Hitting a home run in nonprofit leadership with Doug Staley

October 2, 2025

Doug is the executive director of the Child Protection Center of Sarasota, a nonprofit dedicated to prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse. Doug has been with the organization for 30 years, and it has led it since 2011. On this episode Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon and Doug talked about his career transition in going from the U.S. Army to social work; what he looks for in young leaders; and how he builds resilience into his leadership approach when working in an emotionally-challenging field. They also talked about one of their favorite non-work topics: baseball, and their favorite teams.

3 Takeaways

(14:00) You have to adapt to overcome challenges
(16:00) Honesty, integrity, and servant leadership are Doug’s must-have leadership characteristics
(17:50) Be a willing to make decisions and follow through

Timestamps

(00:00) Introducing Doug Staley, Executive Director, Child Protection Center
(07:50) 30th anniversary at Child Protection Center
(10:10) What is the Child Protection Center?
(13:30) Handling leadership challenges
(16:00) Leadership characteristics
(17:30) Leadership advice
(21:30) Overcoming setbacks
(23:35) Child Protection Center in 2025

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