{"id":254544,"date":"2026-05-01T21:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254544\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T21:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:37:18","slug":"orlando-women-of-the-year-2026-honorees-susan-boucher-marcellene-s-mercedes-baugh-giuliana-horal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254544\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Women of the Year 2026 Honorees \u2013 Susan Boucher, Marcellene S. Mercedes Baugh, Giuliana Horal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rgz2996\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From left: Susan Boucher, Marcellene S. Mercedes Baugh, Giuliana Horal.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to Dr. Phillips House<\/a> for graciously providing the venue for the photoshoot.<\/p>\n

Vice President of Business Development, The Good Pour; President, The BOHO Foundation<\/p>\n

\"Orlcm<\/a>For Susan Boucher, impact has never been about titles. It has always been about connection.<\/p>\n

Across Central Florida, Boucher has spent decades quietly weaving together people, nonprofits and resources to strengthen the community she calls home. Today, she channels that lifelong instinct into a dual leadership role at The Good Pour and its charitable arm, the BOHO Foundation, where business growth and philanthropy intersect in a uniquely local way.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnection is everything: connecting people to causes, businesses to purpose, and communities to the resources they need to thrive,\u201d Boucher said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest decisions are the ones where you have the most to lose,\u201d Boucher said. \u201cBut leadership means making them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy traces back long before her current executive position. Boucher describes her earliest leadership experience not in boardrooms, but in volunteer spaces: organizing school fundraisers, managing youth sports logistics and supporting scouting activities for her children.<\/p>\n

Those roles, though often invisible, proved formative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t glamorous or paid,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they mattered, and I learned I was good at helping people organize around a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, that same skill set fuels her professional work. As vice president of business development at The Good Pour, Boucher builds partnerships that expand the company\u2019s retail footprint while advancing its core model, which directs a portion of every purchase to charitable causes chosen by customers. As president of the BOHO Foundation, she oversees partnerships with hundreds of nonprofit organizations, helping them increase visibility, strengthen fundraising and build sustainable support networks.<\/p>\n

Her career path, however, has not followed a straight line.<\/p>\n

After beginning in banking and transitioning into the consumer goods sector, Boucher made a difficult decision to step away from her professional trajectory when her family needed more of her time. She describes that period as both challenging and defining.<\/p>\n

Though the choice temporarily slowed her career momentum, she now views those years as foundational rather than lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was building skills, relationships and judgment that no corporate ladder could have given me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That perspective shapes her leadership style today, particularly her emphasis on recognizing behind-the-scenes work. She frequently highlights nonprofit staff and volunteers, many of them women, whose efforts often go unnoticed despite their significant impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are people running food pantries, mentoring youth and supporting families in crisis,\u201d Boucher said. \u201cMy job is to amplify them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having lived in Florida since childhood and raised her family in Central Florida, Boucher credits the region\u2019s culture of volunteerism for shaping her values. She now sees her work as a way of \u201cpouring back\u201d into the same community networks that shaped her life.<\/p>\n

As for the future, Boucher hopes her legacy will extend beyond dollars donated to include a broader shift in how businesses engage with philanthropy. \u201cI want people to see that a business can be built around generosity,\u201d she said. \u201cReal impact comes from showing up consistently and lifting others along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Boucher, that mission remains both deeply personal and unmistakably local: strengthening the connections that allow communities to thrive.<\/p>\n

V.P. of Finance and Accounting, Massey Services Inc.<\/p>\n

\"Orlcm<\/a>When Marcellene S. Mercedes Baugh talks about finance, she doesn\u2019t start with spreadsheets. She starts with people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always viewed my work as an act of service,\u201d Baugh says. \u201cBringing clarity to complexity and stability to uncertainty so our mission and our people can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

As vice president of finance and accounting for Massey Services Inc., Baugh oversees the full scope of financial operations, including payroll, accounts payable and receivable, financial reporting and internal controls. With more than 35 years of experience across public and private companies, she leads with a focus on accuracy, transparency and ethical stewardship.<\/p>\n

But for Baugh, financial leadership is about more than systems and procedures. It\u2019s about trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership is not about being liked; it\u2019s about being trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

That conviction was forged during a defining moment in her career when she chose transparency over comfort, even at personal cost. Standing alone to protect the integrity of her work and the people it served was difficult, she says, but it clarified her understanding of leadership. Courage, she learned, may feel lonely in the moment, but it earns respect in the long run.<\/p>\n

At Massey, Baugh continually refines workflows and strengthens internal controls, modernizing processes while building collaborative, high-performing teams. She believes clarity is a form of care, ensuring financial information is accessible and actionable for those who rely on it.<\/p>\n

Her commitment to stewardship extends well beyond the corporate world. Baugh serves on the board of Orlando Shakes and on the executive board of United Arts of Central Florida, where she is treasurer and chair of the finance committee. In both roles, she brings financial expertise and a deep commitment to expanding community access to the arts while ensuring long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n

For more than 26 years, she has also been an advocate for families navigating juvenile diabetes, a cause that became deeply personal when her son was diagnosed at age 5 shortly after the family moved to Orlando.<\/p>\n

\u201cOvernight, our world felt smaller and more fragile,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut this community made sure we never faced that moment alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teachers learned her son\u2019s care routines. Neighbors checked in. Health care teams treated them like family. That experience reshaped how she leads and serves. It reinforced her belief that strength is shared, not built in isolation, and inspired her to mentor, volunteer and support other families facing similar challenges.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Baugh hopes future Orlando women in finance and nonprofit leadership will say she helped open doors that once felt closed. \u201cI want women to know finance can be a place where they lead with clarity and compassion,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Baugh defines success not by titles but by impact. She intentionally makes space for quiet contributors, sharing credit, amplifying ideas and creating opportunities for others to rise.\u00a0 Her vision for her legacy is simple and powerful: to have used every role she held to make life more stable, more hopeful and more human for others.<\/p>\n

Co-Founder, The Good Pour Wine & Spirits Marketplace<\/p>\n

\"Orlcm<\/a>When Giuliana Horal laughs about asking her mother whether she\u2019s proud that her daughter owns wine and spirits stores, it\u2019s with the self-awareness of someone who understands just how unlikely \u2014 and how intentional \u2014 her path has been.<\/p>\n

As co-founder of The Good Pour Wine & Spirits Marketplace, Horal has helped reimagine what a liquor store can be: welcoming, design-forward and rooted in purpose. What began as a bold idea funded by her and her husband Ray\u2019s life savings has evolved into a fast-growing concept with four stores open, more in the pipeline and a charitable giveback model that has surpassed $462,573.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the business is proprietary software Horal helped create called BOHO \u2014 short for Buy One, Help Others. Rather than asking customers to round up at checkout, BOHO directs a portion of company profits to a nonprofit of the customer\u2019s choosing, with more than 200 charitable partners involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur partners receive unrestricted funds and our customers give to a cause near and dear to their hearts,\u201d Horal says. \u201cIt\u2019s what drives me to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horal\u2019s commitment to service began long before The Good Pour opened its doors. She has volunteered with Give Kids the World, Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida, One Heart for Women & Children, Harbor House, Runway to Hope, the MS Society, Ronald McDonald House and the Coalition for the Homeless, among others. That hands-on community experience informed her belief that businesses can \u2014 and should \u2014 do more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re allowed to quit, but not on a hard day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Argentina, Horal moved to the United States at age 9. She describes feeling \u201cindebted to give back what I feel this country has given me\u201d. After graduating from the University of Central Florida and later earning a master\u2019s degree in marketing in Barcelona, she built a career blending hospitality and branding expertise. While traveling the country with her husband\u2019s vodka brand, she noticed something missing in the retail landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was nowhere I felt safe to shop as a female and there was a huge lack of inspiration at the shelf,\u201d she says. \u201cWhere were these amazing stories of the wineries, the traditions, the craft?\u201d<\/p>\n

Those questions sparked a reinvention. The Good Pour pairs curated wine and spirits with a gifting bar and experiential touches that reflect Orlando\u2019s hospitality culture \u2014 something Horal says has deeply shaped her leadership approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re allowed to quit, but not on a hard day.\u201d<\/p>\n

That advice, passed down from her mother-in-law, has become a guiding principle. Building a mission-driven company has required difficult decisions, including walking away from franchisees and vendors who did not align with the brand\u2019s ethics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weight of always putting the brand first can be heavy,\u201d she says. \u201cBut some of the best decisions have the toughest calls, and the team relies on your resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Orlando continues to grow and redefine itself, Horal hopes The Good Pour will remain rooted here even as it expands nationally,\u00a0 positioning the city as the birthplace of a retail concept that blends commerce with compassion.<\/p>\n

Her legacy, she says, won\u2019t simply be about stores opened or revenue earned. It will be about proving that business success and meaningful community impact can \u2014 and should \u2014 pour from the same bottle.<\/p>\n

\u21a9 Back to Orlando Magazine\u2019s 2026 Women of the Year Honorees<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From left: Susan Boucher, Marcellene S. Mercedes Baugh, Giuliana Horal. Special thanks to Dr. Phillips House for graciously…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-254544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}