The Sugar Babies has special significance to Millie Herrera, because it shows two opposing faces of humanity: the cruelty of a few who exploit others unnecessarily to obtain opulence and wealth, and the kindness of others who have the courage to expose this cruelty, fight against it and be real agents of change at great personal sacrifice and struggle.
Millie Herrera was born in La Habana, Cuba in 1957, and there began her journey in search of social justice and freedom. From a very young age, she chose to speak up against injustice. When in the midst of the Cuban “revolution” her fourth grade teacher wanted to lower her final grades because she was a gusana, (meaning “worm” in Spanish, and a term used to describe Cubans who were against the regime and had asked to leave the country), she stood up in class and argued against this practice. In 1967, she migrated to Spain with her mom, step-dad and baby sister, and seven months later to the United States. They settled in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the following year traveled to Venezuela for the first time to see her father, whom she had not seen since her parents divorced and he left Cuba when she was 3 years old.
After graduating from high school she moved to Caracas for a year and a half, then returned to the US to study Management Information Systems in Lafayette, Louisiana. There she married and transferred with her husband to Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois. Her daughter Ana Maria was born in 1981 and she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1983. After her marriage ended, she moved to Dallas, Texas, and finally to Miami, Florida, where she calls home. In 1995 she decided that she needed a career change and began pursuing a Masters degree in Business Administration and Marketing, which she completed in 2001. Millie founded The Miami Group after 18 years in travel technology marketing, and management information systems for the banking, insurance and energy industries. Prior to founding The Miami Group, Millie was Product and Marketing Manager at Amadeus North America, Project Manager and Business Systems Analyst for American Bankers Insurance Group and Centrust Bank, both in Miami, Florida, and Dresser Industries in Dallas, Texas. She began her professional career in technology at GPI Grupo de Proyectos in Caracas, Venezuela, and later developed and supported financial information systems at City National Bank of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Pursuing her passion for community involvement and public policy advocacy, Millie has over nine years of successful issue advocacy and political consulting experience with candidates and parties. Millie served on an elected capacity on the Miami-Dade County Community Council 12 from 2003 to 2006, and was Vice Chair for the 2005 term. She was Secretary of the Board of Directors of Union Positiva, a non-profit organization focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and outreach for the Hispanic community from 2002 to 2005. Millie is a 2004 Fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. She also serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Girls Advocacy Project, an intervention program for girls detained in the juvenile justice system, and is a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem in Miami-Dade County.
Her true passion continues to be social justice and freedom for all, especially children and women who many times find themselves without these rights.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
