16 Jul Dr. Sandra Braham is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services
Our July meeting welcomed Dr. Sandra Braham, the President & CEO of Gulf Coast JFCS and author of “An Angel for Detroit,” who shared her professional and personal journeys and how they intersect, allowing her to live out a purposeful life of service.
Dr. Sandra Braham is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS), a $60 million human social services agency with more than 650 employees. Under her transformational leadership, the company has added $28 million in revenue. Gulf Coast JFCS operationalizes over 50 programs covering areas such as child welfare, elder services and housing, behavioral health, workforce development, support for Holocaust survivors and refugee resettlement. She spearheaded the launch of the St. Petersburg Police Department’s award-winning CALL program, an innovative approach to policing that dispatches social workers in response to nonviolent 911 calls. Prior to relocating to Florida, Sandra served as of Associate Vice Provost at the University of Texas at El Paso and later spent 10 years overseeing the nation’s largest YWCA.
Sandra was the first African American woman to serve as Board Chair of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. She also serves as Board member for the Tampa Bay Chamber, the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Center, and the International Women’s Forum, Florida Suncoast Chapter. Sandra is active with the national Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies, serving as co-chair of its DEI affinity group and its national conference. In May 2024 the national Network presented her its highest leadership award at the Pittsburgh conference. Sandra’s other honors include “First Lady of African American History” by The Woodson Museum of Florida, Businesswoman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, The Tampa Bay Chamber’s Woman of Influence, Five Fabulous Females by St. Petersburg’s Academy Prep school, and 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay joined the Women Presidents Organization to honor Sandra with their Women of Color Award, recognizing her significant achievements in business.
Dr. Braham completed her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Missouri. She earned her master and doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at El Paso. Sandra participated in Leadership Texas, Leadership America, and Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management executive education program. She further studied leadership from the Jewish perspective, which culminated in a 10-day trip to Israel. Sandra has been married to her husband Eric for 28 years and they have three adult children. Her memoir, “An Angel for Detroit,” was released in the fall of 2022 and details her life being born and raised by a mother with schizophrenia, and spending time in foster care. Her memoir further illustrates the faith, personal leadership and career journeys that contributed to her success today. She loves to golf, is the first African American female Copperhead for Valspar’s Copperhead Charities which distributes for than $1 million per year to Tampa Bay nonprofits. Sandra was featured on a cover of African American Golf Digest Magazine, following an historic trip to Scotland.