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Sami Haiman

CEO, Urbander

Samí Haiman-Marrero is the President and CEO of URBANDER, a solution-driven communications agency that helps transform businesses to advance humanity. URBANDER’s role is to serve as an extension of Marketing, Diversity, Human Resources, Procurement, Community Relations, and Social Responsibility teams, providing innovative approaches in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach and JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion). Through the activation of sound business development and culturally intelligent interventions, URBANDER helps entities in the corporate, nonprofit, political and government sectors attain their communication, engagement, and social impact goals.


Under Samí’s leadership, URBANDER was awarded with Orlando Business Journal’s 2020 Diversity In Business “Helping Hand” Award for their caused-based work and its impact on underrepresented, underserved and underestimated communities. Since 2019, Samí has also been the Host and Co-Producer of “I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY”, an award-winning weekly podcast that received two Telly Awards in 2022 for “Social Impact for Social Video” and “Talkshow/Interview for Social Video.” Samí earned a master’s degree in communications from the University of Puerto Rico and is one of the nation’s leading experts specializing in the U.S. Hispanic market.



SAMÍ HAIMAN-MARRERO

PRESIDENT AND CEO


Samí’s career started 28+ years ago working in Public Relations, Marketing and Publishing companies headquartered in New York City. Career highlights include participating in creating the first-ever Spanish language media effort for a U.S. Presidential candidate which led to winning the highly coveted Hispanic vote in 1996, becoming the Publisher of a national Spanish-language magazine, and being interviewed by international, national and regional media such as The Wall Street Journal, El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico), Huffington Post, MSNBC, Florida Trend Magazine, NBCnews.com, and Canada’s CBC News, regarding the Latino experience in the U.S.


Recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in Central Florida in 2016 by VISION Magazine, Samí has served on several prestigious boards such as Visit Orlando, United Arts, the Hispanic American Professional and Business Women’s Association, the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund’s Technical Assistance Committee, the University of Central Florida’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) Community Engagement Council, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando’s Supplier Diversity Council. In 2019, she was appointed by Orange County Florida Commissioner Maribel Gómez-Cordero to the county’s Arts and Culture Council, where she also served as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and she’s been an Official Delegate of the Annual Latino Leadership Summit held at the United Nations by the We Are All Human organization. Sami’s essay entitled “From Invisible to Invincible” regarding her journey from Corporate America into entrepreneurship was part of the inaugural edition of the anthology “Hispanic Stars: The New Face of Power” published in 2020.


Samí’s advocacy for underserved, underrepresented and underestimated communities extends to Silicon Valley, California, where she participates as a member of the Advisory Council for the Social Justice Collaborative. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce, the community in which she resides, and on the Board of Directors of UnitedLatinas, a national organization that furthers the advancement of Latinas in leadership.


As for her philanthropic work, Samí founded SOS Orlando – a 501(c)(3) – in 2017 after the devastating impact of Hurricane María on her beloved Puerto Rico, which now hosts Talleres de Bienvenida (Welcome Workshops), the Azalea Project socioeconomic mobility program, and CASA CULTURE, an Arts Equity and Entrepreneurship Development Model in collaboration with Black and Latino led organizations. SOS Orlando functions as the fiscal sponsor of Gender Advancement Project (GAP) which focuses on providing support to LGBTQ+ people of color, of the Center for Micro-Entrepreneurial Training (CMET) dedicated to helping Black and Latino business owners scale and of So You Want Your Name In Lights, a youth enrichment summer camp for disadvantaged youth that is anchored in music. Seeking to provide meaningful alternative funding for nonprofit organizations and initiatives led by people of color who are already serving people of color, SOS Orlando launched the STEAMIE FUND in 2022. The goal is to upend funding distribution inequities and barriers established by non-minority led organizations to increase participation, representation, capacity building, upskilling, and the advancement of people of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Math, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (STEAMIE).

Sami Haiman
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