Professional Award winners will also be honored at the In the Company of Women event in March 2009 and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez will present the Mayor’s Pioneer Award.

The award spotlights the accomplishments of outstanding professional female leaders in our community in the following categories:

• Outstanding Woman in Arts and Entertainment
• Outstanding Woman in Business and Economics
• Outstanding Woman in Communications and Literature
• Outstanding Woman in Education and Research
• Outstanding Woman in Government and Law
• Outstanding Woman in Health and Human Services
• Outstanding Woman in Science and Technology
• Outstanding Woman in Sports & Athletics
• Mayor’s Pioneer Award

The Mayor’s Pioneer Award honors a woman who has proven leadership, creativity, and vision in addressing community issues in Miami-Dade County within the past 10 years. 

A committee of community leaders will review nomination forms in order to determine the nominee’s eligibility. For the professional awards, emphasis will be placed on the nominee’s contribution to women’s progress in her profession/area of interest. For the Mayor’s Pioneer Award, emphasis will be placed on overall involvement in the community and women’s progress. Appointees from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s office will review nominations for the Mayor’s Pioneer Award.

Nominees in each category must meet the eligibility criteria reflecting continued accomplishments in the following five areas: Professional Development, Community Responsibility, Leadership and Vision, Contribution to Women’s Progress, Promotion of Pluralism. 

Nominators are required to complete the nomination form and submit nine copies of the form along with nine photocopies of supporting materials including any newspaper or magazine articles about the nominee, if available. If you are nominating a woman for the Mayor’s Pioneer Award, please submit only three photocopies of the nomination form. You must also submit three photocopies of recommendation letters from three individuals, not including the nominator, and any supporting materials including newspaper or magazine articles.  Nominations that fail to include these items and/or do not meet the application deadline will be automatically disqualified. 

Nomination forms and instructions can be located on the Miami-Dade Parks website at www.miamidade.gov/parks and can be picked up at any Miami-Dade County library.  Nomination forms must be mailed to Lisa Fernandez, Park Manager, Women’s Park, 10251 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL  33174.

Past recipients of the In the Company award are not eligible. A list of past award winners is available at www.miamidade.gov/parks.

Award winners must be available to meet one day during July 2008 for a video interview and photo shoot to be presented at the 2009 awards event. Complete information will be sent directly to winners.

For further information and/or to request a nomination packet, call event coordinator Lisa Fernandez at 305-480-1717, ext. 104.

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