The Women’s Business Center, in collaboration with the Florida Institute of Technology Alumni Association and Zonta Club of Melbourne, hosted a celebration in honor of Women’s History Month on March 18, 2013. This year, we were honored to recognize the women below with special awards. This was the 6th annual luncheon.
The event is presented each year to support the National Women’s History Project (NWHP). The NWHP each year chooses a theme on which celebrations around the U.S. are held. This year's theme was Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The NWHP’s mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs. To find out more about the National Women’s History Project, visit http://www.nwhp.org.
A new award this year, the Florida Tech Award of Distinction was given to a prominent Florida Tech alum who has achieved great accomplishments in her career.
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General Ann E. Dunwoody, retired Army 4-star general
Now retired, she was the military’s first female four-star general, with 37-plus years of service to her country. In her
last four years of service she led the largest global logistics command in the Army comprising 69,000 military and
civilians located in all 50 states and over 140 countries. She managed a budget of $60 billion and was responsible for the
oversight of approximately $70 billion in service contracts. |
Each year, the Space Coast Community Award is given to an outstanding leader in Brevard County.
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Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos is a family practitioner, wife, mother, and a survivor of domestic violence. She now lends her support, voice and encouragement to others who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Dr. Haridopolos has been frequently recognized for devoting her time to charities and organizations. She recently served as the chairwoman and community organizer for the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk. Additionally, she has mentored underprivileged children and lent support to homeless veterans by helping to secure a million- dollar state grant for the National Veterans Homeless support group to establish a transitional housing facility. |
Each year, the WBC partners with the Florida Institute of Technology Alumni Association to present the Joan Bixby Awards. The awards were given to a faculty, staff, and student who have helped enhance the climate for women’s participation and development at Florida Tech and is named for Joan Bixby, a Florida Tech alumni who was the first female graduate of the Master’s in Contract Management. For a list of past award winners, please visit Joan Bixby Awardees.
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Dr. Niescja Turner - Associate Professor of Physics & Space Sciences Dr. Niescja Turner is the first and, so far, the only female faculty member in Physics and Space Sciences. She has formed and chairs the Florida Tech Standing Committee on the Status of Women, aka “Equity Committee.” The Committee is working on a first-ever comprehensive faculty paid parental leave policy. Dr. Turner has a longstanding interest in mentoring and has led faculty professional development workshops on successful mentoring of women and minority students. She is the principal investigator on a proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program to fund a comprehensive self-study of the climate for women faculty at Florida Tech. At the conclusion of the self-study, policy and recommendations would be made to improve the climate to attract, retain, and promote more women faculty in STEM overall and particularly in leadership positions. Dr. Turner was also the faculty advisor for the Florida Tech Society for Women Engineers for six years. |
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Jarin Eisenberg - Program Coordinator, Nathan M Bisk College of Business Jarin Eisenberg has had an essential role in the development of the online MBA program in the College of Business. While both men and women benefit from the ever-expanding program in both number of students and specialty degrees, online programs are of special benefit for women who are not able to attend traditional campus programs. Jarin is enthusiastic and very knowledgeable in both promoting the degree program and ensuring its quality. Jarin is an ideal role-model for younger female students in how to be successful in an academic setting using her business skills. |
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Carla Deras - Undergraduate Student in Aerospace Engineering Carla Deras is a senior at Florida Tech in aerospace engineering. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Last year, she served as the Vice-President of Public Relations, where she led her sisters in various events to promote philanthropy, sisterhood, and womanhood. Carla is also a long standing member of the Student Government Association and is the current Vice-President. In this position, she works tirelessly to improve the quality of life at Florida Tech for all students. Carla goes above and beyond and always strives to improve both herself and the people around her. |
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