SARASOTA NAACP 39TH ANNUAL FREEDOM AWARDS BANQUET HELD
The Sarasota County Branch NAACP recognized citizens and organizations for their service to the community at its 39th Annual Freedom Awards Banquet on October 3rd at the Hyatt Sarasota. Nine individuals and a business received the prestigious freedom awards.
The 2024 honorees were Jabari Williams, Go Forth and Prosper; Dr. Randall Morgan and Valerie L. Powell-Stafford, President’s Awards; Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Business & Industry; Carlos Yancy, Community Service; Sarasota Chief of Police Rex Troche, Public Service; Edna Sherrell, Education and Dr. Florence A. Jackson, Lifetime Achievement.
A special Award of Excellence was presented to Jada Bennett. Bennett recently graduated from Southern University Law Center where she received the Juris Doctor degree. She took the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), designed to test the knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. She scored high enough to be able to transfer her score to all UBE jurisdictions with the possibility of being licensed in those states. Jada served as president of the Sarasota NAACP Youth Council from 2016-2017 and is a graduate of Sarasota High School.
Williams has been employed at Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County since 2019 where he is the Director of K-8 Programs. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida, Sarasota Manatee Campus, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree Major in Hospitality &Tourism Management with a Minor in Business Administration.
Dr. Morgan is an Orthopedic Surgeon and is a past President of the National Medical Association and the Indiana Orthopedic Society. He is a founding member of the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society where he served as the
Executive Director. He currently serves as Director of Musculoskeletal Services at MCR Health in Bradenton and as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Florida State School of Medicine and Clinical Asst. Professor of Community Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Powell-Stafford joined Trinity Health in June 2024 as the Hartford Market President overseeing Saint Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Connecticut. She previously served as Chief Executive Officer at HCA Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, a t HCA Englewood Hospital, Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a 15acre botanical garden located in Sarasota with two bayfront sanctuaries connecting people to air plants of the world, native nature, and regional history. The Gardens is a Smithsonian affiliate accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Jennifer O. Rominiecki is the President and Chief Executive Officer. Since she arrived, she repositioned the institution as The Living Museum®, securing a trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Enacting this new operating model has yielded increases of 170% in membership and 141% in overall earned revenues.
Yancy has been involved in coaching numerous sports in the community for many years. He volunteered with the Miss Sarasota Softball program for eight years, serving on the board of directors. He joined BayFirst as a Business Development Specialist, and partners with several community organizations, volunteering on various initiatives.
Chief Troche was appointed Chief of Police for the Sarasota Police Department and leads a department of 190 sworn law enforcement
