January 5, 2015. The Florida State Fair Authority is pleased
to announce the winners of the 2015 Florida State Fair Diversity Community Leaders Wall of Fame. In
the online internet voting awards; Honorable Gwen Miller will be honored on the African American
Wall of Fame, Delia Sanchez will be honored on the Hispanic Wall of Fame, and Ann Poonkasem
will be honored on the new Asian-Pacific Wall of Fame. The Committee Selected Historical
Honorees will be Jettie B. Wilds, an African American Civil Rights Activist and Al Lopez, Hispanic
Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee. The committee also decided to honor Kimi Springsteen, PhD for
her dedicated work as the Asian American liaison to Hillsborough County government.
All nominations were reviewed by the Fair State Fair Authority Diversity committee members who chose
five candidates for the African-American nomination, four candidates for the Hispanic nomination and
four candidates for the Asian-Pacific nomination. The public voted online for their favorite nominee to
determine those selected for the honor. Honorees will be recognized on the Wall of Fame at the 2015
Florida State Fair. New for this year the Committee decided to honor 2 Asian-Pacific honorees for their
achievements in the past and present. The honorees and/or their immediate family members will be
invited to the ceremony and presentation taking place on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Florida State
Fair at 10AM inside the Waterfront Cafe.
The 111th annual Florida State Fair will take place February 5-16, 2015. The Florida State Fair – always
in Tampa and always in February – is organized by the Florida State Fair Authority under the
supervision of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Commissioner Adam Putnam.
The Florida State Fair Authority operates from revenues generated from the annual State Fair and other
ongoing events during the year. The Florida State Fair Authority does not receive any state tax
appropriations from Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, nor the State of Florida.
For more information about the Florida State Fair or the Fairgrounds, visit online www.floridastatefair.com,
call toll-free (800) 345-FAIR or (813) 621-7821.
