AWKO Center for Leadership

Pensacola, Fla. – September 20, 2022 – The University of West Florida announced today a $2.5 million gift from the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz law firm to name the UWF Center for Leadership and enhance its initiatives.

The gift will support the Center for Leadership’s mission to develop effective leaders with a sense of personal authenticity and character, social and civic awareness and the ethical courage required to make positive change in the modern world.

“The importance of strong leadership in the civic setting – in schools, local government, and other institutions – as well in private sector businesses, has never been greater. We could not be more excited about what the Center will do to develop leaders in these challenging times and what those leaders, in turn, will do for Pensacola and all of Northwest Florida.” Justin Witkin

“Northwest Florida needs strong leaders and we know the Center will help to ensure that the best and brightest can develop and utilize those much needed skills right here in Pensacola and beyond. It is our strong belief that our entire community will be better off as a result.” Bryan Aylstock

The gift will also support the development of the center’s two flagship programs — the Executive MBA with a focus in leadership, tentatively scheduled to launch in Fall 2023, and high-impact executive leadership development seminars.

Tim Kinsella, director of the Center for Leadership, said the philanthropic support of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz will help to build better, smarter leaders.

The Center for Leadership, housed in UWF’s College of Business, was created in Spring 2022. The goal of the center is to provide leadership opportunities and resources to students and the public that will contribute to the growth of leaders in Northwest Florida and beyond.

Founded in 2001, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC is a Florida-based law firm geared towards protecting the rights of individuals who are seriously injured as a result of defective products, defective medical devices, accidents or other negligent behavior, and has represented hundreds of thousands of clients across the country, recovering billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. Their team of attorneys have more than 250 years of combined experience in personal injury and pharmaceutical litigation.