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SAACC Board Bios

Vickie Oldham M.F.A.

President & CEO

Vickie Oldham M.F.A. is president and CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, Inc. SAACC’s goal is to open an art center and history museum. The precursor of this historic preservation initiative is “Newtown Alive.” Led by Oldham, the project traces the history of Newtown, one of Sarasota’s oldest communities.

Newtown Alive products include a research report, a book, historical markers, a documentary short, a guided trolley tour, traveling exhibition, walking tours, a mobile app, oral history interviews, an inventory of historic structures, a podcast series, and newtownalive.org, the official website. The project has received local and state awards. Visit Sarasota County named Ms. Oldham the 2020 Voice of Tourism.

Washington Hill, M.D.

Chairman of the Board

Washington Hill, M.D. is a senior physician of 55 years in obstetrics, gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine at CenterPlace Health and has practiced for more than 30 years at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Dr. Hill received his M.D. from Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at William Beaumont Army General Hospital.

After 12 years in private practice, he completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine. Dr. Hill holds academic appointments at several prestigious schools of medicine. He is founder of the high-risk pregnancy program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and a long-term Sarasota physician and community leader.

Marvin Austin

SAACC treasurer

Marvin B. Austin is Director of Finance at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Desoto Counties, Inc. Before moving to Sarasota in 2021, he was Director of Finance and Operations for the Milwaukee Urban League in Racine, WI. Mr. Austin continues as Principal Consultant at RB Legacy Enterprises, LLC which provides services designed to improve the quality of life in African American communities. A commitment to build strong neighborhoods is the impetus that led to his work with civic groups. Austin is a member of the Newtown Business Council, a founding member of Black Community Working Together, Inc. and treasurer of the Howard Club of Southwest Florida.

Dan Dannheisser

Board Member

A native Floridian, Dan Dannheisser grew up in Pensacola, and is a trial attorney practicing in both state and federal courts with a 43-year track record of success in Sarasota. He graduated cum laude from the University of Florida and the University of Florida Spessard L. Holland School of Law and holds the highest Martindale Hubbell’s trial lawyer rating (an “A” and “very high” peer ranking). The senior partner at Dannheisser Injury Law, Dan is active in the community. He has served as a board member, chair, director or trustee for many community nonprofits including the Sarasota Safe Children Coalition, the Sarasota YMCA, Temple Sinai, the Sarasota Rotary Club, The Rotary Foundation, Sarasota Little League Baseball, Sarasota Cal Ripken Baseball and the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition. Dan also enjoys coaching youth baseball and football.

Rev. Brock H. Leach

Board Member

Rev. Brock Leach is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister who leads denominational efforts to support religious innovators. He previously led innovation projects for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the denomination’s international human rights agency. Locally, he serves on the boards of Children First and the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and co-chairs the Professional Advisory Group for clinical pastoral education at Tampa General Hospital. Nationally, he serves on the boards of Protect Our Defenders and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. Prior to ministry, Brock had a 24-year career as an executive for PepsiCo where he served as president and CEO of two of its divisions and was chief innovation officer for the corporation. He holds a BA from the University of Colorado Boulder, an MBA from the University of Chicago, a Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School and is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Boston University School of Theology.

La’Tiara Love

Board Member

La’Tiara Love is a marketing professional who specializes in connecting people, products, and services. She earned her BBA degree from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst with a concentration in marketing. Ms. Love has worked for corporations and organizations both nationally and internationally and has over a decade of management experience. She has earned several company awards for “excellence in leadership” in marketing, and the outstanding customer service award. She is currently a realtor at Imagine Realty and is passionate about providing exceptional service for her clients. Love is also a proud board member of the Economic Development Foundation of Sarasota County.

LAWRENCE A. MILLER, Ph.D.

Board Member

Dr. Lawrence Miller is the former city manager for the City of Arcadia, the first African American to hold the position there. He was also the assistant city manager for the City of Sarasota. Prior, he was MTA NYC Transit Vice President for EEO/AA. He has taught political science for 14 years at St. Petersburg College in Pinellas County. Currently, Dr. Miller is the president of the Howard Club SWFL and the chair of Public Policy for Gamma Xi Boule fraternity. Dr. Miller teaches American Government, Comparative Politics and International Relations, and has taught political science at the State College of Florida-Manatee, Keiser University-Sarasota and South Florida State College in Avon Park.

Kaveecia Moore, M.B.A.

Treasurer

Kaveecia Moore is a third-generation Sarasota native. She is the Director of Homeowner Services at Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, where she works with prospective and existing homeowners who seek a path toward financial stability. She has more than 10 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors and has held various leadership roles in her local community. She serves as a board member of Dreamers Academy and is on the community advisory board for the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Ms. Moore holds a B.S. from the University of Florida, an MBA from Barry University and is a graduate of the 2021 Gulf Coast Board Institute.

Jennifer O. Rominiecki

Board Member

Jennifer O. Rominiecki began her tenure as President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in February 2015. She has 20 years of experience at major New York City cultural institutions, including The New York Botanical Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Mrs. Rominiecki completed the Women’s Leadership Forum at Harvard Business School in June 2017 and currently serves as chair of VISIT FLORIDA, and a board member of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, and the Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida. She was named a “Woman of the Year” honoree by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and received SRQ Magazine’s Women in Business “Hear Me Roar” Leadership Award.

Edna Sherrell, M.Ed.

Executive Assistant

Edna Sherrell is an educator at Booker High School, where she also serves as a media liaison and historical room coordinator. Educating youth is her passion, especially through culture, history and the arts. Ms. Sherrell’s community involvement includes the Westcoast Black Theater Troupe’s community advisory board and ASALH Academics through BHS. She is a member of ASALH and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

James B. Stewart Ph.D.

Board Member

Dr. James B. Stewart is a Professor Emeritus at Penn State University. He previously served as Vice Provost for Educational Equity and Director of the Black Studies Program. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at the New School (NYC) and Director of the Black Economic Research Center for the 21st Century. Dr. Stewart has authored, co-authored, edited or co-edited 13 monographs, including Introduction to African American Studies. Stewart has also published over 75 articles in Economics and Black Studies professional journals. He has served as president of three national professional organizations including the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Dr. Stewart is the immediate past president of the Manasota Branch of ASALH.

The Honorable CHARLES E. WILLIAMS

Board Member

Charles E. Williams is a circuit judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida. The 12th Judicial Circuit covers Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. In addition to SAACC, Judge Williams serves on the Board of Directors of Embracing our Differences, The Community Foundation of Sarasota, The Boxser Diversity Initiative and the Board of Trustees for Florida Studio Theatre.

Ian Black

Board Member

Ian Black, CCIM, is a prominent fixture in the Sarasota/Manatee counties real estate market since the early 1980s. His real estate brokerage career began in 1964 after working with, and later co-owning, Brian Morton and Company in Northern Ireland, his homeland. In 2003, he opened a commercial real estate brokerage and management office in Sarasota. Mr. Black is one of the few commercial brokers in the area who holds the prestigious CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), which is the global standard for professional achievement. The CCIM Designation is conferred upon commercial real estate leaders with a proven record of success in the field and mastery of financial, market and investment analysis.

Walter Gilbert

Board Member

Walter Gilbert was born and reared in Sarasota. Like his mother, he is active in the Newtown community. He served as the NAACP president when a federal lawsuit was filed against the City of Sarasota for single-member district voting. The actions of members opened the way for African American representation on the Sarasota City Commission. Mr. Gilbert held several positions in the public and private sectors. Most recently, he spearheaded a project to recognize the first African American physician in Sarasota with practicing privileges at two area hospitals. The Gilbert Mural Initiative honors early Black settlers. This community scholar has committed his life to sharing the untold stories of his ancestors, neighbors, and pioneers who built Sarasota’s infrastructure. He speaks to groups on history tours. Mr. Gilbert is the Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

The time is now!

CASE STUDY

HISTORY THAT TIME HAS FORGOTTEN

Sarasota has been rated one of the best places to live in the U.S. But, that wasn’t always true for African American pioneers, early settlers and their descendants who call Newtown home. For more than 100 years, residents of one of Sarasota’s oldest neighborhoods endured the ups and downs of living in a “sundown town.” Residents built churches, homes and opened schools and businesses that created a self-contained and sustained incubator that cemented cohesiveness. There were turbulent decades when residents fought for equality and other eras of struggle. Through it all, with courage, resilience, dignity and determination, they survived and kept their tight-knit neighborhood intact.

THE TIME HAS COME

The time has come to acknowledge the significant contributions made by African Americans to the development of Sarasota’s institutions and infrastructure and to the fabric of what makes Sarasota so special – our unique history and expansive cultural landscape. The time has come to celebrate African Americans’ rich cultural traditions, history, performing and visual arts, and music that enliven Sarasota and make it an exciting city to visit and live. And, the time has come to inspire Newtown’s resurgence with a thriving center that will fill the gap in historical and cultural offerings available to Sarasota’s diverse residents and visitors. The time has come for the Historic Leonard Reid House to open.

A CENTER FOR ALL TIME AND ALL PEOPLE

In 2018 Vickie Oldham asked a distinguished group of community leaders to join her in forming the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition (SAACC) to preserve, celebrate and share the cultural, artistic and historical heritage of African Americans in Sarasota and beyond. The first step was to accept as its initial location the Historic Leonard Reid House deeded to the City of Sarasota by a developer. City officials moved the house in May 2022 from Cohen Way to Orange Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1,400-square-foot house was built in 1926 in Sarasota’s earliest African American community, Overtown, which Leonard Reid helped to establish. The Reid House will be transformed into a new arts, culture and history center that will host exhibits about Black life and history. It will have performance space for Black artists and offer public programs and classes in drawing, painting, photography, writing, health and wellness, leadership and entrepreneurship. Opportunities to mentor Newtown students will be offered. It will be accessible to individuals countywide and, during these polarized times, will provide a safe space for discussions about race, identity, class, social justice, history and culture.