Mar. 31, 2022 Mark Brewer, President, Central Florida Foundation
Hybrid Meeting Mar. 31,2022
Mark Brewer has been President /CEO of the Central Florida Foundation since 2000. He has worked with hundreds of individuals, families, and corporations to establish philanthropy plans, endowments, funding strategies, and planned gifts. More than 150 regional nonprofit boards have enlisted Mark’s assistance through the Foundation with strategic and scenario planning initiatives that included the use of endowed investments to sustain their organizations. He is a well-known national speaker on the independent sector, philanthropy’s role in America, venture philanthropy strategies, and the independent sector’s public policy role. In his leadership role at the Central Florida Foundation, Mark frequently advises private and corporate foundation grant makers across the region and plays a public policy advisory role on strategy and advisory boards around the state of Florida.
He began his career in the media as a reporter, anchor, and journalist. His background includes more than a decade as a management consultant in the private and independent sectors, leading merger, and acquisition strategies for cross-sector initiatives. Later, as a licensed investment professional, he assisted clients with estate and planned giving strategies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business, a master’s degree in Public Administration with a specialty in Nonprofit Management and is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy ®. His graduate studies include work in policy and law at Walden University.
Most recently, Mark was named one of Orlando Business Journal’s CEOs of the year for 2021 and identified as one of Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 Power Players. The program identifies 50 Central Florida business leaders who are helping grow and innovate the way business is done throughout Metro Orlando.
Mark has played a leadership role in national and community initiatives. His service focus is on organizations that grow philanthropy or play strategic grant-making and public policy roles.
At the national level, Mark has chaired strategy initiatives and think tanks. At the state level, Mark is a past Chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network, a statewide association of grant makers working to strengthen philanthropy through research, education, and public policy, and is a past Chair of the Community Foundations of Florida, the statewide association of community foundations. In the Central Florida region, Mark serves on the Orlando Economic Partnership board, a public-private partnership, working to create quality jobs, economic growth, broad-based prosperity, and a sustainable quality of life for the region. He is also a Foundation for Orlando’s Future board member.