The El Paso Inc. Women of Impact honorees were announced on August 18th, recognizing six El Paso women who have made significant and positive impact on the El Paso Community!  Leadership Women would like to congratulate Leadership Texas 2015 graduate Aliana Apadaca on receiving this year’s award for “taking actions that impact the world.”   “Super proud of her,” added LW Regional Ambassador Amy Lait Marcus.

As President of Positive Directions, Aliana helps people, organizations and communities inspire change through speaking engagements and conferences.  In addition, she is also the founder of the Southwest Women’s Leadership Institute and Latinas 100; two organizations dedicated to furthering the leadership capabilities of women and providing them tools for networking and professional development. Her friend Dan Olivas told El Paso Inc., “Aliana gets up every morning thinking, ‘How can I improve the city? How can I help someone take a step forward in meeting their destiny?”

Aliana attributes wanting to help others from her mother.  “Mother taught me everybody was the same. If people need something, you always do what you can.”  Dan Olivas added, “What is so contagious is her passion.  She believes in giving and does it in a huge way.”

You can read more about Aliana and the Women of Impact Awards on El Paso Inc.’s website.  The Women of Impact Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at the El Paso Country Club.  For tickets to the event, click on Women of Impact.

Leadership Women honors 2013 Leadership Texas graduate and 2014 Leadership America graduate, Dianne Dorsett, for her Lifetime Achievement award presented by the San Antonio Business Journal in conjunction with their 2019 Women’s Leadership Awards.  The San Antonio Business Journal recognized Dianne with the award for her years of commitment to Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

In 1995, Dianne was hired as Methodist Healthcare Ministries first employee, helping to build the newly formed non-profit from scratch before it has a name, mission or CEO.  As highlighted by the San Antonio Business Journal, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas continues to provide funding and access to support uninsured and low-income families across a 74-county area.

After nearly 25 years with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Dianne prepares to step down as the board liaison.  She told the San Antonio Business Journal, “There will be some sadness. But I’m ready,” Dorsett said. “I’ve been afforded the privilege of selecting my time to leave. I was told I could stay as long as I wanted. That gave me the comfort to make the decision I needed to make.”

Sheree Boegner, LT’18, was recently honored at the George Bush Library in College Station, Texas as founder and organizer of the annual Sassy Shoe Social, benefiting awareness of those dealing with domestic abuse.  For her community work, Sheree is one of the a recipients of the national Jefferson Awards for Public Service presented by the American Institute for Public Service.  The Institute, created by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,  Senator Robert Taft and Sam Beard, presented the first awards in 1973.  Local citizens have been honored since 2004.  Check out the amazing article and video by KBTX-TV3 in Bryan/College Station about Sheree’s role as community leader and loyal advocate, which is driven by her passion for helping others.

Recent Leadership America graduate, Zenobia Edwards, is an educator in Darlington County, but to her community, she is so much more.  Recognized in a recent article by WMBF News, Zenobia reflects, “When I walk through the door every day, I want to create something. I want to solve issues for students because I know that there’s going to be some.”

As a Science teach and later as an administrator, Zenobia wanted to remove the stigma associated with alternatives schools, so in 1999, she created the first comprehensive alternative school in Darlington County. “I don’t want them to feel like this is the end.  This isn’t a dumping ground.  This is an opportunity to recreate yourself, flip the script, for you to take the negativity and turn it around,” she said.

And when her students still felt as if they couldn’t do it, or if they felt unworthy, Zenobia took another step.  She and her sister, Tina Woodward (LA’18), created a community organization called I am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. in 2004.  Centered on building self-esteem the acronym stands for Brave, Energetic, Assertive, Unique, Tenacious, Important, Fabulous, Unequaled and Loved.  Offering training support, tools and resources to help girls ages 6-18, I am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. also focuses on STEM and has partnered with the Governors School for math and science.

As WMBF News reported, “Her tireless work, effort and compassion to help students and young girls reach their full God-given potential in life is why Edwards thrives.” Check out their full report at She Thrives.

To learn more about I am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L, click HERE.

Congratulations to Leadership America 2014 graduate Amy Stewart for her nomination and recognition as one of the twenty-five 2019 Minority Business Leader Award honorees who were honored on February 12, 2019.  As noted by the Dallas Business Journal, this year’s honorees “represented a variety of industries and roles, in addition to displaying an excellent track record of community service.”

Amy is one of the Founding Partners of Stewart Law Group, a minority and woman-owned litigation boutique in Texas.  Also certified by the National Association of Women and Minority Owned Law Firms, Stewart Law Group brings a culturally diverse perceptive to the legal practice.

In addition to her recent award, Amy was elected to the Dallas Bar Association’s Board of Directors as a Director-At-Large in January.

Leadership Texas 2016 graduate Karen Howard has been elected as the new President of Executive Women in Texas Government starting in January 2019.  Most recently, Karen served as EWTG’s Vice President and assumes the President-Elect position vacated by Tanya Skaarup (LT’14).  Leadership Women wishes Karen a truly successful year!

Karen Howard has been employed with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Office for over 34 years. She currently is a Supervisor and Training Coordinator in Tax Policy/Taxpayer Services Division. She manages over 30 employees in a call center environment. Prior to Karen moving to the Tax Policy division, she worked in the Revenue Administration division for more than 33 years. In addition, she serves on several panels and committees. A few of her accomplishments include; Special Events Coordinator for the Taxpayer Services and Revenue Processing Division and Vice President and Secretary of Black American Comptroller Employees (BACE). She earned the title of “Certified Trainer” for her diligent work in developing training manuals and facilitating training classes for Revenue Processing and Revenue Administration. Karen was also the Electronic Content Management System (ECMS) Transition Team Chair. In 2009, Karen started her tenure with EWTG as a volunteer on the Conference Program Committee. She enjoyed being a volunteer; and shortly thereafter became the Conference Program Committee Chair. She has currently held that position for 4 years. To further expand her knowledge and networking skills, Karen accepted the position on the 2015 EWTG Board of Director as the Mini Course Director. In addition, Karen was nominated to the 2016 EWTG Board of Director as the Program Director.

Leadership Women congratulates, 2016 Leadership Pipeline and 2018 Leadership Texas graduate Shalyn Bridges for her recognition as EWTG’s 2018 Women of the Year!  Executive Women in Texas Government (EWTG) recognizes one outstanding member as “Woman of the Year” who demonstrates excellence in her personal and professional life, as well as commitment to the community. This distinguished member is judged across five categories including: educational achievements, career accomplishments, participation in EWTG, community involvement and overall leadership qualities.

As noted in the December edition of the EWTG Star, “Shalyn Bridges, met and exceeded the expectations to earn this prominent award. Shalyn was born in Galveston County, Texas and grew up in La Marque, Texas. She currently serves as a Senior Paralegal & Law Librarian working for the Texas Legislative Council. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Politics from Cornell College and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Shalyn is a Certified Paralegal and a certified etiquette consultant. She is an active member of EWTG, serving since 2009 on various committees and as a board member during 2017 and 2018. In addition to her membership with EWTG, she serves the community through the Austin Junior Forum, The State Agency Libraries of Texas and is the owner & instructor of the Bridges Etiquette & Academics, LLC. ”

Of her participation in Leadership Texas 2018, Shalyn reflects as her number-one take-away, “The things that divide us might seem big and complicated, but they are outnumbered by the values we have in common. Common ground is the starting point to finding solutions.”

For more information on the EWTG and Shalyn’s recognition, check out EWTG’s website.

Linda Little, LA’2017

Sheilah Clay, LW Board Member

Congratulations to Leadership America 2017 graduate, Linda Little, for her recent appointment as the President and Chief Executive Officer-Elect for Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO), one of Michigan’s leading social service agencies.  Current NSO President & CEO, LW Board Member and Leadership America 2014 graduate, Sheilah Clay will retire on December 31, 2018, after 18 years at the helm of NSO.

In their October 1 press release, NSO Board President Richard Lichtenstein said, “I want to praise Sheilah Clay for the extraordinary dedication, knowledge and leadership that she has compassionately provided to NSO over the past 22 years.  Finding an executive with industry specific experience to follow her lead was no easy task.”

Dr. Lichtenstein added, “We are pleased that Linda Little has joined our agency as President and CEO-Elect.  Linda’s deep experience in clinical healthcare, behavioral health, care management, education and financial management is unparalleled in this marketplace.  Importantly, her previous involvement as an NSO Board member and her dedication to our mission make her uniquely qualified.”

Leadership Women also congratulates Sheilah Clay for her dedication and commitment to NSO.  We wish her nothing but success in her next chapter!

Leadership America 2018 graduate, Anna Roach, has just been named the new COO of Fulton County in Georgia.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported, “Fulton County Manager Dick Anderson has promoted the county’s chief strategy officer, Anna Roach, to become Fulton’s new chief operating officer.  Roach has worked for Fulton County for five years. Before that, she spent 14 years as a criminal defense attorney and as a consultant to various government agencies, including MARTA, the Georgia Division of Aging Services and the city of East Point, Ga.”

“Anna’s leadership and acumen as an administrator made her a natural fit for this role,” Anderson said. “She is an innovator whose contributions to Fulton County have already accelerated our progress in areas of behavioral health, justice and performance management. I look forward to her continued success in this new role.”

The Murray State University TSM (Technology Solutions Management) program announced a new award to be given to women in technology. They have named it the Lana Garner Porter Award for Women in Technology to honor Lana Porter who has been a Murray State alumnae and has had an illustrious career in technology including AT&T and Ameritech Library Systems (the world’s largest provider of software for libraries).

The first honoree of this award is another Murray State alumnae, Trisha Cunningham, who had a 30 year career at Texas Instruments and rose through this technical company serving in many marketing capacities and was the Chief Citizen Officer before retiring in 2016. Since then, she has become the CEO of North Texas Food Bank, one of the tenth largest food banks in the country.

LW congratulates Board members Lana and Trisha!

Beverley Wright, LA’05, LT’09, was recently featured in the May 1, 2018 issue of the Dallas Morning News, sharing her insights in starting her Coaching Business, Wright Choice Group, later in life.

Beverley states, “I see potential in people and I enjoy bringing that to the forefront.”  And while her business allows her to coach business leaders in the areas of healthcare, financial services and transportation, she has also coached emerging leaders in our Leadership Pipeline program.  LW would like to thank Beverley for her continued support of LW programs, her wisdom and leadership savvy.

Check out the full article here.

Canadian, Texas held a City Council Election on May 5th with Leadership Texas 2014 graduate and political newcomer, Wendie Cook, taking one of the three open seats available.  As the results rolled in, Wendie posted, “A giant thank you to Canadian for giving me an opportunity to work for you. It will be my honor to do so. Now, it’s time for the work to begin.  Cheers to our bright future!”