Expansion of the Board represents the Fund’s invigorated commitment to meet the moment, wrought by a global pandemic and a moral reckoning in our country on race and equity.
MIAMI (February 16, 2021) – The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade is charting a way forward in the midst of social, political, and economic turmoil that has grossly undermined women’s economic mobility, one of the four pillars of the organization’s mission. The McKinsey Global Institute (July 2020) found that “Women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men’s jobs. One reason for this greater effect on women is that the virus is significantly increasing the burden of unpaid care, which is disproportionately carried by women. This, among other factors, means that women’s employment is dropping faster than average, even accounting for the fact that women and men work in different sectors.”
The way forward honors its 28-year legacy of philanthropy and collaboration by advancing a new strategy grounded in data that allows our community to follow progress for women and girls with a re-envisioned grantmaking role that invests in results-driven organizations. Accordingly, the organization has appointed nine new board members, bringing the total board to a powerhouse cadre of 20 women leaders. This diverse group of women, representing a wide variety of skill sets, ethnicities, ages, races, and backgrounds will be a driving force in ramping up the Fund’s mission of creating change for women and girls at the start of this pivotal year of many “firsts” for women in our community.
The newest additions to The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade’s board include:
- Daphnee Arana: Commission Aide to Vice Chair Oliver Gilbert of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners
- Dr. Danielle Prendergast: Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Consultant and Founder of Empower Her Strategies whose mission is to uplift and support women and communities of color.
- Franccesca Cesti-Browne: Director of Finance & Operations for the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development and founder of FCB Consulting, LLC
- Marcia Narine Weldon, Esq.: Faculty coordinator of the Business Compliance and Sustainability concentration at the University of Miami School of Law; founder of Illuminating Wisdom, an executive coaching and business consulting firm; and the General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer of MDO
- Michelle Austin Pamies: Partner at the law firm of Austin Pamies Norris Weeks Powell, LLC
- Michelle Rodriguez: In-house litigation counsel for People’s Trust Insurance Company
- Priscilla Dames Blake: Certified Crisis Trainer, Conflict Resolution Practitioner, Educator and Founder and President of Wingspan Seminars, whose latest initiative includes Wingspan Academy directly addressing parents’ conflicts that emerged during the pandemic
- Susan Matos: Vice President International Wealth Advisor, Merrill Lynch
- Vanessa Brizo: Associate in Fowler White Burnett’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group
“The initial impacts that we are seeing of the COVID-19 pandemic show the epic proportions of the human devastation on women and girls. It is clear that we need to face the ongoing challenges and aftermath with both data and determination; to work together with the organizations driving solutions for recovery and for rebuilding so Miami-Dade becomes one of the best places for women and girls to thrive, “ said Gloria Romero Roses, Board Chair. “2021 is a pivotal year for our community and with this powerful cadre of leaders, we’re ready to link arms to lead the way forward with our community partners, Stronger Together.”
The influential women on the board will serve a two-year term, during which they will be responsible for setting the strategy for The Women’s Fund and mobilizing their networks to drive the mission forward. They will work to improve the lives of women and girls by creating change through action, and by investing in key collaborative initiatives that generate sustainable impact in four pillars of economic mobility, leadership, health & well-being, and freedom from violence.
To become an advocate for The Women’s Fund’s mission, including their recent campaign, Domestic Violence in Times of COVID-19, supporters can pledge to donate on womensfundmiami.org/take-action/donate/. For more information on The Women’s Fund Miami Dade, please visit womensfundmiami.org or email info@womensfundmiami.org.
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About The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade
For over 28 years, The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade has worked to improve the lives of women and girls by providing almost $4 million of funding to support almost 500 programs serving over 75,000 women and girls throughout Miami-Dade County. Moving forward, we will focus on creating change for women and girls through action, advocacy, and investing in key collaborative initiatives that generate sustainable impact in four pillars of economic mobility, leadership, health & well-being, and freedom from violence.
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