was given a near-blank slate to envision anew the 48-year-old institution. By 2019 Pinellas Community Foundation celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a solid brand, enhanced presence in the community, community-responsive granting, and ever-increasing assets, which are now more than $130 million.

Duggan is a long-time resident of Pinellas County, has enjoyed a robust career in nonprofit leadership and fundraising including work in nonprofit startups, organizational mergers, as well as public policy development and advocacy. Prior to PCF, he served as president of United Way of Pasco County, where he was responsible for leading the organization through a transformative position in the community.

Duggan also served as the President/CEO of Religious Community Services, Inc. (RCS), a Pinellas organization that provides human services for more than 90,000 people annually.

Mr. Cooley is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a past-President of Leadership Pinellas, a UNITE Pinellas Member, chair of the Funder’s Council of the Pinellas Homeless Continuum of Care, and a board member for the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence (FPEDV). Over the years he has served as a member and chair of a variety of boards throughout West Central Florida.

He holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame as well as degrees in Psychology and Classics from the University of Florida.

Learn More about Duggan Cooley

• Pasco United Way chief to head Pinellas Community Foundation
• Methodists Take Lead to Help Storm Damaged Pasco, flumc.org

Dr. Brittany Baldwin brings a decade of case management experience as well as technical support assistance to Pinellas Community Foundation.

Prior to joining Pinellas Community Foundation, she was a full-time academic advisor and professor at Georgia State University, Valdosta State University, and St. Petersburg College. She is best known now as a local singer/songwriter in the Tampa Bay Area.

Brittany is passionate about supporting her community and enjoys using her creativity and education to give back to the in every way she can.

She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, a Master’s Higher Education Administration, and Bachelor of Arts from Valdosta State University.

David Bender brings several years of database management and nonprofit experience to Pinellas Community Foundation. With a strong interest in community building and organizing, he interned with two major Chicago-based nonprofits where he used data to shape organizing strategies. He also provided database management services for a large Chicago hospital and pharmacy group.

David is bilingual in Spanish and English and spent three years teaching English in Madrid, Spain.

He oversees all of PCF’s grant making processes, as well as special communications and executive projects. He holds a Bachelor’s from Beloit College in Political Science and Spanish.

Starting at PCF in March 2021, Leigh came from Creative Pinellas, the county’s arts advocacy agency, where she worked as the 2018 Arts Annual project consultant and the organization’s arts and cultural outreach manager. In her position, she cultivated partnerships throughout Tampa Bay to build a greater understanding of the community, and the economic and tourism impact of arts and culture.

Leigh attended Emory University where she received her bachelor’s degree in theatre and later returned to work for the Emory Alumni Association. Prior to her move to Pinellas County in 2017, she was a corporate affairs and southeastern regional PR associate for HBO. Leigh managed the Office of Special Events for Mayor Shirley C. Franklin in Atlanta, Georgia, and has produced fundraising events for the American Red Cross in Louisiana.

Leigh is engaged within Pinellas County as a founding member of the Word Initiative, whose Word Book Boxes provide free books with positive images of children of color to communities in South St. Petersburg. She was also an event consultant for the Latinx Presente Festival of the Arts, First Night St. Petersburg, and the Plus Project.

Tabitha Rose Cervantes (she/they) is a Cuban creative and communication specialist committed to building and uplifting community. Rose recently accepted a Program Officer position with Pinellas Community Foundation to help foster an effective and equitable ARPA grant process. She happily keeps a full plate of projects and passions – ranging from grassroots equity work to nonprofit grant management to creating original poetry and art.

Rose is fueled by uplifting people who don’t fit inside “the box” of dominant white culture and passionately creates vulnerable spaces where art encourages authenticity. Rose creates poetry and works of art exploring mental health, Latinx heritage, and the dualities of the human experience. Rose is one-half of the artist team behind Collect Your Thoughts, a community art journaling program launching this fall (made possible by a Pinellas Recovers grant from Creative Pinellas & NEA). She serves as a creative writing teacher for Keep St. Pete Lit to help amplify and celebrate youth voices and creativity. Additionally, Rose is the Narrative Lead for the Latinx equity collective, Mi Gente Mi Pueblo (MGMP) and the co-chair for Mi Gente Movida 2022, a collection of activities, events, and opportunities during Hispanic Heritage month to empower and uplift the Latinx community in the Tampa Bay area.

Coleen Chaney brings over 20 years of expertise in crisis response work, policy development and community-based collaboration to the Pinellas Community Foundation. Prior to joining PCF, she was a Law Enforcement based Victims’ Advocate where she effected change within both the local Circuit Court and Florida Legislature to better serve survivors of crime. Coleen has long history of volunteerism within Pinellas County, she is a former board member of the Belleair Community Foundation, the Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin, the Pinellas County Victims’ Rights Coalition, and Family Enrichment Services. Currently she serves as a Commissioner for the Town of Belleair. She holds a Master’s in Non-profit Management from Regis University, a Bachelor’s in Organizational Studies from Eckerd College and is a graduate of the University of Richmond’s Institute of Philanthropy. She is also a Leadership Pinellas Class of 2018 alumni.

Leah J. Slavensky brings more than three decades of marketing, event planning and art direction experience to the Pinellas Community Foundation. Having spent much of her career working in the financial services and health care industries, she has a proven track record of exceeding communication goals while enriching brand awareness.

Leah has been instrumental in elevating the Pinellas Community Foundation’s brand identity as part of her efforts to launch the first marketing program in the organization’s 50-year history.

She holds a Master’s in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Iowa.

During her off hours, Leah is a dedicated volunteer at both Suncoast Hospice/Empath Health and the Hispanic Outreach Center.

Jocelyn Howard brings experience with government and nonprofit innovation as well as public health to her role at the Pinellas Community Foundation. Her work has focused on strengthening local policy and partnerships to build stronger communities. Past positions include developing the St. Pete Chamber’s Foundation, managing planning and partnerships for the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas, and serving as a consultant for NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management.

Jocelyn has an MPA in health policy and management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service and a BA in Anthropology and Hispanic Studies from Columbia University. She has contributed to Governing magazine, the Journal of Community Health, City Limits, and the Tampa Bay Times.

J.A. Morton-Jones brings a passion for community-building to her work as a donor-advisor for the Social Opportunity Works Fund. Working alongside nonprofits to help them build capacity through marketing, outreach, and coalition-building, she is an advocate for the many committed nonprofit organizations in Pinellas doing the heavy-lifting in their communities.

J.A. is also currently a staff writer and editor (as J.A. Jones) at The Weekly Challenger. Prior to that, she served as content manager at B2B Marketing Lead and grant writer/administrative support at RixNew. She has also worked at Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality Tampa, FL, sWire.com/Midwest Technology Ventures and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hope for Women Magazine and PW Media.

She has a Master of Fine Arts, Brown University, Providence, RI, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, The City College of New York, NY.