Mote welcomes new Trustee, Barbara Brizdle
Mote's newest Trustee, Barbara Brizdle
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is proud to welcome Barbara Brizdle as a new member of the Board of Trustees.
Elected as a Trustee in late May, Brizdle has supported Mote for over twenty years, first as a Member, in service on the Board’s Education and Aquarium Committees, and most recently in support of Mote’s campaign for the rebirth of our public outreach aquarium as Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA).
“I am so pleased to join Mote’s Board of Trustees and continue my support of their transformative work, “said Brizdle. “Education has always been a passion for me and the expansion of programs at the new Mote SEA will allow for greater learning opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages.”
Brizdle spent many years in New York City as a leader in the software industry, most notably as the Vice President / Division Executive for Information Services at Chase Bank. She founded a software services consulting company in 1984, and retired to Longboat Key in 1990 with her late husband, Lawrence J. Schoenberg.
A longtime supporter of arts and education, Brizdle and her husband founded the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) at the University of Pennsylvania, where she currently serves as the Overseer for the UPENN Libraries, and the Brizdle/Schoenberg Special Collections Library at Ringling College of Art and Design.
“Barbara joins our Board at a vital time in Mote’s history,” said Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “Her experience and dedication to education will prove invaluable in helping to shape our continued mission towards improved access to marine science and STEM for future generations.”
In addition to Mote, Brizdle has served on the boards of the National Alliance of Children and Families, the All Faiths Food Bank, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Suncoast, Inc. and is currently a member of the Board of Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue.
The Mote SEA campaign, Oceans for All: Improving Access to Marine Science & Technology includes provision for no-charge marine science educational opportunities for all Sarasota and Manatee County students. Brizdle joins a select group of philanthropists called Mote SEA Explorers, providing significant visionary support for the campaign. (Read more about this initiative here.)
The Board of Trustees supports Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in its mission of advancing marine science, education and outreach, including 100 % participation in Mote SEA’s Oceans for All campaign, which will fulfill a main strategic priority. See more about Mote’s Board of Trustees here.