fbpx

Apogee Awards Honorees: Patrice Paldino

Patrice Paldino is the Executive Director of Coast to Coast Legal Aid. Ms. Paldino graduated with honors with a Master’s Degree from the University of Miami; graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctorate degree from New England Law; and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University.

 

Fun fact: I am a big Wonder Woman fan. I fell in love with the resurgence of the character and recently remembered as a child playing with neighborhood friends. We would pretend to be the “Justice League” and I would always play Wonder Woman.

What is your favorite South Florida dining destination? Being a mom of teenagers, I don’t get to dine at very fancy places too often. But, I do love Anthony’s Pizza!

What do you like to do on weekends? This is a hard question. I have absolutely no life-work balance. I am trying to work on that. Being stuck in the house with COVID, the first weekends were spent painting the interior of my house, all by myself. That’s done now so I am trying to find my next assignment. I am not very crafty, but I am actually considering trying to find a craft to keep me busy. That’s a big step for me since I am very much a TYPE A personality and find it hard to slow down.

How do you unwind from a long day at work? Having no life-work balance, I am trying to find ways to unwind. In the last few months, I have started working out on a Peloton bike and at night I have tried some guided meditation.

What is your favorite quote? “Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything.” — Alexander Hamilton

From whom, or what, do you draw inspiration? I draw inspiration from strong women, like my mother. She grew up in New York, in a middle-class Italian home and married her childhood sweetheart. My mother has a good soul, a brilliant mind and a tremendous heart. She made a career for herself by deciding what she wanted to do and she just went out and did it. Unfortunately, the career came to an abrupt end when she was in a car accident that caused her significant physical injuries. Then, in the last few years, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. But, her fighting spirit has never been dimmed. She no longer has cancer and I believe that is because she is truly the strongest woman I know.

What has been the biggest accomplishment of your career? Certainly, my biggest accomplishment is my work with Coast to Coast Legal Aid as their Executive Director.

What has been the most challenging moment in your career and how did you overcome it? The most challenging moment in my career was in my first year of law school. My mother, grandmother, aunt and great aunt were in a major car accident which nearly killed all of them shortly before Christmas. The matriarchs of my family were all severely injured and required years of surgeries, therapy and healing. No one in my family told me about the accident until I came home for Christmas break—they hid it from me so that I would finish my midterm exams without distraction. When I learned of this, I wanted to quit law school and stay home with them. But, my father refused to allow me to do that. He drove me back to the airport and did not come in with me. He would not park the car and give me the chance to not get on the plane. My father (lovingly) kicked me out of the car and said “go back to school; that is your life. You cannot stay here and make your life be the care of your mother. I will do that. I will not you let you give up.” I got out of the car as my father ordered and got on the plane. I obviously finished law school thanks to my father’s insistence that his daughter go on to do great things. So, I thank him for pushing me—but I do not think I will “overcome” the guilt of having left them behind that day.

What advice would you give an up and coming professional? My advice to up and coming professionals is to do what you love. You work so many hours of your day and years of your life to spend it doing something that makes you miserable. Follow your passion.

You May Also Like
Apogee Awards Honorees: Meerah Rajavel

Meerah Rajavel is CIO at Citrix and leads their global information technology organization. She is passionate about customer service delivery, employee experience and engagement, and brings more than 25 years

Read More
Apogee Awards Honorees: David Rodriguez

David Rodriguez is a dedicated, results-driven professional with outstanding leadership and motivational experience in sales management, strategic planning, operations, and team development in highly competitive environments. Rodriguez consistently surpasses sales

Read More
Apogee Awards Honorees: Susan N. Eisenberg

Susan N. Eisenberg has over 25 years of experience representing employers in all aspects of employment matters. She is a mediator and arbitrator as well. Susan is the office managing partner

Read More
Apogee Awards Honorees: Roland Sanchez Medina

I work at SMGQ Law concentrating in corporate, real estate and tax. I’m listed in Legal Elite, SuperLawyer and Best Lawyers in America. I currently serve as Chairman of the

Read More
Other Posts
VIDEO RECAP: Highlights From SFBW’s 2024 Prestigious Women Awards Luncheon

We honor the women who contribute to the betterment of South Florida’s community.

Read More
Prestigious Women’s Awards
SFBW and JC White Host Panel Discussion on Tenant Representation

Discover tips on how to move your business and minimize the pain.

Read More
JC White
On the Heels of Success

Successful women CEOs share insights on mentoring and leadership during our recent CEO Connect networking event.

Read More
CEO Connect
SFBW’s Annual D&I Awards Provide an Excellent Opportunity to Engage With Diverse Community

“I think we should all be supportive of people’s basic rights to live their lives, regardless of who they are, how they identify, and who they love,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis says. “I don’t understand people who don’t think that way.”

Read More

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.