MEET THE TEAM

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--Connector & Strategist at the Intersection of Policy, Culture, & Community

Caryn Nesmith is a co-founder and princial at The Third Place, LLC, an organization dedicated to fostering conversations, connections, and communities across the United States. Caryn is a strategic connector and communications leader who thrives at the intersection of policy, culture, and community. Guided by values of scope, service, and agency, she designs and leads initiatives that bring people and ideas together to expand opportunity, build equity, and elevate diverse voices. Her strengths as a diagnostic problem solver, abstract thinker, and bridge-builder allow her to move seamlessly between big-picture vision and detailed execution.

Most recently, Caryn served as Director of Community Relations at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where she created partnerships across higher education, government, nonprofits, and the private sector. Her work fostered collaboration on civic engagement, youth development, racial equity, and cultural exchange — positioning the university as a catalyst for community impact.

Before joining USF, Caryn spent more than a decade as a communications strategist and international consultant, creating and executing messaging campaigns for U.S. and foreign government clients. She served overseas in Iraq and Colombia as a senior media advisor and strategist, and later in Tampa Bay at U.S. Special Operations Command, where she led a Strategic Engagement team in the International Liaison Division.

She had a formative career in journalism as a reporter in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the San Juan Star and the Associated Press Caribbean Bureau, experiences that grounded her in truth-seeking, storytelling, and cross-cultural engagement. Caryn has also worked with nonprofits focused on community empowerment and education — as a civil society coordinator in the mountains of Peru with CARE, a teacher in the Galapagos Islands with World Teach, and an event coordinator across North America with Up With People.

Caryn holds a Master’s in International Relations (with concentrations in Latin America and International Economics) from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s in Government and Politics with a minor in Italian from the University of Maryland.

To reach her directly, please email her at: caryn@thethirdplacellc.com

 --Facilitator & Community Builder at the Intersection of Belonging, Arts, & Health

 Julie A. Rocco is the co-founder and principal of The Third Place, LLC, an organization dedicated to fostering conversations, connections, and communities across the United States. Through this work, Julie identifies, celebrates, and activates “third places”—the spaces beyond home and work where people can gather, share experiences, and build relationships. She brings warmth, curiosity, and inclusive energy to every project, whether it’s hosting a story circle, curating gatherings for civil discourse, advising on place-based activation, or designing a pop-up community living room.

Julie’s career reflects more than two decades of leadership across government, nonprofit, philanthropy, and consulting. She is recognized for her expertise in social impact strategy, facilitation, community engagement, workforce development, and mental wellness. Her journey began at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, where she dedicated ten years to overseeing Planning and Research. In this role, she worked at the crossroads of data, policy, innovation, and people—seeking ways to improve internal and external systems so they could serve communities more effectively. Working with National Council on Crime and Delinquency, U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, several state and local agencies, as well as community residents, Julie used data, collaboration, and funding to activate neighborhood safety and vibrancy in new and innovative ways. 

Julie then turned her focus to some of society’s most vulnerable through her role as Associate Director of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, advocating for survivors and advancing awareness and protection across Florida, the United States, Mexico, and Central America. From there, she moved into education, serving as Director of Programs at the Hillsborough Education Foundation, where she oversaw scholarships to students and grants to schools and classrooms in an effort to open pathways for students and families to thrive.

Her leadership expanded at Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc., where she served as Vice President of Strategy, Special Projects, and Fund Development. There, Julie cultivated partnerships and designed initiatives that connected resources with community strengths and needs with a focus on youth opportunities, workforce development, affordable housing, and community events. As a consultant and trainer, she shared that same expertise with housing authorities, local governments, education foundations, and nonprofits—including the Tampa Housing Authority, Lee County School District, Gainesville Housing Authority, Citrus County Office of Sustainability, Hillsborough Education Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, and many more—always with the goal of helping organizations align vision with impact whether by conducting research studies, strategic planning, organizational program audits, development of special projects, or staff teamwork and workplace culture trainings. 

Most recently, as Senior Director of Grants Management and Administration at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Julie stewards resources to drive systems change impact while amplifying community aspirations. She shapes grant making that honors transparency, accessibility, and shared responsibility, while building authentic relationships between the Foundation and other philanthropic organizations, nonprofits, municipalities, faith-based organizations, higher education institutions, and the communities served. She also serves as Secretary and Treasurer for the St Pete Innovation District, represents the Foundation in various councils and committees ranging from resiliency, housing, LGBTQ+, food justice, behavioral health, and arts and health, and periodically serves as a guest speaker at conferences and trainings.

Julie holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Hodges University and a Bachelor’s in Criminology from the University of South Florida. She is a certified facilitator through Michigan State University, a Courageous Conversations Affiliate Practitioner, and holds Community Engagement credentials from NeighborWorks America, as well as certifications in Integrative Behavioral Health and Brain Health. She is also a graduate of the Arts and Health Intensive Workshop at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine.

In addition to her work with The Third Place, Julie serves as a board member for Girls Rock St. Pete and is a member of Leadership St Pete Alumni Association. Julie is also recognized as an emerging national voice for suicide prevention and mental wellness through her international movement, What I Would Have Missed. She is a filmmaker, writer, and speaker whose storytelling helps others find hope, healing, and belonging. Beyond her professional work, Julie embraces van life adventures and finds joy in her most treasured roles: mom, nonna, partner, sister, aunt, daughter, and friend.

To reach Julie directly, please email her at julie@thethirdplacellc.com.