Barzella Papa, President and CEO, Community Foundation of North Central Florida

Barzella Papa is President and CEO of the Community Foundation of North Central Florida, where she has secured more than $120 million in transformational gifts to strengthen her community. Under her leadership, the Foundation launched impactful initiatives including the Women’s Giving Circle, the Amazing Give, NextGen Changemakers, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, and The Philanthropy Hub. An alumnus of Leadership Florida Class XXVII and current chair of the Community Foundations of Florida, Barzella earned her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation in 2024 and became a Certified Fund Raising Executive a decade earlier. She was recently named to the Florida 500 by Florida Trend magazine recognizing the top leaders in the state. A past president of the Junior League of Gainesville, she received its Most Outstanding Volunteer and Legacy Awards. Her honors also include the Girl Scouts Women Who Make a Difference, the Fierce Award, and a Paul Harris Fellow. A seasoned communicator with 20 years of media experience, she is a University of Alabama graduate with a degree in Communications.