BE STRONG INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Be Strong International

Representing leading South Florida business and community groups, the appointees will help grow the non-profit organization and extend its reach to help South Florida families.

Miami, FL (June 8, 2023) – Be Strong International, an award-winning non-profit serving South Florida families for more than 30 years, has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors. New members Brittnie Bassant, Allan German and Mayra Vivacqua will help support Be Strong International’s mission of providing education programs that strengthen families in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

The nine-member board is dedicated to overseeing one of South Florida’s rising nonprofit organizations. Like the current members, the new appointees bring expertise and resources from influential South Florida organizations:

Brittnie Bassant, President and CEO of ChamberSOUTH

Bassant champions small businesses and community pillars for the community’s overall economic development. She is a member of the Miami Dade Beacon Council Board of Directors, the UCF Miami Alumni Club Board of Directors, the United Way Miami’s Women United and Young Leaders, the Miami Women Who Rock’s Founders Circle and Young Philanthropists & Professionals and the Young Everglades Patrons.

Allan German, Director of Business Development at Rizen

German has spent more than 35 years working with top healthcare, education, and corporate clients to embrace and use technology to its fullest potential. German joined Rizen’s team in 2021, bringing his expertise and strategic planning talent to clients, and has been a pioneering voice in the adoption of document digitization, data protection and audiovisual collaboration.

Mayra Vivacqua, Senior Vice President of Digital Consumer Solutions, Mastercard Latin America

Vivacqua leads Mastercard Latin America’s Consumer Digital Products and Tokenization and Network Solutions divisions. Prior to that, she led the marketing practice of MasterCard Data & Services in Latin America, where she supported financial institutions, fintechs and merchants with strategic, data-driven, and measurable solutions focused on the consumer lifecycle.

“We’re proud to welcome these accomplished professionals to our Board of Directors,” said Lisa Greer, President of Be Strong’s Board of Directors. “They bring a remarkable set of skills and a history of caring for the community, and the entire Board is excited about working with them.”

“This is a critical time for Be Strong and the families we help,” said Michelle Shirley, CEO for Be Strong International. “We are thrilled to have such a well-qualified board helping us to meet the ever-growing needs they struggle with.”

For more information and updates on its programs, follow Be Strong International on social media @bestrongintl or through the website https://bestrongintl.org.

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About Be Strong International

Be Strong International is an award-winning nonprofit organization that provides holistic educational services and resources to families in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, bringing them from brokenness to wholeness by helping them develop healthy relationships and positive life skills. Founded in 1992 by Mrs. Althea McMillan, a retired Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher, it is now led by Michelle Shirley, CEO and Chief Heart Officer. Be Strong International’s Heart Skills^tm programs teach families how to make better decisions about relationships, money, work, and family life. In addition, Be Strong International partners with other institutions to offer events that will directly help the communities it serves, such as food drives and back-to-school supply drives. Known for its transformational workplace culture, Be Strong International has been selected as one of the Best Places to Work by the South Florida Business Journal.

New Board Members:

Brittnie Bassant