2025 Honorees Announced For History Fort Lauderdale And Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions Of Change – Broward County”

History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale are proud to announce this year’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County”presented by UKG honorees: Rita Case, president, CEO and ownerof Rick Case Automotive Group, Frances M. Esposito, chief strategy officer of Broward Partnership, Ina Lee, owner of Travelhost Magazine of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Susan Renneisen, vice president of community affairs and special events at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Juliet Roulhac, director of external affairs for Broward and Southwest Florida for Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and corporate philanthropy for NextEra Energy (NEE), FPL’s parent company and Elaine Vasquez, owner of Broward’s first bilingual newspaper, El Heraldo de Broward.These impactful and inspiring women who lead our community will be recognized at a ticketed reception benefitting History Fort Lauderdale set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, at Galleria Fort Lauderdale (2414 E. Sunrise Boulevard). The Women’s History Month celebration will kick off a special photo exhibit highlighting these women alongside their groundbreaking historical female predecessors who helped to pave the way for our community. The exhibition celebrating their achievements will be on display through March 31.

“This year, on our fifth anniversary, History Fort Lauderdale is honored to celebrate these champions of change who have made indelible impacts on not only Broward County, but South Florida as a whole,” saidPatricia Zeiler, executive director of History Fort Lauderdale. “These, passionate, innovative leadersand entrepreneurs represent the best of us in their respective fields of business development, tourism, community, philanthropy and journalism. As role models and achievers, their contributions to the economy and well-being of the City of Fort Lauderdale are immeasurable. We thrilled to shine the spotlight on them during Women’s History Month and beyond.”

Past pioneering women counterparts to be highlighted in the 40-photo exhibit include Ticie Swaggerty(1887-1971), co-owner of Swaggerty Taxi Co. and president of the Lauderdale Transit Co. who grew the company from a single Buick in 1919 to the building of a new bus terminal in 1943, Edee Greene (1913-2000), a founder and essential operations of Women in Distress of Broward County, that has helped more than 250,000 homeless and abused women and children with items like housing, food, clothing, and counseling since 1974,  Pualani Mossman Avon (1917-2006), the face of Hawaiian tourism pre-WWII, a business owner who owned and operated dance studios, clothing stores (including the Mai-Kai retail store) and manager of sales and promotion tours for the South Pacific and Asia for Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s Boulevard Travel Center, Patricia Murphy (1905-1979), proprietor, creative mind, hostess, and landscaper of Patricia Murphy’s Candlelight Restaurant who built herself into a brand and remained running the landmark entity until 1977, Virginia Shuman Young (1917-1994), who served as the city’s vice mayor, mayor, and mayor pro tempore and who championed civic and community causes including Boy and Girl Scouts, the United Way, The Opportunity Center, the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Fort Lauderdale Women’s Club and Lorna Simpson (1913-1995), journalist for WKAT radio’s  Children’s Program “The Pelican’s Pouch,” society editor and writer of the Daytona Beach Sun-Record and a Fort Lauderdale Daily News columnist.

“Galleria Fort Lauderdale is honored to celebrate female trailblazers in our community,” said Melissa Milroy, senior marketing manager of Galleria Fort Lauderdale. “This year’s honorees truly exemplify the spirit of leadership through care, kindness, commitment, and a steadfast determination to succeed. Together, with History Fort Lauderdale, we are proud to share their success and achievements through this reception and engaging photography exhibit.”

History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” presented by UKG is proudly celebrating its fifth anniversary year. Last year’s honorees that have become part of History Fort Lauderdale’s permanent exhibition space devoted to telling our stories have included Arlene Pecora, past president and CEO of Signature Grand, Jenni Morejon, president and CEO of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, Laurie Sallarulo, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida, Sigrid McCawley, managing partner of Boies Schiller Flexner, and Jasmin Shirley, program director, CIED,HICP, of Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. Other past honorees have included Lori Wheeler, vice president of Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Barbara Sharief, former Broward County commissioner and founder and CEO of South Florida Pediatric Homecare, Inc., Heather Geronemus, senior director, social equity, opportunity and impact at UKG, Stephanie Toothaker, Esq., chairwoman and chief strategist  of Toothaker.org, Joy Satterlee, executive director of Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, Ramola Motwani, chairwoman, Merrimac Ventures, Sebrina María Alfonso, music director for South Florida Symphony Orchestra,Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons, founder and owner of Total Marine Solutions, Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO of United Way Broward County, Melanie Dickinson, president and publisher of South Florida Business Journal, Bertha Henry, county administrator for Broward County, Carolyn Michaels, executive vice president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Kareen Boutros, executive director of Broward Workshop; Lori Chevy, market president of Bank of America; Heather Havericak, CEO of Broward Health Medical Center and Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital; Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Community Foundation of Broward; Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale and Burnadette Norris-Weeks, Esq. ofAustin Pamies Norris Weeks Powell, PLLC and founder of the Women of Color Empowerment Institute.

History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” 2025 presented by UKG is sponsored by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), GPR | Goodman Public Relations, City & Shore PRIME magazine and Dillard’s.

Tickets for the March 5 recognition and benefit reception honoring today’s leaders are $50 and are available at https://bit.ly/HFLWomenTrailblazers2025.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” 2025 presented by UKG, or to join this event as a sponsor, call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org. Additional information about Galleria Fort Lauderdale is available at facebook.com/GalleriaFtLauderdale or www.galleriamall-fl.com.