From the 12th Anniversary of the Arts for the Future Scholarship program, Stars On Parade showcases some of the finest High School talent in Broward County. Arts for the Future is the largest high school scholarship program devoted to the arts in the state of Florida. Held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on April 26, 2011.
40 years of public service wasn’t enough for Jim Cason. After serving in the US Foreign Service throughout Latin America and being tasked with auditing embassy operations in Baghdad and Amman, the capital of Jordan, Mr. Cason decided again to step into unfamiliar territory, Coral Gables city hall.
He was criticized during the campaign by some for only being a short time resident, less than three years, but said his past experience gives him the exact skill set the city needs during these times. “The nature of [foreign service] work is that you are always an outsider coming into an organization that’s very complex, usually with 20 to 40 federal agencies that you have to work with,” he said. “You're very flexible [and] versatile, you move in the different cultures, different languages and different specialties.”
The family-run construction company Moss & Associates started this year with a new leader as Scott Moss, son of Founder Bob Moss, was appointed to president.
In this new role, Mr. Moss, who has been with the company since it was formed in 2003, is focusing on business development, human resources and company culture.
“My three things that I'm focused on a daily basis would be business development, how do we get more customers and how do we expand our market,” he said. “ Second would be human resources, which relate to where's our talent best used and evaluating where that talent should be…And thirdly is where the vision of the company is going, whether it be culture…try and focus more on working on the business than in the business.”
The Fort Lauderdale-headquartered construction company, with regional offices in downtown Miami, has grown in the past almost eight years into Florida’s seventh largest contractor.
With $649 million in annual revenues and a staff of 165, Moss & Associates continues to grow its business and expand its areas of construction, including concentrating more on hospitality and correction facilities.
Among the local projects the company is building are the Marlins ballpark in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood and a residential complex in the Village of Key Biscayne.
Mr. Moss discussed plans, projects and market trends with Miami Today reporter Yudislaidy Fernandez at the downtown Miami office.
Most 16-year-olds have enough worries from getting their driver’s license, to passing their next exam, to making plans with that special someone. But when Nova Southeastern University (NSU) freshman Lesly Viera was 16, she had a different kind of concern – she was diagnosed with cancer.
Doctors discovered a lymphoma located between her heart and lungs, so Lesly went through chemotherapy to beat the disease. Now, the 18-year-old biology major is stronger than ever and wants to give back to other teens and young adults affected by cancer. So despite carrying a full course load at NSU, Lesly started Locks for a Cause – a student organization that helps raise funds for cancer research.
On Sunday, April 17, 2011, the group will hosted its first event – “For Hair’s Sake” – to raise funds for cancer research and collect ponytails for Locks of Love, a non-profit that creates high-quality wigs for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or a medical condition.
Local hairstylists from A'dazl Salon, Davie Smart Cuts, Gina's Barber & Salon, Glamore Salon, Red Head Salon, Salon Euphoria and Shear Designs will offer complimentary haircuts to hair and monetary donors. Criteria for donating hair includes: hair must be at least 6 inches long; dyed hair is acceptable but bleached is not. Those unable to donate locks were also welcome to make a financial contribution.
While attending Mater Academy Charter High School in Hialeah Gardens, Lesly and her friends held a similar drive that collected more than 200 ponytails in one day.
“A hairpiece can give a child confidence and can make a terrible situation a little easier to cope with,” Lesly said. “Our hope is that we can bring the community together and get even more donations this time!”
Former congressman Robert Wexler, who now heads the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, addressed the Middle East peace process in the wake of a regime change in Egypt, continued political upheaval in the region and what it all means to Israel.
Based in Washington, D.C., the Center for Middle East Peace works with leaders and policymakers in the U.S. and the Middle East to help reach a just and comprehensive peace that will bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The center focuses on efforts to facilitate conversations that bridge differences between the parties.
After serving seven terms as a U.S. Representative representing part of Palm Beach County, Wexler accepted the post of Center President in January 2010. In the past, Wexler was named one of the “50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress” by Congressional Quarterly and in 2008 was named to the Forward 50 list as one of the most influential leaders in the American Jewish Community. In 2008, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East and Israel issues to President Barak Obama during his presidential campaign.
Throughout his tenure in Congress and in his current post, Wexler has been an outspoken advocate for the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel, a leading proponent of Israel’s right to self-defense and the need for a just and comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
As the first female to head a major Miami-Dade County operational department, as the first female assistant county manager and as the first female county manager, newly appointed Alina T. Hudak has been a government trailblazer.
Ms. Hudak’s 27 years at the county prepared her for the role of county manager after George Burgess resigned following Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s recall.
With roughly three weeks on the job, Ms. Hudak is focused on the county’s day-to-day operations during the projected three-month transition between mayors.
Although she looks to continue working with the county she loves, she has yet to decide if she would remain in her role if asked by the new mayor.
“Depending on the outcome of the election and depending on how the next mayor structures the office,” Ms. Hudak said, “I hope after so many years of being here that I have a role in that.”
In an interview with Miami Today reporter Ashley D. Torres, Ms. Hudak discussed the challenges she faces in her new role, budgetary shortfalls and maintaining continuity at the county until a new mayor is elected.
The 35th Annual Carbonell Awards were held on April 4, 2011
Patrice Bailey, Dean of Theater at Miami's New World School of the Arts, receives the 2011 George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.
Veronica and Dago, two of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts' Teen Ambassadors also serve as uVu hosts for the evening as they welcome the shining stars of South Florida's theatre community to the 35th annual Carbonell Awards, held on April 4, 2011, at the BCPA
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