 Catherine A. Minnis |
Catherine A. Minnis (MBA ’97, BBA ’93) is an alumna who works hard to improve the quality of life for Miami-Dade residents.
Currently, she serves as regional coordinator of the Team Metro Kendall office, responsible for managing a service center that provides outreach, education, and service excellence throughout districts 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. She has more than nineteen years of local government experience with Miami-Dade County.
“It takes someone else seeing the potential in you in order to make it,” Minnis said. She added that Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam gave her a chance more than ten years ago to prove herself in the first Executive MBA class. Today, she incorporates skills from the program, especially those in teambuilding, in running an efficient office.
“Working in groups builds upon people’s strengths,” she said. “In any business, you have to have teamwork or it doesn’t work, and Team Metro is a great team.”
Minnis serves as a public servant but runs the office as if it were her own company.
Minnis has a positive and optimistic point of view and works with a “can-do” attitude. Her team not only meets but also exceeds the goals she’s given. She motivates her staff to focus on the bigger picture and measures her success and that of her team by pursuing goals set forth by her organization’s strategic plan. In fact, she uses an online, strategy enterprise to measure and guide her team’s performance.
Even though she is driven by the accomplishments of Team Metro, Minnis’ bottom line is meeting the needs of the region’s citizens; she believes in what she does and cares about people.
Dedication to improving lives carries over into community involvement.
Minnis was named the American Cancer Society’s 2006 Volunteer of the Year for outstanding service to “Making Strides against Breast Cancer.” She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and vice president of the National Black MBA Association, South Florida Chapter. She also graduated from Leadership Miami, an annual program coordinated by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce which brings together about 100 of Miami-Dade County’s emerging leaders to examine community issues.
This year, Minnis was acknowledged in Who’s Who in Black South Florida, a publication recognizing individuals whose positions or accomplishments in their chosen fields are significant and whose contributions to the community have improved the quality of life of those they serve. In 2006, she was included in Cambridge’s Who’s Who among Executives and Professionals.
Minnis attributes her success to her exposure to and interaction with dynamic leaders in South Florida. One such leader, Sam Hines, president of the National Black MBA Association, South Florida Chapter, said, “Minnis is the consummate professional who excels at whatever she does. I have seen her soar in her career. She is a superb leader who instills confidence in her team.”
The future for Minnis holds many more promising and fulfilling accomplishments. She said she sees herself pursuing her PhD and becoming actively involved in community boards.
