Some women pass through a city and improve it. Others touch a culture and enrich it. Very few manage both; Adrienne Arsht is one of these rare women. This year, when she walks into her home of the Arsht Center to join us at the Latina Powerhouse Top 100 celebration, we will see her as the Latin community has seen her: a force and a bold visionary who's opened paths and has long set pivotal foundational blocks for the future. She's this year's recipient of the Latina de Corazón Award.
Adrienne's impact has been tremendous, from the moment she arrived in Miami to her life today in Washington, D.C. Her passion for the Latino community has never been symbolic or fleeting; it has been woven into her decisions, her presence, and her authentic connection to the culture.
Adrienne was born in Wilmington, Delaware, but it was in Miami that she transformed her perspective and her life. What began as a professional transition soon became a lifelong commitment. Adrienne didn’t just embrace Miami — she chose to give back to it.
When she arrived in 1996 to lead TotalBank, she immediately noticed that most clients, customers, and employees were Hispanic. Years later, when she sold the bank in 2007, she felt compelled to return a portion of what Miami had given her. “It felt right to donate $30 million to the performing arts center — something that would benefit the people of Miami,” she says. It was a monumental gesture driven not by calculation but by gratitude. “For a city to be truly global, it must have a world-class performing arts center.”
With that conviction, the Adrienne Arsht Center was built, becoming a symbol. “A performing arts center gives extraordinary value to a city,” she explains. “The arts sustain humanity and define a civilization.”
The impact was immediate. A transitioning neighborhood became a cultural epicenter — a welcoming place for children, young people, families, and local artists, many of them Latino, who finally had a home that saw them, celebrated them, and helped them rise. Today, the Arsht Center is one of the country’s most influential cultural engines. It not only shapes Miami’s artistic life — it projects it globally.
Art as Home, Identity, and the Future of the Latino Community
For Adrienne, the arts are far more than a source of entertainment. They are a shared mirror and a universal language. “A performing arts center has the responsibility to bring voices, music, and stories from around the world to its community,” she says.
From that perspective, she completely understands the importance of the Latino community in the U.S. “When I arrived in Miami in 1996, I saw how Latin culture, music, and art were so vital and represented the community so well. From Celia Cruz to Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Afro-Cuban jazz, Carlos Vives, flamenco, Pitbull, and Bad Bunny. Now, more places across the country are following in Miami's footsteps. Back then, when I occasionally traveled north, I used to say, ‘Miami is the future today,’ and now I say, ‘Look around… of course it is.’”
That understanding didn’t come from afar — it was built, day by day, through traditions, flavors, and rhythms that she embraced with affection and interest: “Learning the meaning of ‘Latino time,’ drinking cafecito morning and afternoon at the bank, celebrating Nochebuena, eating lechón cooked in the Caja China, and enjoying the Three Kings Day parade on Calle Ocho — all of that shaped my journey toward becoming an honorary Latina.”
It also grew through deep friendships with artists like Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and collaborations with Juanes, Gustavo Dudamel, and other talented people who expanded her worldview. Within that tapestry of memory and connection, Adrienne became part of our cultural story.
“The impact of Latin culture on communities is a message written in bold letters.”
A Woman Who Redefines Legacy
At Latina Powerhouse Top 100, we honor those whose leadership strengthens communities, opens doors, and creates the future. Adrienne Arsht belongs to that lineage, proudly representing women who uplift instead of simply building.
Her legacy lies beyond a building or a donation. It is a message: the belief that art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of language, origin, or background. That culture is both a right and a responsibility, and that a community thrives when it can see itself reflected in its own greatness. As she puts it: “The impact of Latin culture on communities is a message written in bold letters.”
That is why receiving the Latina de Corazón Award is more than a symbolic gesture. It is sincere recognition from a community that embraced her — one that now celebrates her as one of its own.
On December 1, under the lights of the Arsht Center and during Miami Art Week, Adrienne was honored at the inaugural Latina Powerhouse Top 100 gala. It was a night filled with pride and celebration — and a moment to acknowledge that her legacy already lives throughout Miami: on its stages, in its artists, in its families, and in the cultural pulse of the city.
Adrienne Arsht accomplished something only true visionaries achieve: she turned culture into a home where everyone, especially Latinos, can find identity, memory, inspiration, and belonging. Adrienne Arsht is, and will always be, a Latina de Corazón.
