LUZ URBAEZ WEINBERG
What is your Profession ? 1 . Commissioner , City of Aventura , Florida 2 . Director of Communications , Bouygues Construction ’ s Port Miami tunnel and Brickell City Centre projects 3 . Gubernatorial Appointee , Miami- Dade Expressway Authority
Your Pais--Hometown : I was born in San Juan , Puerto Rico in 1972 to Dominican parents and I was raised between both islands until we moved to Miami in 1985 .
Latin Times : How did you get started in your career ? Luz : Which one ? ( Laughs !) – My first real , “ adult ” job was at age 20 as case manager for Dr . Leonard Haber , a respected forensic Psychologist ( and former Miami Beach Mayor ) who taught me all about effective writing , public speaking , managing the media and people ! From those 11 years working on some of the best highprofile criminal cases in South Florida ,
I derived great experience that made me who I am today and got me started on where I am today .
Latin Times : Please tell us about some of your biggest obstacles , and how you have overcome them . Luz : There are many who look at me and see a Woman , a Hispanic and an Afro-Latina at that , but I have never viewed those as an obstacle or perceived myself to have had obstacles in my career , and I believe that is the first step to overcoming those . I see any situation I encounter , positive or negative , as an opportunity , and I believe that attitude has served me very well .
Latin Times : What organizations are you involved with ? Luz : I am Vice President of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials ( NALEO ) and sit on the Vice Provost Executive Council of my alma matter , Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus . I am a member of the CASEnergy Coalition , the Aventura Marketing Council , the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce and the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce .
Latin Times : Describe a “ Big ” moment that happened for / to you ……. Luz : I have been fortunate to have many “ big ” moments throughout the last twenty years of my career , but
I have to pick my favorite “ Career Maker ” to be going on stage with the future president of the United States in 2008 to ask a question on Foreign Trade during the NALEO Presidential Forum in Washington , D . C . We were live on national TV and in front of hundreds of elected officials and members of the media . I ignored the specific directions given relative to our time on stage and before asking my question of Senator Obama , stated , “ It is an honor to stand beside you as a Puerto-Rican born Jewish mother of three with Afro-Dominican blood in her .” The crowd went wild with laughter and applause , and I spent about an hour after the forum ended doing media interviews on my perspective of the election as a representative of all the minorities and communities I described myself to be . It was definitely a defining moment for me and identified me as a leader in the organization .
Latin Times : Tell us about your family Luz : I have three amazing children that I couldn ’ t be prouder of : Jonathan is 20 and Jessica is almost 19 , both attend Miami-Dade College on a scholarship . And my baby , Justin is 12 years old and is in the 7 th grade . My mother lives near me , and I have four siblings all living here in Florida . My baby brother lives in Tampa and I visit him as often as possible . We are an extremely close knit , loving and supportive family .