Making Our Community Stronger Award 2023 Honorees
The Making Our Community Stronger Award is the highest honor community leaders can receive by a local nonprofit organization. With this award, Be Strong International honors local leaders who have been deeply committed to bringing lasting value and opportunities for youth and families in their time of need.
The individuals who have been presented with this honorable recognition are those with a great ambition to take proactive steps to make communities stronger. Be Strong International is grateful for the recipients of this award and proud to highlight these individuals who have gone above and beyond to help improve the outlook for broken families in the community.
The individuals who are being honored this year are the following:
BALDWYN RODRIGUEZ ENGLISH JR.
External Affairs Manager – Miami Dade County, Florida Power & Light
Baldwyn is an External Affairs Manager with Florida Power & Light in Miami-Dade County. In this role, he is responsible for establishing and maintaining constructive relationships with local government, businesses, and civic leaders.
Baldwyn became familiar with the utility sector as the Chief Advisor to Commissioner Ronald
Brisé at the Florida Public Service Commission. At the Commission, he was tasked with utilizing his business and legal background for the benefit of Florida utility ratepayers. He also helped to develop the Supplier Diversity Toolkit and had an instrumental participation in the development of the Telecommunications Act Modernization Task Force. Prior to entering the public sector, Baldwyn worked as an attorney at a leading law firm in Houston, Texas.
Baldwyn earned his law degree from Texas Southern and was a member of law review, Chief Justice of the Board of Advocates and Chief Justice of the Honor Court. His undergraduate business degree was earned at Florida International University.
When not at work, Baldwyn continues in his leadership responsibilities as a mentor to local youth organizing activities such as camping trips, sports leagues and a robotics club. He volunteers with several local non-profits, including United Way Miami (co-chair Community Impact Committee), Miami Union Adventist Academy (Board Chair), ChamberSOUTH, South Dade Economic Diversity Council, South Dade Chamber of Commerce and several others.
Baldwyn is married to Dr. Shirley English and they have two teenagers, Trey and Morgan.
GRANT MILLER
Executive Editor/Publisher – Miami’s Community Newspaper
If there is one thing that best characterizes Grant Miller, clearly it is his character – and that he is one, too! Through all his daily interactions, Grant’s personal and professional brand makes him one of the most recognized and adored personalities in all of South Florida.
Early on, Grant was greatly influenced by his teachers at Palmetto High School, Miami-Dade College, and ultimately Florida International University. They impressed upon him the importance of education, of course. But through their expertise and example, he also learned the power of commitment to making life better – not just for oneself, but for all those around us.
In 1982, Grant launched his career in newspaper production at the family’s South Miami-based newspaper. Today, he is the Community Newspaper’s executive editor, together with his brother Michael Miller as the executive publisher. In another aspect of his life, he has a profound love of sports. He has served and volunteered in several softball and football associations, coaching youth, and children over the past 40 years.
In addition, Grant has had the honor of serving with multiple civic organizations, as a trustee of Chamber South, the Aventura Marketing Council, the Doral Chamber, and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (former trustee). He is also the founder of the Pinecrest Business Association, the Palmetto Bay Business Association, and the Cutler Bay Business Association.
He was told he had within him the ability to truly make positive and long-lasting impacts in his community and that is what he set out to do. These very lessons he later imparted upon his two sons.
MICHAEL MILLER
Publisher – Miami’s Community Newspaper
Michael Miller serves as the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers, a position of prominence in Miami-Dade County that he has held for more than 40 years. Michael’s life mission is his inherent ability to connect people. Be it those in high office and big business, or everyday working people, educators, and activists, Michael sees everyone for who they are – and in the process, taps right into the heart of the community.
Mirroring his dad’s ability to pivot, adapt, survive, and thrive, Michael has the grit it takes to face great change and challenging times. Today, joined by his brother Grant Miller, who serves as the company’s executive editor, it is truly a family affair – a massive media organization directly serving 15 local communities and connecting hundreds of thousands of readers and viewers every day.
A graduate of Palmetto High School and then Florida International University with a Nursing degree in his hand, Michael initially homed in on a career in importing exotic birds and other animals – an avocation he still enjoys to this day. By 1982, he and his brother started working with the senior Miller at the family’s growing publishing and media company in South Miami, providing inclusion, connection, interaction, and community.
Michael presently lives in Horse Country, less than 10 miles due west of the Community Newspapers offices in South Miami. He and his wife, Jan – who has also led a life of community service – have two children, and two grandchildren.
PATRICK G. MORRIS
Director of Civic & Philanthropic Partnerships – Office of the Mayor Daniella Levine Cava
Pat Morris is a recognized non-profit and community leader with more than thirty plus years’ experience in both worlds. He is often called on to speak with companies about their Corporate Social Responsibility. He is a trusted advisor to many non-profit CEO’s in South Florida. Pat recently accepted a new position as the Director of Civic and Philanthropic Partnerships for Miami- Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. In this new role he has been working with the business, nonprofit and philanthropic funding community on community building initiatives.
Previously, Pat was the Community Affairs Officer in South Florida for Wells Fargo, Vice President of Community Affairs at Vista Health Plan and was the Vice President for Business Development at Sabadell United Bank. He also was the founder and CEO of Hands On Miami.
Active in community service, Morris serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of the Coral Gables Good Government Initiative, among others. He has served on several local, state and national nonprofit boards, in prominent institutions such as Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, and many more. Pat is a past member of the Leadership Miami and Leadership Florida programs.
He holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The American University in Washington, DC. He attended the Governing for Non-Profit Excellence program at Harvard Business School and the Stanford University Center for Social Innovation Workshop for Non-Profit CEO’s. Pat lives with his wife Stacy and two children in Coral Gables, Florida.
ANGELA RAMOS
Director of Community Empowerment – Univision Local Media Miami
Angela Ramos is Director of Community Empowerment at Univision-23/UniMás69, Univision Communications Inc. She currently oversees the development of community service campaigns and initiatives, as well as producing the community service programming for the station. These include Univision›s education, health, financial and civic engagement empowerment platforms.
She started her career at Univision-23 in 1985 as an Assistant in the Programming Department and then went on to become a producer and subsequently a Production Manager at the station for several years and has been leading the community service initiatives in her current role since 1993. She has produced various award-winning television programs and specials as well as community events which include concerts, resource fairs, town hall meetings, telethons, weekly public affairs programs and specials, as well as public service campaigns.
Angela has a steadfast commitment to helping improve the quality of life of South Floridians and has a passion for helping those less fortunate. She truly believes that there is help for the majority of people in need in our wonderful community and support for those that are determined to succeed. For over 37 years she has made it her mission to connect viewers through Univision with organizations that have helped families navigate issues concerning education, health, civic engagement and financial awareness, as well as provided our viewers with essential services during times of crisis.
ANGELICA SANTIBANEZ
Community Engagement Liason – Amazon
Angelica “Angie” Bertot Santibañez leads community engagement efforts for Amazon Public Policy team in the South Florida region, working closely with local community stakeholders to support policy objectives. She was in the Social Impact Fundraising space for 10 years before transitioning into Corporate Social Responsibility arena, particularly with CRA and Community Development initiatives in the banking industry.
She is driven by a desire to inspire and help those in need in the local Miami community. Angelica is very active in the community, serving on a number of committees of civic, non-profit, and charitable organizations, including the United Way Miami Women United Executive Council where she serves as Vice Chair, the Chapman Partnership NextGen Executive Committee, Philanthropy Miami Board Member, and sits on the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Angie is born and raised in Miami, FL. She graduated from Miami Dade College with her Associate of Arts, then received her bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and her MBA from Florida International University. She is a 2013 Leadership Miami graduate, received the 2021 ICBA’S 40 Under 40 Emerging Community Bank Leaders Award and the 2022 SFBW Up and Comer Honoree Award. She is a proud wife, mother of two children, and lover of college football (Go Canes!), wine, and traveling.
