Wertheim Lecture Series

Community Outreach

Longtime State Farm exec describes the workplace's bicultural advantage.

Annette Martinez

"I thought being a Hispanic woman meant there's only a certain level of leadership I can reach," said Paola A. Lacouture, a student at Florida International University (FIU). "However, after listening to Annette Martinez, I learned that the thickness of the glass ceiling is determined by me. We set our own limits." Annette Martinez, vice president of operations, human resources at State Farm Insurance Companies, spoke on "The Bicultural Advantage in the Workplace" on November 3rd. Her appearance at the College of Business Administration was part of the Herbert A. Wertheim Lecture Series.

Future is bright for skilled audit professionals, Deloitte leader and FIU alumnus tells students.

Carlos Sabater

The audit profession is experiencing a paradigm shift, according to a man who should know. Carlos Sabater (BACC '81), national audit leader of Deloitte & Touche LLP and member of U.S. Board of Directors of Deloitte LLP, returned to his alma mater to be the first Executive in Residence for the School of Accounting in the College of Business at Florida International University (FIU), spending a day on campus in September.

Bacardi's Julious Grant shares keen insight into wine and spirits industry.

Perhaps no industry is as regulated as the wines and spirits business, with myriad federal and state-by-state compliances. That's part of the challenge in achieving brand success, explained Julious Grant, senior vice president and national sales distributor for Bacardi U.S.A. Inc. Speaking on "Bacardi: Our Route to Consumers in the United States of America," Grant described for an audience of 90 the marketing paths Bacardi has followed to become the largest privately held spirits company in the world with more than 200 labels.

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Accredited by:

AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Wertheim Lecture Series

Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim, a long-time supporter of Florida International University and of our college as well as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, endowed the Wertheim Lecture series in 1993 to bring distinguished speakers and experts in business leadership and entrepreneurship to campus to address the college’s students, faculty, and alumni.

About Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim

Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim, who endowed this lecture series, is an inventor, educator, scientist, eye physician, clinician, entrepreneur, philanthropist and community leader. His enduring discoveries and contributions to eye care and other scientific fields have touched millions of people during his forty years of eye research.

Dr. Wertheim is founder and chairman of Brain Power, Inc., (BPI), the world’s largest manufacturer of ophthalmic instruments and chemicals for eye care professionals and optical laboratories, with extensive research and manufacturing facilities in the US and Europe. He is or has been one of the majority shareholders, chairman or board member of eighteen private, NYSE or NASDQ companies in banking, health care, aerospace, real estate, transportation, and diverse high tech industries. He was a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and currently is a member of the Chief Executives Organization (CEO) and of the World Presidents Organization (WPO). He was a US naval aviator and is a licensed multi-engine pilot, as well as a US Coast Guard licensed captain in the US Merchant Marine.

Dr. Wertheim has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and board member of Florida International University’s Foundation and its 42,000 students, faculty, and staff from 1988 through 2001. He is a founding member of Florida International University’s Board of Trustees since its establishment by the Florida Legislature in 2000 and was reappointed for a second term by Governor Bush in 2003.

Dr. Wertheim also is a member of numerous local and national charitable boards. And, he serves as chairman of the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation, which has supported hundreds of local and international educational, cultural, sporting, and community health care organizations around the world with millions of dollars in financial aid and grants. The Wertheim Foundation was the founding benefactor of the Koala and River Otter projects at Miami Metro Zoo. The Wertheim Foundation was the first to fund a five-year PBS contract for National Geographic and ten other science and cultural programs for WPBT Miami Public Television.