Tampa Bay Bucs exec named new CEO of United Way Suncoast

After a four-month national search, United Way Suncoast has found its new CEO: former Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Kourtney Sanchez. 

Sanchez, 36, will take on the lead role at one of the largest United Ways in Florida effective June 1, the Tampa-based organization announced Tuesday. She succeeds former CEO Jessica Muroff, who led the organization for more than six years before stepping away in January to become president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Following her departure, United Way Suncoast’s Chief Impact Officer Bronywn Beightol was named interim CEO effective Jan. 12. 

Sanchez most recently served as the Bucs’ Chief Impact Officer, overseeing the NFL franchise’s community team and philanthropic strategies, as well as developing local and national programs and partnerships. In addition, Sanchez was executive director of both the Glazer Family Foundation and Glazer Vision Foundation, partnering with the family on its personal philanthropic initiatives. 

Sanchez’s record of accomplishments, coupled with her energetic approach and innovative ideas convinced the United Way board she was the right person to lead the organization into its second century of service, says board chairwoman Sara Nichols in a release. 

“Kourtney brings an exceptional amount of leadership experience and development acumen ot United Way Suncoast,” Nichols says in the release. “Her work across several organizations helped her rise from a pool of nearly 300 applicants compiled by the Winner Partners search firm during our four-month national recruitment process. … It’s her experience and insight that won the board over.”

A third-generation Tampa Bay native, Sanchez brings more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector to her role at United Way Suncoast. In addition to her work with the Bucs, Sanchez has also held development roles for AdventHealth, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, the American Heart Association and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. 

“I know what it’s like to approach funders and donors as a fundraiser,” Sanchez says,, “and I know from working with the Bucs how funders like to be approached. I don’t look at fundraising as transactional. It’s about building and maintaining relationships.”

United Way Suncoast’s complete impact investments totaled more than $13 million in 2025, fueling such initiatives as the Quality Childcare Initiative, Summer Care, Results First, BankOn Suncoast, and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. 

United Way Suncoast focuses on educational opportunity, financial security and community resiliency for families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties.