Leadership Florida Presents Meighan Harris and Evan Ernst with "but for Leadership Florida" Award

Leadership Florida Presents Meighan Harris and Evan Ernst with the "but for Leadership Florida" Award during the 2026 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. 

During the Leadership Florida Connect Class 11 program, Meighan Harris had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with leaders across the state, including classmate Evan Ernst, founder of the non-profit Who We Play For. Evan’s personal story and mission to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes through proactive EKG screenings deeply inspired Meighan and opened her eyes to a critical gap in youth health and safety.

Motivated by both Evan’s passion and the servant-leadership values reinforced through Leadership Florida,
Meighan took action by first volunteering alongside Evan at EKG screening events, witnessing firsthand the impact of early detection and the very real lives that could be saved. Recognizing the opportunity to scale this impact locally, Meighan leveraged her professional relationships and community influence to connect Evan and Who We Play For with key Lee County School Board members, helping open doors.

From there, the collaboration grew. Together, they helped launch a local fundraising and screening initiative, Heart and Home: Realtors Rally to Save Student Athletes. Through this event, they raised over $17,000 and screened over one hundred students in the community, identifying several with cardiac abnormalities that required follow-up care, findings that could very well have prevented future tragedy. Later, Meighan connected Evan with Collier County Schools and a local Collier County foundation, where his impact will continue to grow.

This work is a direct result of the connections, confidence, and leadership mindset cultivated through
Leadership Florida. But for Leadership Florida, Meighan would not have met Evan, understood the urgency of this issue, nor been empowered to mobilize people, resources, and relationships to create meaningful,
potentially life-saving change in my community.

Meighan Harris is the CEO of Bonita Springs Estero Realtors. Meighan is a member of the Southwest Region. 

Evan Ernst is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Who We Play For. Evan is a member of the East Central Region. 

Congratulations to Meighan and Evan!