Maribeth Phillips — President & CEO

About Maribeth

Maribeth Phillips has served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee since November 2012. Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee includes numerous health and human services programs in Manatee County, such as Home-delivered Meals, The Food Bank of Manatee, Daybreak Adult Day Center, and Friendship Dining Centers.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, Maribeth oversees program operations housed in two separate locations, several funding sources, donor relations, marketing/PR, and manages over 50 staff. For every dollar donated, $0.92 goes back into the programs.

Under Maribeth's leadership, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee was named the 2025 Non-Profit of the Year by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and was a finalist for several prior years. From 2019 through 2023, Meals on Wheels PLUS was named Best Non-Profit Organization in Manatee County by the Herald Tribune Readers' Choice poll. From 2021 through 2025, Meals on Wheels PLUS was named Best Nonprofit by the Bradenton Herald's People Choice Awards.

During Maribeth's tenure, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee received its largest donation and was vetted on a national level by MacKenzie Scott. Maribeth has secured significant visibility in the community through local and regional media outlets for Meals on Wheels PLUS, while also expanding the organization's broad reach to feed those in need in Manatee County.

Career Background

Prior to joining Meals on Wheels PLUS, Maribeth's career was centered on human resources leadership in for-profit corporations, including Philips Medical Systems, Diageo North America, Gevity (now TriNet), and Phoenix Ink. Maribeth also secured a real estate license selling homes in Florida for Neal Communities.

After starting a small fundraising event in her home back in 2006 to give gifts to homebound seniors, Maribeth created the subsequent community-wide "shoebox collection drive," which led to an invitation to join the Board of Directors in 2009. During her role on the Board, Maribeth served as the Human Resources Chair, and briefly on the Executive Board as Secretary. In 2012, she resigned from the Board to apply for her current role.

Maribeth is originally from Connecticut and has lived in Lakewood Ranch for 20+ years, where she raised her son and her daughter.