Honors 17 Extraordinary Women Across Westchester
Date: March 18, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Catherine Cioffi
Communications Director
Office - (914) 995-2932
Cell- (914) 954 -557
View Video Here
(White Plains, NY) – Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the Westchester County Board of Legislators and the Westchester Women’s Advisory Board selected 17 women from across the County who exemplify strength, community service and leadership. Each honoree will receive a proclamation from the County Executive for their work at the next virtual meeting of the Women’s Advisory Board on March 21.
Latimer said: “Westchester County is made up of so many extraordinary women doing amazing things in education, entrepreneurship and community service. In Westchester County, we know women can be dynamic leaders and we have placed more women in key leadership roles during my administration than any other in history. I think of my grandmother and how she was born without the right to vote. I think of my mother, a blue collar worker who dropped out of school in the 8th grade. She overcame obstacles and provided a firm foundation for our family. In Westchester County, I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these exceptional women who continue to break the glass ceiling for others to follow. During Women’s History Month, we want to highlight and celebrate these accomplishments.”
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia said: “Across Westchester and the world, women lead -- in business, government, the fight for social equity, education and the arts. And as women increasingly occupy these positions, we see the rich, diverse and powerful set of skills and insights we bring to issues. We certainly see that in the distinguished women we celebrate today -- community leaders in public health, in caring for domestic violence survivors, in advocating for working families, in helping children with special needs, in providing for immigrants and new Americans and more. I thank all of them for their service, and the Westchester Women's Advisory Board for this wonderful opportunity to call attention to them and their work.”
Westchester Women’s Advisory Board Co-Chair Shannon Powell said: “It is with great pleasure that we have the opportunity to honor this amazing group of dynamic women from across Westchester County during Women's History Month. These women deserve to be recognized for their outstanding achievements in a variety of fields and for the numerous contributions they have made in service of their communities. Our women honorees exemplify the best of Westchester."
Westchester Women’s Advisory Board Co-Chair Margaret Fountain Coleman said: “We are excited to look within our own communities and tap into the strength of women who are the unsung of our communities. Many women go unrecognized because they work behind the scenes making our communities stronger and better. I salute and honor all of you in your districts for your tireless work and commitment. We salute all the women who are being honored for your hard work and dedication in making Westchester stronger!”
The honorees are:
District 1: Mayor Vivian McKenzie, Mayor of Peekskill
District 2: Kymberly McNair, Director, Community Education, My Sisters’ Place
District 3: Marlene Capani, Special Needs/Autism Advocate
District 4: Dawn Evans Greenberg, Organizer, Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival
District 5: Nyle Salley, Program Specialist (EMS) Westchester County Department of Emergency Services
District 6: Zeltzin Sanchez-Gomez, The New Guard Youth Group and Excluded Workers Fund
District 7: Nicole Alifante, Founder, Coalition for Understand Racism Through Education (CURE)
District 8: Sarah Bracey White, Author and Greenburgh’s Arts and Culture Committee Director
District 9: Ana Guzman, Founder and Executive Director of Ossining Padres Hispanos
District 10: Adrienne Michelle, Community Organizer and Activist, Chair of the Tuckahoe Juneteenth Committee
District 11: Sylvia Hamer, Director of Programming and Community Engagement, HOPE Community Services
District 12: Jaquetta Jenkins, Founder, First Steps to Heal, Inc.
District 13: Rev. Sheila Simmons, Grace Baptist Church
District 14: Jeni Wallace, Yonkers Human Rights Commissioner
District 15: Nancy Maron, President, Board of Trustees, Yonkers Public Library
District 16: Maddie Cheatham-Walker, Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation
District 17: Lucy Vigilant-Smith, President of Park Hill Residents’ Association
###