People Profiles

By Angela Caraway-Carlton | Photography by James Woodley Most people know Venus Williams for her heavy-handed domination on the tennis court, but the winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles also has found a winning career off the court: She’s quickly becoming a powerhouse interior designer, and she’s doing it her way. “My parents started

Palmetto Elementary Music Teacher 1 How did your musical career get started?I learned right away that I enjoyed the stage very much, be it performing with a group, dancing or acting. I began playing the saxophone in seventh grade and continued all through high school in the marching, symphonic and jazz bands. By my senior year,

Partner, Hunton & Williams LLP 1 How did your legal career get started? I began my legal career with a clerkship with the Honorable Kevin Michael Moore. I knew my strengths were the ability to communicate with people and the ability to analyze issues; combined with an interest in the business world, that’s what led me

Coral Springs 8-year-old doesn’t let dyslexia hold back his talent for art By Michelle F. Solomon When Logan Priest was 6 years old, his mother, Lisa, became concerned about his learning abilities. “No matter how hard he tried to sound out words, he could not read,” she says. There was one area, however, where Logan did

‘Impossible’ Chef Robert Irvine brings new possibilities to Fort Lauderdale By Angela Caraway-Carlton | Photography by DowntownPhoto Fort Lauderdale Robert Irvine admits every day is impossible; the energetic chef and TV star just instead chooses to see the possibilities. Sometimes, this simply involves a can-do attitude and tequila. “Before each show, I pray, I drink

1. You have been the president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade for 12 years. Tell us how you became involved with BGC and the positions you’ve held? I truly believe in helping less fortunate children by providing them with hope, freedom and opportunities. I came to the U.S. from Cuba at the age

Photo by William Kuan Photography, courtesy of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum   1 You were one of the first faculty members at Florida International University when the campus opened in 1972. What brought you to Miami and specifically FIU? I was in Miami before FIU was created. I came here in 1963 via Florida

Tammy King-Foster’s Olympic dream will soon become a reality. It is a dream she’s had since the age of 14 when she was a student at Palmer Trinity School. The now 40-year-old, who is back at Palmer Trinity as the head of track and field, proves that dreams do not have a shelf life.  In

Echemendia was born in Cuba and moved to Miami when he was 9 years old. At the age of 14, he began playing with and taking apart ham radios, and a curiosity for electronics was born. Shortly thereafter, the teen learned he could “access all kinds of interesting stuff” with just a computer and a

For Jaimie Hilfiger, South Florida radiates a glow that lines up perfectly with her theory of fashion and beauty. “Being in a beautiful place, in a nice climate, is good for your soul,” she says, “and that’s projected in the way that you look.” If the Hilfiger name sounds familiar, it is. Jaimie is the

“I don’t want you to look dead.I want you propped up.” Ken Downing directs, as four models contort and drape themselves around him on a rug. Just minutes before, Downing, the senior vice president and fashion director of Neiman Marcus, declared that he and the models should lie down in the middle of the downtown

1 How did your automotive career get started?  I came into it as a means to an end. In order to put myself through school, I worked and soon ran a small restaurant where I learned the “ins and outs” in hopes of opening my own someday. I was studying accounting and I saw an ad