Tampa Bay Business and Wealth ended its run of celebrations for its 2024 Women Who Win Award finalists, on Friday, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Tampa, naming the 2024 overall winner. (See photos below)
The sold-out event, of nearly 600, honored all the finalists, named category winners and announced an overall winner.
Presenting sponsors for the event are Broadstaff, Morgan Auto Group and TD Bank. The nonprofit partner is Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. The event is sponsored by M.E. Wilson.
Here are the winners of the 2024 Women Who Win Awards:
Business Services: Cristina Hale, Tax Practice Leader for Tampa and Orlando, BDO USA
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders: Dolly Ferraiuolo, LCSW, CEO, Psychotherapist
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Education: Dr. Jackie Skryd, Vice President of Workforce Development & Corporate, Partnerships, St. Petersburg College
Entrepreneurs (Small Company Category, By Revenue): Lennise Germany, CEO, Livy O’s
Entrepreneurs (Large Company Category, By Revenue): Carrie Charles, CEO & Co-Founder, Broadstaff
Financial Services: Cami Gibertini, Vice President, Business Banker III, Hancock Whitney Bank
Financial Services Executives: Brooke Mirenda, President & CEO, Sunshine State Economic Development
Health Care: Kate Sawa, President, St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation
Military, First Responders and Government: Valerie Lavin, Founder & CEO, Luminary
Nonprofits (Small, Less than 10 employees): Dotti Groover-Skipper, Founder and President, HeartDance Foundation
Nonprofits (Medium, 10-25 employees): Dr. Kanika Tomalin, President & CEO, Foundation for Healthy St. Petersburg
Nonprofits (Large, 25+ employees): Mary Pat King, CEO, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
Real Estate and Development: Dr. Sarah Combs, CEO, University Area Community Development Corp.
Sports and Entertainment: Michelle M. Gervais, Partner, Co-Chair Sports Industry Group, Blank Rome
Technology: Michele Evanson, CEO, MEvan International, Managing Partner, Currahee Defense
Young: Mercy Ameyaw Aston, Director, Institutional Trading & Municipal Dealer Sales, Raymond James Financial
Overall Winner: Dr. Sarah Combs, CEO, University Area Community Development Corp.
In addition, for the first time in TBBW history, TBBW honored Alyssa Rhoads a TBBW Icon Winner. It was an award that was created by the TBBW staff to honor someone of their choosing, with the blessing of the judging committee. Rhoads is owner of Eventing Tampa Bay, executive director of the CEO Council of Tampa Bay, and the official event planner for TBBW. Fake scripts and presentations were created to keep the surprise from Rhoads as she was planning the Women Who Win event.
Women Who Win is a unique awards program, created by TBBW Magazine, to recognize distinguished women leaders whose dedication to their industries and communities deserves recognition. Judges looked at business and professional success, community involvement and mentorship, as pillars in their judging.
Women Who Win judges included Lori Larsen, chief strategy officer at Celestar (TBBW Women’s Award Winner, 2023), Joe Lopano, chief executive officer at Tampa International Airport (Apogee Award Winner, 2022), Jessica Muroff, CEO at United Way Suncoast (TBBW Women’s Award Winner, 2023), Suhail Rifaie, president and CEO at Sweetheart Ice Cream, Avril Stinson, vice president, economic inclusion and leadership development at the Tampa Bay Chamber (TBBW Women’s Award Winner, 2023) and Gretchen Whalen, managing partner, Tampa office at CLA.
