Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard
Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard, a native of Miami, Florida, exudes energy and passion for her family, her city, her work and her favorite cause. Steph is very involved in the pulse of the community. For more than 25 years, Steph has covered the social, celebrity, sports, fashion and charity scene in South Florida for her Steph Sez column on Sundays in The Miami Herald. She created, produced and hosted her own entertainment television show, Steph Sez, where she interviewed boldfaced names from George Clooney to Tiger Woods to Mikhail Gorbachev. She hosted the Steph Sez Book Club with Books & Books interviewing authors including Crazy Rich Asians author, Kevin Kwan, Cosmetic icon Leonard Lauder, and Oprah’s lifestyle and event guru Colin Cowie to name a few.
Steph serves as the Executive Director of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Board Member of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. For two decades, Steph produced the Great Sports Legends and Honorees Dinner in New York City for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis/The Buoniconti Fund and helped raise more than $200 million dollars for spinal cord injury and neuroscience research. She has worked with hundreds of Hall of Fame greats, sports icons, US presidents and philanthropic notables to honor them at this event including Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, John Elway, Andre Agassi, David Ortiz, Buzz Aldrin, Gloria Estefan, Tommy Lee Jones, Venus Williams, Maya Angelou, Muhammed Ali, and many more to help garner awareness and funds for this organization. She created and produced the Jack Nicklaus Celebrity Golf Invitational and Dinner hosted by golf icon, Jack Nicklaus at his home course The Bear’s Club to raise funds for charity too. Steph created Destination Fashion, an interactive entertainment and fashion event which raised millions for The Buoniconti Fund and featured concerts by Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias and runway designer fashion shows by Ralph Lauren and Brunello Cucinelli to name a few.
Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard founded the Bal Harbour Shops’ ACCESS Membership and Rewards Program to celebrate and reward the Shops’ loyal customers on their curated journey through the roster of retail, restaurants and luxury partners. Steph developed their app and secured partnerships with the Official Miami Super Bowl Host Committee and the inaugural Formula One Miami Grand Prix.
Over the years, Steph received many accolades including the American Cancer Society’s Inner Circle of 12 Award, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Splendor Honoree, University of Miami’s highest honor Iron Arrow, Project Newborn Media Award, Miami HEAT Read to Achieve Team, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Miracle Maker, American Red Cross’ Spectrum Awardee, HCA Aids Charitable Community recipient, Cystic Fibrosis Star, ACS Best Dressed, Women of Tomorrow Mentoring Program Honoree, The Buoniconti Fund Award, Haute Living’s 100 Most Influential in Miami, Ocean Drive Magazine’s coveted The List among numerous others.
Steph is the proud mom of sons, Anders and Austin and married to Morten Aagaard.