Our Staff

Betsy Pennewill, J.D., serves as General Counsel to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. She is responsible for all legal compliance with federal and state laws, IRS regulations, and Community Foundation National Standards accreditation. Betsy ensures all fund agreements reflect donor intent which will allow staff to successfully implement the charitable impact desired. She drafts internal policies for both the Board of Directors and Staff, stays current in all charitable giving legal matters, and handles any ill-liquid gifts to the Foundation. She is also responsible for fostering excellent relationships with professional advisors and stewards a portfolio of donors.

Betsy received her law degree magna cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in 1998 after working in commercial lending for 5 years with a national bank. She began her law practice with a large law firm in Tampa with a focus on real estate transactions and corporate lending matters. Moving to Bradenton in 2003, Betsy took some time off to raise her two children and in 2009 transitioned her real estate and corporate lending practice to an estate planning and probate and trust administration practice. She worked as an estate planning attorney for 6 years prior to joining the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Betsy is a member of Southeastern Council of Foundations and sits on the Public Policy Committee. She is a member of The Florida Bar and its Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; the Manatee County Bar Association; the Sarasota County Bar Association, the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, the Estate Planning Council of Manatee County and the Venice Estate Planning Council. She is a Board Member of the Charitable Gift Planners of Southwest Florida and will become Board Chair in 2020. Her community involvement includes being a former board member of the Cotillion Club of Manatee County, a sustaining member of the Junior League of Manatee County (President 2006-2007) and volunteering with PACE Center For Girls, Bishop Museum, and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School.