American Lung Association Elevates Jacksonville Business Leader to Board Chair

Today, the American Lung Association in Florida named Winton Mays chair of the North Florida Leadership Board. Mays, a Jacksonville native and financial advisor with Bridgewater Wealth Advisors of Raymond James, has served on the Local Leadership Board since 2013. In his new role as board chair, he will oversee the Board’s activities, advocate for lung health and increase resources to fund programs and services.

“Winton has been instrumental in expanding our impact here in Jacksonville,” said Cindy Springer, director of development for the Lung Association in Florida. “His dedication to our lifesaving mission is absolute, and we are grateful to have him expand his role on the Leadership Board.”

Mays’ personal connections to lung health have driven both his career and involvement with the Lung Association. In the fall of 2003, when Mays was 19 years old, his father was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and passed away shortly after. Mays also lost his uncle to the same disease in 2020.

“My father was originally given five to six years to receive a lung transplant, but we did not realize at the time how aggressive the disease was and is,” Mays recalled. “I was in college, and my father was our family’s sole income earner. We were caught off guard both emotionally and financially. Our world was completely turned upside down.”

Now, as a financial advisor with Bridgewater Wealth Advisors of Raymond James, Mays strives to help families strategically manage their wealth to be better prepared for unexpected emergencies.

“Being elected to lead the North Florida Board is a powerful way to honor my dad, on the twentieth anniversary of us losing him,” said Mays. “I’m committed to increasing awareness of lung health in our community and helping people take action to keep their lungs healthy. I don’t want another family to have to go through the pain of losing someone close to them to lung disease.”

In 2023, the Jacksonville Business Journal named Mays to its “40 Under 40” list for his efforts in “shaping the future of the First Coast.” A graduate of the University of Georgia and Bolles High School, Mays resides in Ponte Vedra Beach with his wife, Kate, and their three children. Kate Mays also serves on the North Florida Board.

Mays added, “I’m grateful to my fellow board members and director for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing the progress made by the board and previous chairs in our mission to raise awareness and fight against lung disease.”

Get involved and help the mission of American Lung Association. The LUNG FORCE Walk in Jacksonville is coming up on Saturday, November 16. Learn more and register here.

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., is a member of the New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse the opinions or services of the American Lung Association.