Three judges from the Tampa Bay area have selected the finalists for Tampa Bay Business and Wealth’s Philanthropists of the Year Awards 2025. (Individual slides for sharing below)
The Philanthropists of the Year Awards honor individuals, businesses and foundations that lead the way, in Tampa Bay, through philanthropic devotion. These leaders continually set the bar for excellence in community leadership and represent the change-makers we all aspire to be.
This year’s judges included:
Brian Best, president and chief executive officer of GTE Financial (Philanthropists of the Year winner, 2021 and 2023)
Elodie Dorso, CEO of Evara Health (Apogee Award winner, 2024)
Opal Hudson, community leader
An awards program will recognize the honorees with a cocktail reception and sit-down dinner at Armature Works at 6 p.m. on November 12. At the event, a winner in each category will be named and celebrated.
In addition, TBBW will celebrate this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree, Christopher King, founder and executive director of The Gentlemen’s Course.
The presenting sponsors for the awards program are Regions Bank, Human Coin and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. The nonprofit partner is the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast and the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay. The event is sponsored by The Regent, Valspar Copperhead Charities and the ReliaQuest Bowl.
