Keynote speaker Dominique Dawes stands with WLP annual award recipients Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Rita Lowman.
Oct. 3, 2024
By Kiley Mallard
USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy once again welcomed a sold-out crowd of more than 1,000 for its Fall Symposium, presented by Florida Blue.
Highlights included an awards luncheon recognizing Sen. Arthenia Joyner for Lifetime Achievement and Rita Lowman for Community Leadership, and featuring three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes. The 18th annual symposium also offered panel sessions and networking activities.
The WLP Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding leader whose life’s work has demonstrably improved the community and contributed to the advancement of women.
Joyner has been a champion for civil rights and equal justice since girlhood. Currently Of Counsel at Swope, Rodante P.A. in Tampa, she has practiced law for 55 years — longer than any Black woman in state history. In 2000, she became Tampa’s first Black female state representative and in 2006, the city’s first Black female state senator, serving for 16 years in the Florida Legislature, including two as Senate minority leader — the first Black female to do so.
“My parents, Henry and Jean Joyner, instilled in me some cardinal principles,” she said in her acceptance speech. Her mother taught her to always stand up for what you believe in, even if you have to stand alone. And her father would share the daily reminder that, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Joyner then told the crowd, “I assure you that this recognition will inspire me to give more.”
WLP’s Community Leadership Award honors visionary leaders and philanthropists doing extraordinary things to make the Tampa Bay region a better place for women to live and work.
Lowman has been a banking powerhouse in the Tampa Bay area for over five decades. Now the lead bank director at Encore Bank, she has blazed trails in the industry, especially for women. In 2017, she became chair of the 130-year-old Florida Bankers Association, one of only three women elected to that position. Lowman has also tirelessly served a variety of organizations in the Tampa Bay community, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Gracepoint Wellness, the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Centre Club and the ReliaQuest Bowl, to name a few.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership is witnessing the ripple effect,” Lowman said in her acceptance speech. “When we invest in others, when we uplift and empower, we ignite a chain reaction. We inspire others to step up, take action and become leaders in their own right.”
Keynote speaker Dawes was the first Black female gymnast to win an individual medal in the Olympics. She went on to win a total of four medals, including a team gold. Following graduation from college and a successful career in acting and modeling, she opened Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academies. She also holds minority ownership in the National Women's Soccer League’s Washington Spirit and is a limited partner in the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons ownership group.
Dawes served as co-chair of the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition under the Obama administration and as executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Peacock docuseries “Golden.”
In her keynote, Dawes shared stories of her life as a wife, mother, Olympian and business owner.
Through her academies, Dawes is working to change the often toxic culture she experienced in gymnastics. She learned to apply what she’d learned in competition to her business.
“I had to check my ego many times,” she said.
Dawes closed by saying the most important team you have in life is your family.
“It’s great to share stories about the Magnificent Seven and how we were able to make history. It’s great to talk about my gymnastics and ninja academy … but at the end of the day, my most important team is the team I’m going to see this evening.”
Attendees also heard a firsthand account of WLP programs’ impact from WLP Scholar Deeya Patel, a first-generation college student who will graduate in December with dual degrees in global business and business management.
Patel credits the scholarships she received, including through WLP, with allowing her to focus on her education and leadership roles without worrying about finances.
During her time at USF, she served as co-vice president of the GloBull Ambassador Program for Education Abroad, as a student ambassador for the Office of National Scholars, a peer leader and student assistant for the Corporate Mentor Program, and was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy.
She also served on the WLP Student Council.
“One of the most impactful parts of my USF story has been getting involved with the WLP community,” she said. “The scholarship has not only alleviated financial concerns, it has introduced me to a network of women who inspire and support one another.”
Proceeds from the Fall Symposium support WLP student scholarships, faculty excellence awards and mentoring programs.
For more information about Women in Leadership & Philanthropy, go to usf.to/wlp.
Please enjoy our video presentations for 2024 WLP Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Arthenia Joyner and 2024 WLP Community Leadership Award recipient Rita Lowman.