Professional Women’s Chamber Seeks Woman of the Year Nominations
SPRINGFIELD — The Professional Women’s Chamber (PWC) is seeking nominations for its Woman of the Year award. The award is presented annually to a woman in the Western Mass. area who exemplifies outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment, and service to the community.
This award has been given annually since 1954 and is publicly recognized as one of the most prestigious honors given to any citizen for distinguished service and selfless giving. The award’s first recipient was Julia Buxton, treasurer of Buxton Inc., founder of what is now known as the PWC and the first woman elected to the Springfield Chamber board of directors. Other past recipients include 2016 Woman of the Year Arlene Rodriguez, vice president of Academic Affairs for Springfield Technical Community College; Anne Paradis, CEO of MicroTek; Carol Campbell, president, CEO, and founder of Chicopee Industrial Contractors; the late Kitty Broman; the late state Sen. Iris Holland; Sr. Mary Caritas; retired Judge Nancy Dusek-Gomez; former state Sen. Gale Candaras; and businesswomen Arlene Putnam, Mary Reardon Johnson, Ellen Freyman, and Jean Deliso.
To be considered, candidates must be gainfully employed in a paid full-time position and live or work in the Pioneer Valley. Any woman in the Pioneer Valley may be nominated; no chamber affiliation is required. Nominee achievements can be representative of a lifetime of work or for more recent successes.
Nomination forms are available online at www.professionalwomenschamber.com or by contacting event committee chair Jenny MacKay at [email protected]. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 17.
