Our annual celebration of local ladies who are making a profound impact.

Each year we highlight local women going above and beyond to create a better world; this year’s list of Super Women is no exception. Collectively, these women take a holistic approach to helping their communities and beyond, focusing on not just one demographic but imploring to help teenagers, business leaders, young women and more. Through their work they showcase a compassionate understanding of the needs of those they serve and the heart and drive to provide care and solutions to those who need it most.

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: MONA DUFFUS
For over two decades, Duffus has led nonprofits, for-profits and social-impact agencies addressing our nation’s toughest challenges in education, housing, mental health and workforce development. Duffus’ parents instilled the value of service at an early age, and the numerous volunteer opportunities her family participated in left an indelible mark, shaping her life and career. Today, Duffus supports student and young adult success throughout Central Florida as the senior vice president and executive director of City Year Orlando. She is also the founder and CEO of NorthBlue, a social-impact management consulting firm. Previously, she led as CEO of Dawning Family Services, providing housing and hope to families touched by homelessness. Duffus is a licensed clinical social worker, and her heart of service extends past her career. For over eight years, she volunteered for YoungLives, a faith-based organization supporting teen moms. She has led a number of community and advisory boards for the advancement of at-promise youth and their families. Duffus was named a Vanguard Award Honoree through the Black Empowerment & Community Council. In 2024, she received the Game Changer Award from the Orlando Magic and Florida Blue. She is a graduate of Leadership Orlando and Leadership Palm Beach, and is an inductee into Forbes’ Nonprofit Leaders Council.

MAKAILA NICHOLS
After being the victim of bullying in her younger years, Nichols decided to take the pain and feeling of isolation and turn it into something positive that would inspire other children facing similar situations. At age 18, she became the best-selling author of Blatantly Honest: Normal Teen, Abnormal Life, and the book gained national attention, which led to speaking gigs at major platforms like Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. From there, Nichols went on to develop a series of children’s coloring books, donating more than 15,000 copies to kids across Central Florida, including at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2020, she founded the Blatantly Honest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on changing the stigmas behind social issues that young people are facing. When Nichols isn’t busy traveling the country to addressing topics like mental health, bullying prevention, inclusion and body image, you can find her on the radio, podcasting or co-hosting Best of Central Florida on WKMG 6 and Behind the Law on Fox 35. She furthers her mentorship of young women from across the area by also serving as the executive director of the Miss Orlando Scholarship Organization.

LISA THIOMBIANO
After experiencing years of domestic violence, Thiombiano knew that she had to survive for her children, so she escaped in the middle of the night to get away from her abuser. But with no education and no job, she felt lost. That’s when her domestic violence advocate helped her reclaim her life; Thiombiano went back to school and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, then a master’s degree in counseling psychology before completing her dissertation for her doctorate in behavioral health leadership. Inspired to help others overcome the pain and suffering she faced, Thiombiano founded Stand Up Survivor in 2015 to raise awareness about domestic violence and to give a voice to those who have felt powerless for so long. This year, the organization celebrates 10 years of helping survivors in Central Florida and around the world get to safety, heal and thrive in life after abuse. After helping thousands of survivors regain their freedom, Thiombiano continues to be driven by the cause. “To now attend graduations, baby showers and weddings of survivors that were not sure they would live to see another day makes all of the sacrifices of starting and maintaining [this] nonprofit worth it,” she says. 

RACHEL MEUSER BOWMAN
Philanthropy has always been deeply personal for Bowman. Raised in a family where servant leadership was second nature, she saw early on the power of using your talents to lift up others. From making fundraising calls for scholarships as an undergraduate at the College of Charleston to launching international donor engagement programs in Switzerland, Bowman found her calling in connecting people to purpose—proudly calling this “work” for over two decades. In her current role as chief development officer for YMCA of Central Florida, Bowman leads with heart and hustle—mobilizing resources to meet community needs and change lives. “It’s always about that one person,” she says. “The child who can safely do their first cannonball into the pool because someone gave a gift to help them learn to swim, the person ready to make their first gift, the thoughtful donor who leaves a legacy: Every single one matters.” With over 17 years of fundraising service at YMCA, including 15 in Georgia—Bowman has helped secure over $35 million for its transformational programs and services. From major government grants to grassroots family giving, her work is driven by empathy, creativity and an unwavering belief in people.

MARTHA ARE
Are learned early that doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily make you popular. As a child, she was often caught in the crosshairs of racial aggression following her father’s sermons on civil rights and practice of bailing out wrongfully arrested Black college students. She tagged along as her dad volunteered at homeless shelters and by 18, she knew she found her calling. After college, Are worked with the North Carolina Low-Income Housing Coalition, founded a statewide advisory council of people with personal experience, then ran a homeless outreach and shelter program. She created the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness before being tapped for the Governor’s Council on Homelessness. In 2009, she helped launch the state’s first rapid-rehousing effort to help families. She moved to Central Florida in 2015 to lead the region’s primary nonprofit organization addressing housing needs for homeless citizens. As CEO of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, she has helped thousands regain stable housing and increased grant funding for veterans, people with disabilities, families with minor children, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. “I still believe that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice,” she says. “It may wobble now and then, but that’s why we need to keep working.”

PAM TAPLEY
As head of school, each Pace Brantley student is a child Tapley loves like her own, and that drive to make every pupil in her care feel both supported and seen is the prevailing motivation of Tapley’s career. From her time serving on boards for the Florida Council of Independent Schools and ACT State Council and College Board to her previous role as assistant superintendent of schools, Tapley uses her platforms and positions to advocate for and advance the well-being of children with higher support needs: “I am a visionary and continue to strive for new research, ideas and best practices in working with children with learning disabilities,” she affirms. Tapley is always happy to share her insights with others also eager to be a catalyst of positive change—she’s even spoken on a Neiman Marcus panel comprising local high-profile women—and has her sights on replacing “several older buildings on our campus with a gym and classrooms that would include the arts programs, stagecraft building room, kiln and clay room, art and drama classrooms. In the other building it would be our high school with new chemistry and biology labs. The entire building and classrooms would all be sensory based including the walls, sidewalks and landscaping.”

ANGELA WHITE-JONES, PH.D
The first Black president of a nonprofit comprising hundreds of women who support not only each other but also their community is used to breaking barriers and clearing a path for others to follow, and was raised with a hands-on education in how critically important volunteer work is in creating a better world, one selfless action at a time. Dr. White-Jones, president of the Junior League of Greater Orlando, has racked up the accomplishments since her teenage volunteerism efforts, from taking on leadership and advisory roles to being recognized as a champion for the communities represented by the countless committees, boards and organizations she tirelessly serves. Dr. White-Jones currently sits on research editorial boards and a High Impact Practices review committee, and also serves civic organizations like the Orange County Review Panel, Eccleston Elementary School Community Cabinet and Orlando’s Grants Professional Network. A two-time recipient of research fellowships and a member of research-focused groups like the National Council of University Research Administrators, Society of Research Administrators International and Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, Dr. White-Jones uses what she knows and learns to ensure her work aligns with what the community needs—and, like her own parents, is passing that passion onto her own children. 

CATHRYN MATTSON
With a long and successful career in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Mattson has built a career dedicated to driving transformative change, and, since stepping into her current role as executive director and CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) in May 2023, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership in stabilizing OMA during a critical time in its history. She has led the museum through a remarkable financial turnaround without any staff layoffs, reduction of services or support from a major benefactor through, instead, strategic operational changes and simultaneously strengthening its mission to stimulate creativity and intellectual curiosity by connecting people from all backgrounds and experiences with compelling art and new ideas. Under her guidance, OMA attendance has risen by over 64%, membership is growing and it has become increasingly more accessible to and inclusive of a broader, more diverse audience, thanks to efforts like the Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All grant, which breaks down financial barriers to art. Mattson, who holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.A. with honors from Tufts University, has rebuilt trust within the community and established the museum as a leading cultural institution, with an advocacy and leadership philosophy deeply rooted in community engagement.