MIAMI, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Adrienne Arsht, a respected, national business leader and hands-on philanthropist, ranks 39th among the nation's top 50 donors, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy (www.philanthropy.com). Arsht is the only Miami resident, and one of four women, to make this year's list. In 2008, Arsht donated $43.3 million to several recipients such as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Blair House, the University of Miami, American Ballet Theatre, Best Buddies, the United Way of Greater Miami, The Metropolitan Opera, and the Cuban National Council, among others.
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A community-minded power broker, Arsht has taken a leading role promoting artistic, business and civic growth and development in her adopted hometown of Miami, Florida. In January of 2008, her commitment to the community and the arts took the form of a $30 million contribution to Miami's Performing Arts Center. With this contribution, the newly renamed Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County secured its financial footing and ensured the future of quality cultural programming for future generations. In 2008, Arsht also donated $5 million to the University of Miami for the Arsht Ethics Programs, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami and other university initiatives.
For more than 10 years, Arsht served as chairman of the board of TotalBank. Under her leadership, TotalBank grew from four locations to 14 locations with over $1.4 billion in assets. In November 2007, she sold the bank to Banco Popular Espanol, the third largest banking group in Spain, and was named chairman emerita of TotalBank.
New to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list, but not to the world of philanthropy, Arsht has generously donated funds and resources to numerous organizations over the years. In 2004, Arsht became the first woman to join the Million Dollar Roundtable of the United Way of Miami-Dade. In 2005, she announced a $2 million gift to Goucher College, creating the Roxana Cannon Arsht Center for Ethics and Leadership, in honor of her late mother, a Goucher graduate.
Arsht serves on various national boards, including the Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theatre, Best Buddies International and the Global Advisory Board of the Washington National Opera. In South Florida, Arsht is chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation and vice chair of the Miami Business Forum. She also sits on the boards of the University of Miami and Amigos For Kids. Arsht is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a lifetime trustee of Vizcaya Museum and is a fellow of The Aspen Institute.
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