Leaders of Distinction
Each year, YWCA Metro St. Louis honors nine Leaders of Distinction at its Annual Leader Lunch. These women will take their place among the YWCA Academy of Leaders (some 300+ honorees from the past four decades) thereby joining the most notable group of accomplished women in St. Louis.
Nominees are put forward by their peers and are selected by a panel based on their professional achievements and contributions to the community.
Learn more about YWCA’s Leader Lunch.
Sheila Burkett
Rhonda Carter Adams
Simone Cummings, PhD
Hazel Donald
Qiaoni Linda Jing
Cheryl Jones
Emily Martin
Kim Norwood
Erika Schenk
Cathy Arshadi – Corporate
Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, SPHR, MBA, Ph.D. – Corporate
Renee Brummell Franklin, MBA, MAT – The Arts
Gloria Carter-Hicks – Entrepreneurship
Charli Cooksey – Racial Justice
Aparna Deora, Ph.D. – Corporate
Kelly Gast – Corporate
Kristian Yarmani Nelson – Future Leader
Carol J. Voss – Philanthropy
Kristen Wild – Non-Profit
Jane Arnold – Corporate
Kayla Baker – Future Leader
Marsha Benney – Corporate
Sara Yang Bosco – Corporate
Mary Elizabeth Grimes – Education
Kendra Holmes, Pharm.D. – Health Management
Kristin Johnson – Corporate
Ashley Kemper – Philanthropy
Melissa Lackey – Entrepreneurship
Karla Scott, Ph.D. – Racial Justice
Barbara C. Archer – Entrepreneurship
Carol Duhme * – Lifetime Achievement Award
Alison Ferring – Philanthropy
Ruth Kim – Corporate
JoAnne Levy – Health Management
Mary McKay, Ph.D. – Racial Justice
Celeste Player, Pharm.D. – Corporate
Theresa Ruzicka – Non-Profit
Lisa Stump – Corporate
Kaylin Walters – Future Leader
Raevyn Ferguson – Future Leader
Lisa Flavin – Corporate
Amy Hunter – Racial Justice
Nancy Kranzberg – Philanthropy
Julia Mize – Corporate
Daffney Moore – Government
Kelly Pollock – The Arts
Sharon Price John – Corporate
Ruth Saphian – Corporate
Faith Varwig – Entreneurship
Karen Aroesty – Racial Justice
Diane Compardo – Corporate
Jovita Foster – Corporate
Kennedi Ginger – Future Leader
Jennifer Labit – Entrepreneurship
Tara Nealey, Ph.D. – Corporate
Noemi Neidorff – Philanthropy
Emily Pitts – Corporate
Leila Sadat – Professions
Mary Stillman – Education
Leah Amos – Future Leader
Tamiko Armstead – Education
Maureen Borkowski – Corporate
Rebecca Hatter – Non-Profit
Ghazala Hayat, M.D. – Racial Justice
Toni Kutchan, Ph.D. – Science
Evelyn Rice-Peebles – Government
Thelma Steward – Philanthropy
Susan Stith – Corporate
Jackie Yoon – Corporate
Yemi Akande-Bartsch, Ph.D. – Racial Justice
Rebeccah L. Bennett – Entrepreneur
Mary Bonacorsi – Professions
The Honorable Judy Draper – Government
Marilyn Fox – Philanthropy
Joan Magruder – Non-Profit
Kathleen Mazzarella – Corporate
Noa Rose – Future Leader
Lisa Safarian – Corporate
Kristen Sorth – Government
Zundra Bryant – Business/Corporate Management
Rita Chang – Future Leader
Doreen Dodson – Professions
Cathy Dunkin – Business Ownership/Entrepreneurship
Christine Houston – Business/Corporate Management
Maria del Carmen Jacob – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Koomar – Business Corporate/Management
Penny Pennington – Business/Corporate Management
Elizabeth (Beth) Stroble – Education
Eileen (Otero) Wolfington – Racial Justice
Marilyn Bush – Business/Corporate Management
Theresa Carrington – NonProfit
Jane Eckert – Entrepreneur
Sharon Harvey Davis – Racial Justice
Elaine Mahon – Future Leader
Lisa Nichols – Business/Corporate Management
Gwendolyn Packnett, Ph.D. – Education
Nicole Ringenberg – Business/Corporate Management
Suzanne Sitherwood – Business/Corporate Management
Gail Taylor – Business/Corporate Management
Nina Barbleh – Future Leader
Mary Burnes – Business/Corporate
Shirley Cunningham – Business/Corporate
H. Jill Fivecoat – Business/Corporate
Sharon Frey M.D. – Education
Mildred Galvin – Business/Corporate
Darlene Green – Government
Jane Killebrew-Galeski – Business/Corporate
Jamala Rogers – Racial Justice
Sandy Tsai – Entrepreneurship
Mary Frontczak – Business/Corporate Management
Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge – Government/Politics
Barbara Harbach – The Arts
Wendy J. Henry – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Ann Lazarus – Business/Corporate Management
Emma Mutrux – Future Leader
Lydia Padilla – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Jane Towater * – Racial Justice
Michelle D. Tucker – Business/Corporate Management
Ronda F Williams, Esq.* – Business/Corporate Management
Molly Cline, Ph. D. – Business/Corporate Management
Anna Crosslin – Racial Justice Leader
Eileen Hedrick – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Mary P. Heger – Business/Corporate Management
Ann Marr – Business/Corporate Management
Virginia McDowell – Business/Corporate Management
Vickie Newton – Communications
Marcia Niedringhaus – Business/Corporate Management
Kathleen (Kitty) Ratcliff – Nonprofit Management
Allison Marie Wallace – Future Leader
Joyce Aboussie – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Katherine Button Bell – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Kullman – Business/Corporate Management
Laura Coghlan – Future Leader
Darcella Craven – Nonprofit Management
Consuelo Madere – Business/Corporate Management
Billy Mayo, Ed.D – Racial Justice Leader
Krista Mosby – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Elizabeth Nelson – Government/Politics
Agnès Rey-Giraud – Business/Corporate Management
Billy Collier – Nonprofit Management
Sharon D. Fiehler – Business/Corporate Management
Zelema Harris – Education
Debra Hollingsworth – Business/Corporate Management
Brenda S. Loftin, JD – Racial Justice
Jillian M. Lynum – Future Leader
Claire McCaskill – Government/Politics
Nancy C. Pechloff – Business/Corporate Management
Cheryl D. Walker – Professions
Jennifer Williams – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Katherine J. Anderson * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Lynn Beall – Communications/Media
Joyce Blackwell – Business/Corporate Management
Marie Carroll – Business/Corporate Management
Pam Cavness – Business/Corporate Management
Dong Nghi Huynh – Future Leader
Celerstine B. Johnson, Ed.D. – Racial Justice
Nancy LeMaster – Nonprofit Management
Pamela Meanes – Business/Corporate Management
Ann Carroll Wells – Business/Corporate Management
YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Committee on Administration – President’s Award
Valerie Bell, JD – Racial Justice
Adrian Bracy – Business/Corporate Management
Melanie DiLeo – Business/Corporate Management
Agnes Gioconda – Business/Corporate Management
Jan Holloway – Business/Corporate Management
Mary “One” Johnson – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Cynthia Prost – Nonprofit Management
Marilyn Robinson, Ed.D. – Government/Politics
Patricia Smith Thurman – Business/Corporate Management
Jan Torrisi-Mokwa * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Maggie Winkler – Future Leader
Mary Atkin – Business/Corporate Management
Virginia A. Barnes – Business/Corporate Management
Carol Daniel – Communications/Media
Tessa Greenspan – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Sandra M. Moore – Racial Justice
Brenda D. Newberry – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Thuy-Linh Nguyen – Future Leader
Cheryl D. Polk – Nonprofit Management
Karen Seibert, Ph.D.* – Science & Technology
JoAnn M. Shaw – Business/Corporate Management
Carol J. Valenta – Nonprofit Management
Kathryn S. Bader – Business/Corporate Management
Christine Bierman – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Cynthia J. Brinkley – Business/Corporate Management
Darnetta Clinkscale – Nonprofit Management
Betsy H. Cohen – Business/Corporate Management
Judy Ethell – Business/Corporate Management
June McAllister Fowler – Nonprofit Management
Kathryn E. Nelson * – Lifetime Racial Justice Award
Kiku Obata – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Susan Wilson Solovic – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Lucy Yang – Future Leader
Risa Zwerling – Business/Corporate Management
Sheila Bader – Racial Justice
Elizabeth “Beth” Davis – Communications/Media
Sara E. Foster – Business/Corporate Management
Deborah Collins Grossman – Business/Corporate Management
Rachel McLaughlin – Future Leader
Sandra M. Moore – Nonprofit Management
Merry Mosbacher – Business/Corporate Management
Pam Nicholson – Business/Corporate Management
Emily Rauh Pulitzer – The Arts
Sharon Thomas Robnett – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Patricia Wente – Nonprofit Management
Jane Wulf – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Barbara Bartley-Turkington – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Maxine Clark – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Lois Conley – Urban Investment
Elizabeth “Beth” Fitzgerald – Nonprofit Management
Brooke Nevils – Future Leader
Marian Nunn – Business/Corporate Management
Tammy Shields – Business/Corporate Management
Yvonne Tisdel – Business/Corporate Management
Yvette Whitehead – Business/Corporate Management
Marquita Wiley – Business/Corporate Management
Deanna Daughhetee – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Fay Fleming – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Lissa Hollenbeck – Business/Corporate Management
Becky S. Kueker – President’s Award
Joan D. Malloy – Business/Corporate Management
Patricia L. Mercurio – Business/Corporate Management
Rita Montgomery-Hollie – Professions
Cheryl Morley – Business/Corporate Management
Patricia W. Nichols, Ph.D.* – Education
Sarath Priya Rednam – Future Leader
Stephanie Riven – The Arts
Rabbi Susan Talve – Racial Justice
Sally Bliss – The Arts
Judge Susan E. Block – Racial Justice
Georgia Frontiere * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Mildred L. Jamison, RN – Nonprofit Management
Linda Martinez – Professions
Valerie E. Patton – Business/Corporate Management
Cherish Perry – Future Leader
Judith A. Roberts * – Business/Corporate Management
Sandra Van Trease – Business/Corporate Management
Barbara Wilkinson – Business/Corporate Management
Karen Branding – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Leyhe Burke, Ph.D. – Education
Jacquelyn Dezort – Business/Corporate Management
Sandra Farragut-Hemphill – Government/Politics
Kathleen Kiesel Flemming – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Linda Locke – Business/Corporate Management
Alison Nash, M.D. – Professions
Beverly Noble-Barnes – Government/Politics
Tiara Lynn Pettis – Future Leader
Maggie Potapchuk – Racial Justice
Ellen Sherberg – Communications/Media
Patricia Whitaker – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Donnis Casey – Business/Corporate Management
Charmaine S. Chapman * – Nonprofit Management
Ruby Christian-Harriman – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Norma Clayton – Science & Technology
Priscilla Hill-Ardoin – Business/Corporate Management
Dean Keyes – Urban Investment
Donna A. Kindl – Business/Corporate Management
Stephanie McCutcheon – Health Management
Wendy Monso – Property Management
Frankie Muse Freeman, JD * – Racial Justice
Kathleen T. Osborn – Education
Mahauganee Dawn Shaw – Future Leader
Mildred Rogers Anderson, Ph.D. – Education
Jo Ann Harmon Arnold * – President’s Award
Ann Beatty, Ph.D. – Professions
Judy Bentley – Community Service
Margaret Bush-Wilson * – Racial Justice
Karen Carroll – Communications/Media
Dianne Chong, Ph.D. – Science & Technology
Rebecca Anne Francis – Future Leader
Joanne Griffin – Business/Corporate Management
Laura Herring – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Patricia Rich – Nonprofit Management
Jane Sauer – The Arts
Mavis Thompson – Government/Politics
Antoinette Bailey – Business/Corporate Management
Mary F. Cannon – Communications/Media
Christine A. Chadwick – Community Service
Jill McGuire – The Arts
Jennifer Mueller – Future Leader
Deborah J. Patterson – Nonprofit Management
Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D. – Science & Technology
Bishop Ann B. Sherer – Professions
Sharon Tucci – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Elizabeth “Betty” Van Uum – Government/Politics
Mildred Winter – Education
Gail W. Brase * – Nonprofit Management
Lisa Galluzzo – Future Leader
Dudley Grove – Community Service
Jean Hamilton – Professions
Cecilia A. Nadal – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Carol North – The Arts
Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, FSM – Business/Corporate Management
Dora B. Schriro * – Government/Politics
Victoria L. Sork, Ph.D. – Science & Technology
Gwendolyn W. Stephens, Ph.D. * – Education
Helen M. Weiss * – Communications/Media
Mary Ellen Finch, Ph.D. – Education
Maggie Holtman – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Sharon Homan, M.D. – Professions
Gwen Krivi, Ph.D. – Science & Technology
Deanne Lane – Communications/Media
Emmy McClelland – Government/Politics
Amanda L. Murphy, Ph.D. – Nonprofit Management
Tina Potthoff – Future Leader
Sheryl Solomon – Business/Corporate Management
Harriet Traurig * – The Arts
Donna Wilkinson – Community Service
Jo Ann Harmon Arnold * – Business/Corporate Management
Mary Conti, M.D. – Professions
Myrtle Hilliard Davis * – Nonprofit Management
Mary Engelbreit – The Arts
Nelda Lee – Science & Technology
Carolyn Losos – Community Service
Sheila Lumpe * – Government/Politics
Twanisha McDaniel – Future Leader
Robin Smith – Communications/Media
MaryAnn Krey Van Lokeren – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Barbara Woods * – Education
JoBeth G. Brown – Business/Corporate Management
Laura Chik – Future Leader
Jane Freund Harris * – Community Service
Ruth Lewis * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Betty Marver – Nonprofit Management
Patricia McKissack – The Arts
Soraya Nouri-Moghaddam, M.D. – Professions
Betty Thompson * – Government/Politics
Virginia Weldon, M.D. – Communications/Media
Gloria Waters White * – Education
Patricia Barrett – Business/Corporate Management
Huldah C. Blamoville, M.D. – Professions
Nancy Gill – Future Leader
Joan Kelly Horn – Government/Politics
Jean Neal – Nonprofit Management
Deborah Silverberg – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Betty Sims * – Community Service
Sharon Stevens – Communications/Media
Agnes Wilcox * – The Arts
Katie H. Wright, Ed.D. – Education
Noreen Carrocci, Ph.D. – Education
Mary Case, M.D. – Professions
Laurna Godwin – Communications/Media
Toyanna Hearon – Future Leader
Susan Pettit – Health Management
Dorothy Pillman * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Anna Polizzi Keller – Business/Corporate Management
Kaye Steinmetz * – Government/Politics
Jeanne Treavor – The Arts
Cuesta Ray Benberry * – The Arts
Marion G. Cairns – Government/Politics
Edith Catherine Cunnane * – Nonprofit Management
Doris DeBerry Eldridge * – Education
Karen Foss – Communications/Media
Lisa Renee James – Future Leader
Patricia Ann Unland Musgrave, R.N. – Professions
Martha L. Perine – Business/Corporate Management
Palmer Adele Reynolds – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Tammie S. Benzinger, M.D., Ph.D. – Future Leader
Lynn R. Broeder – Nonprofit Management
Jan Garden Castro – The Arts
Cassandra Colvin Carr – Business/Corporate Management
Bonita S. Cornute – Communications/Media
Susan S. Elliott – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Linda A. Fisher, M.D., M.P.H.* – Professions
Frankie Muse Freeman, JD * – Government/Politics
Anne Elizabeth Price, Ph.D. – Education
Susan Cejka – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Katherine Dunham * – The Arts
Sr. Mary James Gallagher * – Nonprofit Management
Juanita H. Hinshaw – Business/Corporate Management
Dee Joyner – Government/Politics
Mary Kimbrough * – Communications/Media
Beej Nierengarten-Smith, Ph.D. – Nonprofit Management
Billie McKindra Phillips * – Education
Mary A. Tillman, M.D. – Professions
Sr. Betty A. Brucker, FSM * – Health Management
Ellen R. Conant * – Government/Politics
Barbara Gibbs Ostmann – Communications/Media
Bernice Richter-Cohen – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Yvonne E. Thompson – Business/Corporate Management
Blanche M. Touhill, Ph.D. – Education
Irma Schira Tucker * – The Arts
Carol F. Williams, M.D. – Professions
Jacqueline Dudley, R.N. – Professions
Kim Hindrew – Communications/Media
Charlotte Lehmann – Business/Corporate Management
Marylen Mann-Jacobs – Nonprofit Management
Sue Shear * – Government/Politics
Willie Mae Ford Smith * – The Arts
Joyce Thomas, Ph.D.* – Education
Ann Tretter – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Betsey A. Bruce – Communications/Media
Sue Clancy – Community Service
Clara D. Craver, D.Sc. – Professions
Gayle P.W. Jackson – Business/Corporate Management
Judith E. Meador – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Ann Quill Niederlander, JD * – Government/Politics
Sheila Ruth, Ph.D. – Education
Susan Slaughter – The Arts
Linda S. Barton – Communications/Media
Eddie Mae Binion * – Nonprofit Management
Pearlie Evans * – Government/Politics
Ruth K. Jacobson * – Special Achievement
Merele Johnson – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Annelise Mertz * – The Arts
Suzanne Saueressig, DVM * – Professions
Margaret A. Stroup * – Business/Corporate Management
Doris Trojcak, Ed.D. – Education
Eunice W. Farmer * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Hulda Grobman, Ed.D.* – Education
Delores Johnson * – Community Service
Gini Laurie * – Communications/Media
Marcia B. Mellitz – Government/Politics
Patricia L. Monteleone, M.D. – Professions
Lucille A. Rascher * – Business/Corporate Management
Christine Ely Smith – The Arts
Olivia E. Calloway * – Community Service
Nancy S. Everett – Professions
Ellen F. Harshman, Ph.D. – Education
Betty Lee * – Communications/Media
Sarah Linquist * – The Arts
Myrtle C. Reynolds * – Unsung Hero
Marge S. Rittenhouse – Business/Corporate Management
Sara Scroggins – Education
Marcia H. Smith – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Harriett Woods * – Government/Politics
Sharon Belson – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Gertrude B. Busch * – The Arts
Irene E. Cortinovis – Community Service
Arvilla Droll * – Community Service
Queen Dunlap-Fowler, Ph.D. – Education
Anna C. Forder – Government/Politics
Sylvia Frankel * – Business/Corporate Management
Judi Hofer * – Business/Corporate Management
Alma Kessler * – Communications/Media
Veda Martin * – Community Service
Martha G. Rounds * – Entrepreneur/Business Owner
*Deceased