Rick Thurman
Interim Executive Director
Rick Thurman is a senior management executive with 45 years of experience in regional and national sales, sales management, and senior management in the radio, television, newspaper, healthcare and sports marketing fields. Through his company, Thurman Media Group, he has worked with both for-profit and non-profit organizations where he has maximized organizational potential with effective leadership practices, business planning and revenue generation.
Armed with a degree in Broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University, Rick began his career in Pittsburgh where he learned the radio business from the ground up at station KDKA. After a number of years in radio and TV, he moved to Connecticut and began a long career in print media as sales manager and eventually publisher of a group of newspapers. As new opportunities and warm weather beckoned, Rick landed positions at the Sarasota Herald Tribune and Sarasota Magazine as National Accounts Manager. When an opportunity arose at the Sarasota Open to provide revenue through sponsorship sales, Rick moved to the sports marketing field.
Rick started his community involvement in Lawrenceburg Kentucky serving on a community relations group with business leaders while in high school. When Rick moved to Pittsburgh, he served as Co-chair for a Black Jewish Dialogue Group that spoke out on community issues and coordinated letter writing campaigns to state government. When Rick moved to Connecticut, he was member of Rotary and worked with multiple Chambers of Commerce to further their efforts. His newspaper group supported various non-profits with in-kind and money contributions. After moving to Sarasota, Rick worked with many non-profits as a manager at the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Rick also got involved with Sarasota Season of Sculpture and raised over $150,000 in revenue from companies in the region.
Rick currently serves on the board for NAMI of Manatee and Sarasota Counties and has served on the Board of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Sarasota. He has also served on the Boards of United Way of Western Massachusetts and the Players Theater in Sarasota. Rick has been an adjunct professor at Duquesne University and more recently an instructor for Dale Carnegie.