Michael Brown, president and CEO of Travel + Leisure Co., has been named the first recipient of the Harris Rosen Heart of Central Florida Award, presented by the Rosen family, Rosen Hotels & Resorts and in partnership with Orlando magazine. This new award recognizes an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication and a profound commitment to serving others. Through their compassion, courage, and positive influence they have made a lasting impact on the lives of those around them while inspiring others and helping build a stronger, healthier future for Central Florida. Brown was selected for his commitment to education, community partnerships and expanding opportunities for students, particularly through the Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation.
Brown’s philanthropic vision was deeply influenced by the late Harris Rosen; the founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts whose work in Orlando demonstrated how business leaders can help transform a community through sustained investment. Rosen established the Tangelo Park Program in 1993, offering early childhood education and college scholarships to residents of the Orlando neighborhood. Its success, and subsequent expansion to Orlando’s Parramore community, became a national example of place-based philanthropy and inspired Brown to bring a similar commitment to Eatonville.
In 2021, the Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation partnered with Orange County Public Schools and the town of Eatonville to establish the Travel + Leisure Eatonville Scholarship Program. The initiative was created to help eligible students pursue higher education without being burdened by unmet tuition and other educational costs.
“As the work of Harris Rosen has demonstrated, real change is possible when corporations work hand-in-hand with local communities to engage citizens in programs driven by a shared purpose,” Brown said when the program was announced.
The initiative can provide scholarships for up to 200 students who attended Hungerford Elementary School, graduate from an eligible Orange County public high school and are accepted to a Florida public university, state college or technical school. Scholarships are designed to cover remaining tuition and certain educational expenses after students have applied for other available grants and financial assistance.
“By investing in education, we give young children the foundation they need to succeed and, in turn, create opportunities, empower individuals and strengthen families.”
Brown said Rosen’s example showed him that investing in education can strengthen not only individual students but also entire families and communities. “By investing in education, we give young children the foundation they need to succeed and, in turn, create opportunities, empower individuals and strengthen families,” Brown said.
Brown has led Travel + Leisure Co. since 2017, guiding an Orlando-based company with approximately 19,000 associates and a portfolio of travel brands serving millions of vacationers each year. His leadership has included the company’s transformation into Travel + Leisure Co. and an increased focus on community engagement in the places where its employees live and its customers travel.
This inaugural award reinforces the Rosen family’s continuing commitment to the values Harris Rosen championed throughout his life. His approach to philanthropy emphasized measurable results, long-term involvement and the belief that successful businesses have a responsibility to help their communities prosper.
By carrying that philosophy into a new company and a new Orlando community, Brown has helped extend Rosen’s influence to another generation of students. The recognition honors more than a single program. It celebrates a model of leadership in which influence is measured by the opportunities created for others. As the first recipient of the Harris Rosen Heart of Central Florida Award, Brown represents the enduring power of one leader’s example to inspire another to act.