2019 40 Under 40 Winners

1. Timothy orchestrated the largest fundraising campaign in the history of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, raising over $50 million for the newly opened Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children.

2. He increased annual giving by 166% in one year.

3. Tim maintains an employee giving program with over 76% participation.

4. Tim has served on several community boards. He is currently advising the Harrison School for the Performing Arts on their philanthropic initiatives, and he is on the board of a new community park that will be an asset for generations to come in Central Florida.

1. How did you get into health care philanthropy?

I grew up with my family very involved with human services and the not-for-profit world.  My Dad was a CEO of a large non-profit organization and ever since I can remember, I would always be in awe of the development office. They were always doing the “cool” things like telethons and special events.


2. Why did you choose to make health care philanthropy your career?

In 2007 my Mom was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and she lost her battle in 2009.  It was then that I knew I needed to start the journey of health care philanthropy. I needed a career that allowed me to reflect back on being able to make a difference in the lives of so many. 


3. Tell us about a pivot point or crucial step in your career journey.

I have been so fortunate to experience several career defining moments.  One that certainly sticks out was the day that my current hospital received the largest single gift in their 100 year history. This gift helped me lead a $50 million dollar capital campaign in just a few short years for Women and Children (this was done with a 2-person shop!)  Others that I cannot leave out would be leading two other successful multi-million campaigns for both Cancer and Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine. I would be remiss if I did not mention Dr. Elaine C. Thompson as a pivotal moment.  Elaine is the CEO of my current Health System and my boss. She is a mentor, an inspiration, a friend and an incredibly brilliant person who understands the culture of philanthropy spending an extreme amount of time fundraising with me. Those in our field know this is hard to come by. I have learned so much from Elaine and will always attribute my success here to her.  


4. What was your first job, and what is something it taught you?

My first job in health care philanthropy was the “Development Specialist” for a small health system in NH. Thinking back, I was actually working part time in the Admissions Department and I took a leap and scheduled a 15 minute meeting with the Vice President of Development to “pick their brain” and to find out how I could get more involved. Two weeks later they offered me a job which they created just for me. I was so excited! My first boss, Mike Swanson-DeBlasi always taught me to continue doing what I loved to do. He was also good at motivating me in this sometimes-difficult field.  He will always be one that I look up to and find comfort in knowing he had so much to do with my success.


5. What are your future aspirations?

I have so many aspirations in life. One thing I know for sure is that life is too short, so you should never put your aspirations on the back burner. My partner Alvin and I love to travel and spend time with our close friends and family. There are so many things on our bucket list but I think one of the most important things to both him and I is that we aspire to continue facilitating our own philanthropy to special organizations with which we are involved. Even at home, after a long day of working in fund development, philanthropy and giving back is always so important to the both of us.