Paradise Center executive director resigns

After seven years, Suzy Brenner is ready to turn the page on her work at The Paradise Center to start a new chapter of her life. She will be resigning from her executive director position at The Paradise Center in April.

“Longboat Key is extremely fortunate to have this wonderful community center in its midst,” said student Angela Bennink. “Everyone who is associated with it is going to miss Suzy and her lovable dog, Lahni, who is the center’s unofficial mascot. Under Suzy, The Paradise Center has become a welcoming place where friends have been made, games played, and where exercise classes have helped enrich our lives.”

The Paradise Center was originally called the Aging in Paradise Resource Center. It was a volunteer-run activity center that started in 2008 at the Longboat Island Chapel. Once the center started to grow, Donna Dunio was hired as the executive director in 2013.

Brenner had been visiting Longboat Key since she was a child before moving there in 2015. When looking for a place to volunteer on the island, she got involved with “the Giving Challenge” at The Paradise Center. The Giving Challenge is a national event where people can donate to different nonprofits for 24 hours. While volunteering, Brenner talked with Dunio about giving Stretch and Strengthen classes at the center.

Photo by Petra Rivera

Brenner got more involved at the center and became the communications specialist in 2015. When Dunio retired, Brenner moved into the executive director position in 2017 and has been there ever since.

During her time as executive director, Brenner changed the name to The Paradise Center, added the medical suite in 2020 and moved from the Longboat Island Chapel to its current location at 546 Bay Isles Road.

Brenner said that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the atmosphere of the center. Classes were moved outside so that left the center to be one of the only places to get some sort of human connection. She said that it created the tight-knit community that continues today.

Brenner said she is planning to stay in Longboat Key for now but is open to endless possibilities for her next job. She will still be teaching Stretch and Strengthen classes and attending events to stay involved.

Many of the center loyalists agree that Brenner has grown the Center immensely along with the ever-changing Longboat Key. Student Eva Kendeffy said she has seen Suzy expand the center from the chapel into a multifaceted organization that offers a wide variety of classes for the body, mind and spirit.

“Suzy has been The Paradise Center’s spirit and soul,” said Kendeffy. “She is lighthearted, but strong in organizing, planning and leading the center to success. Her outstanding work combined with her personality have definitely made The Paradise Center an invaluable asset for Longboat.”

Reuben Fernandez, who teaches tai chi at The Paradise Center, said he loves seeing Brenner’s passion for the center.

“Suzy is always looking to find the middle road when she is creating a new project,” said Fernandez. “She genuinely cares about the folks under her tutelage and that is obvious at first glance.”

Brenner was honored at the 2024 “Celebrate on the Circle” fundraiser for the center on March 10. Current program manager Amy Steinhauser will become interim executive director in April.

After moving to Longboat Key in 2021, Steinhauser started to work at the center in April of 2023 focusing on membership, volunteer opportunities and day-to-day operations.

The two have been best friends since childhood. Having run businesses with Steinhauser before, Brenner knew that she was the perfect fit to pass the baton to.

Photo by Petra Rivera

“It's been an honor and a gift working side by side with Suzy this past year,” said Steinhauser. Wherever she goes and whatever she does, Suzy Brenner has left her indelible mark on Longboat Key and The Paradise Center and we are all better for it.”

Brenner said that she will miss the community she has created the most when she resigns in April. She is excited to see how The Paradise Center continues to grow and support it from the sidelines.

“The people that we have here are funny and open and have the best stories,” said Brenner. “It’s very intimidating to come to Longboat and try to get involved because everyone knows each other here. So I have just tried to make this a place to be able to meet people. Our community is very welcoming. It is definitely what I will miss the most.”

Correction: This article has been updated to correct that Brenner teaches a Stretch and Strengthen class.