Latina CEO & Board Member Making an Impact in Broward County

by Phyllis Cambria

Meet Silvia M. Quintana, 2024 Hispanic Woman of Distinction , Chief Executive Officer, The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition

“We carry on our shoulders the responsibility of creating a better future and serving as the emotional and financial foundations for our children, families and community.”

Silvia Maria Quintana
Silvia Maria Quintana

Silvia M. Quintana is a licensed mental health counselor and certified addictions professional. In her position as CEO of The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, she oversees the development, implementation and management of the substance abuse and mental health system of care for Broward County’s state contracts and other local behavioral health funders.

She is a board member of the Broward County Homeless Continuum of Care and the National Art Exhibitions of the Mentally Ill, Inc. (NAEMI) supporting disabled artists.

Since NAEMI’s inception in 1988, Silvia has volunteered to assist the non-profit in its mission of supporting and promoting the art of artists recovering from mental illnesses. She also is a member of the Florida Behavioral Health Association, the Florida Association of Managing Entities and serves on the Coordinating Council of Broward County and the Funders Forum.

Silvia has also served as the Principal Investigator for the FACES System of Care SAMHSA grant in Miami, Florida. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami, for their School of Continuing Studies department.

Recently, she was appointed by Florida’s Surgeon General to be a member of the State Child Abuse Death Review Committee.

In the last six years, she has received the EPIC Mental Health Award, several ECCO awards from the federal government through federal grants and was named the 211 Broward CEO of the Year.

Most recently Silvia was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latino Center on Aging’s 37th Golden Age Awards. Also, she was recently appointed as President of the Florida Association of Managing Entities (FAME).

Hispanic Women of Distinction

The 2024 Honorees are:

 MARIBEL FELICIANO – Broward Office of Economic & Small Business Development

MARY SOL GONZALEZ  – Hispanic Entrepreneur Initiative

CHRISTINA D/ELOSUA LAMBERT- Chief Adm. Officer Gordon & Partners, WPB City Commissioner

YOLY MAGANA-VALENCIA – Latinas Who Trade & Wealth with Yoly

TARLIKA NUNEZ NAVARRO – Dean, Professor of Law St. Thomas University College of Law

SUSAN NYAMORA – South Florida Wellness Network, President, CEO

KARINA PAVONE – Amigos for Kids, President CEO

MARIA T. PLANAS – Care Plus Health Plans,

RACHEL EUGENIA PINEDO – Foundation of the Americas/Global Philanthropy Society, Founder

SILVIA MARIA QUINTANA – Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, Chief Executive Officer

LOURDES SANCHEZ-BRETON – United Badges of Honor Foundation, Founder & Firefighter

SANDRA NOEMI TORRES – United Latinas, Founder and CEO

2024 LATINA PIONEER of the YEAR

EMILY MARQUEZ-DULIN – -CEO, Brooke USA Foundation, a non-profit focused on providing aid to the to the developing world through economic and sustainable programs that advance the lives of people in equine dependent communities (600 million worldwide).   A volunteer consultant for numerous charities and non-profit organizations as we

2024 UP & COMER HONOREE

TIFFANY ESCOBAR – Associate Attorney Beltran Brito Casamayor, LLP, Immigration & Nationality Law

Volunteer with Colombian Bar Association, Co-Founder of the Colombian American Student Bar Association and numerous community service activities.

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The 19th Annual Hispanic Women of Distinction Charity Luncheon

The 2018 Hispanic Women of Distinction Honorees Named