Kate Arrizza, President and Chief Executive Officer of the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, hails from a diverse background. Born and raised in Jupiter FL, Kate was a previous volunteer at the Science Center in the late 90’s and a proud product of the Palm Beach County public school system. After receiving her Bachelors of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy, she served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years. While in the Navy, she served overseas on the USS Carr, USS Fort McHenry and USS Tortuga; her specialty was education and training in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She was forward deployed in Asia for 3 years and took part in multiple deployments. As a Surface Warfare Officer she conducted multilateral exercises including working with foreign Navies training on maritime operations. Her last duty station was a Naval Leadership Instructor in Coronado California. Upon receiving her honorable discharge from the Navy she moved back to her home state where she continues to further her career in administration, and obtained her Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University. Kate’s work at the Science Center over the past twelve years has earned her such recognition and awards as South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award, Sun Sentinel’s Top Workplace Professional Award, Women of Worth Award winner, ESPN’s veteran of the month, ATHENA award finalist and Women in Leadership Award Finalist.
Kate is a board member of Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, International Women’s Forum, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Dreher Park Neighborhood Association and United States Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer.
