Joanne was inspired by Tampa Bay as a region with rapid growth and a hub for innovation and created the Leadership & Innovation Forum of Tampa, (LIFT) to benefit USF Health. Joanne had the vision of LIFT as an enterprise for change in transforming health and the quality of life in our community. USF Health seeks leaders who share our entrepreneurial spirit and solution-driven mindset. LIFT collaborates with partners who are always learning, always seeking new ways to confront life’s challenges to make life better.

Committed to serving the Tampa Bay Community

Joanne has a rich history of community engagement in Tampa, which include key leadership positions at the University of Tampa, Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation (now Advent Health), Academy at the Lakes, the Tampa Museum of Art, and Berkeley Preparatory School.

Joanne has been a finalist in The Tampa Bay Business Journal “Business Woman of the Year in the Tampa Bay Region.” She was selected by her fundraising peers in the Tampa Bay area as the recipient of the “Lloyd Horton Lifetime Achievement Award.”  In 2022 she presented a TED Talk at TEDx Westshore entitled Confessions of a Serial Connector.  In 2023 Joanne was chosen as Leadership Tampa Bay Alumni “Notable Alumna.” In March 2024 she was named as the recipient of the “Dottie Berger McKinnon Woman of Influence” award given by the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

LIFT is a unique group of business and community leaders who are engaged in learning about USF Health’s three pillars: education, clinical care, and research. As an enterprise for change in transforming health and the quality of life in our community, USF Health seeks leaders who share our entrepreneurial spirit and solution-driven mindset. We seek partners who are always learning, always seeking new ways to confront life’s challenges to make life better. 

Now entering its seventh year LIFT has brought together subject matter experts who share cutting edge advances at USF.  LIFT members gather at various events to share their experience and support USF Health missions. Our members show their support by pledging to donate to scholarship funds and working together to meet the needs of our students. Members designate 85 percent of their membership fee to benefit student scholarships in a USF Health college. 

Please select which college you would like your membership to benefit:You can choose the payment option which is most convenient for you: in full, quarterly, or monthly. All proceeds go directly to scholarship, advancement, and assistance for our students.

Join LIFT to support nursing scholarships: pay in full | quarterly | monthly (over 10 months)

Join LIFT to support public health scholarships: pay in full | quarterly | monthly (over 10 months)

Join LIFT to support medicine scholarships: pay in full | quarterly | monthly (over 10 months)

Join LIFT to support pharmacy scholarships: pay in full | quarterly | monthly (over 10 months)

If you would like to learn more about LIFT email us at health-lift@usf.edu. 

USF Health Making Life Better