A native of Cuba, Maruchi immigrated to the United States with her family in 1960 due to the effects of the Castro revolution. She attended school in Plant City, Florida and graduated from Plant City Senior High School, as an honor student where she was named
Melanie Parrish Bonanno Commissioner Melanie Parrish Bonanno, was appointed to the Commission in 2020 by Attorney General Ashley Moody. She is the Director of Employment Law for Publix Super Markets, Inc. She has worked as an attorney for Publix since 2003, and has served in her current role since 2016, leading a team of attorneys,…
Commissioner Madelyn E. Butler, MD, was appointed to the Commission in 2017 by Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. She was born in Cuba…
Commissioner Jennifer Houghton Canady of Lakeland was appointed to the Commission in 2017 by Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. She is the Director of the RISE Institute…
Anne Corcoran was appointed to the Commission in 2020 by Attorney General Ashley Moody. She is Of Counsel with Nelson Mullins where she practices in the firm’s corporate division. Anne has more than 20 years of experience in both civil and criminal litigation and is a member of the…
Rita Barreto Craig, founder and president of Top Tier Leadership headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida….
Lori Day of St. Johns, was appointed to the Commission on 2020 by Speaker of the House Jose Oliva. She is a corporate executive and entrepreneur with diverse leadership in executive coaching, process engineering, operations, leadership…
Commissioner Denise D. Dell-Powell is Of Counsel in the Orlando office of Dean Mead where she practices in the firm’s bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, distressed property, and inventory finance litigation.
Commissioner and Army Veteran Sophia Eccleston joined Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) seven years ago and is a member of the External Affairs group…
Commissioner Candace Falsetto is a Senior Private Banker at Wells Fargo N.A. She joined Wells Fargo N.A. in January of 2020. In this capacity, she is responsible for working with high net-worth individuals, foundations and institutional clients in structuring and delivering tailored credit solutions and facilitating depository services. She has extensive…
Florida State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen was appointed to the Commission in 2017 by Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran. Originally from….
Commissioner Gayle Harrell has over 25 years of experience in healthcare. She has worked as a Healthcare Administrator, managing the Ob-Gyn. practice of Dr. James E. Harrell and was the founder…
Commissioner Karin Hoffman of Lighthouse Point has a family-run business, Sonshine Educational Tours, founded by her mother, which has been serving educators and students throughout the nation with educational…
Carol Kuntz was appointed to the Florida Commission on the Status of Women in 2018 by Florida Governor Rick Scott….
Commissioner Wenda Lewis was appointed to the Commission in 2014 by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. Commissioner Lewis currently serves as…
Commissioner Rosie Paulsen was appointed to the Commission in 2019 by Senate President Bill Galvano. She is a public speaker, Hispanic leader…
Commissioner Cara Carlton Perry was appointed in 2017 by Senate President Joe Negron. She is the Assistant Vice President of Communication for Florida Atlantic University’s Northern Campuses…
Jenna Persons was appointed to the Commission in 2017 by Senate President Joe Negron. As a partner in the law firm of Strayhorn & Persons, she takes pride in her work and being a part of projects that will…
Commissioner Rachel Saunders Plakon was appointed by Speaker Richard Corcoran. She is the Land Specialist with NAI Realvest, a top commercial real estate brokerage in Central Florida…
Marilyn Stout of Cape Coral was appointed to the Commission in 2018 by Attorney General Pam Bondi. She moved to Cape Coral…
Commissioner Lady Dhyana Ziegler DCJ, Ph.D. of Tallahassee was appointed to the Commission by Governor Rick Scott. She is currently the Interim President/CEO of Florida Virtual School for the Florida Virtual School (FLVS).