The Winter Park Institute, which almost disappeared during the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020, has slowly been making a comeback — and now leaders have high hopes to reach a wider range of people with its thought-provoking programs.

“Our goal is we want to bring Winter Park Institute to all of Central Florida and introduce diverse programs for all people,” said co-executive director Lauren Zimmerman.

A revitalized board of directors includes heavy hitters in the region’s nonprofit sector. Chairman is Florida Blue executive Tony Jenkins, who has been a United Arts board member and is currently on the board of Florida Citrus Sports.

The organization has had a storied history. Started by Rollins College in 2007, the Institute brought such luminaries from the worlds of business, science and culture as Maya Angelou, Paul McCartney, Gloria Steinem and Salmon Rushdie to the podium for community talks.

In 2020, Rollins ended its involvement but gave the name and assets to Winter Park Publishing Company, which in turn handed things over to Randall Robertson, head of GladdeningLight, a nonprofit that explores the intersection of spirituality and culture. Robertson has since stepped aside, with Zimmerman and Jeffrey Blydenburgh tapped as co-executive directors by a new board of directors.

“A group of people got together and formed the nonprofit to bring the group back,” is how Zimmerman explains it.

Other board members include Orlando Magic Youth Foundation president Linda Landman Gonzalez, who has been on the United Arts and Orlando Shakes boards; Tom Dyer, the founder of Watermark newspaper that serves the region’s LGBTQ community; former Miss America Ericka Dunlap; and Cynthia Wood and Lawrence Lyman, both of whom have held leadership roles at Winter Park Public Library.

Even with the long history and notable support, Zimmerman compared the organization’s relaunch as akin to a grass-roots effort.

“We don’t have the money Rollins did,” Zimmerman said. “So we’re starting from the ground up.”

The plan is to find speakers with wide appeal but who will particularly resonate with people in their 30s and 40s, said Zimmerman, who also owns Writer’s Block bookstore in Orlando.

“That is the generation of the future,” she said. “We want to create provocative thought about that future.”

On Jan. 18, the Institute will present Lee Cockerell, a former executive vice president of operations for Walt Disney World and leadership expert. He will give a program titled “Trust in Leadership.”

“We thought that would be a good choice for people in the workforce,” Zimmerman said.

The organization already has presented two events as a kind of “soft-opening” while it regrouped. An evening with basketball great Grant Hill was tied to the release of his autobiography.  In November, authors Ryan Craig and Stephen Shedletzky discussed “Empowering Voices, Building Futures.”

Zimmerman’s bookstore connection helped with those programs, which she said drew a few hundred people, but she stressed not every Institute event would feature a literary connection.

“Now we’re looking into arts, music, global warming, social change,” she said.

The first order of business, though, is making sure people know the Institute is back. To that end, partnerships are planned with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the annual UCF Celebrates the Arts festival this spring to help spread the word.

With several successful programs under the organization’s belt, it will be possible to pursue grants and other philanthropy to grow the organization, she said. And though there’s no plans to change the name, Zimmerman wants people to know the Winter Park Institute’s programs are for all ages, races, cultures, beliefs and walks of life across Central Florida.

“The name is important because it’s the legacy,” Zimmerman said. “But the mission has been expanded.”

Lee Cockerell

• What: The former Disney executive speaks on building trust in leadership
• When: 6:15 p.m. Jan. 18
• Where: Alfond Inn, 300 E. New England Ave. in Winter Park
• Cost: $20
• Info: winterparkinstitute.org

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