TAMPA, FL., April 5, 2023 – The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners awarded the 2023 Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award to Clara Reynolds, President & CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, this morning in front of family, friends, colleagues, and community partners.
Throughout her career as a social worker, Clara has worked alongside government officials at both a local and state level to ensure that positive change was being made to help community members. In her time as the President & CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Clara has overseen expanded partnerships with the tax collector’s office, public schools, and the airport; collaborations with fire and law enforcement agencies; the addition of a human trafficking care coordinator ahead of Tampa hosting the Super Bowl; and most recently, the addition of a second dedicated Sexual Assault Services location in south Hillsborough County. All of these achievements were possible thanks to Clara working alongside elected officials to meet the needs of the community.
“I am both humbled and thankful to have been chosen as the recipient for this award by the Board of County Commissioners. Throughout my career as a social worker, partnering alongside of our government for the betterment of our community has always been a top priority. Our work is just getting started and I’m excited to see what other projects we can accomplish together,” says Clara Reynolds, President & CEO for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
Past recipients of this award include community members such as Arthenia Joyner, Bob Martinez, Dr. Judy Genshaft and H. Lee Moffitt. The award was established in honor of Ellsworth G. Simmons, a respected government and civic leader with a long tenure on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. Additional information about the award can be found at: https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/government/board-of-county-commissioners/ellsworth-g-simmons-good-government-award
About the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
The mission of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone. The organization is the community’s gateway to help, hope, and healing, and is Tampa Bay’s elite provider of crisis and trauma services. Responding to over 160,000 requests for help each year, the nonprofit agency offers a range of evidence based programs designed to meet community needs:
• Gateway Contact Center (988 & 211: suicide prevention, crisis counseling, and information and referral services)
• Corbett Trauma Center (trauma counseling and sexual assault survivor services)
• TransCare (911 basic life support ambulance service, behavioral health transport, basic and advanced life support interfacility transportation, community paramedicine)
For more information about the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, please visit www.crisiscenter.com