As the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department marks its 31st year hosting the coveted In the Company of Women Awards, 15 inspiring women leaders have been selected to join the ranks of distinguished group of awardees.
Presented in partnership with the Miami-Dade Commission for Women and the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, the In the Company of Women honors women who have excelled professionally and civically, and have contributed to women’s progress through their leadership and vision.
Notable alumni include famous faces from a variety of fields, including salsa legend Celia Cruz; U.S. Congressmembers Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Frederica Wilson, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz; philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, and Grammy award-wining recording artist Gloria Estefan, among others.
The awards ceremony dinner, scheduled for Mar. 7, at the Coral Gables Country Club, 990 Alhambra Circle, commemorates March’s Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The event begins with a reception, followed by a sit-down dinner and awards presentation. This year’s festivities will be extra special, as the event is spotlighted as a signature celebration for the Parks Department’s 90th anniversary.
For details about tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more, visit the In the Company of Women webpage at www.miamidade.gov/parks/company-of-women.asp.
2019 Winners:
Mayor’s Pioneer — Barbara Falsey, PhD, Retired Miami-Dade Parks Department, Division Chief and Planner; author, editor, and architecture critic;
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;
Community Spirit Award (2) — Sabrina Cohen, Founder-President, Sabrina Cohen Foundation, and Ana ViegaMilton, President, Jose Milton Foundation;
Education and Research — Ora L. Strickland, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, Dean, FIU College of Nursing & Health and Sciences;
Government and Law, Elected Official — Hon. Ana Maria Rodriguez, Florida State House of Representatives, District 105;
Government and Law, Non-Elected (2) — Delma K. Noel-Pratt, Chief, City of Miami Gardens Police Department, and Susan R. Windmiller, Government Affairs Analyst, Miami-Dade Police Department;
Health and Human Services — Rochelle A. Baer, MSW., LCSW, Director of Leadership Training Initiatives, Mailman Center for Child Development, UM Miller School of Medicine;
Science and Technology (2) — Ranu Jung, PhD, Wallace H. Coulter Eminent Scholar Chair in Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University College of Engineering and Computing, and Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD, 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 for No Boundaries Sport, Coral Gables, and
Young Professional — Maxeme Tuchman, CEO and Co-Founder of Caribu Inc.
Miami-Dade Parks is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 270 parks and 13,573 acres of land. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world and focused on placemaking, health and fitness and conservation and stewardship. The non-profit Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade supports Miami-Dade Parks’ efforts to further develop Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors.
