Women's Leadership Panel
Women at the Helm: Leadership Lessons from Industry Trailblazers
Sponsored by Sea Land Insurance
What does it take to rise, lead, and thrive in the marine industry? This powerful panel brings together a dynamic group of women who have carved their paths in leadership, marketing, operations, management and media—and are ready to share the lessons that fueled their success.
Guided by Michelle Alexandrowicz, Engage, the conversation will feature inspiring leaders as they reflect on how they found their voices, built their personal brands, and lifted others along the way. With candor and energy, they’ll answer audience questions, share career-defining stories, and reveal how they’ve navigated challenges to emerge as influential voices in the industry.
Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to strengthen their executive presence while staying authentic, resilient, and true to themselves. This isn’t just a panel—it’s a call to action for women to step into their leadership and make waves. Moderator Michelle Aexandrowicz, Panelists: Laura Gilham, Chief Human Resource Officer, Suntex Marinas; Carolina Corral, Sr. VP Southeast Operations, Safe Harbor Marinas; Lori Wheeler, Vice President, Marine Industries of Association of South Florida; and Margaret Boshek, Senior Coastal Engineer, Moffatt & Nichol
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Laura Gilham was born and raised in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and upon graduation moved to Dallas where she later completed her MBA at SMU. Laura joined Suntex Marinas in 2019 with more than 20 years of Human Resource experience in the Hospitality Industry. In the Fall of 2024, she was promoted to the role of Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role she serves on the Executive Committee and is responsible for partnering with the team in the areas of talent management, benefits administration, training and development, rewards and recognition, performance management and other key Human Resource initiatives. Her past experience includes work in the areas of Recruiting, Human Resources and Diversity for Bristol Hotels and Resorts, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide and most recently spent 15 years with ClubCorp as a Vice President of People Strategy. In this role, she was responsible for all functions of Human Resources for the Northeast/Mid Atlantic market.
Carolina Corral joined Safe Harbor in September of 2021 upon Safe Harbor’s acquisition of Marina Puerto Del Rey. Ms. Corral serves as the Senior Vice President of Southeast and currently oversees the management of 40 marinas including four state-of-the-art superyacht facilities: Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center, Safe Harbor Charleston City, Safe Harbor San Juan and Safe Harbor Puerto Del Rey.Prior to joining Safe Harbor, Ms. Corral was a key leader of the executive team at Putnam Bridge, LLC, an investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and development of distressed real estate assets and former owner of Marina Puerto Del Rey. Ms. Corral held several senior positions at Putnam Bridge. She served as Chief Executive Officer of Marina Puerto Del Rey as well as the Chief Operating Officer of Putnam Bridge, overseeing the day-to-day management of all assets located in Puerto Rico. She joined the organization in 2013 as Special Assistant to the CEO where she eventually became the Chief of Staff and later Executive Director of Marina Puerto Del Rey.
Before joining Putnam Bridge, Ms. Corral was an Associate at a local bankruptcy firm. As a law student in Villanova School of Law, Ms. Corral immersed herself in different endeavors; she held a clerkship at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and an internship for Copyrait International Lawyers in Spain. She is a strong business development professional with a Juris Doctor focused on Corporate Law from Villanova University School of Law. She also holds a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Business, Psychology, and Italian from Villanova University.
In January of 2022, Ms. Corral was welcomed as a new board member of the Water Revolution Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in Superyachts.
Lori Wheeler has called Broward County home for over 15 years, having grown up in Palm Beach County after her family moved to South Florida from Massachusetts. She attended Palm Beach State College and Florida Atlantic University. Before joining MIASF, Lori managed Florida’s Traffic & Bicycle Safety Education Program for the Boca Raton Police Services Department, serving as the city’s liaison to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board. She also worked as a customer service supervisor and account manager for local companies.
An active community leader, Lori serves on the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chairs its Marine Advisory Council. She is also on the boards of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, CareerSource Broward Workforce Development, Winterfest Foundation, and the National Marine Trades Council (NMTC), which she currently chairs. Additionally, she leads the Yacht Service Technician Apprenticeship Program and is involved with Leadership Broward, co-chairing its Business Day program.
Lori is a member of Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 42 and serves on the American Lung Association of South Florida’s Turquoise Takeover Lung Force Committee and a member of the American Heart Association’s Executives with Heart. Her achievements include induction into the 2018 Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County 100 Outstanding Women, recognition as a 2019 South Florida Business & Wealth Up & Comer honoree, a 2023 Women Trailblazer of Broward County by History Fort Lauderdale, and one of Boating Industry’s 2024 Women Making Waves.
Margaret is a Senior Coastal Engineer with Moffatt & Nichol whose projects span the globe, ranging from the design of multi-million dollar luxury marinas to beloved community parks. She believes in working with nature to create dynamic, functional waterfront destinations that remain resilient through changing weather patterns and water levels.She received her BSc in Ocean Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology and her joint MSc in Coastal and Marine Engineering & Management from TU Delft in the Netherlands, UPC in Spain, and NTNU in Norway.
Margaret is an active member of ASCE, PIANC, and COPRI as well as a contributing author to DockAge Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, hiking, and flying.
