Betsy Pennewill, JD

Betsy Pennewill, J.D., serves as General Counsel to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. She is responsible for managing the legal duties and responsibilities of the organization to protect the organization’s interests and to ensure that all State and Federal laws are followed. She facilitates complex gift transactions and business transactions on behalf of the organization, reviews and negotiates foundation contracts, and provides support to the foundation donors and related organizations. She stays current in all charitable giving legal matters and is responsible for fostering excellent relationships with professional advisors and stewards a portfolio of donors.

Betsy received her law degree magna cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in 1998. She practiced in corporate lending transactions, real estate matters, and estate planning and administration prior to joining the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in 2015.

Betsy sits on the Public Policy Committees of Philanthropy Southeast and Florida Philanthropic Network and is a member of Charitable Gift Planners of Southwest Florida (Board Member 2015-2021; Chair 2020). She is a member of The Florida Bar and its Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; the Manatee County Bar Association; the Sarasota County Bar Association, the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, the Estate Planning Council of Manatee County and the Venice Estate Planning Council. She has been recognized as a Florida Trend’s Legal Elite since 2020.