She is a devoted wife, a nurturing mother, a loving grandmother, a cherished friend, a respected community leader, and, mostrecently, she has been honored with The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, an award given to those who contribute more than 6,000 hours of humanitarian work in their lifetime. While this recognition is truly commendable, Erin McLeod accepts it with remarkable humility. “I don’t set out each day with the goal of doing something groundbreaking or extraordinary,” she reflects. “I’m simply living my life.”

McLeod began living her life in a little town just north of Tampa called Dade City. The population at the time was about 6,000, so small, she recalls, that it didn’t even have a McDonald’s when she was in high school. She soon went off to big city life at University of Florida at Gainesville and it was there, as a freshman, that she met her husband, Craig, on a blind date. The two have been married for over 41 years.  Early on in their marriage, the couple traveled, attempting to build a life together first in Orlando and then Atlanta, before ultimately deciding to call Sarasota their home. “I’m a Florida girl, and I just didn’t belong in Georgia–they got too dressed up just to go to the mall for me,” McLeod says. “We really wanted to be back in Florida, so Craig ended up with Hershey Chocolate in Sarasota and I stayed with my communications consulting firm, because they let me work remotely back in the day. I had a fax machine and a typewriter, so I could make it all work. It worked for us because we love Sarasota and being near the beach.” The couple ended up buying a house that they still call home today. “Our home turns 100 next year and we’ve been in it for over 40 years which is almost half of its life!” she adds.

As a PTA mom to her two children, Colin, 39 and Megan, 37 who attended South Side and Pine View, McLeod started to form a network of friends in Sarasota. “Before that time,  I knew the mailman and I knew the checkout lady at Publix, and that’s about it,” she says. “I had a couple neighbors I sort of knew, but I just didn’t have a lot of friends, and as I think back to that time, I realize that I am so blessed to know so many people now.”

After years of PTA and class mom duties, McLeod decided to remove herself from her children’s school world, knowing that they would be able to stand on their own two feet. “My mom was a teacher for 50 years, and we were not latchkey kids, but we were very independent. Mom made sure that I knew how to cook and do my laundry when I was about 12,” she recalls. “The thing that Mom always said, and I always echo back to this, is ‘Leave the world a better place because you walked in it,’ and so we did.” 

As her kids were growing up, McLeod worked in a number of different jobs, from advertising to writing to babysitting to corporate work with Olive Garden, Caragiulos and Longboat Key Club, where she worked with Amy Drake, whom she refers to as one of her greatest mentors, teachers and friends, to this day. As Director of Membership McCleod recalls that there were about 3,300 members at the time—a demanding crowd who paid a lot of money to belong. “They had expectations and I was really good at diplomacy, so it really paid off. I enjoyed that work very much but after ten years I was ready to learn something else and do something different.”

When her friend Marjorie Floyd reached out to tell her about a nonprofit organization searching for a Director of Communications, McLeod was immediately intrigued. After interviewing for the position and accepting the role, she quickly developed a strong admiration for her supervisor, Bob Carter, who had led the Senior Friendship Center (SFC) as president and CEO for over 28 years. Starting as Director of Communications, McLeod’s journey saw her rise to Chief Operating Officer, then Senior VP, and ultimately in 2016, following Carter’s retirement, she stepped into the role of CEO, where she is greatly admired by her clientele and staff members. 

“Erin is the best CEO I have ever worked with,” shares Jodel Velarde, Marketing and Communications Manager for SFC. “She showed me that you can be a leader without an agenda, and that everything is just pure and from her heart.” September marked McLeod’s 20th anniversary at SFC, which she finds unbelievable because as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. “I am hands-on. I love to be with our constituents, the people we serve, our members, our clients, their families and no day is ever the same. I’m constantly busy,” she says. “Today I’ve probably had three or four calls with individuals that I’m personally trying to help navigate healthcare, assisted living, follow up after the floods and trying to help somebody who’s helping an older resident. I love doing it all,” she shares. “I know it’s really not really my job because we have case managers and wonderful staff for that, but they’re busy and if somebody calls me and asks for help, I am just a girl who can’t say no!”

While she adores working with the aging population, McLeod is frustrated by the perception of what people think about growing old. “I think people’s view of aging is, in general, negative, and if I ever hear somebody say it’s not sexy, it’s not a sexy mission, or it’s not a sexy topic anymore, I think I’m going to blow my top,” she says. “I think what some of these folks are doing, how they’re living their lives, the things they’ve overcome, and the things they’ve given to all of us as a society are way sexy. They’re our heroes, our teachers, coaches and our mentors. They’re setting an example for all of us. They’re getting up every day and finding a way to go do something and make somebody else’s life better. I look at that, and I’m just so inspired by it.”

At SFC, McLeod has worked with her staff to change that stigma of aging by changing the language they’re using, and infusing joy at every corner. “Even though someone is dealing with dementia, they find joy here. Even folks with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or something else, are doing karaoke. They’re having a ball and at the end of the day, they have something to talk about with their families.” She recently heard someone say something that perfectly sums up her feelings about her clientele: ‘Why do we have to call it aging? You’re really aging the minute you’re born, right? So why don’t we just call it living?’ Some new programming that McLeod has added to the Center include pickleball and a program called The Aging Rebels, who meet weekly to talk about common issues, like adult children bossing them around. Issues faced by seniors were also brought to light in two recent plays: The Caregivers, the story of a mother’s son, a middle-aged gay man reluctant to take care of his aged mother, and The Geezers, a tale about a group of prolific writers with something to say. Both entertained audiences at SFC in November. 

The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award was presented on behalf of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Erin McLeod in a beautiful ceremony at the Sarasota campus of SFC on August 14. Many sang her praises at the ceremony, including  Dr. Jennifer M. Pilate, Certifying Agent for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award Program. “Under Erin’s leadership,
the Senior Friendship Centers have blossomed into a sanctuary for the elderly,” she said. “From offering a wide variety of services to meet their physical, emotional, and social needs to health and wellness programs to recreational activities, Erin has created an environment in which seniors can thrive, discover their passions and form meaningful connections.” 

“I didn’t feel worthy of this award because I know so many people in this town that are way more worthy,” Erin humbly remarked. “The award was really about being inspired by other people, like my parents, my colleagues and the volunteers that show up every day, even though they’re not paid. I hope this will serve as an inspiration for other people who are just starting to get involved in their community, or my children or my grandchildren to say, ‘Wow. Nana really made a difference in the world because she was there’, and so that’s what it was all about for me.”

With all that she’s accomplished in her personal and professional life, it’s hard to believe that there could be anything left on McLeod’s bucket list, but, she insists, she still has more to do. At SFC, she’s working with her team on a strategic plan, modernizing their programming and ensuring that they are ready for the next generation of older adults and creating a true multi-generational gathering place. Also, making certain that SFC is viable and financially healthy for the future, she is working on growing their own foundation. Lastly, McLeod is continuing to invest in staff and volunteers so that they have all that is needed to deliver their mission. On a personal level, she plans to do some hiking in the coming year. “I have probably a few more years of hiking left in my body, so I want to tackle some big ones!” she adds with a smile.