Jon Thaxton

Jon Thaxton creates and implements Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s key strategies for transforming our nonprofit community while providing leadership on emerging issues. Jon joined Gulf Coast in 2012 after serving 12 years as a Sarasota County Commissioner. At Gulf Coast, Jon works with community partners on initiatives that will transform our region and improve public policies.

Jon has provided leadership in the creation of a system of care for the homeless, a food distribution system focusing on healthy and nutritious foods, and the improvement of affordable housing policies. Jon led a multidisciplinary team of experts who created the Water Quality Playbook and is working on other transformative projects, including extensions of the Legacy Trail and creation of the Sarasota downtown bayfront park, The Bay.

Jon is also recognized as a leader for protecting the natural environment. A fifth generation Sarasotan, he was raised on a family farm near Osprey. He began his environmental advocacy at Venice High School in 1974, and in 1996 he was featured in National Geographic for his efforts to protect endangered species.