Miami business leader Aida Levitan named to Forbes 50 over 50 group of top females
Aida Levitan — chair of U.S. Century Bank, one of Miami’s largest community banks — was selected to Forbes magazine’s 50 over 50 list of top female business leaders, entrepreneurs and financiers.
Forbes recognized the women in four categories: money; entrepreneurs; lifestyle; and impact. Levitan, 74, was part of the money group and the only Cuban American among the honorees. This is the second year the magazine acknowledged women “stepping into their power in life’s second half.”
She has been a longtime leader in Miami’s business community and serves as president of ArtesMiami, a nonprofit supporting Hispanic artists and cultural organizations and of the Levitan Group, the company branding and marketing firm she started in 2006.
U.S. Century Bank CEO Luis de la Aguilera called Levitan a “force of nature” and “an icon in our community.”
Levitan expressed gratitude for her inclusion on Forbes’ list of the most accomplished women over 50. She joins other barrier-breaking females, including Miami’s Kentanji Brown-Jackson, the first Black female Supreme Court justice.
“I am honored by this wonderful Forbes recognition, which represents a capstone to my journey from Cuban exile to chair of a publicly-traded bank,” she said in a statement. “I also thank our board and management team for making me a part of the outstanding U.S. Century Bank success story. Only in this extraordinary country can a penniless, first-generation refugee receive so many opportunities to grow and achieve great dreams.”
Forbes’ mini-profile of Levitan noted these highlights from her career:
▪ In 2017, at 69, she became the only Cuban American female chair of the board of a U.S. commercial community bank.
▪ In 2021, at 73, she took U.S. Century Bank public.
▪ In 2010, she was appointed by President Barack Obama and Congress to the national commission on the creation of the Smithsonian Latino Museum and became vice chair of the Smithsonian Latino Center in 2013.
Levitan co-founded Sanchez & Levitan marketing communications agency in 1986, worked there 15 years as an executive before the firm was sold.
She continues leading the Levitan Group, a Miami strategic branding and marketing firm. During her career, she’s done extensive public relations and advertising work for venerable global brands such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola USA and Absolut Vodka.
Levitan earned a doctoral degree in Spanish language and literature from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature from University of Miami.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 7:13 PM.
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