Leila Sabet channels more than 8 years of leadership experience as a woman in operations management and organizational leadership, combined with her background as a behavioral science scholar and researcher, to invest in the development of young women and help them advance in their careers. She is motivated to create more inclusive workplaces because she believes when we understand the value of diversity where we work, we can begin to recognize the value of diversity in society. She founded Lift & Be Uplifted as a professional development platform that encompasses EqualiTEA workshops, the Inspiring Woman Blog, Women in Management Career Education Program, advocacy, and fundraising for organizations that uplift women and girls in her community. Leila shares her experience to develop the next generation of leaders, effecting change in her community that will result in a more diverse and inclusive future. Through Lift & Be Uplifted, she champions women in the workplace, accompanied with highlighting the value of diversity and inclusion, to enhance the visibility that that comes with increasing women’s influence in the professional world.
Leadership defined Leila’s legacy at Florida State University. As President of Alpha Delta Pi, Iota Chapter, Leila oversaw a board of 8 executive and 30 officer positions, in addition to leading a membership of more than 300 women while managing a budget of more than $250,000. In parnership with National headquarters, she was selected to participate in high-level leadership training and development at conventions across the country. She used her knowledge and skills to support the success of her membership and engaged in community-wide fundraising events that support the Ronald McDonald House Charities and ALS Association, which earned her Chapter the Totika Flame Award 2016. Leila was recognized for her innovative work to engage with diverse cultural organizations and create a more inclusive culture within her sphere of influence, which earned her the Panhellenic Chapter President of the Year Award 2018, and the Dorothy Shaw Leadership Award 2018, the highest recognition given to a collegian in the ADPi organization. Her legacy of authentic, transformational leadership through serving as a Peer Leader for FSU's Emerging Leaders Program, Vice President of Garnet and Gold Key Leadership Honorary, the Executive Board of the FSU Office of Servant Leadership, Captain of the ADPi Line Dance Team, Executive Board Member of the FSU Mental Health Council, and as a Freshman Leadership Institute graduate, led her to being inducted into FSU’s Senior Hall of Fame in 2018.
Leila is honored to have been a recipient of several scholarship awards for her leadership and service, including the Jon C. Dalton Servant Leader of the Year Award, the recipient of the MORES (Character) Torch Award by FSU’s Garnet and Gold Key Leadership Honorary, FSU VIRES (Strength) Torchbearer Scholarship, Sue Pendarvis McKinney Senior Scholarship, The Alumni Panhellenic of Tallahassee Outstanding Leadership Scholarship, First Coast Women’s Club Volunteer of the Year Scholarship, Ronald Regan Student Leader Award, President’s Volunteer Service Award (2014 & 2017), and was inducted into the Order of the Omega Greek Honor Society.
Florida State University faculty selected Leila to be named Panhellenic Association Chapter President of the Year in recognition for her outstanding contribution to the Greek Community.
Service made a huge impact on Leila from a young age. When the Jacksonville Humane Society burned down in 2007, she fundraised with community leaders to help them rebuild. This began more than 4,000 hours of serving her community through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, American Heart Association, Ronald McDonald House Charities, ALS Association, American Cancer Society, Girls, Inc., Dress for Success, Parkinson’s Foundation, DOSA Catholic Charities Jacksonville - Camp I Am Special, Dreams Come True, Who We Play For, Grace Mission, Med Life Medical Missions, USO, and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Organization.
During her senior year at Florida State University, Leila was offered a position in management with the fastest growing corporation in the world. As an Area Manager in Operations at Amazon, Leila was renowned for her focus on leadership development, in addition to leading Amazon's Women in Operations for the Southeast Region. Throughout the global pandemic, Leila worked overtime, balancing her associate’s safety with unprecedented volume so Floridians could stay safer at home. In July 2020, Leila was promoted to Learning Manager for Amazon TPA1, where she was trusted with the responsibility to lead the onboarding process for 6000+ Associates and 50+ Managers during the largest hiring volume in the history of corporate America.
Her work is featured within several media outlets including Savvy Girl Magazine, where she was the Cover Feature recognized in the Top 25 Under 25 issue. Leila is featured in the KNOW Women, Tampa Bay publication, a community recognized by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and Thrive Global. She has been a featured guest on several podcasts and was asked to be the keynote speaker for both FSU’s Garnet and Gold Leadership Honorary and Girl Up Orlando's International Day of the Girl Conference. In addition to pursuing her goals to scale Lift & Be Uplifted nationally, Leila is acquiring the management experience required to gain acceptance to a leading MBA program. Her future goals include working as a thought leader in Management and the Future of Work, with increased efforts to solve problems facing society at the local, national and global level, and develop a social entrepreneurship enterprise benefitting women and girls.
Leila currently holds the title of Miss Florida Citrus 2020. She contributes much of her growth and success as a leader to her involvement within the Miss Florida Organization since 2013, a preliminary to the Miss America Organization. She placed in the Top 5 at Miss Florida 2018, earning the Lifestyle & Fitness Preliminary Award, Most Ads Sold, and Leave A Legacy Scholarship for having the best business plan for her year as Miss Florida. Leila considers this program to be the most effective leadership development program for young women in the nation, providing inspiring role models who serve important causes in their communities, while striving for excellence in character, academics, health, and leadership. In addition to earning over $14,000 in scholarships to support her higher education, she acquired the marketable skills of self-promotion, advocacy, interviewing, and public speaking that opened many doors of opportunity to her, contributing to the confidence required to advance as a leader in a non-traditional field for women. Leila hopes to gain the microphone that Miss Florida/Miss America provides to scale Lift & Be Uplifted nationally and to ensure that this program remains a resource for young women for many generations to come.
Leila and George Hamner Jr. taking a walk through the orange groves in Vero Beach, FL to learn about Citrus Greening and tour the citrus packing house.
In June 2020, the Miss Florida Organization made history by conducting the first ever Virtual Local Pageant Competition on Zoom. Leila adapted to the virtual platform to earn the job of Miss Florida Citrus 2020, giving her the opportunity to compete at the state level in June 2021. During her year as Miss Florida Citrus, she has the opportunity to promote the Florida Citrus Industry and network with experts in the field of farming and agriculture, an important economic driver of the Florida economy. During her year, Leila created a partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture to launch the Florida Citrus Squeeze program, a virtual school tour educating Elementary and Middle School students about Florida's Citrus Industry and the importance of building healthy lifestyle habits. Leila has facilitated the Florida Citrus Squeeze presentation to more than 300 students throughout Florida.
Citrus Squeeze presentation with DeSoto Trail Elementary School and The Department of Agriculture of Florida.
Leila is proud to represent Advanced Recovery Systems as a REAL TALK Ambassador, where she initiates open and honest conversations about drug and alcohol abuse with high school and college students. This program encourages students to ask questions about substance abuse, share their experiences without guilt or fear, and embrace healthy habits for their futures. To book a Real Talk Presentation with Leila, click HERE!
Her advocacy is advanced through membership in UNA-USA, leading the Tampa delegation to advocate with government representatives for continued funding of United Nations initiatives that support women and girls globally. She has also been part of the U.S. delegation to the National Iranian American Conference in Washington DC, where she contributed to the dialogue regarding resolutions to promote peace between the United States and Iran. She currently serves as the youngest member of the Board of Directors for Girls, Inc. of Pinellas and is an active volunteer for Dress for Success of Tampa Bay. Girls, Inc. of Pinellas provides hundreds of girls in Pinellas County with life-changing experiences and solutions to the unique challenges girls face, working to build confidence, empowering them to embrace positive decision-making to take charge of their health, achieve academic, personal, and career goals.
Her advocacy is advanced through membership in UNA-USA, leading the Tampa delegation to advocate with government representatives for continued funding of United Nations initiatives that support women and girls globally. She has also been part of the U.S. delegation to the National Iranian American Conference in Washington DC, where she contributed to the dialogue regarding resolutions to promote peace between the United States and Iran. She currently serves as the youngest member of the Board of Directors for Girls, Inc. of Pinellas and is an active volunteer for Dress for Success of Tampa Bay. Girls, Inc. of Pinellas provides hundreds of girls in Pinellas County with life-changing experiences and solutions to the unique challenges girls face, working to build confidence, empowering them to embrace positive decision-making to take charge of their health, achieve academic, personal, and career goals.
Leila bridged a partnership between TPA1 and Dress For Success of Tampa Bay.
As the Learning Manager for Amazon TPA1, Leila owned all associate and leader training programs, serving as the point of contact for all network-level projects from the needs analysis stage, to management and execution of training. She worked closely with stakeholders in the Southeast Region to roll out new Operations processes, in addition to identifying leader development needs. In this role, Leila drove 17+ Best Practices that were adopted by all sites in Amazon's Southeast Region and led a project that saved Amazon TPA1 more than $47,000.
Leila pictured in front of the Learning Department at TPA1 - Amazon Fulfillment Center.
In March of 2021, Leila received her 3rd major advancement when she was promoted to be the youngest "Level 6 Operations Manager" at Amazon TPA1. Taking the lead to run the logistics-side of the Outbound area of the Fulfillment Center. As an Operations Manager, Leila to motivates and mentors a team of Area Managers in the Outbound Operation, drives protocols to analyze workflows, and reviews volume forecasts. Beyond leading her team, Leila utilizes her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification to spearhead projects in process engineering alongside majority stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in the operation.
Leila on the day she signed her L6 Operations Manager offer at TPA1.