Leticia M. Diaz, dean of the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, was named the 2013 Outstanding Female in Education during La Prensa’s Mujeres Destacadas (Exceptional Women) awards ceremony March 9 in Orlando.

The Mujeres Destacadas gala is the signature National Women’s History Month event for La Prensa. The awards, held annually in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Orlando, celebrate the contributions of exceptional women in eight professional areas, including education, the arts, business and public service. Diaz and her fellow honorees were chosen from among 24 Central Florida finalists. She was cited for “her tireless, talented and enthusiastic leadership” in service to Barry Law and the community.

“I am honored and humbled to receive such a prestigious award from an esteemed organization such as La Prensa,” Diaz said. “In accepting this award, I would like to pay tribute to all the women across the nation whose leadership has brought significant change to the communities they serve. Their efforts, great and small, are changing lives in the Hispanic community and beyond.”

Guests at the ceremony, held at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort, included U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Mari Carmen Aponte, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, La Prensa CEO/Publisher Dora Casanova Nelson, and Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz.

La Prensa, an impreMedia company, is the oldest Hispanic media organization in Central Florida. It has presented the Mujeres Destacadas awards for the past six years to pay tribute to the civic, professional and philanthropic accomplishments of women in the Central Florida community.