Since 1973 Regina Frazier has served as Director of Pharmacy for the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics. Her numerous civic activities include membership on the boards of United Way of Greater Miami, New World School of the Arts, and the United Negro College Fund. She is the local and national president of The Links, Inc. Ebony magazine has listed her among the 100 Most Influential Black Americans in 1987, 1988, and 1989. She was given the Sarah A. Blocker Meritorius Community Service Award by Florida Memorial College in 1988.
Janet McAliley was elected to the Dade County School Board in 1980, and has continued as a school board member to the present. She is serving on a number of community boards, including the New World School of The Arts Executive Committee, the Florida Educational Equity Act Advisory Committee, CHARLEE of Dade County, the Citizens Advisory Committee for School Based health Clinics, and the South Florida Perinatal Network Adolescent Pregnancy Task Force. She is Chairperson for the the Dade County Constituency for Children. Pictured with her are students at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School: George Deras, Athanastos Maretis, Samuel Horton, Dennis Thompson, Terry-Ann Trestrial, Suhan Hunter, and Maricesa Martindale.
Dr. Perdue has practiced internal medicine and cardiology in Miami Beach and Greater Miami since 1934. She is a founding and life member of the Miami Heart Institute, and serves on the boards of the Bon Secours Hospital Villa Maria Nursing Center, Deering Foundation Board of Trustees, Haven School, and Alliance on Aging. Several buildings have been named in her honor: the Jean Jones Perdue Clinical Research Pavillion at the Miami heart Institute, and the Metro-Dade County Jean Jones Perduc Medical Center. Among awards she has received are the Florida Committee on Aging Service Award and the Trail Blazer Award from the Women's Committee of One Hundred.
In 1961 attorney Alice Wainwright became the first woman to be elected to the City of Miami Commission. Four years later she was the first woman to be named its vice mayor. During her term, and her later community involvement, she has been a strong proponent for environment issues. She is coordinator of the southeast Florida chapters for National Audubon Society. She serves on the board of Tropical Audubon Society. Wainwright Park, between Rickenbacker Causeway and Vizcaya, is named for her.
For the past forty years, Ruth Kruse has been an outstanding advocate for children, especially emotionally disturbed children, in Dade County. She has been active for years with the PTA/PTSA at the local, county, and state levels. She sits on the Superintendent's District Advisory Panel for Exceptional Student Education, the HRS Alcohol, Drug Abus and Mental Health Planning Council, the State Advisory Board to the Mult-agency Service Network for Severely Emotionally Disturbed Students, and the Interagency Council of the local SED Network. Her awards include the R. David Thomas Child Advocate of the Year, the Advocate Award from the Dade County Personnel and Guidance Association, and the International Year of the Child award. The school board named the recently opened center for emotionally disturbed youth in her honor, the Ruth Owen Kruse Educational Center.
Clara Oesterle served as a Dade County Commissioner from 1974 to 1988. In that role, she promoted the development of Dade County's transit system, comprised of buses, Metrorail, and the People Mover, and was Vice Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee. While on the Commission, she also served as Vice-Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and the Public Health Trust, the governing body for Jackson Memorial Hospital. She currently is President of Global Travel, a travel agency owned by the Oesterle family. She has also established Clara Oesterle & Associates, Inc., a public relations and consulting firm. She currently sits on the Boards of Directors of the YWCA and the Dade County Citizens Safety Council. Her many civic affiliations include four Chambers of Commerce.
Georgia Jones Ayers founded and is executive director of The Alternatives Programs, an agency dedicated to providing the courts with alternatives to incarceration and to providing restitution to society by offenders through community service. She serves on the Dade County Police Community Council, the Dade County Corrections Committee, the Jan Mann Opportunity School Advisory Board, the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, and the State Criminal Justice Task Force. She is president of the National Council of Negro Women and chairperson for the American Cancer Society.
Barbara Carey served as a Dade County Commissioner from 1979 to 1990. She has more than 20 years of experience as a school teacher, guidance counselor, administrator, and community leader. She holds a doctorate degree in Education Administration from the University of Florida. Former President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the National Council on Women's Educational Programs. In 1990 she was appointed to a national commission charged with identifying regulatory barries to affordable housing. She has also served on the Equal Employment Advisory Committee for the State University System and the Florida Commission on Vocational Education. She has led several nationally recognized programs for children and young adults; one, Partners for Progress, is designed to involve the community in social, educational, and recreational activities with youth.
For much of her 40+ year career as a psychologist, Elizabeth Metcalf has worked with children, parents, and families. She also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 1988. She is active in the League of Women Voters; Dade Heritage Trust; the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and the Mental Health Planning Council. She served as president of the Dade County Psychological Association; chairman of the Florida Endowment for the Humanities (1978-1979); president of the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida (1979-1982); and president of the board of directors for the Alliance for Aging (1988-1991).
Verneka Sturrup Silva earned a master of science degree in social work from Atlanta University, and has taken taken extensive graduate work in education administration. She worked in the Dade County Public School System for 40 years, 20 of which at Coral Gables Senior High. She was the first Black female to be appointed Assistant Principal for Secondary Administration in the Dade County Public School System. Mrs. Silva has served as president of Coconut Grove Cares for three terms, and continues to serve on its board.
Marie Anderson's newspaper career began at the Miami News in 1946. She soon moved to the Miami Herald, where, among other positions, she served as Women's Editor for 12 years. During that time, the women's section received numerous awards. After she retired, Ms. Anderson wrote Julia's Daughters, a biographical history of the women of Dade County, which was reserched and funded by Herstory of Florida.
Roberta Balfe has made a career of volunteerism, having supported the Lowe Art Museum, the Vizcayans, the March of Dimes, the Greater Miami Opera, and, especially the Girl Scouts. Ms. Balfe has been active in the Girl Scouts since 1950. She founded the Little House, a camp in South Miami, and the Opera Arts Program, which since 1966 has introduced 40,000 scouts to opera.
Annie Betancourt is a founding member of the Coalition of Hispanic American Women, and served as its president during 1984 and 1985. She served as president of the League of Women Voters from 1989 to 1991, and is on the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District. Annie Betancourt holds an administrative position with Miami-Dade Community College--Kendall, where she is Director of the Center for Professional Development and Corporate Training.
As Director of the Dade Community Action Agency Head Start program, Ophelia Brown oversees 55 Head Start centers, which serve 4,000 children. She has provided consultation to the federal Bureau of Head Start on the development of national policy and procedures for early childhood programs. Among her many efforts on behalf of young children, she has served as Chair for the Dade District Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Services.
Marilyn Hoder-Salmon is Director of the Women's Studies Center at Florida International University. She teaches courses on American women writers, women in cultural and literary history, and feminist theory. Ms. Hoder-Salmon is active in the Dade County chapter of NOW, the National Women's Studies Association, and the Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Study Commission.