Alumni Making an Impact
 Victoria Villalba (Lifework Leadership of Miami, Class of 2008) was among the dignitaries on stage for Barack Obama's jobs summit held in October 2008 in Miami. Victoria, president and owner of Victoria and Associates Career Services, a Miami-based staffing and recruitment company, charmed the crowd and earned a round of applause. Sitting on the stage next to Mr. Obama, she told him that she's worried about the effect of the rising cost of health care on her small business. "I haven't been dreaming in the last year," she said. "I sit up at night not able to sleep, worried and concerned for my employees." The summit featured an open dialogue regarding challenges facing small businesess in South Florida and across the country.
 Marti Mang (Lifework Leadership of Miami, Class of 2009) serves as Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of Lotus House, a women’s shelter in Miami that was the subject of a New York Times article in February entitled, “Miami Women’s Shelter Blooms in Crime-Ridden Area.” Lotus House is described as “a women's sanctuary, a place to restart life without drugs, alcohol, crime or abuse -- the problems that put them on the street. Opened in 2006 in Overtown -- one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods -- Lotus House aims to address the women's emotional and physical needs and prepare them to live independently. Experts say the shelter, funded by a mix of private and public money, offers one of the most comprehensive homeless programs in the state and should be a model for facilities nationwide.”
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