2025 United Way Miami Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards Recipients

Mark A. Trowbridge served as President and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for eighteen years, leading the day-to-day operations of the more than 1,600-member organization and working closely with volunteer leaders to drive long-term business development strategies and community initiatives.

Trowbridge elevated the Chamber’s visibility in the community and developed strong programs focused on membership growth, advocacy, small business, economic development and tourism. Under his leadership, the Chamber became a best-practice leader in national initiatives like Small Business Saturday and the local Permitting Assistance Program, while producing beloved community events and a variety of awards programs.

Trowbridge served as Deputy Executive Director for Business Development at the Miami Parking Authority. He also worked with the NFL and the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl XXXIII, where he led a volunteer team of more than 8,500. Earlier in his career, Mark was the Director of Student Activities at the University of Miami, after graduating from the University of Florida.

Deeply involved in his community, Trowbridge was Past President of the national board of the University of Florida Alumni Association and the award-winning Gator Club® of Miami. He also served as Program Chair of Leadership Miami, where he received the Bill Colson Leadership Award. He was the past Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Seraphic Fire and held board positions with the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and New World School of the Arts.

A resident of Miami Springs for over 20 years, Trowbridge moved to South Florida just weeks before Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He developed a profound love for Miami and its vibrant, diverse people, as well as a deep appreciation for the arts. We remember him as one of Miami’s most dedicated and joyful advocates.

Annie Lord was born and raised in Miami, though her education and career have shown her a variety of cities. Growing up in a neighborhood that was highly segregated along racial and economic lines, and with family struggling in Havana, Lord gravitated to a career that could address these inequalities. She saw how life-changing access to capital can be while working at a community development corporation in Washington, D.C. and at Citibank in Dallas. While at a large service organization, she learned how many people struggle to pay basic bills and how an affordable home is often the first step toward a better job, a child’s education and mental and physical health.

In 2018, Lord joined Miami Homes For All as its Executive Director. Miami Homes For All’s mission is to ensure that all Miami-Dade residents have a safe, affordable place to call home. It advocates for policies and provides programs that increase the amount of affordable housing and residents’ access to it.

Annie earned her BA and Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University and lives in Miami with her husband and two sons.

Susan Potter Norton, Esq. is a shareholder at Allen Norton & Blue, P.A. An experienced trial and appellate attorney for more than 40 years, she represents public and private sector employers in a broad range of employment litigation matters including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour and restrictive covenants. She is also experienced in all phases of labor law, including union avoidance, collective bargaining, arbitration, secondary boycotts and strike management. Additionally, she has extensive experience relating to the Davis Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act and the OFCCP.

Potter Norton is an active member of the ABA’s Section of Litigation Leadership, where she has held numerous leadership positions. She is the Co-Chief Editor (Management) for the ABA’s Model Jury Instructions Employment Litigation Section of Litigation (Second Edition 2005) and a frequent lecturer for the ABA’s Section of Litigation Professional Development webinars, as well as others, including the Florida Bar.

Recent presentations include Evaluating Sexual Harassment Claims: Strategies and Best Practices (ABA’s Section of Litigation) (2018), Nuts and Bolts of Union Formation and Elections (Florida Bar Labor & Employment Law Section) (2018) and Strategies and Pitfalls in Litigating FLSA Cases (ABA’s Section of Litigation) (2017).

Potter Norton was the first female President of the Orange Bowl Committee and has been a member of the Executive Board of United Way Miami since 2013. She serves as Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Co-Chair of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of the International Women’s Forum. Potter Norton earned her BA, MBA and JD from Florida State University.

Daniella Levine Cava was elected Miami-Dade County’s first-ever woman mayor in November 2020 and re-elected in August 2024. She oversees a metropolitan government of approximately 23,000 employees, serves nearly three million residents and manages an annual budget of approximately $12 billion.

Mayor Levine Cava’s administration is focused on building a stronger, more prosperous, more resilient Miami-Dade. She aims to reinvigorate a thriving economy that delivers economic security and welcomes new investment, tackle the housing crisis by protecting tenants and building more affordable housing, preserve our environment, including Biscayne Bay and the Everglades and connect every corner of Miami-Dade with efficient and reliable public transit. Directly engaging with residents helps her keep the county government transparent and accountable.

Previously, Mayor Levine Cava served as the Miami-Dade County Commissioner representing District 8. During her 40-year career as a social worker, lawyer and community activist, she has been a relentless advocate for South Florida families. In 1996, she founded Catalyst Miami to help low- and middle-income families through service, education and advocacy, which she ran for nearly two decades. With her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, a Miami native and practicing physician, she is proud to have raised two children, Eliza and Edward, in Miami-Dade.

Maurits Acosta is an incoming freshman at Harvard University, where he plans to study government. A graduate of Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School and Miami-Dade College, Acosta served as the 40^th Student Advisor to the School Board of Miami-Dade County, representing over 350,000 students in America’s third-largest school district.

Born in the Netherlands to Cuban parents, Acosta moved to the United States in 2015 and dedicated himself to building the next generation of our country’s civic leaders. In 2022, he founded Virtutem Populo, Inc., a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting civic engagement and community involvement among youth in the state of Florida. He has raised over $95,000 for civic education, reaching more than 3,000 students with impactful educational programs.

He strongly believes that one must be the change they want to see in the world. Acosta has successfully written and passed infrastructure and flooding legislation at the municipal level to improve his community. His advocacy work and academic excellence have led to him being named a 2024 delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program, the 2024 National PTA Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year and a 2025 Miami Herald Silver Knight in the social sciences category. After graduating from college, Acosta aspires to help safeguard democratic values worldwide and dedicate his life to public service.