City of Tampa honors City Clerk Shirley Fox Knowles with Josephine Howard Stafford Memorial Award

City of Tampa officials presented the Josephine Howard Stafford Memorial Award to City Clerk Shirley Fox Knowles during the city’s 28th annual Women’s History Month ceremony on March 4, 2025.

The award ceremony recognized Knowles’s long public-service career and leadership. Mayor Jane Castor read a proclamation declaring March 2025 as Women’s History Month in Tampa and noted the city’s efforts to expand women’s representation in leadership positions.

The award honors a current or former City of Tampa female employee who is a pioneer in her profession and who “demonstrates outstanding commitment to her position and community,” according to the proclamation read at the ceremony. Mayor Jane Castor said the administration selected executive staff based on qualifications and emphasized increasing women’s representation in city leadership. “Breaking barriers is not easy, but in every case it is worth it,” Mayor Jane Castor said.

Castor cited departmental workforce figures while describing the work ahead. “Nineteen percent of the Tampa Police Department sworn workforce are women,” she said. “We have 7.5% of Tampa Fire Rescue staff who are women, and we have only five female drivers in our solid waste division.” Castor said those numbers show a need for continued recruitment and promotion of qualified women into varied roles across city government.

Osea Winn, last year’s Josephine Howard Stafford Memorial Award recipient, introduced Knowles and described her as “a cornerstone to Tampa’s leadership,” noting Knowles’s long service across multiple mayoral administrations and her prior work in the private sector and nonprofit roles. In her acceptance remarks, City Clerk Shirley Fox Knowles gave thanks and reflected on mentors and predecessors who influenced her career, including former city clerk Jeanette Martin and former Mayor Pam Iorio, who appointed Knowles to the city clerk’s office.

Knowles outlined personal and professional influences and closed with a call to mentor younger generations. “Believe in yourself. Believe that you can and will make a difference in someone’s life,” she said. The ceremony also included musical presentations and remarks from Councilwoman Lynn Hertack, who offered greetings on behalf of Tampa City Council.

Event organizers used the ceremony to announce community service drives: the Women’s History Month Committee is collecting clothing donations for Dress for Success and feminine-hygiene products to benefit homeless girls and women. Information on both drives was posted on a display in the event room.

The Josephine Howard Stafford Memorial Award ceremony is an annual City of Tampa event; the 2025 program also recognized female city employees with 20 or more years of service and acknowledged former award recipients in attendance. The city presented the award and the proclamation at the March 4 ceremony; no formal vote or legislative action was taken at this event.