In the Company of Women Awards

Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, in partnership with the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade and the Miami-Dade Commission for Women announce the winners of the 2023 In the Company of Women Awards, presented by Amerant Bank:

Mayor’s Pioneer Award:
Retha Boone-Fye, Program Director, Miami Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board
Rachel Silverstein, PhD, Executive Director and Waterkeeper, Miami Waterkeeper
Arts and Entertainment Award:
Alexandra Lioutikoff, President, Latin America and U.S. Latin, Universal Music Publishing Group
Business and Economics Award:
Pilar Guzman Zavala, CEO, Half Moon Empanadas
Communications and Literature Award:
Gayle R. Love, Senior Division Director, Public Information and Outreach Division, Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management
Education and Research Award:
Dr. Jennifer S. Durocher, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics; Director, University of Miami Center for Autism & Related Disabilities
Government and Law Award – Elected:
Danielle Cohen Higgins, Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 8, Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners
Government and Law Award – Non-elected:
Aileen Bouclé, AICP, Executive Director, Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization
Hydi Webb, Port Director & CEO, Port of Miami
Health and Human Services Award:
Alexandra Villoch, CEO, Baptist Health Foundation
Science and Technology Award:
Melissa Medina, Founding Executive and President, eMerge Americas
Sports and Athletics Award:
Kim Ng, General Manager, Miami Marlins
Young Professional Award:
Angelica Santibañez, Community Engagement, Public Policy Senior Manager, Amazon
Community Spirit Award:
Honorable Denise Lane, Founder/President, Sisters in Spirit of South Florida, Inc.

For the first time in the event’s history, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Silvia Unzueta, former Deputy Director of the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces Department, who founded The Women’s Park and the In the Company of Women Awards.

Winners will be honored during the awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at the beautiful Coral Gables Country Club, 990 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, FL, in honor of International Women’s Day and National Women’s History Month. NBC6 News Anchor Jackie Nespral will serve as emcee.

Join us as we celebrate these amazing women and recognize their contributions to this community!

In the Company of Women is made possible by the support of generous sponsors, including Amerant Bank, Florida East Coast Industries, Half Moon Empanadas, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, District 6, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez, District 11, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, District 8, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Micky Steinberg, District 4, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, District 12, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, Amazon, Carnival Cruise Line, Jackson Health Systems, Miami International Airport, Miami Marlins, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Senator Rene Garcia, District 13, Port Miami, Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management, Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne L. McGhee, District 9, Uber, Baptist Health South Florida, FPL, Miami-Dade County Vice Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, District 10, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, District 5, Miami-Dade County Office of Community Advocacy, Ronald L. Book, PA, and Bacardi.

Be a part of this special celebration by becoming a sponsor. For more information, email [email protected] or download the sponsorship brochure.
Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, in partnership with the Miami-Dade Commission for Women and the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, announce the Call for Nominations for the 2023 In the Company of Women Awards.

Nominations for the 34th Annual In the Company of Women Awards will be accepted from October 3, 2022 through October 21, 2022. All women in Miami-Dade County who have exemplified professional development, community responsibility, leadership and vision, contribution to women’s progress, and promotion of pluralism, in the following categories:
- Outstanding Woman in Arts & Entertainment
- Outstanding Woman in Business & Economics
- Outstanding Woman in Communications & Literature
- Outstanding Woman in Education & Research
- Outstanding Woman in Government & Law: Elected Official
- Outstanding Woman in Government & Law: Non-Elected Official
- Outstanding Woman in Health & Human Services
- Outstanding Woman in Science & Technology
- Outstanding Woman in Sports & Athletics
- Outstanding Young Professional (Must be age 40 and under)
- Community Spirit Award
- Mayor’s Pioneer Award
How to Nominate
- Complete the Nomination form
- Submit the following:
  - Nominee’s resume
  - One high-resolution color photo of the nominee
  - No more than three supporting documents, including recommendation letters, newspaper or magazine articles, etc.
  - If submitting recommendation letters, the letters must be from persons other than the nominator.
  - For the Mayor’s Pioneer Award, please submit three recommendation letters and no more than two additional supporting documents.
Nomination packages must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2022.

Nomination forms that fail to include the requested items and/or do not meet the application deadline, will automatically be disqualified.

Past recipients of the In the Company of Women award are not eligible.

A committee of community leaders, including past recipients of the In the Company of Women award, will review nomination packages to select the winners.

For more information, contact:

Nina Roque, Executive Director
Miami-Dade County Commission for Women
111 NW 1st Street, Suite 1034, Miami, FL 33128.
305-375-4967

It’s time to honor an amazing woman – nominate her today!
2022 Winners
- Mayor’s Pioneer Award – Penny S. Shaffer, PhD, Market President, South Florida, Florida Blue
- Arts and Entertainment Award – Marjorie Hahn, Musical & Executive Director, South Florida Youth Symphony
- Business and Economics Award – My “Maggie” Vo, CFA, Managing General Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Fuel Venture Capital
- Communications and Literature Award – Nancy Ancrum, Editorial Page Editor, Miami Herald
- Education and Research Award – Caroline A. Lewis, Founder & Senior Climate Advisor, The Cleo Institute
- Government and Law Award – Elected – Honorable Eileen Higgins, Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 5
- Government and Law Award – Non-elected – Darlene M. Fernandez, P.E., Assistant Director of Traffic Services, Traffic Signals and Signs Division,
- Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works
- Health and Human Services Award – Loreen Chant, President and Chief Executive Officer, Health Foundation of South Florida
- Science and Technology Award – Margaret A. Pericak-Vance, PhD, Director, John P. Hussman for Human Genomics and Executive Vice Chair, Dr. John
- T. Macdonald Foundation, Department of Human Genetics, University of Miami
- Sports and Athletics Award – Caroline O’Connor, Chief Operating Officer, Miami Marlins
- Young Professional Award – Loren Parra, Director of Public Affairs, The Miami Foundation
- Community Spirit Award – Kerry-Ann Royes, CEO, YWCA South Florida
2020 Winners
- Mayor's Pioneer Award - Darlene Boytell-Pérez, ARNP, Co-Founder, Pérez Art Museum Miami
- Arts and Entertainment Award - Maria Banda-Rodaz, Executive Director, Area Stage Company
- Business and Economics Award - Nancy Batchelor, Sr. Vice President, EWM Realty International
- Communications and Literature Award - Griselle Marino, Communications and Media Director, Office of Community Advocacy, Board of County Commissioners
- Education and Research Award - Suzanna M. Rose, Ph.D., Founding Associate Provost, Office to Advance Women, Equity & Diversity (AWED), Florida International University
- Government and Law - Elected Official Award - Honorable Jeanette M. Nuñez, Lieutenant Governor, State of Florida
- Government and Law - Non-Elected Award - Christina White, Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections
- Health and Human Services Award - Ana ''Teri''Busse-Arvesu, Elderly and Disability Services, Miami-Dade County Community Action and Human Services Department
- Science and Technology Award - Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh, Ph.D., Professor and founding director of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute and the Translational Molecular Discoveries program, Florida International University
- Sports and Athletics Award - Kerry Gruson, Co-founder and co-chair, ThumbsUp International
- Young Professional Award - Claudia Prado, National Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Empowerment, Univision Communications Inc.
- Community Spirit Award - Honorable Marie P. Woodson, Florida Representative, District 101, Miami-Dade County Administrator (retired), and former Chair of the Miami-Dade Commission for Women
2019 Winners
- Mayor’s Pioneer – Barbara Falsey, Ph.D, Retired Miami-Dade County Division Chief and Planner; author, editor, and architecture critic
- Mayor's Community Spirit – Ana VeigaMilton, Esq., President, Jose Milton Foundation
- Arts and Entertainment – Colleen Stovall, Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Florida Shakespeare Theater
- Business and Economics – Janet Kyle Altman, Marketing Principal, Kaufman Rossin
- Communications and Literature – Lissette Gonzalez, Meteorologist, CBS4
- Rising Star Community Spirit – Sabrina Cohen, Founder-President, Sabrina Cohen Foundation
- Education and Research – Ora L. Strickland, Ph.D., MSN, RN, FAAN, Dean, FIU College of Nursing & Health and Sciences
- Government and Law (Elected Official) – Honorable Ana Maria Rodriguez, Representative, Florida House of Representatives, District 105
- Government and Law (Non-Elected) –
  - Delma K. Noel-Pratt, Chief, City of Miami Gardens Police Department
  - Susan R. Windmiller, Government Affairs Analyst, Miami-Dade Police Department
- Health and Human Services – Rochelle A. Baer, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., Director of Leadership Training Initiatives, Mailman Center for Child Development, UM Miller School of Medicine
- Science and Technology –
  - Ranu Jung, Ph. D., Wallace H. Coulter Eminent Scholar Chair in Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University College of Engineering and Computing
  - Tatjana Rundek, M.D. Ph.D., Scientific Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute and Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging at the UM Miller School of Medicine
- Sports and Athletics – Isabella Rojas, Founder of Doña Pan (women’s cycling group) and Purchasing Manager, No Boundaries Sport, Coral Gables
- Young Professional – Maxeme Tuchman, CEO & Co-Founder, Caribu Inc.
2018
- Mayor's Pioneer – Honorable Enid Weisman, Mayor, City of Aventura
- Arts & Entertainment – Silvia Cubiñá, Director and Chief Curator, The Bass Museum of Art
- Business & Economics – Lakitsia Gaines, President, Lakitsia Gaines Insurance Agency, Inc.
- Communications & Literature – Sandra Peebles, Anchor & Broadcast Journalist, Univision 23
- Education and Research – Joanna Lombard, Architect/Professor, University of Miami School of Architecture; University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences
- Government and Law (Elected Official) – Honorable Shelley Kravitz (Aug. 9, 1953 - Jan. 2, 2018), Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge, County Civil Division
- Government and Law (Non-Elected) – Aliette DelPozo Rodz, Litigation Attorney/Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP
- Health and Human Services – two winners: Catherimarty (Cathy) Burgos, LCSW Division Director of Operations, Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department; and Dr. Giselle Guerra, Medical Director of Transplant Services and Living Donor Kidney Program, Miami Transplant Institute; Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- Science & Technology – Veronique Koch, Producer/Filmmaker, Vero Productions/South Florida PBS/Frost Science Museum
- Sports & Athletics – Caron B. Schiffman, Physical Education Instructor/Coach, Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School
- Young Professional (New) – Honorable Patricia D. Fairclough, Vice Mayor, City of Homestead
- Community Spirit – Marile Lopez, Philanthropist, Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross and others
2017
- Mayor's Pioneer - Carol Kruse, director, Zoo Miami
- Arts & Entertainment - Nannette Zapata, COO and art curator, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
- Business & Economics Patricia Nelson, regional head of strategic accounts, AvMed
- Education and Research - Dr. Lenore Rodicio, executive vice president and provost, Miami-Dade College
- Government and Law (Elected Official) Honorable Nushin Sayfie, Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court judge, Criminal Division; and Honorable Angelica Zayas, Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court judge, Juvenile Division
- Government and Law (Non-Elected) - Dr. Emma Lew, director and Medical Examiner, Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department
- Health and Human Services - Annie Neasman, MS, RN, president and CEO, Jessie Trice Community Health Center, Inc.
- Science & Technology - Dr. Yesim Darici, director, FIU Center for Women's and Gender Studies
- Sports & Athletics - Leslie Nixon, J.D., Ed.D., director, Government and Community Affairs, Miami Dolphins LTD/Miami Dolphins Foundation.
- Posthumous - Julie Kay, journalist, Daily Business Review
- Community Spirit - Maria M. Blet, chair of the Women's Leadership Council, United Way Worldwide / United Way of Miami-Dade
List of all past winners