Women Leaders in Florida Shaping Business in 2026
Introduction
Women Leaders in Florida are helping redefine business leadership across the state by bringing innovation, resilience, and long-term vision to industries such as technology, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, and professional services. Their contributions go beyond executive titles: they have introduced new ways of serving customers, modernized operations, expanded access to services, and built organizations that respond more effectively to changing market needs. In many cases, their innovative thinking has helped companies grow while also strengthening the communities they serve.
At the same time, women leaders in Florida continue to navigate challenges that are still common in business leadership, including access to capital, underrepresentation in senior decision-making roles, and the pressure to prove credibility in industries that have historically been male-dominated. Even so, many have turned those challenges into opportunities to lead with creativity and purpose. Broader research from organizations such as The Commonwealth Institute Florida and the U.S. Small Business Administration highlights both the progress women have made and the barriers that still remain. This page provides a factual overview of women leaders in Florida and the industries they help shape.
Top 10 Women Leaders in Florida
| Rank | Leader Name | Company | Role | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martine Rothblatt | United Therapeutics | CEO | Biotechnology |
| 2 | Tiffany Bailey | Bayside Sod Inc | CEO | Agriculture / Turfgrass |
| 3 | Christina Unkel | Tampa Bay Sun FC | President & General Manager | Sports Management |
| 4 | Indra Sandal | National Center for Transformational Innovation | Chief Innovation Officer & Founder | Veterans Healthcare Innovation |
| 5 | Debbie Zaller | Schellman | COO | Cybersecurity & IT Compliance |
| 6 | Andrea Gonzmart Williams | 1905 Family of Restaurants | Executive Vice President | Hospitality & Restaurant |
| 7 | Maky Zanganeh | Summit Therapeutics | CEO & President | Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals |
| 8 | Kristine Retetagos | Kast Construction Co. | Senior Vice President | Commercial Construction |
| 9 | Christine Duffy | Carnival Cruise Line | President | Maritime / Cruise Infrastructure |
| 10 | Detra Smith-O'Bryant | Florida Home Partnership Inc. | CEO | Real Estate / Affordable Housing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Women leaders in Florida work across biotechnology, agriculture, sports management, healthcare innovation, cybersecurity, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, construction, cruise operations, and real estate. Their leadership is spread across both high-growth industries and community-focused organizations.
Women in Florida serve in a wide range of leadership positions, including CEOs, presidents, founders, executive vice presidents, chief innovation officers, COOs, and senior vice presidents. These roles show that women are leading at both strategic and operational levels.
Yes. Women leaders in Florida are active in private companies, public companies, family businesses, sports organizations, and nonprofit housing and community organizations. This broad presence reflects the diversity of Florida’s economy.
Women leaders help guide organizations that create jobs, deliver services, support innovation, and strengthen communities. Their leadership contributes to business growth, workforce development, and long-term economic stability across the state.
Florida benefits from women-led leadership through stronger business performance, broader industry representation, and leadership that reflects the state’s diverse population and economy. Women leaders also help expand opportunities in both established and emerging sectors.
Florida’s large and varied economy creates opportunities in industries such as tourism, healthcare, construction, technology, and nonprofit work. That mix allows women leaders to build influence across many different types of organizations.
Conclusion
Across these ten profiles, a clear trend stands out: women leaders in Florida are most often guiding organizations where complexity, trust, and execution matter just as much as vision. Many of the companies and institutions represented here operate in regulated, service-driven, or capital-intensive industries such as healthcare, biotechnology, construction, cybersecurity, hospitality, and affordable housing. That pattern shows that women in Florida are not only entering leadership roles, but are increasingly being entrusted with organizations that require both strategic decision-making and operational discipline.
This is an important signal about the state’s business landscape. Florida’s economy is creating space for women to lead in sectors that directly affect daily life and long-term growth, from travel and restaurants to innovation and community development. The result is a leadership profile that is broad, practical, and deeply connected to the state’s economic future.
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