Maribeth Phillips
President & CEO
Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee
Maribeth is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee and has been in her position since November of 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 (no longer polling). In addition, the annual signature fundraising event, Tropical Nights, was also recognized. From 2021 through 2025, Meals on Wheels PLUS was named Best Nonprofit by the Bradenton Herald’s People Choice Awards. In 2025, Goodwill Manasota named Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee as their Community Partner. Previously Meals on Wheels PLUS received a Bronze designation from the Best of SRQ Award by Sarasota Magazine (2021).
In 2026, Maribeth was named a Finalist for the Tampa Bay Business & Wealth’s Women Who Win Award. In 2025, Maribeth received the Spirit of Manatee Award from the Manatee Community Foundation in recognition of the hurricane disaster recovery efforts from 2024. Maribeth was awarded the “Bull by the Horns,” a leadership recognition from the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance in 2024. Maribeth was named the Community Ambassador of the Year by Goodwill Manasota in 2017.
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.
Maribeth currently serves as the Board President of Meals on Wheels Florida, the State Chapter of Meals on Wheels America; Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Gulf Coast CEO Forum; and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Corporation (LWRCAC). Previously, Maribeth served as Chair of LWRCAC and was on the Board of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, as Chair of the Executive Academy Committee.
Prior to joining Meals on Wheels PLUS, Maribeth’s career was centered on human resources leadership in 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.
