LINDSAY KIST PHOTO VIA WINTER PARK INSTITUTE
The Winter Park Institute (Website) has named Lindsay Kist (LinkedIn) as its new executive director, filling the position Orlando Shine wrote about earlier this year.
Kist joins the Institute after more than 15 years in philanthropy, communications, and community programming, most recently as Vice President at the Winter Park Health Foundation, where she led strategic partnerships and public engagement initiatives. She succeeds Mark Freid, who is stepping down from the executive director role to focus full-time on Think Integrated, the marketing firm he founded, while transitioning to the Institute’s Board of Trustees.
“I’ve long believed that communities are strengthened by curiosity, thoughtful conversation, and the willingness to engage with ideas that challenge and inspire us,” Kist said via a press release issued earlier this week. “Through the Institute, world-renowned thinkers don’t simply visit Central Florida. They spark conversations that continue around dinner tables, in classrooms, in boardrooms, and throughout our community.”
As executive director, Kist will oversee strategy, programming, partnerships, and community engagement. Board Chair Lawrence Lyman said her community roots and cross-sector experience position the Institute for a new phase of growth.
Founded in 2007 by Rollins College, the Winter Park Institute is now an independent 501(c)(3) with programming spanning human flourishing, civic life, innovation, and arts and culture. Past speakers have included Maya Angelou, Ken Burns, Jane Goodall, Jon Meacham, and Condoleezza Rice.
