Ambassadors Sue and Chuck Cobb received United Way of Miami-Dade’s prestigious Tocqueville Award for Outstanding Philanthropy durintg the United Way Tocqueville Grand Reception at the Coconut Grove home of Lisa and Victor Mendelson on Apr. 23.
The Tocqueville Grand Reception united 300-400 of Miami’s most generous givers who contribute $10,000 or more annually to better the community through United Way. Emmy-award winning actress Sharon Gless was the celebrity host for the evening.
Sue and Chuck Cobb have dedicated their lives to serving their country, state, and community through representing the United States in Iceland and Jamaica, serving the State of Florida, and endless involvement in Miami-Dade County activities. Longtime generous contributors, they joined the United Way Million Dollar Roundtable in 2011.
“Both Sue and Chuck believe in philanthropy and service to others. They have demonstrated it through their professional careers and civic involvement,” said Harve A. Mogul, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade. “Together, they provide a leadership example that we applaud and should aspire to emulate.Charles Cobb is CEO of Cobb Partners, a private equity firm located in Coral Gables. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Iceland under President George H.W. Bush and Undersecretary of U.S. Department of Commerce under President Ronald Reagan. In the 1970s and 1980s he was the CEO or COO of Arvida Corporation, Penn Central and Disney Development Company.
Just as important as his career, Chuck has held a number of key positions in the community. He has been a trustee of the University of Miami for 38 years, is former chair of the board and has held several other university leadership positions. He was chair of Gateway Florida, Florida FTAA and the Governor’s Florida Council of 100.
He also was the founding chair of the Barry University Miami Shores Charter School and has been a long-time trustee/director/ member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Plymouth Congregational Church, Council for Education Change, Our Kids, Annenberg Challenge Fund and the Orange Bowl Committee.
Sue Cobb is president of the Cobb Family Foundation and of the American Friends of Jamaica, a New York-based international charity. She spent many years serving in federal and state government as U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica under President George W. Bush, Secretary of State of Florida and CEO of the Florida Lottery under Gov. Jeb Bush.
Sue also served several years as the U.S. State Department’s co-chair of Ambassador Seminars. While practicing public finance law at Greenberg Traurig, Sue was a three-term chair of the Federal Reserve Bank, Miami Branch.
Sue has served as an officer on the boards of United Way of Miami-Dade, Goodwill Industries, and the Zoological Society of Florida. She has been honored as the University of Miami Alumnus of the Year and the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year. Sue and Chuck each received the NCCJ Silver Medallion Award.
While serving as United States Ambassador to Jamaica, Sue hosted a women’s leadership exchange between the United Way in Miami-Dade and Jamaica. The two-part outreach first involved 20 women from Miami traveling to Jamaica to consult together on social service challenges, volunteerism and philanthropy. Two months later, a group of 25 Jamaican women traveled to Miami to continue the exchange and to discuss non-profit administrative best practices.
Sue and Chuck have two sons, Christian and Tobin, and seven grandchildren. To learn more, visit www.unitedwaymiami.org
