Board Members

Originally from New York City, Vicki has lived in Palm Beach County since 1985  beginning her career as a professional recruiter with a concentration in the fields of Financial and Legal Services.  Her natural ability to connect like-minded women, along with a lifetime of philanthropy, led her to found the Alliance of Women Executives (AWE).  Vicki is Vice President of the Henry Nias Foundation as well as an active member of it’s Board of Directors, a member of the Foundation for Women and Economic Literacy, a past board member of the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation, and on the Advisory Board of AroundWellington.  She has volunteered with Hospice of Palm Beach County, Florida Poodle Rescue, Relay for Life, and is a member of the Cancer Prevention Study -3.

Terri Dew is active in Palm Beach County both personally and professionally. She is the Administrator of Abacoa Golf Club and helped create Chip-N-Sip, a group dedicated to growing the game of golf for women in North Palm Beach. She is an owner and office manager of Sports Field Management, a company that manages the athletic fields at Florida Atlantic University. Terri is an active member of the Abacoa Town Council, she serves on the Small Business Advisory Council of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, chairs the Digital Marketing Series Committee and is on the Membership Committee. Terri supports local charities including Relay for Life as a team leader, Friends in Pink, The American Cancer Society and The American Diabetes Association. Terri and her husband actively support Take Stock in Children, the Palm Beach County Golf Association, the Florida State Golf Association and The Society of Seniors.

Originally from Staten Island, New York Sharon relocated to Palm Beach County in 2001.  In 1986 Sharon founded Choice Marketing Group, Inc. a promotional products company with offices in Palm Beach County and New Jersey.

Prior to joining the Board of AWE, Sharon had served on the board of GCPPA (Gold Coast Promotional Products Assoc.) and the Board of Governors of the Governors Club.  While still in New York, Sharon started the Choice Marketing Golf Tournament to benefit Tomorrows Children’s Fund. She has also put together events to raise money for the Nell Smith House of the Children’s Home Society of Palm Beach.  Sharon has been a guest speaker for various organizations on accountability, leadership, and business growth and is a member of WEC (Women’s Executive Circle) of the Jewish Federation of Broward County.

Sharon joined AWE due to her strong belief that you give back to your community, and that is exactly what AWE does.  It is very gratifying to see the future through the words of the young women who will be tomorrow’s leaders.

Debbie Hawks is a North Palm Beach native with a strong passion for empowering youth to succeed. She spent 14 years mentoring boys with The Boy Scouts of America and many years as a volunteer for Palm Beach Gardens High School and Dreyfoos High School of the Arts. Debbie now gives her time and talents to the Alliance of Women Executives and The Kiwanis of North Palm Beach. When not volunteering, she is a Real Estate Listing Specialist with the Keyes Company in Palm Beach Gardens. Her professional affiliations include the National Association of Realtors, Florida Association of Realtors, Realtors of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.

Michele Landers is originally from New Jersey and relocated to Palm Beach County in 1987. Michele began her career in the medical field as an administrator for a neurosurgery practice and pain clinic. Her experience in the medical field sparked her interest and eventual study of psychology, mind-set and eastern philosophies.

Today, Michele is a Board- Certified Life Purpose, Career and Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. She is the author of two books, The Year of Living Miraculously and The Tao of Numbers. Michele is also a radio, media personality and speaker who has taught hundreds of classes, speaking throughout the country. She was a recurring coach on Fox/ WFLX  “Eye on South Florida” with Shannon Cake and on NBC’s WPTV ‘s “5 at 11,” “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Segment.”

Michele has a special interest in helping and encouraging young women to make positive choices in their lives in order to achieve their goals and dreams and to be a productive, contributing member of society. AWE shares this vison which makes it a meaningful and perfect fit for Michele.

Maria grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, in a family of seven children. As a professional, Maria has had a varied background, beginning and ending in the fashion industry with small breaks in the worlds of real estate and seafood
brokerage. During those years, Maria became involved with causes supporting children, education, and the environment. She firmly believes that access to a challenging education and rich life experiences are paramount to children’s growth. These experiences create profound, inquisitive people who are well-equipped to meet the challenges they will face as adults.

Maria has served in the Greater Boston area for The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, The Vincent Newborn Necessities Program, and The Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit. Locally, Maria is proud to support the HATT Foundation, helping under-served and at-risk children, families, and senior citizens. Additionally, Maria supports The Delray Beach Historical Society, which encourages and assists people of all backgrounds and interests in learning more about Delray Beach’s diverse history.

AWE’s mission aligns with Maria’s belief that education is paramount to children’s growth and success. She looks forward to watching the young women of AWE select their paths and learn how they will share their skills with their
communities in the future.

Marcia, originally from Massachusetts, began her career in human services. She resided in the New York-New Jersey area, with a brief stint in the nation’s capital. During this time, she worked for New York City, NY State, large non-profit and private entities, and the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of Family Assistance, where she provided disability technical assistance to TANF grantees. Recently, she relocated to Palm Beach County and is enthusiastic about supporting the local community.

Marcia has more than thirty years of experience leading significant national and global workforce development initiatives. Her expertise lies in designing programs that provide hope, employment, and rehabilitation. She is committed to delivering impactful solutions for society’s most vulnerable populations, offering invaluable guidance to the programs under her supervision. Marcia has spearheaded initiatives in areas such as TANF, disability, and substance abuse across diverse sectors, including non-profit organizations, businesses, city agencies, state entities, and federal government.

In addition to overseeing the largest program in the US serving public assistance New Yorkers with disabilities, WeCARE, she played a pivotal role in rapidly implementing and customizing front-line programs serving the formerly incarcerated, substance users, the mentally ill and homeless, and those with physical disabilities. As well as supporting NYC displaced families during Hurricane Sandy. Her international experience includes adapting front-line services in the UK and structuring province-wide employment services transformation in Ontario, Canada. At the core of Marcia’s approach lies her belief that investing in substantive pathways to independence for individuals facing barriers can lead to prosperity.

Marcia holds the belief that this generation of young women will become our future leaders and authors of our history books. AWE shares this vision and provides young women with the opportunity to shape their own futures.

Nina moved to Palm Beach County in 2016 from Eastern Europe.  She is an accomplished C-suite executive with 30 years of international experience, leading change in high-performing US and European insurance organizations.

In addition to her insurance career, Nina is a certified Executive coach with over a decade of leadership training and coaching experience. She specializes in coaching leaders transitioning to a new role, taking joy in seeing them grow and bring positive change to their companies.

As a recent immigrant and female leader, she understands the challenges that women face in pursuing their dreams in a competitive and often biased environment.

Nina strongly believes that education is the foundation of every success story. She sees being an AWE board member as an opportunity to give back and support the educational efforts of young women who aspire to be leaders in their communities.

Shanell Foster, MBA is a Financial Advisor with over a decade of experience in the Financial Services and Insurance Industry and the Founder of Wellington Way Financial Group of Thrivent. Her comprehensive advisory firm focuses on helping professionals, business owners, and their families achieve financial clarity and confidence by implementing strategies to protect their current financial position, grow investments into future wealth, reduce taxes, retire comfortably, and give back to local churches, charities and causes. She is privileged to partner with Thrivent, a Fortune 500 Christian financial services company with over $180 billion in assets under management, helping people become wise with money and live generously!

A resident of the Palm Beaches for 11 years, Shanell has been a community leader in generosity and philanthropy. She serves as a Board member of the First Seventh-day Adventist Church of West Palm Beach, a Committee Member of Women of the Wellington Chamber, the Philanthropy Chairperson for FEMcity’s Westlake-Loxahatchee Chapter and a Member of the Association of Christian Business Women. Additionally, she has mentored teens with Take Stock in Children, led projects with Habitat for Humanity, and sponsored numerous events benefiting American Cancer Society, Rhonda Eyes Alliance and the Talented Teen Club.

Originally from Jamaica, Shanell holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in Banking and Finance from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and an MBA from Central Michigan University. She is married to Wesley Foster, a Civil Engineer, and they have three beautiful children: Emily, Amelia and Isaac. When not in office, this mom of 3 enjoys leading sabbath school at her local church, playing tennis and travelling to a new destination.

Shanell is a prime example that ‘education is the key to success’ and is honored to serve as a Board Member of the Alliance of Women Executive (AWE), supporting the education of future female leaders!