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Runte, Amies earn YWCA honour

trevor.kenney — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:20:23 +0000

A current ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty member, as well as a graduate and former employee are among the people selected by the YWCA as 2012 Women of Distinction.

Dr. Mary Runte (Faculty of Management) and Sarah Amies (BA '88 with Distinction), currently the program director of Lethbridge Family Services – Immigrant Services will receive their YWCA Women of Distinction Awards on Friday, Mar. 23 along with entrepreneur Vicky Vannatta Miller, lawyer and community volunteer Berga Moen and 87-year-old Edith M. Stewart, this year's "Wise Woman of Distinction."

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards recognize outstanding women who live and work in southern Alberta.

Through a competitive process, the honourees are chosen from a group of nominations. The awards are based on the candidate's accomplishments, commitment and leadership. The Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony is a wonderful venue to showcase the talent and leadership of women in southern Alberta. Women honoured have been trailblazers, entrepreneurs, innovators, social advocates and volunteers.

Sarah Amies: Woman of Distinction in the Social Advocate category

Sarah Amies emigrated from the UK to Canada in 1974. She attended the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and graduated in 1988 with a B.A. (Distinction) in Anthropology. She was the co-ordinator of the Applied Studies program at the U of L for nine years and a Student Program Advisor for five years.

In January 2001, Amies became the program director of Lethbridge Family Services – Immigrant Services. She is closely involved with the settlement and integration of new immigrants planning a make a life in Lethbridge, focusing especially on the empowerment and advancement of women with disadvantages. Under her leadership, Immigrant Services has expanded programming and services significantly, growing from a staff of three to 22 at present.

Amies has chaired the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies' Communications committee and has well established business and community networks, particularly in the in area of developing and executing innovative community partnerships and collaborations.

She has extensive volunteer service including: Vibrant Lethbridge, Volunteer Lethbridge, Alberta Network of Immigrant Women, National Settlement Modernization Advisory Group, Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination, Family Violence and Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Committee and the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association.

Mary Runte: Woman of Distinction in the Spirit of Women category

Mary Runte has a PhD in Management from St. Mary's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and an MBA from York ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. She is an associate professor of strategy and the director of social responsibility in the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Previously, Runte worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations, including Eastside Young Moms and the Society of Special Needs Adoptive Parents. Gender inequity, work-family balance, social responsibility and business ethics are her particular areas of interest and research, having numerous publications and having received major research grants to study these issues.

Runte was honoured as distinguished speaker for the Work-Life Conference at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ochanamizu, Tokyo, Japan in 2007. She is the founding Division Chair for the Social Responsibility Interest Group of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada.

Her tireless support of her students, especially female students in non-traditional fields, and her one-on-one mentoring throughout their academic careers is done on a volunteer basis. She is an incredible role model for students and colleagues alike as she advocates ceaselessly for ethical and principled business behaviour.

The Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, March 23 starting at 5 p.m. at the Lethbridge Lodge. The guest speaker is Leela Gilday, aboriginal singer/songwriter and a winner at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.

Call 403-329-0088 or stop by the YWCA for tickets ($100 with a $50 tax receipt).

YWCA Lethbridge and District Announces 2011 Women of Distinction

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:07:28 +0000

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards recognize outstanding women who live and work in Southern Alberta.

This year six women have been selected through a competitive process, and the honorees are chosen from a group of nominations.

Among the recipients this year are several with connections to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony showcases the talent and leadership of women in Southern Alberta. Women honoured have been trail blazers, entrepreneurs, innovators, social advocates, and volunteers.

The 2011 Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony will take place Friday, March 18 starting at 5 p.m. at the Lethbridge Lodge.

The guest speaker is Crystal Flaman, a social entrepreneur, multiple Ironman Triathlete competitor & 100km Ultra-Marathoner and Author.

Please call 403-329-0088 or stop by the YWCA for your tickets ($75 with a $50 tax receipt).

2011 YWCA WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARD RECIPIENTS

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk: Community Leader

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, M.D./Ph.D. was born and raised in Ukraine. Living close to Chernobyl inspired her research into the effects of radiation on living organisms.

She is a medical doctor, cancer researcher and professor in Biological Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Her work is devoted to uncovering the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer development and using new approaches to cancer prevention, diagnostics and treatment.

Dr Kovalchuk has been invited to give lectures on her work in countries around the world and has received over $8,000,000 in funding from both Canada and the U.S. from granting agencies as diverse as Canadian Foundation of Innovation, Alberta Cancer Research Institute, U.S. Department of Energy Low Dose Radiation program, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Cheryl Dick: Community Commitment

Cheryl is the Chief Executive Officer for Economic Development Lethbridge and is highly respected for her strong and tireless commitment to providing exceptional leadership.

Her academic background, corporate experience and core values combine with her leadership in creating a vibrant organization that treats people equitably, achieves goals, celebrates success and serves society.

Cheryl completed her MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 2003 and holds an "Accredited Public Relations" designation from the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Among other community service efforts, she has held volunteer leadership positions with the U of L Senate, Faculty of Management Advisory Committee, and Senate Honorary Degree Committee.

Bonny Greenshields: Social Advocate

Bonny is the owner and operator of Round Street Café, as well as, a wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many people and organizations in the Lethbridge community.

Bonny and her husband Malcolm moved to Lethbridge where she taught Special Education at Winston Churchill high school until 2004.

She found teaching extremely rewarding and values the connections she made during this teaching period. However, Bonny's dream was to own a three story building where she would have a coffee shop on the main floor, residences for international students on the second floor and live on the top floor.

When a property that fit her dream became available, she and Malcolm took a major risk, sold their home to buy the Wallace building on 5 Street South and in December of 2004 opened the doors of the Round Street Café.

Darcie James: YWCA Champion

Darcie was born in Medicine Hat, AB and relocated to Lethbridge with her family in 1969. She was honoured as Winston Churchill High School's top female athlete in 1976, earned her Diploma in Law Enforcement from Lethbridge Community College in 1979 and was one of the first two women constables hired by the Lethbridge City Police in 1980.

In 1996, she became the first woman in the agency to be promoted to Sergeant. In 2002, she completed her baccalaureate degree and in 2003, she earned the distinction of being the first woman in law enforcement in Lethbridge to achieve the rank of Staff Sergeant.

In addition to her career achievements, Darcie has left her mark on her community through volunteer service.

Arleen Albiez: Spirit of Women

Arleen was a Returning Officer for the City of Lethbridge (1950 – 1995), the first female Returning Officer (Lethbridge West) for the Province of Alberta (1972 – 1979) and the first female Federal Returning Officer (Lethbridge) in Canada (1979 – present). She is still the Federal Returning Officer for Lethbridge.

In her many years of being a Returning Officer, recruiting and hiring paid employees for elections, she has always ensured that women were given equal opportunities to work the elections, gain valuable experience, training and confidence. Many of these women have gone on to successful careers.

Arleen has also been a leader and volunteer extraordinaire in many other organizations in Lethbridge and District: The United Way (formerly Community Chest), Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Canadian Cancer Society, Head Start Program, Southland Credit Union, the Red Cross, the Order of Royal Purple of Canada, and the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization.

Kelsey Yule: Young Woman of Distinction 2011.

Kelsey is a young woman who has never let a challenge stop her. She grew up in a small agricultural based community, where independence and a 'hard work' ethic were instilled at a young age. Kelsey entered the beauty industry at age 18, and in two years owned and operated her own successful salon.

This business experience developed and sharpened her skills as a stylist and as a leader in the industry. She is the recipient of many awards and recognitions including: 2008 Alberta Salon/Stylist of the Year for Canada, 2008 Redken Cover Competition Alberta Finalist, 2007 Alberta/BC Salon Team finalist for Canada, Youth Initiative Award Winner and the L'Oreal Professional Runway Finalist.

By thinking outside the box, Kelsey offered cosmetology courses to high school students in remote rural areas of Southern Alberta via video conferencing. Her latest business venture is Purely Inspired Academy of Beauty, a high end school and salon in Lethbridge.

Additional information about the 2011 Women if distinction is available on their website:
http://www.ywcalethbridge.org/whats-new

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Runte, Amies earn YWCA honour

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YWCA Lethbridge and District Announces 2011 Women of Distinction

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