History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s  “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” presented by UKG is a Women’s History Month photography exhibition that celebrates six impactful women of today who lead our community along with their pioneering counterparts of yesteryear.

This year’s modern women honorees are Lori Wheeler, vice president of Marine Industries Association of South Florida; Barbara Sharief, former Broward County commissioner and founder and CEO of South Florida Pediatric Homecare, Inc.; Heather Geronemus, senior director, social equity, opportunity and impact at UKG; Stephanie Toothaker, Esq., chairwoman and chief strategist  of Toothaker.org; Joy Satterlee, executive director of Art and Culture Center/Hollywood; and Ramola Motwani, chairwoman, Merrimac Ventures.

Past pioneering women counterparts to be highlighted in the exhibit include Angeline Weir (1924 – 2007), Broward’s first woman distaff solicitor and secretary to Broward State Attorney’s office as well as the first woman to be appointed Municipal Court Judge in Hallandale; Sylvia Alridge (1884 -1962), creator of the first woman-owned employment agency in Fort Lauderdale plus a cab company and fundraiser/champion of desegregating healthcare; Elsie Bellamy Blackwell (1896 – 2001), business  partner/owner of Blackwell pharmacy and restaurants Rockery Tea Room and Stranahan House’s Pioneer House, which was one of only three restaurants in the area in 1940;  Jane Wray (1882-1969), preservationist who established Floyd L. Wray Foundation in 1969 to preserve 60 acres of land which would later become Flamingo Gardens, secretary and treasurer of Board of Flamingo Groves, and Hollywood School of Fine Arts teacher in 1926; Sadye Katz (1902-1986), co-owner of the first women’s dress shop with her husband (Mack’s Lady Shop), fundraiser for the first area synagogue, Temple Emanu-El (founding member), Holy Cross Hospital and War Memorial and founder of Service Men’s Center (1942); and Mary Brickell (1836-1922), regional pioneer and land owner who helped shape Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Colee Hammock and in 1917, was instrumental in developing Las Olas Boulevard and building a bridge over the New River Sound which connected the mainland to the beach.

History Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” presented by UKG is now in its third year. Past honorees have become part of History Fort Lauderdale’s permanent exhibition space devoted to telling our stories.

History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale’s “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County” is presented by UKG and sponsored by Memorial Healthcare System, Total Marine Solutions, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), PNC Bank, Broward Health, Pier 66 Hotel & Marina, GPR | Goodman Public Relations, City & Shore PRIME magazine, Dillard’s, The Capital Grille, and Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants.

For more information about “Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change – Broward County 2023,” call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org. Additional information about Galleria Fort Lauderdale is available at www.galleriamall-fl.com.