The Women of Distinction Luncheon honors community leaders who value faith, family, and service and who work to preserve these ideals for generations to come. The event has been a beloved PBA tradition for more than 30 years, and proceeds from the luncheon further the mission of the University and support the PBA College Fund for students facing financial hardship.
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Hilary Geary Ross is the author of two coffee table books—New York, New York (powerHouse Books, 2011) and Palm Beach People (powerHouse Books, 2014)—both created in collaboration with renowned Scottish-American photographer Harry Benson. Ross is the society editor for Quest and Q magazines. For 17 years, she penned the popular “Appearances” column for Quest, along with numerous other features. She also previously wrote a Palm Beach column for David Patrick Columbia’s website, New York Social Diary.
Ross’s primary residence is in Palm Beach, where her father, Jeffrey Roche, was part of a long-established local family. A lifelong fixture in the Palm Beach, New York City, and Southampton social scenes, she maintains homes in each of these locations. Her Palm Beach home has received both the Ballinger Award and the Schuler Award from the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation.
She is married to Wilbur Ross. Together, they have four children and seven grandchildren.
Ross has also held several prominent philanthropic roles, including serving as president of the Blenheim Foundation’s U.S. board, the Women’s Board of the Boys’ Club of New York, and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy. She currently serves on the board of the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation and on the Trustees’ Council of the National Gallery of Art in D.C.
Sara McCann is CEO and creative director of Hive Collective, a collection of brands devoted to luxury products and high-quality services. Hive Collective currently includes McCann Design Group; Hive Home, Gift & Garden; Hive for Her, Him & Kids; Hive Trade Showroom; Hickory Chair Palm Beach; Hive Bakery & Cafe; Pure by Hive; Hive Bed & Bath; and Hästens Palm Beach.
After moving to Palm Beach in the 1990s, McCann founded her interior design firm, McCann Design Group, in 2000. Years of living and entertaining in Palm Beach have honed her expertise for designing interiors that flow beautifully and function flawlessly.
Recognizing the need for a high-end home store in the Palm Beach area, McCann opened Hive Home, Gift & Garden in 2013 as a showcase for her fresh style and unerring eye. Extending her passion for design beyond interiors, McCann expanded the Hive brand in 2019 to include the apparel boutiques, Hive for Her, Hive for Him, and Hive for Kids. The year 2021 brought the launch of the Hive Trade Showroom and Hickory Chair Palm Beach, followed by the highly anticipated Hive Bakery & Cafe, which opened in spring 2022. In 2023, she opened contemporary furniture showroom Pure by Hive, and her most recent endeavors—Hive Bed & Bath and Hästens Palm Beach—opened in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
In 2020, the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded McCann the Entrepreneur Award, speaking to her enterprising spirit and innovative presence in Palm Beach County. From 2020 to 2023, she was included in The Palm Beach 100, an annual publication from Palm Beach Illustrated honoring Palm Beach County’s most influential business leaders. As a visionary and a tastemaker, McCann has set the standard for Palm Beach living with Hive Collective.
Gifts of $10,000 or more will automatically welcome you into the President’s Giving Society. This special group of leadership-level supporters is regularly engaged in unique opportunities by PBA’s President, Dr. Debra A. Schwinn and other university leaders.
For more information on event sponsorships, underwriting opportunities and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Amy Evans, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at Amy_Evans@pba.edu or 561.803.2024.
