Cuban American Latina Drove Significant Growth for the Boys and Girls Clubs

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Meet Jaene Miranda, Hispanic Woman of Distinction, CEO, President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

“The role of Hispanic women in today’s culture is to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their ethnic background, have an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives. We can break the cycle of biases for the generations that follow us by mentoring and educating our young girls and boys.”

For the past seven years, Jaene Miranda has led the #1 Youth Development Agency in Palm Beach County – Boys and Girls Clubs, that serves over 10,000 children and teens from 6 to 18 years old. During her tenure, the organization has grown from 13 to 17 Clubs that are located in the most impoverished areas of the county. This growth, was in part, due to Jaene’s leadership and philosophy. She attributes her work ethic and love of family to her mother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba with an 8th grade education and no comprehension of the English language. She instilled in Jaene the importance of loving yourself and believing in your hopes and dreams.

And that is just what Jaene brings to her daily work. Jaene believes the Boys and Girls Clubs are a second home to every child that walks through the doors of the Club. To this end, she created a Training Club Project in order to promote participants’ career path goals, professional training and mentoring. In addition, Jaene continues to foster academic achievement of Club members through investments secured through Federal Programs that provide 60 certified teachers for the Clubs.

By providing a safe space outside of school hours, organizing teens to prepare for careers, college, and helping them obtain scholarships, Jaene feels that the Clubs are helping to break the cycle of poverty in Palm Beach County. During the COVID19 year, her team immediately transitioned the Clubs’ programs into a virtual environment, became a food distribution network, opened Clubs to serve the children of first responders, and also turned the clubs into classrooms to support distance learning. She proudly states that none of the Clubs’ 365 employees had to be furloughed because of the pandemic.

Jaene earned her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Miami, and she has participated in numerous leadership programs through the years.These include the University of Maryland College Leadership Development program, the Harvard University Business School Executive Leadership Program, the Florida State University College of Business, and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Non-Profit Executive Program, to name a few.

Jaene, who lives in Jupiter, is the mother of Michael and Nicole, and she is engaged to Dr. Juan Ortega, P.E. In her spare time she enjoys reading, renovating old homes, and planning family get-togethers. We are proud to announce the 2021 Hispanic Women of Distinction and the Latina Pioneer of the Year. 2021 Honorees: MELIDA AKITI, VP Ambulatory & Community Service, Memorial Healthcare Systems (Broward) YINETH SANCHEZ ASLAN – GEICO Staff Counsel, Law offices of George L. Cimballa, III (Broward) MARIA S. ANTUNA – CEO Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County – (Palm Beach) ERBI BLANCO-TRUE – Community Development Manager, IBERIABANK, First Horizon Bank (Miami) THAYRA “Tye” HAUSHEER – Volunteer Community Leader AARP Florida (Miami) HEIDI ALZATE KAUFMAN – Founder/President Heidi Alzate Consuting (Broward) JACQUELINE LOPEZ-DEVINE – Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer, Trustbridge ( Palm Beach) JESSICA MARRA – Attorney, Law Firm of Kelley Kronenberg – (Broward) JAENE MIRANDA – Pres/CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County (Palm Beach) LUBBY NAVARRO – School Board Member Miami-Dade County/Director of Government Affairs Memorial Healthcare Systems (Miami) KIMBERLY VALENTIN – Hospice Liasion Amedisys Hospice (Broward) CAROLINA VEIRA – Dir. Community & Corporate Partnerships IMC Health (Miami) Juliette Ashley Valle, 2021 Hispanic Woman of Distinction Up & Comer Award JOIN US on September 10th to honor these fantastic women! Tickets $95 per person, table sponsorship $1500. For more information, sponsorship opportunities and updates visit www.hispanicwomenofdistinction.com or on Facebook.