Volunteer of the Month | Whitney Michaels

Whitney Michaels, Chairperson of Golden Gala XXXIX, has been a dedicated member of Circle of Friends for the last five years. Her consistent involvement and dedicated vision for the upcoming Golden Gala is why we’re excited to feature her as our November Volunteer of the Month.

Whitney graduated with a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Tulane University where she also completed her Masters in Public Health in Maternal and Child Health. After Graduation she made the move from the clinical side to the pharmaceutical side of the clinical research industry. For close to 15 years, Whitney worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb in the DC area monitoring Phase II to Phase IV clinical trials for new Cardiovascular, diabetes, HIV, bipolar, cancer and RA therapies.

Over the last 13 years since she moved back to FL, Whitney has spent her time focused on family. She has been married to her husband Rob, an Anesthesiologist for USAP, for the past 23 years. Their daughter, Mackenzie, is a member of the Auburn Equestrian NCAA Team and will be graduating in May; and their son, Kent, is a Senior at Lake Highland Preparatory School and will also be graduating in May.

“The reason why I'm so passionate about AdventHealth is because of the state of the art medical care they provide to Central Florida. With some of the best Doctors and specialties in the country, they remain community oriented. They embrace the community and the community embraces the hospital. I also love that AdventHealth works globally through Sharing Smiles. My family and I have participated in a couple of their missions and it is a life changing experience for the patients as well as the volunteers.”

Not only does she give back to AdventHealth, Whitney is actively involved with a small horse rescue, Equine Angels, that works with kids at risk and with special needs. She helps teach horsemanship and how to ride.

In her spare time, she enjoys exploring old Florida, traveling with her family and participating in Circle of Friends – a local group of women who are dedicated to bringing the community together at Golden Gala to support essential programs and services at AdventHealth. Her advice to others looking for ways to give back or get involved, “No matter what your interest or passion the Foundation has so many different projects. It is easy to find your place and give back to the community.”