2018 Women of Influence Honorees announced
YWCA Dayton will honor seven women during its 2018 Women of Influence awards luncheon on March 8, 2018, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Dayton Convention Center. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the award; with an average attendance of 800, it is the single largest daytime nonprofit luncheon in Dayton.Since 1998, the YWCA Dayton WOI Awards have recognized and honored the most influential women in the Dayton area, visionaries who have made a difference in our community through their dedication to the YWCA mission of empowering women, eliminating racism, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.Honorees in the Women of Influence Class of 2018 are:• Janice Allen, Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer, Trotwood-Madison City School District• Mary Bullen, Community Philanthropist & Founder, Home Is The (HIT) Foundation• Kim Faris, Hot Country B94.5 and Mix 107.7 (I Heart Media/Dayton)• Jacque Fisher, Deputy, Sensors Division (WPAFB)• Sharon Rab, Founder & Chair, Dayton Literary Peace Prize• Daria Dillard Stone, Parent Advocate & Educational ConsultantAdditionally, Pamela Morris, founder and CEO of CareSource, will be honored with the 2018 Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award. Morris was first named a Women of Influence Honoree in 2011.Honorees were selected from a pool of more than 85 nominations by YWCA leadership and the volunteer WOI Committee, led this year by Chair Jenny Michael, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at CareSource, and Co-Chair Debbie Watts Robinson, CEO, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities.Says Shannon Isom, president and CEO of YWCA Dayton, “Occasionally, someone will ask me if we’ll ‘run out’ of influential women in the Dayton area to recognize. Clearly, we will not. We stand in awe of these women. They are thought leaders, innovators, literal care givers. They make our community stronger by sharing those gifts to break down barriers and help the most vulnerable among us thrive. That is the mission work YWCA Dayton has done for 147 years, and we are honored to lift up these women in pursuit of that vision.”The Women of Influence luncheon serves as the largest fundraiser for YWCA Dayton. Sponsorship opportunities, program advertising and ticket information are available HERE.