Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg welcomes new trustees

ST. PETERSBURG – The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg is pleased to announce Imam Askia Muhammad Aquil has joined its Board of Trustees. He, along with Charles Harris, were both elected to the Board on March 21. The board oversees the Foundation in St. Petersburg, which uses mission-based philanthropy to improve conditions and outcomes for underserved communities in southern Pinellas County.

Askia Muhammad Aquil

“Imam Aquil and Mr. Harris are two outstanding local leaders who will bring invaluable direction and experience to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation,” said Jonathan Ellen, M.D., Board Chair and President and Vice Dean of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. “Their contributions will strengthen the Board and connect the Foundation to communities that reflect the rich diversity of the county we serve.”

Imam Aquil is a longtime activist, social reformer and community builder and has led mosques and Islamic centers in Tampa, St. Petersburg and across the South. He is chair of the Board of Directors of the Collective Empowerment Group of the Tampa Bay Area, Inc; president/ CEO of Dog Tag Heroes, Inc.; board member of the African American Business Foundation and first vice president of the Pinellas County Job Corps Community Relations Council Board.

Imam Aquil has also served as secretary for the Hillsborough Association of Religious Leaders and a board member of the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews); Congregations United for Community Action; the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and the St. Petersburg Interfaith Association. He is the former deputy director of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority and served as the president/CEO of St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. for 11 years.

Charles Harris is a shareholder at Trenam Law and the managing shareholder of its St. Petersburg office. He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation.

His commitment to community includes service as board trustee for the Dali Museum (2009), former chair of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce (2008) and general counsel and board member for the Pinellas Education Foundation (present).

Also serving on the Foundation’s Board are officers Chair Jonathan M. Ellen, M.D., Vice Chair Dr. Katurah Jenkins-Hall and Treasurer Emery M. Ivery as well as members, Kevin D. Gordon, Ed.D., Janet Paroo, Donna J. Peterson, ScD, MHS and Karen Wolchuck Sher.

About the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg

The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg is a private foundation formed in 2013 following the sale of the nonprofit Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. It is the steward of almost $180 million in assets to support health equity in Pinellas County. The Foundation inspires and empowers people, ideas, information exchange, organizations and relationships to end differences in health due to social or structural disadvantages and improve population health.