Women of the Year 2023 Honorees Part 3
They are educators, mentors, nurses, physicians, fundraisers, entrepreneurs, and individuals who stand up for others. But most of all they are leaders who help keep our community strong. Orlando magazine is proud to honor the 23 individuals featured on the following pages as Women of the Year.
Marcie Golgoski, Kelly Seidl and Dee Harrison
Photo By: Roberto Gonzalez
Marcie Golgoski
Executive Producer of Special Projects | WESH 2
Driven by her self-described “curiosity coupled with the desire to serve,” Marcie Golgoski utilized her gift for storytelling to make a positive impact over her 25-year broadcast career, which has resulted in multiple Emmys and journalism awards.
Golgoski produces long-form investigative content “about anything and everything Central Florida,” she says. “But the position is so much more. I get to build relationships with people in every corner of our community.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, the producer launched a fundraising campaign for Second Harvest Food Bank, where she has twice been named Volunteer of the Year. The campaign hit its $1 million goal in 15 hours. After Hurricane Ian, she helped raise $1.5 million for local storm victims.
“Her work forges connections between those who need help and those who can give it,” according to her nomination.
Professionally, Golgoski hopes she’s “guiding the next generation of journalists to strive for the highest standards in seeking the truth, holding the powerful accountable, and holding up a mirror to the communities we serve.”
Kelly Seidl
Homemade Ice Cream
As a nursing student, Kelly Seidl noticed something while working in an ice cream shop: that “people always smile when they are eating ice cream,” according to her nomination. Now it’s her mission to bring a smile to every face.
“Our passion is making people happy, and it’s why we started making ice cream,” says Seidl, a former emergency room nurse and now ice cream CEO and visionary. “I believe ice cream brings people of all ages together.”
The award-winning company has more than 100 employees in multiple locations and has partnered with local businesses, like Foxtail Coffee.
An avid community supporter, Seidl “gives back by donating her sweet treats to schools, first responders, hospitals and countless Orlando charities,” her nomination says.
Seidl, a graduate of Penn State’s Ice Cream Short Course, enjoys “sharing our story and my love for ice cream, especially to children and young adults—giving them inspiration and showing them if you set your mind to it, anything is possible.”
The ice cream maven says she hopes to continue “bringing joy to the community through our ice cream for generations to come.”
Dee Harrison
Title Agent and Escrow Officer | Alpha Reliable Title
The word “quit” is not part of Dee Harrison’s vocabulary. A native of Jamaica, Harrison took advantage of the 2008 recession to get a paralegal degree before reemerging as a nationally recognized leader in her industry, serving all the while.
“I have watched her operate with integrity and character in a tough world,” her nomination shares. “She overcame the ups and downs of the market and remained constant within the community, always giving to charities and volunteering her time to different nonprofits.”
“Every setback has made me stronger,” Harrison says.
She and her team give back to the community through monetary and clothing donations to underprivileged kids. The minority businesswoman is also a certified hospice volunteer and helps feed the needy.
In 2020, Harrison’s title agency received the prestigious We Deliver Award from the American Title Association, marking the entrepreneur’s 30th anniversary in the title industry.
“It proved to me that hard work does not get overlooked,” Harrison says. “Being a small business does not mean that what I do is small.”
