Lorna Taylor

President and CEO, Lorna Taylor, is an accomplished leader, both in directing Florida-based Premier Eye Care — one of the 225 largest private companies in Florida — and in making an impact in the community.

Premier manages full-risk medical and routine ophthalmic care for over 4 million people and is recognized for industry-leading technology-based solutions and a successful corporate culture. Taylor promotes associate engagement through an organizational model that encourages innovation and self-direction to team members, half of whom are millennials.

Taylor and her leadership team embrace a culture where the triple bottom line, “people, planet, profit,” is part of the corporate DNA. Her team is purposeful and intentional in their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging. Premier believes that the more diverse the team — from entry to senior leadership — the stronger the company. Reflecting the success of this value, Premier is ranked nationally as one of the 75 Best Places to Work for Millennials by the Center for Generational Kinetics and ranked No. 1 as “Best Companies to Work For in Florida” by Florida Trend for the past two consecutive years.

Taylor was named as an entrepreneur of the year by the Business Observer and received the Tampa Bay Ethics Award from the University of Tampa’s Center for Ethics; the International Women’s Day Leadership Award from Working Women of Tampa Bay; the Mildred M. Baynard Founder’s Award presented by Preserve Vision Florida; and the Patron of the Arts IMPACT Award by Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts. She was presented with the Angie’s Award for exemplifying a commitment to community service at the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Businesswoman of the Year awards. Among her other awards: Supporter of the Year, Faces of Philanthropy by the Florida Museum of Photographic Art; Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida; the Light of Sight Award from the Lion’s Eye Institute Foundation, and the Sustainability Leadership Award from the Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay.

Most recently, Taylor was honored with The Dali Museum’s 2020 Morse Award, the Pinellas County Urban League’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. Leadership Award, the 2021 Tampa Organization of Black Affairs, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Corporate Leadership Award, and the 2021 Community Tampa Bay Silver Medallion Award.

Personally, Taylor is involved in a wide variety of community and nonprofit causes. She has board positions with The Dalí Museum, Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts, Preserve Vision Florida, and The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.

Taylor is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in divinity, concentrating in social ethics. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she enjoys her rescue pup, travel, art, and the vibrant cultural life of the Tampa Bay area. Reflecting her approach to work and community, Tampa Bay Times columnist Ernest Hooper named Taylor as one of the 10 most intriguing people of Tampa Bay. Florida Trend named her as one of St. Petersburg’s “movers and shakers,” and one of Tampa/Hillsborough’s “people to know.”