TALLAHASSEE, FL, June 23, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to honor Beatriz Maciá as a Woman of Influence. An accomplished listee, Ms. Maciá, also known as Beatriz Maciá Gutiérrez, celebrates many years' experience in her professional networks, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her fields as a political activist, first responder, author, artist, entrepreneur, and volunteer. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Maciá is renowned as a leader in the Conservative grassroots movement, currently as the executive director of Freedom Speaks Coalition, a national non-profit organization, to which she brings more than 30 years of expertise in policy, government and management analysis, campaign management, project management, government relations and administration. She keeps current in her field as a member of SafeEdK12, a non-profit, as a Caucus Member of the United Nations Family Rights Caucus, and as a member of Family Watch International.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Ms. Maciá came to the United States as an exile during Fidel Castro's revolution. Her grandfather, Gustavo Gutierrez, had served Cuba as Speaker of the House, Minister of Finance, and Ambassador to the United Nations. An economist and attorney, he participated in setting the world currency standards. Her father, Roberto Maciá Vinent, was a member of Brigade 2506, fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion to free Cuba from Communism, and was a prisoner of war for almost two years. Upon returning to the U.S, he joined the U.S. Army, fought in Vietnam, and served as a company commander of an Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Her upbringing left her with a strong awareness of the multidimensionality of politics and a firm belief in the value of public service. She became a naturalized citizen in 1975 and takes her oath of citizenship very seriously. Ms. Maciá subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Florida State University in 1994 and a professional certificate in management from the University of South Florida in 2001. She was a member of the Dean's List and a member of Lambda Pi Eta.
Ms. Maciá's career began in 1971 and includes varied experience in both the private and public sectors. She started working when she was in high school, became a legal secretary, executive secretary, governor's aide, government analyst, management analyst, and eventually executive director. She worked in the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches, as well as state agencies, of Florida government. This gives her unique insight into the workings of government. She served as a delegate to the controversial 1977 Florida Women's Conference, which was part of the National Year of the Woman's conferences in all 50 states. She accepted the position of administrative assistant to the legislative affairs director at the Agency for Health Care Administration in 1989. Ms. Maciá departed the aforementioned agency and in 1994 to joined the Jeb Bush gubernatorial campaign as a fiscal assistant and a campaign management intern.
From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Maciá worked as an aide and government analyst for Florida Governor Lawton Chiles. From 1998-2006, she worked in the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Operations. Under the executive office of Governor Jeb Bush she was an active member of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, State Emergency Response Team (SERT), a Florida Task Force member, and served as the assistant director of the Disaster Recovery Centers Headquarters Office (in Mississippi for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita). During her tenure, her team was instrumental in supporting state and federal relief efforts for the incredible seven 2004-2005 hurricanes. Her disaster response experience starts with Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and includes the 2001 high-profile anthrax mail scares, floods, and tropical storms. She is proud of being part of helping over 450,000 Mississippians and making an impossible delivery of six pallets of donated toys to children who had lost everything in the hurricane. As an American Red Cross volunteer, she served as a shelter manager, trainer, emergency operations center staff and responded to 9/11, house fires, and several hurricanes with the latest being Hurricane Michael in 2018. Her work for the Red Cross includes being an Armed Services Response volunteer to assist our military personnel in knowing services available to them and in helping them come home for family deaths. Ms. Maciá further flourished as a board member, then president, of the Tallahassee Tea Party from 2009 to 2012, and as a presidential campaign's Panhandle regional chair for tea parties from 2011 to 2012.
In 2011, Ms. Maciá pursued numerous certifications from FEMA and the United States Department of Homeland Security, including L-449 Incident Command, HSEEP, and Train-the-Trainer training. She returned to policy and social action in 2013 as the Florida state director of the National Hispanic-American Alliance and as the field director in North Florida for Susan B. Anthony List from 2017 to 2018. Notably, Ms. Maciá was appointed as the executive director of Freedom Speaks Coalition in 2019.
Ms. Maciá attributes her career success to her perseverance, her "be a victor not a victim" mentality, her great dislike of injustice, and her sincere concern and love for people, especially children and preborn. In the coming years, she plans to continue to use her unique background to inform legislative decisions and the grassroots, particularly regarding legislation affecting underserved and at-risk children and youth. In addition to her work in public service, Ms. Maciá is a published author and her 2016 book "Good Night at the Zoo" is currently available on Amazon in digital and paperback formats. She continues to write. She is a published artist and wrote and directed two plays. She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1974.
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