Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation Announces Honorees for the 2018 Women in Leadership Awards in Palm Beach County FL

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL – February 23, 2018 – Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation, Inc. (EWPBF) will host the 35th annual Women in Leadership Awards (WILA) event on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at the Kravis Center at 11:30 am. Marilu Henner will be the keynote speaker for this signature luncheon recognizing Palm Beach County’s female trailblazers.

EWPBF is pleased to announce this year’s Honorees for the prestigious Cynthia Allen Gracey Women in Leadership Awards (WILA), that are presented annually to women in the nonprofit, private, public and volunteer sectors. The Awards recognize women who have outstanding credentials and accomplishments and display generosity of spirit, commitment to integrity and diversity, and genuine camaraderie with others.

The 2018 WILA Honorees are:

Non-Profit Sector - Victoria A. Chouris: In 1982, Victoria was asked to work at the South Florida Fair in the finance office during a Fair event. After working in this capacity for four Fairs she was offered a full-time position and has worked her way up to serving as Chief Operating Officer. Her involvement in fairs led to her involvement in the Florida Federation of Fairs and in the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. In 2018, she was selected to serve in the capacity of Zone 2 Director where she represents the interests of the fairs in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia & West Virginia. The by-laws state the Zone Director must be actively involved in the Association and demonstrate strong leadership skills, dedication and commitment to the Association. Although her job is demanding, she continues to give back and plays an active role in a variety of local, state and international groups including the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.

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Private Sector- Marti LaTour: Marti has consistently demonstrated leadership in her professional, personal and volunteer endeavors throughout her career. A multi-awarded sales executive, she also has experience in revenue management, key account management, entrepreneurial investment and advisement, general management, operations, consumer products, strategic planning, and change leadership. She brings her expertise to Belle Capital, LP, WomenAngels, LLC and LaTour Décor, an independently owned home furnishings company. As owner, investor and limited partner, she works with small business investors and coaching firms on business strategy, financial analysis, investing and advising, purchasing, general management and customer relations. Marti previously served as a Vice President Wealth Advisor at BMO Private Bank and as a Vice President and Financial Advisor at Bernstein Global Wealth Management, in addition to carrying Series 7 and 66 licenses. Marti also had an extensive and successful career with Pepsi Americas and PepsiCo, Inc., where she occupied positions of leadership in various divisions from 1980 to 2011. Marti is an undisputed leader in our county, as demonstrated through her impressive professional and community success. She has served on numerous boards and commissions, including: the Criminal Justice Commission of Palm Beach County, the Kravis Center corporate partner executive committee and Friends of the Kravis Center, Advisory Board for Cystic Fibrosis and the Board of Directors of Keep Florida Beautiful. She is currently on the boards of the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Economic Council of Palm Beach County, YWCA, Angel Forum of Florida and the Advisory Boards of Florida Atlantic University’s Tech Runway and College of Arts and Letters.

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Public Sector- Jeri Muoio: Mayor Jeri Muoio has demonstrated positive leadership characteristics in her professional, personal and volunteer endeavors and an unwavering commitment to the citizens of the City of West Palm Beach and, also, to the advancement of women in leadership. First elected Mayor of the City of West Palm Beach in March 2011 and re-elected in 2015, she previously served on the West PalmBeach City Commission for four years and was reelected twice by the voters. During her administration, Mayor Muoio has presided over an economic resurgence in West Palm Beach. Her focus on strengthening the economy has led to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the City. Her vision of a more efficient government with streamlined processes for economic development has made West Palm Beach an attractive city in which to do business. Mayor Muoio has also overseen the creation of the Flagler Financial District and, with other stakeholders, is successfully attracting global financial firms to West Palm Beach. Under Mayor Muoio’s leadership, the City of West PalmBeach has earned the highly coveted 4-STAR Community rating. She opened an Office of Sustainability—the only government office of its kind in the area—to implement programs to protect the City’s precious resources, to promote resilience, and to combat the threat of climate change.

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Volunteer Sector- Dr. Marsha Fishbane: As Co-Founder of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County, Inc. (HMHB), Dr. Fishbane was instrumental in shining a light on the needs of pregnant families in our community. In 1985, 900 pregnant women with little or no prenatal care walked into St. Mary’s Hospital to deliver their babies. Dr. Fishbane recognized this as a public health crisis, but one that couldn’t be solved alone. By engaging private and public stakeholders, Dr. Fishbane, along with Drs. Carl Brumback and David Martin, co-founded a community task force that evolved into what is today HMHB. HMHB has grown tremendously in the last 31 years, tackling some of our community’s most critical issues – including, access to care, teen pregnancy, maternal mental health, and the need for basic infant essentials like diapers, formula and baby food in at-risk neighborhoods. Each year, an average of 14,000 babies are born in Palm Beach County. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies has touch points with nearly 67% of the women who deliver them. At every turn during the last 31 years, Dr. Fishbane has been a guiding force for the agency – and remains highly engaged in furthering its mission. From Co-Founder to board chairwoman, community advocate to volunteer – Dr. Fishbane never hesitates to ‘show up’ for the organization she founded so many years ago.

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While the luncheon recognizes the achievements, and celebrates the contributions of exceptional executive women, proceeds of the Luncheon provide critically needed scholarship assistance. The WILA program has raised significant dollars to help promising young women in our community pursue their dreams of a college education.

Tickets to WILA are $130 for EWPBF members and $150 for guests and friends.