Mote welcomes new Major Gifts Officer
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to welcome Amanda Chandler as its new Major Gifts Officer.
Mote would not be a successful, independent marine science institution without the support of communities locally and beyond. Philanthropic support has allowed Mote to grow from a one-room laboratory founded in 1955 to a world-class marine science and education center with 25 diverse research programs and five campuses, including a new state-of-the-art research facility being constructed at Mote's Florida Keys campus and opening in 2017.
As Mote’s new Major Gifts Officer, Chandler help advance Mote’s mission, working with its base of current supporters and engaging new supporters Mote's vision of scientific research enabling conservation and sustainable use of the oceans.
Chandler joins Mote directly from the Sarasota Opera, where she has worked for the last two years as its Individual Giving Officer. Prior to Sarasota Opera, Chandler was part of the Asolo Repertory Theater’s development team.
Chandler graduated from Florida State University with her Master of Fine Arts in Theater & Non-Profit Arts Management. In 1998, she graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s in English Education.
Contact Chandler at: 941-388-4441 ext. 352, achandler@mote.org.
Q&A with Amanda Chandler
What brought you to Mote?
I’ve been in the area for about three years now. I grew up in Fort Pierce and I was a high school drama and English teacher for 10 years on the east coast of Florida.
I had only visited the Sarasota area a few times when I was younger and I don’t remember anything but the gorgeous beaches and marine life. I grew up very close to the beach, but I remember the beaches in this area were just incredible, so I am so excited to be here and working for an organization that connects so strongly with the community.
I saw an opportunity to do something bigger with the skills I have and I want to be able to make a bigger impact with my talents, skills and abilities. What attracted me to Mote, and to supporting all of the programs and initiatives at Mote, is its ability to create impact right here in the community, and far beyond. I can see the local and global changes this organization makes and I want to be a part of those changes.
What will you being doing with Mote?
I will be working to create new relationships with people in our community, as well as maintaining relations between current supporters and this organization. I hope to generate support for the organization to allow it to continue to grow.
What are your goals?
To meet the goals established in Mote’s 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan and to keep Mote looking forward, I plan to transfer and translate Mote’s research to make it relatable and help people can truly connect. I want to spark new interest in some who may not know the extent of Mote’s research and educational programs.
The philanthropic nature of the community is like nothing I’ve ever seen. And it is great to be at a place with so many people who support your goals and initiatives for the future.
What makes Mote special, and what makes its community in Sarasota special?
Mote nurtures the next generation of scientists, but also the next generation of leaders. I don’t know where else I would be able to get the professional experience I am getting here. I am able to learn and grow and that is what I love about this job.
The people that live here support so many great things.
I think it is amazing that there is a strong group of young professionals in Sarasota who are trying to affect change and they are becoming this next generation of philanthropists because they are seeing the model from this community that doesn’t exist at this level anywhere else.
It’s fun and exciting to be on the cusp of something like that.
And I can already see that the staff at Mote reflects this. There are people here from a variety of backgrounds and ages, and it really is something special to see how multiple generations are working together to spark change to benefit our marine resources.