Iranetta J. Dennis
Pamela C. Cates-Smith, M .D. PHYSICIAN ORLANDO HEALTH PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATES
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ince 2009, Pamela C. Cates-Smith, M.D., has been a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist at Orlando Health Physician Associates. She cares for women through all stages of life. She has a special interest in adolescent gynecology, irregular menstrual cycles and higher risk obstetrics. In her career, she has been awarded the Patients Choice Award, Most Compassionate Doctor, Woman of the Year and most notably, Top OB-GYN Physician in Florida in 2018. She was recently featured in “Orlando Style” magazine as one of the Elite Physicians of 2022. She also currently serves as the medical director for The Pregnancy Center. A graduate of Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts in Gary, Ind., Dr. Cates-Smith received her bachelor's degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Graduate and medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis followed, where she found her specialty. She completed her residency at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando. Dr. Cates-Smith, along with her identical twin sister, Dr. Patrice Cates-Lonberger, are co-founders of Grace Girls Foundation, Inc., where their mission is dedicated to promoting and empowering girls to develop self-esteem, self-worth, and self-awareness through character development, community service, leadership and scholarship. Grace Girls helps young women realize they are leaders with spiritual gifts in every aspect of their lives and remember that “there but for the grace of God go I.” Her greatest professional and personal achievement is the ability to maintain balance between career and family including her husband and two children, daughter, Giselle and son, Gavin. She enjoys traveling, exercising, liturgical dancing, fine dining and spending time with family. Dr. Cates-Smith stands on the scripture, Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
ranetta J. Dennis is the Supplier Diversity Director with the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX). As the director, she is responsible for implementing CFX’s Supplier Diversity Policy and programs. She has 24 years in state government, 17 of which have been in areas of program development for small, minority and women-owned business enterprises. Dennis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, as well as acquiring her certification as a Master Compliance Administrator. She has been acknowledged for her contributions and support of small, minority and women-owned businesses. Throughout her career, her primary objective has been to transition these businesses from the role of subcontractors to sustainable prime contractors within the community. Dennis is the president of Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Central Florida, a team of professionals with years of leadership, experience and knowledge in the transportation industry. The board provides ongoing counsel and oversight of the business strategy and organization affairs and are dedicated to ensuring longterm growth and success. COMTO Central Florida is a dynamic, multimodal transportation organization that provides leadership programs as well as advocacy services to businesses, members and communities within the Central Florida area including but not limited to; Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sarasota Counties.
“If you cannot fly, then run, if you
can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
26 ONYX MAGAZINE
SUPPLIER DIVERSITY DIRECTOR CENTRAL FLORIDA EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” NELSON MANDELA
ONYX MAGAZINE 27
