No matter how old you are , where you come from or the resources you have access to , you can be someone else’s helping hand or guiding light . This year’s roster of Super Women is proof that all you need to be the change you want to see — and inspire others to follow — is having your heart in the right place and finding a cause worth fighting for

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Rania Arwani

Arwani was still a young woman fairly new to the United States when she found herself in a physically abusive marriage with two young children. On one trip to the hospital after suffering a concussion at the hands of her husband, a concerned nurse repeatedly asked her how she got the injury, but Arwani would not say. “So the nurse told me, ‘The next time this happens, you’re not coming in in an ambulance, you’re coming in in a body bag.’ That was the first time it hit me that he might kill me,” Arwani recalls. “Dying was not going to help my kids, so that was the night I left.” She calls that nurse the first of her “unintentional heroes,” a group that grew to include the female attorneys who represented her and prosecuted her husband. They inspired her to shift gears from a career in finance to attend law school, and eventually open her own firm dedicated to family law and assisting victims of abuse. Arwani, a native of Dubai, found the courage to write a book detailing her harrowing journey in 2020, and she titled it Unintentional Hero: From Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor to Advocate. She does not make any profits from the book but instead donates it to shelters, churches and anyone who can benefit from its message. Arwani also shares her story with clients who are enduring a similar situation, and she donates her services to abuse victims who cannot afford an attorney through several nonprofits, including Harbor House of Central Florida, where she sits on the board. Arwani’s children, Dana and Kareem, are now thriving college students studying pre-med and pre-law, respectively, and she is remarried to Moe, “an amazing man” and yet another person who has helped her land on her feet. “We can all be an unintentional hero—you may not even know what you did to change the path of someone’s life,” she says. “Each one of us is a hero in some way, to somebody.”

Joann Febus

Febus traces her love for working with the community back to a high school internship that was her initial exposure to recruiting, which gave her an opportunity to shadow a human resources professional. She went on to become a recruiting professional herself, first in New York in various sectors before transitioning to a role as the director of recruiting for a timeshare company in Central Florida. But her “most rewarding experience” has come from working with Dress for Success Greater Orlando, a nonprofit that was created to provide workforce development and interview-appropriate clothing for low-income women. A board member for five years, Febus was appointed executive director last September. “In my new role I strive every day to be of excellence to the community and be a role model for my two daughters, Gabriela, 23, and Sofia, 11,” she says. She has faced major challenges since taking over, as Hurricane Ian destroyed the organization’s office in Winter Park and forced it to relocate to Ocoee with the help of Career Services of Central Florida, which donated temporary space. Although Febus is the only full-time employee and the nonprofit is still trying to rebuild its volunteer base since the move, Dress for Success managed to regain everything it lost and was able to support 85 local women in March alone, with plans to help 1,000 by the end of the year. Febus has also served as a volunteer guest speaker on La Voz Radio 1440 AM for the past six years, covering employment topics for the Spanish station, and partners with Ladies Learning to Lead, a mentorship program for young women, and the food pantry at Just Write Consulting.

Jane Thompson

A dedicated member of the nonprofit sector for the past 35 years, Thompson joined A Gift For Teaching (AGFT) in 2004 as director of development for the organization, which provides free school supplies to teachers of students in need in Orange and Osceola counties. In 2006, Thompson was chosen after a national search for her current role of president, succeeding founder Gary Landwirth. During her tenure, AGFT has been recognized for its environmental sustainability, marketing campaigns and innovative programs such as a mobile free store, which serves as an alternative shopping service for teachers who are unable to shop for supplies in person. Thompson also serves on the board of The Kids in Need Foundation, a national nonprofit that secures product donations from major retailers to support the National Network of Teacher Resource Centers. A native of Ottawa, Canada, Thompson grew up speaking English at home but attending French schools, so she gained an early appreciation for teachers who helped her adjust to a new language. “A Gift For Teaching stands out because many of us have been changed or influenced in a positive way by the teaching in our early lives from our parents and especially our teachers,” she says. “At AGFT, we want to give children who don’t have anything the chance to succeed and to go to the places they want to in life by giving them the tools they need, whether it’s a book, backpack, pencil or pen, or an experience they might never had had if we didn’t exist.”

Jessica Hallgren Haines

A Division I soccer player at the University of Central Florida, Haines has taken the competitive nature she learned in athletics and applied it to her career as an attorney. The founder of KLG Orlando (formerly Kendrick Law Group), she has built a successful practice focused on real estate law—including development and closings—along with business-related legal matters for small business owners and contractual law. But she is just as passionate about her philanthropic efforts, including the Hope for More Foundation, a 501(c)(3) she founded that has supported over 25 local charities with specific grants to aid homeless youth, sick children and foundations that serve low-income families. Haines is also an AdventHealth for Children board member and contributes to its Champions for Children program, and is involved with other community nonprofits as the head of marketing and philanthropic relations for RLH Residential, a construction company founded by her husband Richard. She was taught by her parents at a young age to help the less fortunate, and has passed on the same message to her kids. “Being part of the Central Florida community for over 20 years has been inspiring to me personally, seeing the growth of the community but also the need to give hope,” she says. “Partnered with my husband Richard Haines, we have collaboratively, through our companies, grown the scope of our giving back by empowering our employees to be involved from the ground up. Whether it be building wishes for Make a Wish, building handicap ramps, filling a food pantry or giving monetarily, it all means community coming together for the goal of helping others.”

Karen Persis

Persis, an adoption and reproductive law attorney, takes pride in representing individuals and couples in matters related to adoption and assisted reproductive technology law, such as surrogacy agreements and gamete donation. She is an ART Fellow with the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and is currently the president of the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), which boasts a voluntary membership of 3,000 attorneys, judges, law students and paralegals. The OCBA organizes charitable events for children and other vulnerable populations in the county, and requires its members to provide service or donations to the Legal Aid Society. Persis has taken pro bono cases through the Legal Aid Society and supported several of its programs. The daughter of teachers, it is also important to her to see public schools succeed, which is why she volunteers for Hillcrest Elementary. “There is a great return on the investment of giving to your local community,” Persis says. “Not only do we have the opportunity to help others and feel the joy that brings, but through volunteerism, we can help strengthen the fabric of our community, and help make it a better place for some. If we all help some, we end up helping everyone. A community is only as strong at its most vulnerable. I want to see everyone thrive.”

Fatima Sadaf Saied

The daughter of Pakistani immigrants and a lifelong Floridian, Sadaf Saied spent her youth serving the growing Muslim community of South Florida alongside her parents. After graduating from the University of Miami, she got married and moved to Orlando, where she focused on raising her five kids. She soon realized that a gap existed in women’s leadership opportunities in her local Muslim community, and was one of a group of like-minded women who established the Muslim Women’s Organization (MWO) in 2010. She now serves as executive director of the nonprofit, which is dedicated to building the power of Muslim women as successful change-makers. Sadaf Saied has also served as the United State of Women ambassador for Florida and as a Center for Women Faith, Faith and Leadership fellow, and currently sits on the city of Orlando’s Multicultural Affairs Board and WMFE’s Community Advisory Board. A breast cancer survivor who loves taking road trips, playing board games and singing karaoke with her loved ones, she is passionate about uplifting the lives of her daughters, her team members and her community through compassionate service. That lesson was instilled at a young age by her late parents, especially her mother, who established mosques, civic organizations and cultural programs for Muslims upon coming to the United States. “My parents always gave with an open heart and left behind a legacy that my siblings and I, and all of the children who they led and taught, now, after they have both passed on, carry forward as we build our own communities and charitable organizations to serve those in need.”

Syvonne Carter

With an extensive background in executive leadership and vast experience as a health care administrator, Carter has helped shape the direction of various nonprofits throughout her career and is committed to improving health equity across the country, particularly in underserved communities. She has the opportunity to pursue that endeavor on a daily basis as the CEO of 26Health, an organization that strives to provide physical, mental and spiritual health to Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ and ally community by offering quality and affordable care. Carter’s leadership has been critical during recent political turning points, such as the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and systemic discrimination brought to light by the Black Lives Matter movement. She believes that during a divisive time in the nation’s history, it is more important than ever for communities to come together and support their members, starting in “our homes and our neighborhoods.” She was taught that lesson by two people who were very important to her upbringing. “Both my grandmother and my godmother are my sources of inspiration,” she says. “Growing up, my grandmother was a confidant for our community, and my godmother welcomed anyone in need into her home. She would say, ‘If you have something, you have an obligation to share it.’ Their efforts and capacity for kindness have been my guiding light throughout the years.”

Kathy Baldwin

When Baldwin joined The Mustard Seed of Central Florida as executive director in February 2013, it was the perfect fit. After all, her passion for helping others improve their lives has long been evident in her desire to make a difference in the community. Baldwin has used her business background and continuous education to serve in leadership roles and positively impact several nonprofits, including The United Way. She also co-founded The Gift of Swimming, a charitable organization that focuses on the prevention of drowning accidents by teaching young children, the underprivileged and those with physical or mental disabilities how to swim. At The Mustard Seed, a furniture and clothing bank assisting low-income individuals and families and those who have been affected by a fire or natural disaster, she has helped to double the number of people being served and has also significantly increased the revenue generated from the organization’s mattress recycling social enterprise. That program received a Best Practice Award from the Governor’s Sustainable Florida for excellence in helping to create a sustainable economic, environmental and social future for the state. In order to meet the demands of a social service agency, Baldwin believes in leading an inclusive environment, being a conflict capable leader, overcoming personal bias and having emotional intelligence. She credits the organization’s accomplishments “to the benevolent team of staff members who support the operation and assist those in need of services.”