Phyllis Busansky

Phyllis Busansky, 72, of Tampa passed away June 23, 2009 in her sleep while at a Supervisor of Elections conference. She was born in West Hartford, Connecticut and dedicated her life to public service.

After graduating from Wheaton College in Massachusetts and earning her Masters from the Heller School at Brandeis University, she managed a group home for teenage runaways. She first moved to Florida in 1962 for five years and became the first white teacher at Pinellas High School in Clearwater where she assisted students in entering integrated colleges. Phyllis subsequently became the first Dean of Students at USF's Upward Bound program.

Upon returning to Florida in 1978, Phyllis served as the Director of Aging Services and Human Resources for Hillsborough County before being elected to the County Commission in 1988. Her success in establishing an indigent primary health care program resulted in national recognition including being chosen "Public Official of the Year" by Governing magazine in 1995.

Phyllis subsequently became the Executive Director of Florida's Welfare to Work Program which oversaw one of the nation's most innovative welfare reform programs. Florida was recognized for a set of innovative programs that resulted in the largest caseload decline among major states and savings of over $500 million dollars in welfare payments in less than three years.

Phyllis was the founding president of the Community Health Leadership Network where she shared her expertise and insights on welfare and healthcare reform. She personally coached over forty communities and coalitions on developing political will and is on the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

She was very proud to have been elected Supervisor of Elections in November and was in the process of making her office a "Partner in Democracy".

Phyllis deeply loved her entire family particularly her husband Sheldon Busansky of 49 years. No one could care more than she did about her children Alex, Edward and Rebecca and their spouses, Jennifer, Stefani, and Jonah, and her nine grandchildren.

Most of all she would want to be able to say to all her friends, "I will always love you!!"

Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. Friday June 26, 2009 at Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 West Swann Avenue, Tampa. Private interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Tampa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Carl Sagan Academy, 4610 E. Hanna Ave., Tampa, FL 33610 (813)740-7747 http://carlsaganacademy.floridahumanist.org/