At our 30th anniversary Bravura Brunch, TFONSA is pleased to honor Joan Kline, who helped inaugurate the storied event by serving as chair of the first Brunch, turning a tented Belleair back yard into a “magical” setting.
She chaired the second Bravura Brunch, too, as well as the 26th, which set a new bar for TFONSA’s financial support for TFO’s education, community outreach and artistic programs. Never content with just a committee listing, she has contributed numerous ideas for advancing TFONSA’s support for TFO, often rolling up her sleeves as a chef, making calls, and opening doors not previously accessible to TFONSA.
A member of the Board of Directors of TFO since 2018, she has also been involved with Ruth Eckerd Hall since before the shovel was put in the ground, serving on its Board of Directors as well as the Ruth Eckerd Foundation Board, and becoming a founding member of the Leading Ladies, a women’s auxiliary whose function was primarily to raise funds for REH. The Kline Dance Studio in the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts is named in honor of Joan and her late husband, Michael, who funded it. Joan received the Marcia P. Hoffman Arts Education Award for her significant contributions to the future of arts education in our community.
Additionally, Joan started the “Festival of Trees” fundraiser for The ARC of Tampa Bay (then UPARC); served on the Board of Directors of The Lighthouse of Pinellas, chairing all four of its “Point of Lights” fundraisers; and served as the president of the ACS100 (American Cancer Society in Pinellas). She is just as faithful to the Episcopal Church. Joan has been elected by the Diocese of Southwest Florida to 13 General Conventions, the Governing body of the Episcopal Church, and was the first woman from that diocese to be named a Senior Deputy in the House of Deputies.
She received the Most Honored Women recognition in 2009 from the Episcopal Churchwomen. Leader, visionary and cheerleader, Joan Kline has the admiration and gratitude of TFONSA, TFO, and the arts community of North Pinellas.
