Cleveland, Ohio—(August 13, 2015) Profiles in Diversity Journal® announced today the winners of its 14th annual Women Worth Watching® Award. Winners will be featured in the publication’s Summer 2015 issue, according to James R. Rector, founder, CEO & publisher.
“This is our 14th year of producing our annual Women Worth Watching issue,” said Rector. “Each year, we are extremely encouraged by the number of organizations in every sector that support the career advancement of the women in their workplaces. We have also been proud to provide an award with such meaningful impact on the movement for gender equity in workforce leadership.”
Nominated by their employers for their passion, their potential, and their positive influence both inside and outside the workplace, the winners represent corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits from across North America and Europe. The stories of their professional achievements and their first-person accounts of lessons learned during their careers—featured in the magazine’s print and online editions—are insightful and thought provoking.
“When we launched our inaugural Women Worth Watching issue, we knew we were doing something unique,” said Kathie Sandlin, the magazine’s Editor in Chief. “We may not have been the first to celebrate the accomplishments of women in business, but we knew by telling their stories, we could help propel the wave of high achievers that would certainly follow.”
Read the stories behind this year’s winners here.
Since the Award’s inception in 2002, Women Worth Watching has featured ten women who have since assumed the role of CEO in Fortune 1000 organizations. This issue will include an interview with the latest award winner to achieve that distinction, Lynne Doughtie, who was recently named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KPMG and was named a Woman Worth Watching in 2008.
This year’s award recipients are as diverse as the industries and locations they work in, and include:
Denise R. Rutherford, 3M Company
Julia Davis, Aflac
Michelle O’Neill, Alcoa
Cari Katrice Dawson, Alston & Bird LLP
Jill Surdek, American Airlines
Carine Jean-Claude, Arrow Electronics, Inc.
Robyn Price Stonehill, Assurant, Inc.
Jerrie J. Kertz, AT&T
Carolyn Pleiss, Autotrader/Cox Automotive
Stacie Lee Ropka, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider
Lia Patton, BDO USA, LLP
Gail A. Karish, Best Best & Kreiger
Jennifer Marchetti, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC
Raynor Dahlquist, Booz Allen Hamilton
Alex Johnston, Catalyst Canada Inc.
Kathleen Elie, Charter School Business Management Inc. (CSBM)
Cindi Hook, Comcast Corporation
DeAnna D. Allen, Cooley LLP
Amy Mills, Cox Automotive
Judy Sansone, CVS Health
Abbi L. Cohen, Dechert LLP
Jill Van Pelt, Denny’s
Samantha Ryan, Electronic Arts
Megan Gomez, Esq., Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Kristen Vennum, EY
Kristy Fercho, Fannie Mae
Teresa A. Lavoie, Ph.D., Fish & Richardson
Christine D. Hanley, FordHarrison LLP
Bonnie Crater, Full Circle Insights
Christine Furstoss, GE (Global Research Center)
Tanzania U. Adams, Georgia Power
Natasha M. Songonuga, Gibbons P.C.
Deirdre A. Leid, HARMAN
Marisa Iasenza, HARMAN
Jeanne C. Finegan, APR, HF Media LLC
Valeria Chapa Garza, Honeywell International Inc.
Sheila S. Tierney, Ingersoll Rand
Elizabeth Cooper , JLL
Kimberly Louis Robinson, Jones Walker LLP
Meredith McKenzie, Juniper Networks, Inc.
Natalia A. Shuman, Kelly Services
Tammy Hunter, KPMG LLC
Alison J. Hartley, L-3
Gina Andrukaitis, L-3
Lexi Alexander, L-3
Michele D. Johnson, Latham & Watkins LLP
Laura A. Boydston, Legg Mason
Karen Fowler-Williams, Lincoln Financial Group
Jillian Maver Ihsanullah, Linkage
Susie Heins, Manheim/Cox Automotive
Dianne Earley, Manheim/Cox Automotive
Katherine Y. K. Cheung, Marriott International, Inc.
Julianne M. Hartzell, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
Lori Lightfoot, Mayer Brown LLP
Rebecca Eisner, Mayer Brown, LLP
Stephanie Willson, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson, Mentoring and Providing Scholarships (MAPS) program
Susan Sun, MetroPlus Health Plan, Inc.
Malou C. Harrison, PhD, Miami Dade College
LaVon D. Chancy, Milligan & Company
Michelle B. Lee, Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.
Cheri Burnham, Moss Adams LLP
Ann McElaney-Johnson, Mount Saint Mary’s University
Tonya Newman, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Carla Rutigliano, New York Life
Christi Shaw, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Elizabeth King, NYSE Group
Danielle Gray, O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Rachel Kirsh, Oliver Wyman
Nancy Santiago Negrón, Opportunity Finance Network
Robin J. Davenport, Parker Hannifin Corporation
Jennifer Green, Pepper Construction Group
Ina L Murray, PNC Bank
Randa G. Newsome, Raytheon
Kirstin Turner, RBC Wealth Management-U.S.
Jennifer K. Grady, Richards Kibbe & Orbe
Kira Makagon, RingCentral
Kellie Lerner, Robins Kaplan LLP
Leigh A. Parker, Rockwell Collins
Sara McCoy, Salt River Project
Deborah Roberts, Sodexo, Inc.
Shira Goodman, Staples
Dorinda Smith, Sun Trust Mortgage
Niki Curci. Scott, Sun Trust Mortgage
Linda Kay, Terex Corporation
Elissa J. Margolis, The Walt Disney Company
Patricia Betron, ESPN
Cathleen Taff, The Walt Disney Company
- Ileana Martinez, Thompson Hine LLP
Deborah Higgins, Title Resource Group
Catherine Cornelius Smith, True Blue Inclusion
Nurit Katz, UCLA
Inajo Davis Chappell, Ulmer & Berne LLP
Shelly A. Espinosa, UnitedHealth Group
Stacey D. Stewart, United Way Worldwide
Dr. Andrea Lindell, Walden University
Jan Stern Reed, Walgreens
Heather Zachary, WilmerHale
Elizabeth L. Mitchell, WilmerHale
Kathy E. Magliato, MD, UCLA/Saint John’s Health Center
Read the stories behind this year’s winners here.
Profiles in Diversity Journal® is a quarterly magazine dedicated to promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion in the corporate, government, nonprofit, higher education, and military sectors. For more than 16 years, the publication has helped to stimulate organizational change by showcasing the visionary leadership, innovative programs, and committed individuals that are making it happen. For more information, visit diversityjournal.com.
