The “Luminous Leaders” Luncheon on March 10 at the Miles River Yacht Club honored eleven women leaders of the mid-shore. The Easton Branch of AAUW sponsors this gala event every two years, inviting regional non-profit groups to nominate a “Woman Who Makes A Difference” in their respective organizations.
“Luminous Leaders”named at the 2018 event include: Lanae Bailey Harmon (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Theta Omega Chapter); Kristen Greenaway (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum); Linda Tebbs (Easton Branch AAUW), Beth Anne Langrell (For All Seasons, Inc.); Susan Sherman (Friends Council, Talbot County Free Library); Audra Johnson (Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence); Joan Brooks (NAACP, Talbot County Branch); Kristin C. Junkin (ShoreRivers, Inc.); Deborah “Deb” Keller (Soroptimist International of Talbot County); Amy Blades Steward (Talbot Community Connections); and Carol Vandrey, Talbot County Dept. of Emergency Services).
Photo: L-R back: Lanae Bailey Harmon, Audra Johnson, Carol Vandrey, Amy Blades Steward, Susan Sherman. Front row: Beth Anne Langrell, Deborah Keller, Linda Tebbs, Kristen Greenaway, and Joan Brooks. Kristin Junkin is missing from photo.
Over ninety colleagues, friends, and family joined the gathering to celebrate the women’s achievements and learn more about the various nominating organizations. Charlene DeShields, representing Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, praised Lanae Bailey Harmon for spearheading fundraising for scholarships.
Libby Moose, representing the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum extolled Kristen Greenaway’s commitment to helping the local community. The first female president of CBMM, Greenaway has developed partnerships with nearly 40 local non-profits and created “Rising Tide,” CBMM’s first free after-school program.
Beth Anne Langrell, the Executive Director of For All Seasons, Inc. has doubled the budget and resources for helping clients, Monika Mraz declared. The agency is the only licensed behavioral health and rape crisis center that serves residents of all five Mid-Shore counties without regard to one’s ability to pay.
On behalf of the Friends Council of the Talbot County Free Library, Susan Carroll listed the innovations Susan Sherman has brought to the non-profit group, including the popular “Among Friends” fundraiser, Lunch and Learn programs for adults, and the STEAM Festival for children.
The Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence selected Audra Johnson as an outstanding employee. The Council’s Executive Director, Jeanne Yeager, emphasized that hundreds of clients benefit each year from Johnson’s legal expertise.
NAACP’s nominee, Joan Brooks, is not only an active member of the NAACP’s Talbot County Branch but a force in many other organizations, according to nominator Walter Black. She also belongs to Alpha Kappa Alpha and serves on the Local Management Board in Queen Anne’s County, the Chesapeake Resources Advisory Board, Judy Center Advisory Board, Queen Anne’s County Multicultural Competency Advisory Board, Kent Narrows Development Foundation Board, Character Counts Advisory Board, and the Infant and Toddlers Advisory Board.
Kristen Junkin has been fundamentally involved with ShoreRivers’ unprecedented growth and success, Jeff Horstman declared. She “worked tirelessly” to bring about the merger of three nonprofit environmental entities — Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Chester River Association, and Sassafras River Association — into a robust new organization, ShoreRivers, to advocate for the health of Eastern Shore waterways. Ms Junkin was unable to attend the luncheon.
Cheryl Palumbo of Soroptimist International of Talbot County hailed Deborah Keller as an example of outstanding commitment, initiative and volunteerism. While holding several positions in the organization over the years, Keller has added members, enhanced fundraising, and overseen the launch of “Dream It, Be It,” a career education workshop for 9th and 10th grade girls in Talbot County.
As President of Talbot Community Connections, Amelia “Amy” Blades Steward founded TCC’s Senior Summit, Linda Webb told the audience. As well as being committed to educating the community about aging issues, Steward has addressed such important issues as homelessness, foster care, incarcerated fathers, opioid abuse, sexual abuse, and mental health.
Carol Vandrey is a woman who makes a difference as the Volunteer Coordinator for Talbot County Department of Emergency Services. The group’s representative, Judy Bottorf, praised Vandrey for the “electric energy” she has brought to the DES volunteer program.
Easton Branch AAUW honored Linda Tebbs as their Luminous Leader. Tebbs has held numerous leadership positions, including President, Co-President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. She brings energy, enthusiasm and good humor to every task she undertakes, AAUW’s Mettah Kollmann stated. Tebbs also volunteers at the Waterfowl Festival and serves on the accreditation committee for the National Council on Aging, Talbot County Senior Center.
AAUW is dedicated to advancing equity for women and girls. In 2018 the Easton Branch celebrates 60 years of inspiring, educating, and advocating for Eastern Shore women. Nationally, the American Association of University Women is a leading voice in communities, statehouses, Congress, and the United Nations. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with over 150,000 US members, AAUW has raised over $100 million dollars to help thousands of women and support projects in the US and 140 other countries. To learn about membership opportunities, contact Connie Wolfe at (410) 819-6789 /[email protected] or Elaine Wilson at 410-770-5049 / [email protected].
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