25 Women for 2024: Winifred Acosta strives to be a champion for justice and uplift others
She came to Tallahassee from a small town in Suwannee County, where she was raised by a single mother, had a horse named Prosecutor, and was driven to work for justice in honor of her sister, the victim of a violent crime.
Now an Assistant United States Attorney and champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Winifred Acosta feels at home in Tallahassee.
She has spent her professional career working to lift others and bring closure to victims scarred by violence and crime, and those efforts and others have earned her a place in this year’s list of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know.
Acosta’s life has been one of firsts. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, the first African American woman to serve as an assistant state attorney in the Third Judicial Circuit, the first African American to serve as an assistant statewide prosecutor in the Jacksonville Division, and the first African American woman to serve as an assistant United States Attorney in the Tallahassee Division for the Northern District of Florida. “I just want to make sure I am not the last,” she says.
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To that end, she seeks mentorship and leadership roles that connect her with other young women who seek a career in the justice system, and she is thankful for those who have guided her. “When I first started my career in 1996, one of my mentors was the Honorable Leandra Johnson who now serves as a Circuit Court Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit," Acosta said. "Judge Johnson supervised me at the State Attorney's Office in Lake City and taught me how to be a public servant who gives her all at work and to the community. “
She nods to her parents as examples of hard work, perseverance, and tenacity. “As a single parent, my mom also inspired me by her commitment to our family. As I reflect upon how my mom worked for the state and managed to care for all of us, I am simply amazed! I also learned my work ethic from my dad who has always personified the essence of hard work.”
Acosta doesn’t stop for much, serving in her office as the Diversity Chairperson, Black Affairs Program Manager, and a Department of Justice Ambassador, a role in which she routinely speaks with students about her experience and offers advice to those interested in pursuing a law degree and leads her office’s shadowing program, where she invites students to spend an afternoon observing court, touring the federal courthouse, and engaging with legal professionals.
She is also the Immediate Past President of the Tallahassee Women Lawyers, where she spearheaded the inclusion of a diversity statement in its bylaws, initiated networking opportunities for student volunteers, and organized the inaugural dinner honoring its founders and past presidents.
As a member of the Delta Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated, she is active in the Youth Leadership Institute, teaching students to work hard for success and to have faith that they can achieve their goals. “I share my personal motto, ‘never let anyone define your destiny; always use discouragement as encouragement to accomplish all that you desire. And always, always remember, with God, all things are possible.’”
Her enthusiasm for leadership has earned her honors as the Tallahassee Bar Association’s Diversity in the Legal Profession Champion and the Tallahassee Women Lawyers’ Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award Recipient. She serves on the Florida Bar’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, is a 2023 graduate of the Florida Bar’s Leadership Academy, and in 2021 completed the Department of Justice’s Diversity and Inclusion Professional Development Management Program.
When not in court or volunteering, Acosta enjoys motivational speaking, horseback riding, and spending time with her daughters, as well as the canopies of Tallahassee. “I really enjoy the beauty of Tallahassee,” she says, “it reminds me of my hometown, Live Oak.”
Being named as one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women to Know is an honor, but one that Acosta accepts with humility, saying, “I am simply "Winifred, someone from a small town with big dreams and even greater audacity and tenacity to reach for the unimaginable.”
She encourages you to reach, too.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 25 Women for 2024: Winifred Acosta is a champion for justice
