Donna Guzzo has announced her retirement as president and CEO of First Coast Cultural Center beginning Feb. 28, and a replacement has yet to be named.
Guzzo took the helm at FCCC, a nonprofit organization, in 2017. She has worked tirelessly on her mission to bring the arts into the life of the community through education, exhibitions and outreach while honoring a donor-driven philosophy.
“In my eight years at the center, it has been exciting to be part of its growth,” said Guzzo. “Today, the center enjoys more public prominence, community involvement, programming and services to children with special needs — and as a result, more members and donors.”
In addition, she feels confident in her staff, saying they are “cross trained and highly capable.”
A well-connected leader, Guzzo began the Kick StART Afterschool Arts Enrichment Program in St. Johns County and provided opportunities for students from low-income families to participate. Additionally, FCCC was able to expand services to the community as a Certified Autism Center.
Another highlight for Guzzo, was moving FCCC into a two-story “forever home” in Ponte Vedra Beach after weathering the 2020 pandemic and relocating twice.
“This permanent location has afforded us with more space for larger cultural exhibits and programs, and involvement continues to grow,” Guzzo explained. She added that, with a supportive foundation and board leadership, “the center’s future will be brighter yet.”
Guzzo has always operated under the motto, “Success is imminent!” This has successfully propelled her through a career in banking followed by 30 years of leadership positions in non-profits.
In one of her earlier roles, she founded the nonprofit Language Exploration Enrichment (LEE) Spanish program for St. Johns County students in 2003, and she was named Florida Foreign Language Most Valued Educator five times — being inducted into Florida’s Educator’s Hall of Fame in 2018.
A 2018 graduate of Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, Guzzo’s other accomplishments include sitting on national boards for the American Cancer Society and United Way and on boards for the Arts and for World Languages. She has also been a featured speaker as an ambassador of the United Nations in New York City and taught and promoted sustainable development goals at Harvard University, Providence University in Taiwan, the United Nations in Geneva and the Vatican.
In 2019, Guzzo was recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Jacksonville, and she was the recipient of the 2021 Dr. Gail Pflaster ROWITA Award. She has been an active Rotarian for the last eight years.
