Insider’s Guide to Miami

Name: Nicole Willson Lozano

The stats: Third generation born in Miami and has lived in Miami for her entire life.

Why she loves Miami: Being able to wear flip-flops year round.

Nicole Willson Lozano is a third-generation Miamian. She graduated Westminster Christian School and debuted at Coral Gables Country Club’s prestigious Swords and Roses Society. Nicole began her philanthropic endeavors at a young age, serving in such charitable organizations as Junior Opera Guild, The Spinsters and La Lega dei Vizcaya.

She continues to serve on the American Red Cross Gala Committee, is on the board of the Vizcayans, and is a Founder of the Vizcayan Preservation Luncheon. Nicole is a life member of The Young Patronesses of The Opera. She serves on the Gala Committee of Fairchild Tropical Garden and the 60th Anniversary of Beaux Arts Festival. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the Confederacy. Continuing her grandmother’s family legacy, for the past decade, Nicole chairs the Queen of Hearts Luncheon for the Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation. Her recent accolades include the 2005 “Most Dynamic Women” of the American Cancer Society, and the 2007 Miami “Women Who Rock”, 2008 Miracle Maker, and this year is an honoree at the Inaugural Marlins Diamond Gala.

This year, Lozano is chairing the Museum of Science 2011 Galaxy Gala, which is going to be out of this world – quite literally, by design. As we reported earlier this week, MiaSci’s ninth annual signature event will be the most extravagant Galaxy Gala to date, as the evening will not only celebrate MiaSci’s 60-plus-year history, but also toast to its exciting future. The Galaxy Gala is the last big fundraising push before the Science Museum breaks ground on its $275 million new home on the waterfront in downtown Miami’s Museum Park. The new Miami Science Museum will be a defining landmark in the midst of Miami’s new cultural corridor. The enormous structure will include a revolutionary three-story aquarium, a rooftop Wildlife center with hanging gardens and wildlife, a 3-D multimedia Planetarium dome that changes colors by night, and an observatory and VIP lounge with exceptional views.

There are only a select number of tickets still available for the Galaxy Gala, starting at $500 per individual and $2,000 per couple for seating at “Saturn’s Ring.” If you move quickly, you might be able to secure a Principal ($5,000), Benefactor ($6,000) or Bronze table, but we hear only one or two remain, so act swiftly.

Check out Nicole Willson Lozano’s favorite haute spots in Miami at Haute Secrets.

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