Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 1-31-17

Feature
Nominees For State Fair Diversity Wall Of Fame Chosen
PATSY SANCHEZ
PAUL PALACIOS
REV. DR. THOMAS SCOTT
DORETHA EDGECOMB
ATTORNEY WARREN HOPE DAWSON
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
In 2010, the Diversity Advisory Committee of the Florida State Fair Authority launched a program honor- ing members of the commu- nity who exemplified a commitment to their re- spective communities.
The Committee invited the community to nominate individuals they felt were worthy of the honor. Mem- bers of the community then select the honorees by vot- ing online.
Five nominees have been chosen and the voting on line is under- way. Two nominees will be selected for the honor. Voting ends on
Monday, January 30th.
Votes can be cast by vis- iting the website at www.FloridaStateFair.com.
The African American nominees are:
Warren Hope Daw- son, an attorney who has championed Civil Rights over a career that next year will hit the 50-year mark. He was the first Black hired in the National Labor Re- view Board's Tampa re- gional office and was Tampa's first Black assistant city attorney.
Attorney Dawson re- cently was elected to the Ju- dicial Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the highest judica- tory body of a church esti- mated to have 7.5 million
members in 39 countries.
Mrs. Doretha Wynn Edgecomb is a Tampa na- tive who attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. She launched her career as a junior high school English teacher. Be- fore retiring, she served as a principal. And, later, in 2004, Mrs. Edgecomb be- came the District 5 repre- sentative for the HillsboroughCountySchool District.
She was re-elected in 2008 and 2012.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Scott is the Senior Pastor of 34th Street Church of God in Tampa. Scott has served in this capacity for 35 years and currently is the Chair- man of the Tampa Bay
Coalition of Clergy. Dr. Scott also sat on the
Hillsborough County Com- mission and the Tampa City Council, serving as chair- man of each for three terms. He is the only individual to have served as chair of both these bodies.
The Hispanic nominees are:
Paul Palacios, an at- torney specializing in immi- gration law in Tampa. Palacios owns his own firm which primarily represents clients in removal defense and family immigration.
He was appointed as spe- cial magistrate for Hillsbor- ough County by the Board of County Commissioners in 2013 and also has held office in a number of Hispanic or-
ganizations including the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the Hispanic Young Professional and En- trepreneurs.
Ms. Patsy Sanchez,
director of diversity and In- clusion for the University of South Florida System (USF). Ms. Sanchez plans, develops, implements and evaluates university-wide comprehensive diversity policies, programs and ini- tiatives to support the uni- versity’s Diversity Statement and Strategic Plan and creates awareness about USF’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Sanchez also serves as di- rector for USF Latino Schol- arship Program.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017