Winter Park, Florida: Patricia A. Maddox, President & Founding CEO of the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) since 1994, today announced her intention to retire at the end of 2024.  

“On behalf of the current and past Winter Park Health Foundation Board of Trustees, we’d like to thank Patty for her visionary leadership and its immeasurable impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park,” Chair of the WPHF Board of Trustees Dr. Ann McGee said. “For 30 years, her passionate pursuit of innovative projects, creative opportunities, and bold ideas has created an unshakable organizational foundation on which we will search for WPHF’s next leader. We look forward to welcoming the new president who shares and will build on Patty’s steadfast focus on service and change.” 

The WPHF is a recognized leader in implementing innovative programs that improve the quality of health and wellbeing of its focus communities of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park.  WPHF does that through a creative mix of grants, initiatives, programs, and facilities. As a long-trusted foundation addressing health and healthcare issues, WPHF is recognized as a catalyst for community health research and collaboration. In its 30 years, WPHF has supported hundreds of special initiatives leading to collective impact and policy change, awarding $126 million in funding invested into its impact areas. 

“It has been an honor to serve this wonderful organization and the community for 30 years. The opportunity to help develop and lead such an innovative community-based organization combined with working with such dedicated and professional community leaders and staff has been the highlight of my career,” Maddox said. “I greatly look forward to watching the Foundation’s future innovations and investments to improve the community’s health and wellbeing.”  

Milestones of the Winter Park Health Foundation during Maddox’s tenure include: 

• Transitioned from Winter Park Memorial Hospital Association to serving its communities as the Winter Park Health Foundation in 1994. This transition encompassed the establishment of WPHF’s mission, governance, branding and service areas, and the assumption of operations for the Peggy & Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center (Crosby Wellness Center), Winter Park Adult Day Center, Care-a-Van Mobile Mammography and 150 employees.   

• Developed and opened the Elinor & T. William Miller, Jr., Center for Older Adult Services in 1996 and ultimately partnered with Easterseals Florida to operate the facility. This allowed for expanded capacity in day programs for adults with disabilities and/or special needs, including Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related disorders. 

• Developed and opened the Center for Health and Wellness in Oviedo in 1997, which later became a facility of the Central Florida YMCA. 

• Established and funded the Coordinated Youth Initiative in 1997, a partnership with Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) that now reaches 11,000 students annually with counseling, school nursing and school-based health center services in 13 OCPS schools.  

• Joined with Orange County Government and several nonprofit health and social services providers in 2001 to raise awareness about the impact a lack of access to healthcare has on individuals and the community-at-large. The Primary Care Access Network was formed with WPHF acting as a representative on its original board. WPHF funded grants in support of projects and programs to increase access to care and improve delivery to underinsured or uninsured residents. 

• Created its Workgroup model in 2002 to set data-driven priorities, identify evidence-based solutions and direct grantmaking opportunities. WPHF Trustees and other community leaders worked alongside WPHF staff in three workgroups: Children & Youth, Older Adults, and Community Health.  
 
• Working in partnership with other community stakeholders in 2009, helped to design and implement the area’s first Community Health Assessment providing ongoing critical comparative health data. 

• Launched the Healthy Central Florida program in 2011 in partnership with Florida Hospital (now AdventHealth). Community teams were formed and set priorities based on local health survey results. These teams also advocated for policy changes and mobilized their communities around the importance of individual and community health.  

• Established in 2012 Project Wellness, an initiative that ultimately would lead to the development and opening of the Center for Health & Wellbeing. In partnership with AdventHealth, leaders and staff conducted site visits to facilities across the country to gather ideas and best practices with the goal of creating a community facility that merged the disciplines of wholeness, fitness, and medical services in one convenient location. 

• Opened its unique Center for Health & Wellbeing in partnership with AdventHealth in 2019. Located in an expanded footprint of the original Crosby Wellness Center (CWC), the Center is home to an all-new CWC; spaces for community education and convening; a teaching kitchen; a health-focused cafe; a public walking track; and several AdventHealth clinical practices and services, including family medicine, GYN surgery, and Sports Med and Rehab.  

• Participated in collaborative philanthropic efforts in 2020 to provide COVID-19 pandemic-related assistance to individuals via the Heart of Florida United Way ALICE fund and Second Harvest Food Bank to address sudden increases in food insecurity. 

A dedicated committee led by members of WPHF’s Board of Trustees and Dr. McGee has engaged WittKieffer, a premier executive search and advisory firm, to facilitate the search process for the Foundation’s next leader.  

Contact: 
Lindsay Kist, Senior Director of Community Impact & Engagement 
Winter Park Health Foundation 
407.644.2300 
[email protected] 

About Patricia A. Maddox 
Patty came to Winter Park in 1993 to serve as Executive Vice President of the Winter Park Memorial Hospital Foundation, leaving Duke University in Durham, NC, where she spent fifteen years in various philanthropic development roles for Duke University Medical Center and the School of Medicine. She was named President and CEO of the Winter Park Health Foundation after the 1994 sale of the hospital created the Foundation.   

Since 1994, Patty has been active in many efforts to improve the health and quality of life of residents in Winter Park and surrounding communities.  She has served on dozens of boards and chaired many, including the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Florida Philanthropic Network, FPN Health Funders, Leadership Winter Park, and United Way 2-1-1. Under Patty’s leadership, the Winter Park Health Foundation has received numerous awards and recognition for its efforts to create healthier communities and improve the health of residents, especially children, youth, and older adults. Among her awards, she was named as one of the Most Influential People in Winter Park, a Woman Who Means Business, and Winter Park Citizen of the Year.