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Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin serves as a role model, motivator, inspiration and mentor to all Hispanic females. In November of 2000, she became the first Hispanic elected to the Broward County Board of Commissioners. She has been appointed to serve as a member of: The City County/Liaison Group, The Juvenile Justice Board, The Children's Services Board, The Metropolitan Planning Organization, The Water Advisory Board, and The Resource Recovery Board. Her priorities include "Neighborhoods First," mental health, substance abuse, environmentally sensitive growth management, children and family services. Also, she continues her commitment to provide equitable opportunities, services and resources to the residents of District 8, which is the most culturally diverse community in Broward County. Diana was born in Havana, Cuba. She came to the United States in 1960, and became a United States citizen in 1970. She resides in Southwest Ranches with her husband, Richard. They share four children. In 1981, when her children entered school, she became actively involved in the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the District Advisory Council (DAC). In 1984, she was appointed by the Governor of Florida to serve on the South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners. In 1988, Diana became the first Hispanic female elected countywide when she won a seat on the School Board of Broward County, Florida. She was reelected in 1992 and 1996. As a Board Member, she assisted in the development of policies, implementation of curriculum, and provided an educational environment capable of meeting the diverse Multicultural needs of the fifth largest school district in the nation. She represented the School Board in Tallahassee as Legislative Liaison from 1988-1991 and 1993-1994. Due to her efforts, while serving on the Governor's Commission on Education, Broward County received additional funding to build new schools in a faster, less expensive and more effective manner. While serving
on the School Board, she initiated numerous projects including: The Youth
Motivator Program in which mentors meet with at-risk children on a weekly
basis; The Cultural Awareness Program which provides in-service training
and curriculum for all personnel; The Swim Central Program which has provided
water safety education to over 26,000 children; and The Nutrition Committee
which researches ways to improve the meals that are served to the children.
Two other programs that she was instrumental in developing include: Physical
Education Programs K-12; and Smoke Free Class of 2000. The Multicultural
Education and Outreach Department was created though her efforts to identify
the potential in each non-English speaking student and place them appropriately
to meet their specific needs. DIANA WASSERMAN-RUBIN ELECTED OFFICES Appointed to: City County/Liaison Group, Juvenile Justice Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Children's Services Board, Water Advisory Board and Resource Recovery Board. November 1988 - November 2000: Board Member, The School Board of Broward County, Florida. November 1991 - November 1992: Chairperson, The School Board of Broward County, Florida. NATIONAL APPOINTMENT STATE APPOINTMENTS EDUCATIONAL INVOLVEMENT 1993 - 1994 & 1988-1991: School Board Liaison to the Florida State Legislature, Florida School Boards Association (FSBA). 1991 - 1992: Member, Educational Issues in a Multicultural Society Committee, FSBA. 1991 -1992: Co-chairperson, Oversight Committee for Budget and Tax Reform Commission, FSBA. 1989 - 1990: Member, Board Development Committee, FSBA. 1989 - 1990: Member, Appropriations Subcommittee, FSBA. 1988 - 1992: Member, Board of Directors, FSBA. 1984 - 1985: Chairperson, Broward County Schools District Advisory Committee. LECTURES 1999: Panelist/Presenter at Latino Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. 1996: Guest Professor at Broward Community College and Florida International University. 1995: Panelist for League of Women Voters of Broward Community College "Immigration Impact on Education." 1992: Guest Professor at Florida Atlantic University Doctoral Program. "Cultural Diversity in the Teaching Profession." COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 1986-2000: Member, Hispanic Unity of Florida, Inc., Board of Directors. 1987-1988: President, Hispanic Unity of Florida, Inc. 1998-2000: Board Member, Broward County Planning Council. 1990-1991: Chairperson, Sex Equity Committee, Broward County Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). 1987-Present: Member, CSW. 1990-1997: Member, United Way of Broward County Board of Directors, Marketing Development Committee, Multicultural Involvement Task Force & Cabinet Committee. 1993-1995: Member, Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse Board of Directors. 1992-1994: Member, American Lung Association of Broward-Glades-Hendry, Inc., Board of Directors. 1991-1992: Member, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors. 1991-1992: Member, Broward County Performing Arts Center Steering Committee. 1990-1991: Member, Broward County Disparity Study Committee. 1987-1988: Chairperson, South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners. 1984-1987: Member, South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners. SPECIAL AWARDS 1999: Swim Central of Broward, "Leadership & Dedication Award." 1999: B'nai B'rith International, "Women & Children Advocacy Award." 1997: Weizmann Institute of Science, "Woman of Vision." 1996: First Hispanic Inducted into the Broward County Women's Hall of Fame. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Hosted the very first visit of the National Chairperson of the NAACP to Fort Lauderdale. Coalition of Essential Schools: Represented Broward County's parents during the planning and implementation procedures. Commission on the Status of Women: Participated in pay equity review of Broward government employees 1989-1990. Study indicated over 1,300 employees (65% women) were underpaid; resulted in County providing retroactive pay. Cultural Awareness Program: Initiated provision of inservice training and curriculum for teachers, administrators and all support personnel. Department of Foreign Student Affairs: Instrumental in establishing the Multicultural Education Department. Foreign students are assessed and placed in programs to meet their diverse needs. Enterprise Village: Worked to establish a business/economic education training program for Broward students. Environmental Concerns: Proposed methods to reduce duplication of information that is disseminated to, and by, School Board Members to eliminate paper waste. Exploring Your Horizon: Worked to establish a career exploration program for eighth grade girls in nontraditional professions. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUED South Florida environment for teaching our children to love and respect their environment and understand their responsibility to maintain our planet. Grants: Proposed better use of Grants' Department to obtain additional sources of revenue for programs offered to our students. Hispanic Celebration Month: Resolution to the School Board to observe October as Hispanic Celebration Month. Proposed and encouraged various activities to be observed. Hispanic Forum: Hosted a group of interested Hispanics from each of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries to improve acceptance and understanding throughout Broward County. Learn to Swim Program: Initiated the establishment of a pilot program in conjunction with pool safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); program expanded to include in-water training for students with full cooperation from cities and agencies. Resulted in a Countywide Program called Swim Central. Since its inception, 26,000 children received free "Swim-to-Safety" education, with Swim Central providing free water safety education to over 15,000 children in 50 Broward County Elementary Schools. Mother Daughter Program: Worked to establish a Dropout Prevention Program for Hispanic females. Nutrition Committee: Established a committee to study and recommend ways to improve the meals served to our students. This ongoing, active committee of professionals, school and community representatives has resulted in many nutritionally sound changes for our students. Southwest Growth: Initiated and maintained a positive line of communication between all concerned parties to negotiate for a high school in the city of Pembroke Pines and for a special-assessment district alternative to fast-track much needed schools in this fast-growing area of the County. Obtained $800,000 from area developers to fast-track other needed schools. Physical Education Programs K-12: Proposed implementation of a method of accountability for the Physical Education Programs. Project Bald Eagle: Worked with Adult Education to develop a program to reach minority males who dropped out of school in the past two years. Smoke Free Class of 2000: Worked with the American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association to propose appropriate curriculum regarding smoke free schools and awareness of the harmfulness of tobacco. Starbursting to be Addressed by the Board: At a 1995 Boundary Meeting, offered recommendations to end starbursting by saying, "The School Board is committed to applying student assignment strategies for desegregation purposes equally and firmly for all students within the District. Accordingly, the student assignment practice known as starbursting shall be eliminated as a policy option utilized by the District in its annual boundary-setting process." Take Your Daughter to Work Day: Proposed a resolution to the School Board for release time for parents across the County to take their school-aged daughter (and subsequently, child) to work to expose them to various professions. Uniforms: Initiated the exploration of student uniform usage resulting in the current mandatory policy and participation by numerous schools. Youth Motivator Program: Recruited mentors to meet with at-risk students on a weekly basis for three months at a time; results have been extremely positive. Mentored for over six years.
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