Class of 2000
As Sarasota County’s Emergency Management chief, Sandra Tapfumaneyi ’00 draws on skills of communication, community-building and collaborative planning to keep her county safe.
When people think of emergency management, they often picture the visible moments during disasters—EOC activations, coordination across agencies, and officials briefing the public during hurricanes or other emergencies. Sandra is deeply experienced in that fast‑paced, collaborative environment. But just as important is the work that happens long before a storm forms: months and years spent building plans and processes with partners, securing grants to strengthen local infrastructure, and educating the community to enhance preparedness well before disaster strikes.
Sandra Tapfumaneyi ’00 speaks to the National Hurricane Conference, of which she is chairwoman.
She traces the early formation of that skillset back to her time as a student at Eckerd College, where she majored in international relations and global affairs. Hailing from Chicago, Sandra had planned to attend college closer to home but came down in the winter to visit her brother Dominic Campanella ’98 and was hooked. She played on the women’s indoor volleyball team, coached the men’s club team, spent time with her brother at the Waterfront, and connected with international students from all over the world.
“We had different perspectives … different life experiences,” she recalls. “And I appreciated the emphasis on service to the community that was not just about you and your goals and visions.”
She participated in as many Winter Term trips as she could, especially with her mentor, Professor Emeritus of Political Science Bill Felice, Ph.D.
“He had this really strong heart for people in other countries who maybe didn’t have an opportunity like we had here in the United States,” she says of Felice. “It was easy to get passionate about the things that he was passionate about.”
Sandra doing school work during her time at Eckerd.
Sandra Tapfumaneyi speaks with Gayle King on CBS Mornings after 2024’s Hurricane Milton.
She traveled to Nicaragua and Costa Rica, the United Nations in New York, and the United Nations in Geneva, also studying the European Court of Human Rights in Strasburg, France for her senior thesis as a Ford Scholar, where Felice was her advisor. Looking back at Eckerd, the friendships formed with students who would be future leaders stand out to her.
“I was surrounded by people who were passionate about making a difference in the world,” she says.
Sandra, too, cared about making a difference in the world. Following graduation, she worked in South St. Pete at Academy Prep for three years with Americorps and then went on to graduate school at American University, earning an M.A. in international peace and conflict resolution and interning as a fellow at The Carter Center with former President Jimmy Carter.
She took from Eckerd, she says, an understanding that growth is as much about the attitude and work ethic you bring to an experience as it is the opportunities that present themselves.
Sandra’s work in emergency response took her to the frontlines of testing and vaccine distribution sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Through each of the opportunities, I learned that the more you put into something, the more you learn from that experience, and the more doors will open up for you,” she says. “I applied that philosophy as I was moving into my career, and it led to opportunities that I never imagined possible.”
After grad school, she moved to Atlanta to work with the Centers for Disease Control in emergency management, which started her on her current career path. Sandra has served as Sarasota County’s Chief of Emergency Management since January 2024, leading the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) through the historic 2024 hurricane season, including Hurricane Milton’s landfall at Siesta Key—the first storm to hit the county since 1944.
She previously served as chief of Lee County Emergency Management, where she served as the EOC Incident Commander during Hurricane Ian’s landfall in 2022, one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit the United States. Her leadership during Ian earned her the 2023 Chad Reed Emergency Management Professional of the Year Award and the Governor’s Hurricane Conference Bob Lay Award. She also serves as Chairwoman of the National Hurricane Conference.
Sandra says the most rewarding part of her job is being a piece of the puzzle that gets to put her community back together when the worst happens. She is a member of the community, like any other—she and her husband, Tapuwa, have raised a family in Florida and have personal stakes in what happens here. She also takes pride in bringing her expertise to other parts of the state to help when they face disasters and deployed after Category 5 Hurricane Michael hit Bay County in 2018 and Hurricane Idalia impacted Madison County in 2023.
“You see all of the different partners coming together across the community, and all of the public—you see the best in people during those times,” she says. “It’s this time period where people put their differences aside and work together in order to deal with catastrophic impacts. You never want something like that to happen in your community, but it’s a special thing that you get to be a part of.”
This year, Sandra coordinated with Eckerd College to open student internships with her Sarasota County team to gain experience in local emergency management.
“We are hoping that the opportunity to see emergency management work first-hand will inspire some Eckerd students to pursue careers in the field,” she says. “Eckerd teaches students to think outside of the box and be passionate about serving your community–perfect qualities for an emergency manager.”
Sandra and her brother, Dom Campanella ’98, at the Eckerd College Waterfront.
