Samira Beckwith Biographical Profile

For more than two decades, Samira K. Beckwith has served as President and CEO of Hope HealthCare Services. Under her leadership, Hope has grown from a hospice caring for 100 patients a day to a health care system providing a variety of programs to more than 3,000 individuals daily.

As a dedicated champion for palliative care and end-of-life issues, Beckwith serves as Chair for the National Hospice Foundation, is Founding Director of the National Hospice Work Group and Founding President of the Florida PACE Association. She also served as President of the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association.

Throughout the State of Florida and nationally, Beckwith’s passion for comforting care and expertise has been acknowledged. She received appointments to the Health Care Transition Team for Governor Scott, the White House Conference on Aging, the Purple Ribbon Task Force for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, and Florida’s Long-Term Care Policy Council under Governor Bush.

In recognition of her work, Florida Governor Jeb Bush described Beckwith as “a visionary who provides leadership on a local and national level – passionate about ensuring the highest quality of service.”

Beckwith’s leadership, career accomplishments, and commitment to diversity have also been honored. She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, bestowed upon distinguished Americans who exemplify outstanding qualities in their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their heritage. She was also awarded The Ohio State Alumni Association’s Medalist Award which is presented to alumni who have gained national or international distinction in a chosen field, who have brought extraordinary credit to the university and significant benefit to humankind. Beckwith has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Community Action Hero from the National Association of Social Workers, The Senator’s Award from Senator Mike Bennett and the Gulfshore Business FACE Award, among other awards of distinction.

In addition to her commitments to Hope, Beckwith also hosts the annual Celebration of Reading in Southwest Florida and raised funds for the Red Cross as the winning contestant in the 2010 StarStruck event. She is also active in service groups such as Rotary International and Leadership Florida.

Beckwith holds a Bachelor of Sociology Degree and a Masters in Social Work from The Ohio State University as well as a Doctor of Humane Letters from Southwest Florida College.