President’s Message

Welcome back, KAJ!🌺💕

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is as excited as I am to kick off another amazing season together!

Last year was truly an incredible year for our krewe. We made so many great memories, strengthened friendships, supported our community, celebrated together, and continued to grow KAJ in ways that make me incredibly proud. That was possible because of all of you, and I’m so excited to carry that energy and momentum into this new season.

I want to welcome back our returning Board at Large members and give a very special welcome to Christina Whisenand, who is joining our Board this year! I’m grateful to have such a wonderful group of ladies willing to give their time, ideas, and energy to KAJ, and I’m looking forward to everything we will accomplish together.

As we begin this new year, I hope we continue building on everything that made last season so special while also looking for new ways to grow. I would love to see even more of our members getting involved—whether that means attending an event, serving on a committee, supporting one of our charities, helping with a fundraiser, participating in a parade, or simply jumping in when an extra set of hands is needed. KAJ is at its best when all of us bring a little something to the table.

We have so much to look forward to this year—our traditions, our friendships, opportunities to give back, plenty of fun, and hopefully a few new adventures along the way. Most importantly, I want us to continue being a krewe where women feel welcomed, connected, appreciated, and proud to be part of KAJ.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your President for another year. I am so grateful for this krewe, for each of you, and for the opportunity to continue what we started last season.

Here’s to another year of friendship, fun, service, laughter, and making memories together. I can’t wait to see what this season brings!

Let’s make it another amazing year, ladies! 🌺💕💕Denise

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Jayme Kosar

We are excited to feature this month’s Krewe Spotlight Member, Jayme Kosar. Since joining KAJ, Jayme has brought so much creativity, energy, and fun to our Krewe, especially through all of the amazing socials and events she helped make happen this year.

Born in New York City and raised in Miami, Jayme describes herself as “a city girl at heart.” She grew up in the hospitality business, helping run her family’s Italian restaurant on Miami Beach for 27 years. That’s where her love of wine first began, especially Italian wines.

Jayme earned a Business degree in Marketing from the University of Florida and later returned to school to earn her Executive MBA from the University of Miami. Over the years, she has built a career that is anything but ordinary.

Her background includes working as a makeup artist for a famous Miami-based rock musician and on the set of Miami Vice, while also freelancing for brands like Chanel, Christian Dior, Borghese, and Estée Lauder. She later became a licensed esthetician, opened the Jayme Kosar Skin Correction Center in Miami, and eventually moved into practice management and surgical center operations.

At the same time, Jayme stayed connected to Miami’s music and nightlife scene by working as a club promoter in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and owning a boutique called Jayme’s WildWear. After earning her MBA, she started her own consulting company, Creative Business Solutions of South Florida, working with clients in management, marketing, and corporate events before deciding to “retire” at 40. As she quickly discovered, retirement was not really her thing.

In 2012, Jayme opened a wine bar in Ybor City as what she thought would just be a fun hobby. Instead, it grew into the Wine Bar franchise with locations in Ybor City, Seminole Heights, South Tampa, Apollo Beach, and Naples. Along the way, she earned multiple wine certifications, including credentials from the Court of Master Sommeliers, became a wine educator, owned a wine school, and has been named Creative Loafing’s “Best Sommelier of the Bay” several times.

Outside of work, Jayme is very involved in the community. She captains multiple USTA tennis teams, coaches Special Olympics tennis athletes, and still volunteers with the Humane Society.

Jayme joined KAJ after hosting a wine tasting for a Krewe event and being encouraged by her friend Brenda Thrower to join. We are so glad she did.

Thank you, Jayme, for everything you bring to KAJ. We are so happy to have you as part of our Krewe.

If you’d like to nominate a member for our Spotlight, please click the link below to complete the form. All submissions will be reviewed and voted on by the Board of Directors. We’re fortunate to have so many incredible women who deserve this honor, and our goal is to eventually highlight each of them. Please know that if your nominee isn’t featured right away, their time will come. Thank you for helping us celebrate our Krewe sisters!

Link to nominate: https://forms.gle/gJbBpngz1U9ngp6e9