Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 4-12-19

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Senator Inducted Into Women Of Distinction Hall Of Fame
Last month, the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) hosted its 28th An- nual Women of Distinction luncheon on March 7, 2019. The event was designed to honor successful women who serve as inspiring role models for girls in local communities.
The 2019 Women of Distinction honorees are: Dore Beach, Arlene DiBe- nigno, Rita Lowman and Terri Lipsey Scott.
The 2019 Woman of Promise, a deserving young woman under the age of 40, is Rachel May Zysk.
Senator Arthenia Joyner, the 2019 Hall of Fame inductee, is a deserving past Woman of Distinction, who continues to serve her community.
The proceeds from the event benefits the Rising Dia- monds Outreach Girl Scout program.
2019 Women of Distinc- tion
Ms. Beach has dedicated her life to being an advocate for women’s rights, helping to lay the path of women’s equal- ity. She is one of the “Found-
Shown from left to right: Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s 2019 Women of Distinction and Woman of Promise honorees are: Terri Lipsey Scott, Rachel May Zysk, Dore Beach, Cathy Bessant (keynote speaker), Rita Loman, and Senator Arthenia Joyner.
model for others since. She is the President and Chief Oper- ating Officer of Pilot Bank.
Ms. Terri Lipsey Scott
has dedicated her career to public service and giving back to the community. She is a re- tired city administrative offi- cer for the City of St. Petersburg having served the Office of the Mayor and City Council for nearly thirty years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum and was re- cently appointed by Mayor Rick Kriseman as a com- missioner to the board of the St. Petersburg Housing Au- thority.
Ms. Rachel May Zysk is an accomplished attorney and nationally published author with a wealth of experience in complex criminal and civil lit- igation.
Her professional achieve- ments, pro bono service, and professionalism have been recognized through numerous awards.
The 2019 Hall of Fame inductee, a deserving past Woman of Distinction that honoree that continues to serve her community, is: Sen-
ator Arthenia Joyner.
She has been a trailblazer in breaking racial and gender barriers throughout her distin- guished career in law and pol- itics. After she received her B. S. and J.D. degrees from Florida A & M University, she opened a private practice with a $1,000 bank loan because no law firm would hire her.
She became the first African American woman to practice law in Hillsborough County and the first African American to practice law in Polk County. She remains the longest practicing African American woman lawyer in the history of Florida and is currently of Counsel at Van- guard Attorneys in Tampa.
Senator Joyner served as a member of both the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives. Over her legislative career, Senator Joyner has held many significant posts, includ- ing being elected the first African American woman Sen- ate Minority Leader.
She was named a Woman of Distinction in 1995 and is the seventh woman to be in- ducted into the Hall of Fame.
Shown from left to right at the celebration are: Gayle Sirens, Senator Arthenia Joyner, and Liz Campos.
ing Mothers” of the women’s movement in Florida bringing these issues to the forefront in the Tampa Bay area.
Ms. Beach is a founding member of Athena Society of Tampa, first president and founding member of Board of Trustees for the Women’s Sur- vival Center, and founding member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy.
Ms. Arlene DiBenigno
has been a vital, trusted ad- viser on political campaigns,
policy- development, grass- roots outreach and ballot ini- tiatives for more than thirty-five years. She has man- aged public outreach for three separate Florida governors and their administrations, and has influenced presidential, gubernatorial, and congres- sional campaigns within sev- eral states.
Ms. Rita Lowman began leaving her footprint in the banking industry in the mid 1970s and has served as a role
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