YWCA Madison Will Honor Six Women at Moxie Conference

YWCA Madison will present the 43rd annual Women of Distinction Leadership Awards to women who represent outstanding achievement in their field of endeavor during their upcoming Moxie Conference. Women of Distinction award recipients lead by example and embody the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women.

Women of Distinction’s achievements support YWCA’s work to close the gender leadership gap and support equity for all. Since the awards began in 1974, YWCA Madison has honored over 200 role models in our community. The community is encouraged to celebrate with these award recipients during the Moxie Conference on May 26. The awards will be presented during a lunchtime event, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Award Recipients
· Eugenia “Gina” Carter
Partner at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek
· Deidre Simone Greene
Managing Editor of Simpson Street Free Press
· Sherry Lucille
Guidance Counselor at MMSD–Memorial High School
· Stephanie Nash
Family Life/Sexual Education Teacher at The Children’s Aid Society, Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program
· Corinda Rainey-Moore
Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator at Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
· Mary Strickland, CFP
Vice President — Private Wealth Management at Robert W. Baird & Co.

Gina Carter is a shareholder in the Madison office of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. Besides her professional work litigating and counseling clients on intellectual property matters, she has been actively involved in many community volunteer efforts including A Fund for Women, The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, The YWCA and the American Players Theater.

Deidre Green is the Managing Editor at the Simpson Street Free Press (SSFP), where she has been involved since the seventh grade! She is a powerful advocate and role model for academic achievement, and provides mentoring to hundreds of local students. Her “Gap According to Green” column in SSFP has earned her several journalistic excellence awards, including two Wisconsin School Bell Awards. These articles focus on what she calls “the cancer of low expectations of black and brown kids.” Ms. Green views teaching youth to write as a tool to empower individuals to express themselves and succeed in their fields.

Sherry Lucille, who will be retiring as a Guidance Counselor with the Madison Metropolitan School District at the end of the current school year, was described in her nomination as “a behind-the-scenes mover and shaker.” Throughout her career, Ms. Lucille has guided students at Lincoln Elementary, Spring Harbor Middle School, and Memorial High School. She dedicated her life to helping students and their families succeed. Ms. Lucille is a role model and counselor to many in our Madison community, developing positive relationships with her students and demonstrating her commitment to their well-being.

Stephanie Nash, a Family Life/Sexual Education Teacher at The Children’s Aid Society, Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, has served the Madison community as an award-winning youth development professional and mentor. She has engaged with local youth for over thirteen years by providing medically-accurate, evidence-based relationship and sexual health education. In 2013, Ms. Nash was the recipient of the Mentor Award of Excellence awarded by 100 Black Men on Madison.

Corinda Rainey-Moore is a dedicated advocate for empowerment and community service. Currently the Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator at the WI Council on Children and Families, Ms. Rainey-Moore has influenced the lives of many in the Madison community through her extensive volunteer work with organizations such as the Urban League of Greater Madison, Black Women’s Wellness, Boys & Girls Club, and countless others. She continually works to empower women and address Madison’s poor record of racial disparities.

Mary Strickland, CFP, Vice President–Private Wealth Management at Robert W. Baird & Co., has been a leading member of the Wisconsin financial community for over two decades. She hosts regular “Women on the Square” seminars through Baird Wealth Management, which focus on empowering women to take control of their financial situations. While working at the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, she developed Women’s Business Services and raised funds to start Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. Mary is President of Madison Development Corporation and serves on A Fund For Women’s Advisory Board.