She still remembers the trauma.
Michelle Shirley’s life as a child in Miami included exposure to domestic violence and conflict that influenced her into adulthood. “I wound up in a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in,” recalls Shirley.
Working as an office manager, in her twenties, she landed at Be Strong International, the Miami non-profit that promotes healing and emotional wellness in youth and families. “I said, ‘This is something that I really want to be a part of,’” Shirley remembers.
By 2012 she’d become Be Strong’s CEO, and today her leadership places her among Miami’s most impactful achievers in her field. Along with experts and professionals in law, real estate development, labor relations and other industries, Shirley reflects the power players showcased in Legacy Miami’s 2025 Power issue.
She joins Miami lawyers Andell and Lotoya Brown who are also honorees. Married for 14 years, they have built their relationship as a power couple. While they’ve practiced together at Andell Brown & Associates, Lotoya’s focus today is “as a bridge-builder for equity” through Dade Legal Aid/Put Something Back, assisting indigent residents in matters ranging from foreclosure to wills and estates.
“We are like the last hope before they meet financial ruin, while filing for bankruptcy, or in situations where they need assistance with an estate plan, or children who need guardianship,” Lotoya says, “things like that, that you don’t necessarily see coming.” Formerly a middle-school science and math teacher, she exercises the “sensitivity of an educator” when interacting with predominantly Miami-Dade County clients.
Similarly, Andell, who has represented clients in cases ranging from drunk driving to murder, treats his profession as an equalizing tool for justice on behalf of marginalized communities.
“I remember vividly the day I saw a seven-year-old child walk into a courtroom in a jumpsuit and shackles,” says the one-time juvenile public defender. Because there are youth who could find themselves criminally charged for minor infractions like running from police officers or disrupting school functions, Andell says his aim has been to help give them second chances to succeed. “It’s really a privilege to serve people when they are dealing with some of the most difficult issues in their lives,” says Andell, who has served as a TV legal analyst for national networks like CNN and MSNBC.
The Browns also support the community through initiatives like the non-profit Brown Justice Foundation and holiday toy drives. Celebrating his 20th year in practice, Andell is sponsoring a mock trial competition at Oakwood University, his alma mater in Huntsville, Ala. Lotoya, a past president of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association is working to create a scholarship for Black women attending Nova Southeastern University.
Additional Legacy Miami “Power” honorees include: Aneisha Daniel, CEO of Miami-Dade County Solid Waste; Jabari “Jay” Thomas, who oversees marketing and social media as vice president of OneUnited Bank; Abebe Lewis, CEO of Circle House Studios and Abebe Lewis Marketing & Branding Group, known for promoting events; Leonard Burnett Jr., a Florida A&M University graduate and media industry veteran; Garrie Harris, co-founder of Alpha1 Staffing; and union president SeAdoreia Brown, who represents 8,500 Miami-Dade County employees.
Legacy Miami honoree Donahue Peebles III helps oversee the influential Black-owned real estate development company that his father founded in the 1980’s. Including 5,000 affordable-housing units in Florida and Tennessee, and public-private ventures like Miami Beach’s Royal Palm Hotel, the Peebles imprint is clearly visible.
“Housing is probably the most important issue facing America today,” says Peebles, executive vice president of The Peebles Corp.
Several billion-dollars of development and a 23-member staff in Florida and New York reflect the company’s profile – and Peebles’ leadership power. “You get to see the impact of the projects that you develop on the communities that they’re developed in,” he says. “It’s very, very humbling to play a role in these people’s lives.”
