WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Theresa LePore has been elected chair of the South Florida Fair’s board of trustees and directors. She will remain in this volunteer position through June 30, 2028. LePore succeeds Becky Isiminger, who served as chair since July 1, 2024.

As the new board chair, LePore will work alongside President and CEO Matt Wallsmith and the board to provide governance and strategic leadership, set organizational priorities, and support the continued growth and impact of the fair in the community.

“I am so excited to be the 2026-2028 board chair of the South Florida Fair,” said LePore. “As a native of West Palm Beach, I have been attending the South Florida Fair as well as other events there all my life. One of my goals as chair is to encourage our board to stay active and committed to the great things we do at the fairgrounds. Most people are not aware that we have at least one event at the fairgrounds every weekend, and most weekends there are two or three events. There is something for everyone from craft shows, garage sales, antique shows, car shows, food shows and everything in between.”

LePore had a 34-year career in the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office where she was elected as supervisor of elections in 1996. After leaving government, she worked as the director of development for Cardinal Newman High School for four years. Now retired, she remains active in the community working with and assisting many nonprofit organizations with their events and fundraising projects. Chief among them is serving as executive director of the Miss South Florida Fair / Miss Palm Beach County Scholarship Competition. She also is a certified competition judge for the Miss America System.

The Fair also added the following new board members:

• Charles Russo, a lifelong resident of Palm Beach County and dedicated volunteer at the South Florida Fair since 1984. He retired six years ago after a career as a state law enforcement officer.

• Deborah Rousseau, who began her career with Community Savings in North Palm Beach in 1977, where she served in several leadership roles, including board secretary, corporate secretary, senior vice president, and shareholder relations.

• Eric Schneider, who serves as a principal planner for the city of West Palm Beach. With over two decades of experience with the city, he has overseen a wide range of impactful projects, including CityPlace, the redevelopment of the Palm Beach Lakes Mall into the Tanger Outlets, and the expansion of the Peggy Adams Rescue League campus.

• Ashley Brewer, who was born and raised in Pahokee and now resides in Belle Glade. She has worked in the accounting office at Rouge River Farms, formerly known as Hugh H. Branch, Inc., for nearly six years.

South Florida Fair awards more than $91,000 in scholarships

The scholarships ranged from $1,000 to $4,000 in four categories: general, agriculture, nursing and fine arts. The scholarship money can be used at any accredited institution of higher learning or trade school. The fair’s scholarship committee selected the winners based on the students’ grades, need, and an entry essay.

Since the program began in 1982, the fair has awarded a total of more than $1,030,000 in scholarship money, continuing a 43-year tradition of supporting education.

Students from Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, Hendry and Okeechobee counties were eligible to apply. Each finalist was interviewed, with winners selected by the scholarship committee each finalist and then selected the winners.

South Florida Fair Scholarship Committee members are Donna Winterson, chair; Christine Shaw, vice chair; Annis Manning; Chairty Lewis, Dan Lewis, Eva Webb, John Severson, Jorge Avellana, Lee Glaze, Lisa Johnson, Mable Datena, Robi Jurney, Sarah Hoadley, Shawna Ahmad, Sheyla Zayas Torralbes, Tevin Ali, Tiffany Faublas, Ashley Cacicedo, Caitlyn Bergman, Denise Manning, Dymond Franklin, Erika Duff, Hannah Sou, Katie Spitzig and Lauren Johnson.

The 2026 scholarship recipients are:

• Adrian Baeza of Pahokee, Glades Day School,
• Lillie Bandi of Okeechobee, Okeechobee High School,
• Alyssa Brewer of Belle Glade, Glades Day School
• Grace Cain of West Palm Beach, Forest Hill Community High School,
• Sophia Caves of Okeechobee, Okeechobee High School
• Sarahi Cedro of West Palm Beach, John I. Leonard High School
• Zya Chow of Wellington, Wellington Community High School
• Zuri Dowdell of Royal Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach High School
• Karvens Elisme of Mangonia Park, Palm Beach Lakes Community High School
• Fahima Emran of Clewiston, Clewiston High School
• Ada Erazo-Motino of Loxahatchee, Palm Beach Lakes High School
• Joel Francis of Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale High School
• Cerenity Frederick of Riviera Beach, Howard University
• Ashley Genin of Belle Glade, Pahokee High School
• Arielle Holder of Miramar, Everglades High School
• Anneliese Hsiao of Weston, American Heritage,
• Klay Ilhardt of Jupiter, Cornell University
• Jazmin Jezewski of Royal Palm Beach, Wellington High School,
• Maria Jose Jimenez of Greenacres, South Tech Academy
• Joshua Larson, Okeechobee High School, Okeechobee
• Lilly Larson of Okeechobee, Okeechobee High School
• Tamsin Lee of Royal Palm Beach, Seminole Ridge High School
• Isabel Gonzalez Lopez of Belle Glade, Glades Day School
• Taranza McKelvin of South Bay, Glades Day School
• Kathryn Montes DeOca of Okeechobee, Okeechobee High School
• Ella Morey of Stuart, Martin County High School
• Max Mullen of West Palm Beach, Cardinal Newman High School
• India Roehrich-Hill of Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach State College
• Camila Concepcion Satiago of Lake Worth Beach, South Tech Academy
• Justin Schoen of Lake Worth, Park Vista Community High School
• Lola Simpson-Gay of West Palm Beach, Wellington High School
• Ruhaan Sood of Royal Palm Beach, A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
• Elana Sookdeo of Coral Springs, Plantation High School
• Musiq Williams of West Palm Beach, A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts

as naming rights partner for Expo Center

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The South Florida Fair is proud to announce a landmark partnership with Shiner Law Group, which has acquired the naming rights to the fair’s prominent Expo Center. Effective immediately, the facility will be officially known as the Shiner Law Group Expo Center.

This long-term agreement reflects Shiner Law Group’s ongoing commitment to the South Florida community and its support of local events, economic development, and cultural initiatives. Business partnerships play an integral role to nonprofit organizations, including the South Florida Fair, in helping to offset costs for its guests.

“We are excited to partner with the Shiner Law Group and welcome them as the new naming partner of our Expo Center,” said Matt Wallsmith, president & CEO of the South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc. “Their dedication to serving the South Florida community aligns perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

The Shiner Law Group, a leading personal injury law firm founded in South Florida, views this partnership as an opportunity to further invest in the region it serves.

“Over the years countless families – including my own family – have created many great memories at the South Florida Fairgrounds,” said David Shiner, founding attorney of Shiner Law Group. “Having our name on the Shiner Law Group Expo Center is a meaningful opportunity to give back and invest in a place that brings our community together. We share the fair’s dedication to service, integrity, and community spirit, and we look forward to a strong, long-term partnership.”

The 2026 South Florida Fair will be kick off on January 15 with its Ride-A-Thon and the full fair will be held January 16 – February 1. The 2026 theme is “Party with the Pirates.” Fairgoers will be encouraged to unleash their inner pirate with a variety of activities, entertainment, fair food and attractions inspired by the legends of the high seas. The fun takes place at the fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., and will feature a variety of new activities along with all of the tried and true fair favorites.

and a new beginning

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The South Florida Fair is bidding “fair-well” to Vicki Chouris, president & CEO of the South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc. Her retirement as of June 30 at the close of the fair’s fiscal year marks the end of an era. She has been with the fair for 43 years.

Chouris was responsible for overseeing a staff of 55 people and managing the production of the annual 17-day fair. Among her highlights as CEO, she successfully navigated the COVID pandemic in 2020. The South Florida Fair was one of the few fairs in the nation to hold its annual event, and in 2021, Chouris decided to hold an additional fair in May to make up for smaller crowds at the January fair due to the lingering effects of the pandemic.

Chouris said what she’ll miss the most are the people — her staff and the volunteers who make it all happen.

“I’ll also miss seeing the smiles of the fairgoers, knowing that they are bringing joy to thousands of people, thanks to the time, effort and talents of our staff and volunteers,” said Chouris.

Matt Wallsmith will take the reins from Chouris starting July 1, a promotion from his current position of chief financial officer. During his 26 years with the South Florida Fair, he was responsible for handling the accounting and overseeing the gates, midway, concessions, information technology and maintenance operations. Wallsmith earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida and began his career in public accounting at Ernst & Young LLP. He is currently a licensed CPA in Florida.

As the new president & CEO, Wallsmith plans to focus on improving parking and enhancing the overall experience and value for fairgoers.