On Wednesday October 15, 2025, the Leadership Tampa Class of 2026 participated in our Arts & Culture Day. After getting our bus buddies (hi Avik!) and jumping aboard our Magic School Bus of fun, we kicked off the day with a stop at Stageworks Theatre, where our Class Chair Kari Goetz led a powerful discussion featuring Karla Hartley, Stageworks Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, Trish Parry, Tampa Fringe Theatre’s Producer, and Brianna Clare, Theatre eXceptional’s Founder talking about how local theater builds connection and expression for all. We also discussed the importance of arts in education and on ensuring that everyone has the ability to see and participate in the arts. It was my first time at Stageworks Theatre and it was very eye-opening to learn about all the different avenues for local artistic expression.
Our next stop took us into the heart of Ybor with an amazing tour of the J.C. Newman Cigar Factory — celebrating 130 years of history as the last operational cigar factory in the USA. We were hosted by Drew Newman, fourth-generation owner and general counsel, Kara Guagliardo, Director of Hospitality and Community Engagement and their team, who walked us through the process of hand rolling and machine rolling cigars and preserving Tampa’s history in the cigar industry. We saw cigars rescued from an old shipwreck which are believed to be the oldest cigars in the world, and which predate the civil war. At the same time, we saw cigars being hand rolled today using the same techniques which have been passed down from generations.
During lunch were treated to a panel on Tampa’s food scene led by Jeff Houck from the 1905 Family of Restaurants, joined by Michael Blasco (LT’12), CEO of Tampa Bay Food Trucks; Dalia Colón, host of The Zest podcast at WUSF; and Chef Gaston Meredith, CEO of Gaston’s Culinary Services for a fun conversation about how food connects people and cultures and how food trends have evolved over the years. We also learned about the history of the Cuban sandwich and how it is a tasty reminder of the cultures that came together here in Tampa including ham from Spain, pork from Cuba, salami from Italy, and pickles, cheese and mustard from Germany. Very cool!
The afternoon took us through the Tampa Bay History Center, where Billy Somerville (LT’25) shared how our city’s past continues to inform its future. We learned that the History Center has a remarkable 500 year old map which is believed to be the oldest map with “La Florida” featured.
Next, we headed over to the historic Tampa Theatre for a backstage tour led by Jill Witecki (LT’14), on the Tampa Theatre’s actual 99th birthday! We also learned some of the history (both spooky and otherwise) of this Tampa treasure. While I didn’t spot any ghosts this time, I’ll be sure to check again on my next visit. We will all definitely be looking forward to celebrating the Centennial birthday next year!
Afterwards, we visited the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, guided by Bill Rolon and his team and learned why the Straz is one of the best Performing Arts Centers in the Country for both guests and performers. Speaking of that, do not miss the current showings! I am personally looking forward to The Six coming in 2026.
We closed the day at the Tampa Museum of Art with Dr. Michael Tomor, reflecting on how creativity and innovation continue to shape Tampa’s cultural landscape. I was so impressed by the incredible diversity of the objects on display – including a robust Classical World collection of ancient Greek and Roman artworks and artifacts. We also learned that the museum is the oldest continuously operating art museum in Tampa.
Huge thanks to our co-chairs Jeff Chernoff (LT’16), President of IAT, Inc., and Kara Guagliardo (LT’24), Executive Director of Hospitality & Community Engagement at J.C. Newman, and to our sponsor Drew Jenkins from Transportation Control Systems, for making this immersive day possible.
As Kari Goetz reminded us, many cities have fine arts, but here in Tampa we have “fun” arts too!
