Dr. Kanika Tomalin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. In this role, she leads, directs, and integrates all aspects of the Foundation’s internal and external activities and initiatives, including the Foundation's Center for Health Equity. She guides the organization as a steward of the community’s resources, consistently reporting back to the community and ensuring decisions and plans of action are mission-aligned and based in equity.

Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Strategy at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. In this role she oversaw the college’s operations, planning and emergency management; strategic planning; institutional effectiveness; external affairs; technology services; sustainability and resilience; and the St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact.

Before that, she served eight years as Deputy Mayor and City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg, working in partnership with former Mayor Rick Kriseman to strategically advance one of Florida’s largest cities toward its goals. Defining initiatives were developed under Dr. Tomalin’s visionary leadership. She was the Founder or Executive Lead on signature advancements such as: the City’s vision, Healthy St. Pete, the Innovation District, integrated water master plan, the For All, From All Housing Affordability plan, the St. Pete Pier, Fire Cadet training program, Youth Development Grants, Citywide diversity training and scholarships, Deuces Rising redevelopment plan, Community Benefits Agreement, Youth Intervention programs, and much more.
Before Dr. Tomalin’s time in City Hall she served as the Regional Vice President of External Affairs for the seven hospital, five-county Bayfront Health Network and Director of Strategy for Health Management Associates’ 23-hospital Florida Group. For more than 13 years as a C-suite executive in various leadership roles for Bayfront Health System, she guided the organization’s strategic planning; government relations; marketing; media; community affairs; external and internal communications and patient experience.

She has also worked at the St. Petersburg Times, the Palm Beach Post, WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY and WRXB radio in St. Petersburg.

Dr. Tomalin received a Journalism degree from Florida A&M University, an MBA from the University of Miami and a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University. Her commitment to community is evident in her outreach and service-driven outcomes. She serves on the Boards of The Dali Museum; Academy Prep St. Petersburg; Bayfront Health Foundation; and Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Previous board and executive leadership positions include: American Heart Association; St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors; Vice-Chair of the St. Petersburg College Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions; St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership; Bayfront Health, Education and Research Organization; Pinellas County Urban League; YWCA of Tampa Bay; Canterbury School of Florida; Great Explorations Children’s Museum; Pinellas Enrichment for Mental Health Services Advisory Board; USF St. Pete Celebrates! Host Committee; American Heart Association Go Red for Women Executive Cabinet and American Stage.

She has received numerous honors and appointments, including being named: the ACLU’s Gardner Beckett Civil Liberties honoree; St. Petersburg Chamber’s Businesswoman of the Year, inaugural “Iconic Woman to Watch” and Young Business Leader of the Year; Gwen Reese Lifetime Achievement Award; YWCA of Tampa Bay’s Woman of Distinction; one of Florida Business Observer’s 40 Under 40; one of Florida’s Most Powerful and Influential Women; recipient of the Florida Diversity Council’s Glass Ceiling Award; Metro Health Robert Page Distinguished Leadership Award; Studio@620 Honors Community Leadership Award; Pinellas County Urban League Whitney Young Empowerment Award; one of Academy Prep’s Inaugural “Five Fabulous Females”; one of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 30 Under 30; PEMHS’ PACE Award for Community Service; Association of Healthcare Philanthropists fellow; and a Kaiser Family Foundation urban public health reporting fellowship.

Dr. Tomalin was married for 17 years to well-known adventure journalist Terry Tomalin, until his passing in 2016. She is the fifth generation of her family to call St. Petersburg home and enjoys life here with her children Kai and Nia. Kai recently graduated from American University in Washington D.C. Nia is a second-year student at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York.

"Whatever gifts you are believed to have, are not yours. They were gifted to you for a finite amount of time, to be passed on and used in service of others." These words are a daily affirmation for Marcus A. Brooks, and he takes them to heart in his role as Executive Director of the Foundation's Center for Health Equity.

In this role, Marcus serves as a member of the Foundation's Leadership Team. He also leads a diverse team of equity advocates who are all deeply invested in St. Petersburg, both personally and professionally. Together, they work to create a space and experience that fosters cross-community collaboration to advance racial equity and improve the overall health of Pinellas County.

Marcus is a fourth-generation St. Petersburg resident who split his youth between Clearwater and South St. Petersburg. His upbringing was a contrasting racial experience that ultimately gave him the perspective and insight that shapes who he is today.

A passionate advocate for this work, Marcus brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world to this position, along with a wide range of skills—from racial equity facilitation and partnership cultivation to fundraising and board development.

Marcus is a graduate of Florida State University and resides in St. Petersburg with his family.

He is the recipient of the St. Petersburg NAACP's Next-Gen Trailblazer award and currently serves on the boards of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and Allegany Franciscan Ministries.

Joshua is a dedicated leader in the DEI field, and brings more than 10 years of racial equity work to his position as Innovation Officer at the Center for Health Equity.

In this role, Joshua builds and sustains community relationships while developing engagement pathways for people to get the learning, connections, and resources they need to co-create racial equity solutions. He leans on his background as a professional trainer and facilitator, as well as his long-standing involvement in community.

Before joining the team at the Center, Joshua worked in the Pinellas County school system and focused his efforts on addressing and eliminating barriers for Black children and LGBTQ+ youth. He is the co-founder of Green Book of Tampa Bay, Inc., a non-profit organization that increases Black economic vitality in Tampa Bay by connecting Black-owned businesses to new consumers, development resources, and a network of collaboration opportunities. He is also an active member of Temple Beth El, where he currently serves as a board member and Social Justice Committee member.

Originally from Oklahoma City, Joshua has been a Tampa Bay resident for more than 20 years. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida and a certified Courageous Conversations About Race affiliate practitioner. Outside of work, Joshua enjoys camping with his family, collecting vinyl, going to concerts, and watching college football.

Harold "Scamp" Bryant Jr. brings more than 15 years of community programming and events management experience to his role as Community Experience Coordinator at the Center for Health Equity. His background in political campaign marketing and grassroots organizing, coupled with his long-standing community relationships, makes Harold an asset to the daily operations and strategic mission of the Center.

Harold is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident from a family with deep community ties. He's been helping co-create bold ideas here for more than 20 years—as a business owner and consultant, as well as on behalf of other organizations. Prior to his role at the Center, he was the Florida Statewide and Southeast Regional Director of Community Grassroots for H. Strategies, and the Facilities Manager and Event Coordinator for the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. Harold is a graduate of St. Petersburg College, the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School.

When he's not making moves in our community, Harold enjoys cooking, spending time with his kids, and taking in his part of paradise in our city. #cantbeatstpete

As communications manager, Barbara is responsible for driving marketing and communication strategies and their execution. She assists with the communications and campaign needs of internal departments and is responsible for recommending and developing communications channels that inspire people to engage with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg’s mission and its work through its Center for Health Equity. Barbara collaborates closely with the executive director of the Center as well as Foundation leadership and external partners. With a passion for place-based change, she is driven by a deep belief that racial and health equity benefit everyone.

Prior to joining the team, Barbara served as a marketing communications officer at the University of South Florida, a publications editor and associate program director at Community Foundation Boulder County, and the development director of Mothers on the Move in the South Bronx. Early in her career, she learned volumes as a daily newspaper reporter and magazine editor. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Geography from Syracuse University.

When she’s not working, Barbara enjoys spending time outside with her husband and daughter and their squirrel-obsessed rescue terrier.

Dean Hendrix brings more than 38 years of experience in hospitality, events management, and audio-visual technologies to his role as Operations Manager at the Center for Health Equity. He is responsible for managing the Center’s facilities, technology, and logistics, helping to ensure events and meetings at the Center are well-supported with appropriate and timely resources.

In his previous positions, Dean served as the Operations Manager for Blumberg Communications and Total Audio Visual Services, and Regional Director for Audio Visual Headquarters, Caribiner International, PSAV, and Video Light & Sound.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Dean is a graduate of the University of South Carolina at Aiken. He has been in St. Petersburg since 1997 and considers the ‘Burg his home.

Dr. Susie Paterson (she/her) is the Research and Evaluation Manager at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and its Center for Health Equity. In this role, Dr. Paterson is responsible for research and evaluation efforts in partnership with community groups and organizations, as well as those led by the Foundation and Center team.

Dr. Paterson is a trained community psychologist with over a decade of experience conducting community-based research and program evaluations. She approaches her work through a participatory, justice-centered lens, believing that community members most impacted by social and economic problems, programs, and policies should be leading and designing community solutions. Dr. Paterson has expertise in a variety of methods including mixed-methods research, community-based participatory research, and social network analysis. She has worked with organizations and community groups on a variety of topics including homelessness, arts and music equity, youth leadership, community and civic engagement, and has given presentations both locally and nationally on her work.

Dr. Paterson previously worked as a Senior Program Evaluator for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and cofounded and operated a research and evaluation consulting firm, Collaborators Consulting Group.

Dr. Paterson earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Smith College, her Master’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Community Social Psychology, and her PhD in Community Well-Being from the University of Miami.

In her role as Center Operations Coordinator for, Kewa Wright provides administrative and operational support for the Foundation's Center for Health Equity, including Center logistics and administrative support for the executive director of the Center. She is the first point of contact for Center partnerships, maintains the Center calendar, and helps ensure our events run smoothly and effectively. Kewa brings 20+ years of experience as a Legislative Aide for the City of St. Petersburg City Council’s Office, where she served more than 30 council members during her time there.

Kewa comes from a family active in the community and passionate about social change. She is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident with a lifetime of local volunteer work with organizations that include Advantage Village Academy, Matters of the Heart Radio Ministry, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Feeding Tampa Bay. Kewa is a graduate of the University of South Florida and an alumna of Gibbs High School.