The Hispanic Women of Distinction Reaches a Milestone Celebration of Community, Culture and Charity honoring Latinas in South Florida, Past and Present

by Elaine Vasquez

The 20th annual Hispanic Women of Distinction Charity Luncheon

Will be held on Friday, September 10th at Signature Grand in Davie, Florida is anticipating another sell-out of up to 1000 guests paying tribute to Latina professionals who are strengthening the social fabric of this country and making inroads in the leadership pipeline for a growingly diverse America.  

This milestone of two decades will take a look back at all the past Hispanic Women of Distinction since its founding in 2001 as well as naming the 2021 Hispanic Women of Distinction and the Latina Pioneer of the Year.

Founded in 2001 by the late Erwin M. Vasquez, M.D. a Venezuelan-born cardiologist, philanthropist and publisher of the pioneer Spanish newspaper, El Heraldo de Broward, the goal was to help to empower Latinas and to recognize the influence they have in the South Florida community.   

Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen these powerful women’s share of the nation’s population grow and that is expected to increase to 25.7% by the year 2050!   As this recognition grows, we see how our former honorees have encouraged many others to follow their dreams of success.

This year, we are proud to announce our charity, HANDY, Inc; an award-winning non-profit organization. Founded in 1985, HANDY has met the needs of more than 50,000 Broward County children in foster and relative/nonrelative care associated with the child dependency system HANDY’s mission is to achieve positive, lasting change for youth by providing life skills, education, and a supportive community.

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)
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)

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. 

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