Nominees for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards 2016

The nominees for the 33rd annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards have been announced and tickets are now on sale for the gala awards evening on June 8th. 87 outstanding women in Metro Vancouver have been nominated, recognized for their contributions to their workplace, industry, and community.

Nominees for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards

Arts, Culture & Design

• Artemis Gordon – Artistic Director, Arts Umbrella
• Luisa Jojic – Program Director, Creativa International
• Rebecca Lam – Advanced Vocal Instructor, The Institute for Vocal Advancement
• Margaret Reynolds – Executive Director, Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia
• Taslim Samji – Artist and Curator
• Tamara Stanners – Program Director, 102.7 the PEAK
• Dorothy Woodend – Director of Programming, DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Business & the Professions

• Rita Andreone – Partner, Lawson Lundell
• Kylie McMullan – Founder, Finch Media
• Sue Paish – CEO, LifeLabs
• Kirsten Sutton – VP and Managing Director, SAP Labs Canada

Community Champion

• Jaime Adams – Director, Forest and the Femme Society
• Farida Ali – Chairperson of the Board of the Women’s Council, BC Muslim Association
• Wendell Harlow – EA Outreach and Corporate Giving Manager, Electronic Arts
• Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia – Founder, Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation
• Barb McMahon – Founder, Sprouting Chefs
• Rosalin Miles – Executive Director and Founder, Aboriginal Physical Activity & Cultural Circle
• Marcia Nozick – CEO and Founder, EMBERS Vancouver
• Sophia Suderman – Executive Director, Abbotsford Arts Council
• Carol Todd – Founder, Amanda Todd Legacy Society
• Erin Treloar – Founder and CEO, RAW Beauty Talks
• Peggy Woodruff – President, Burnaby Association for South East Side
• Cheryl Young – Founder and Executive Director, Fibromyalgia Well Spring Foundation

Education, Training & Development

• Catherine Anderson – Program Manager, Science World
• Nicole S. Berry – Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU
• Penny Gurstein – Director and Professor, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning
• Svetlana Nikolic-Brzev – Instructor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, BCIT School of Construction and the
• Environment
• Amber Papou – Executive Director, Skills Canada BC

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

• April May Bellia – Owner, Granola Girl and Founder, KarmaConnect
• Rebecca Bollwitt – Publisher, Miss604.com
• Lynda Brown-Ganzert – Founder and CEO, Curatio
• Traci Costa – Founder and CEO, Peekaboo Beans
• Lotte Davis – Founder and CEO, AG Hair
• Sara Hodson – Founder and President, Live Well Exercise Clinic
• Colleen Legzdins – Founder, Axine Water Technologies Inc.
• Andi Mortenson – Founder and Creative Director, Epic Design
• Christine Pilkington – Founder and CEO, Crisp Media
• Maryam Sadeghi – CEO and Co-Founder, MetaOptima Technology

Environmental Sustainability

• Gwen Barlee – National Policy Director, Wilderness Committee
• Andrea Goertz – Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, TELUS
• Cheeying Ho – Executive Director, Whistler Centre for Sustainability
• Pixie Hobby – Lawyer, Woodland Consultants
• Michelle Molnar – Ecological Economist, David Suzuki Foundation
• Amanda Pitre-Hayes – Greenest City Action Plan Lead
• Lynne Quarmby – Professor of Science, SFU
• Christine Rock – President, WildResearch
• Sarah Smith – Director, Natural Gas Transportation, FortisBC

Health & Wellness

• Mary Bennett – Critical Care Pediatrician, BC Children’s Hospital
• Nicole Chovil – Coordinator, Projects and Initiatives, Fraser Health
• Patricia Daly – Vice-President, Public Health and Chief Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Jana Davidson – Psychiatrist in Chief, BC Children’s Hospital
• Marla Gordon – Medical Director, Residential Care, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Shimi Kang – Medical Lead, Child and Youth Mental Health Services, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Susi Kerr – Owner and ACE-Certified Trainer, Bare Fit and Pregnant
• Cheryl Koehn – Founder and President, Arthritis Consumer Experts
• Robyn Sussel – Principal, Signals Design Group

Non-Profit

• Ann Alexander – Associate Executive Director, PLEA Community Services Society of BC
• Queenie Choo – CEO, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
• Laurie Clarke – CEO, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre Foundation
• Gloria Cuccione – Founder and Executive Director, Michael Cuccione Foundation
• Laura Dilley – Executive Director, PACE Society
• Kasari Govender – Executive Director, West Coast LEAF
• Marilyn Herrmann – Executive Director, Surrey Food Bank
• Anita Huberman – CEO, Surrey Board of Trade
• Jennifer Johnstone – President and CEO, Central City Foundation
• DJ Larkin – Lawyer, Pivot Legal Society
• Sue McIntosh – Executive Director, Seniors Come Share Society
• Grace Pastine – Litigation Director, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
• Mary Reeves – Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Langley

Public Service

• Dianne Doyle – President and CEO, Providence Health Care
• Colleen Kerr – Manager of Crime Reduction, City of Surrey
• Kathy Kinloch – President and CEO, BCIT
• Irene Lanzinger – President, BC Federation of Labour
• Barbara Meens Thistle – Vice President, Corporate Services, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
• Diana Miles – President and CEO, WorkSafeBC

Research & the Sciences

• Patricia Janssen – Professor, School of Population and Public Health, UBC
• Adeera Levin – Professor of Medicine and Head, Division of Nephrology, UBC Faculty of Medicine
• Teresa Liu-Ambrose – Associate Professor, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, UBC
• Jacqueline Quandt – Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC

Young Woman of Distinction

• Paige Glazier – Creator, Team Orange
• Zoya Jiwa – Founder, As We Are
• Rayna Sutherland – Student and Activist
• Tesicca Truong – Board Director, Co-Design Engage

Outstanding Workplace

• 6S Marketing Inc.
• Flipside Creative Inc.
• O2E Brands
• Peekaboo Beans

The 2016 awards ceremony will take place Wednesday, June 8th at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tickets and tables are available now. Early bird pricing ends April 24th.

Follow the YWCA of Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information along with the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards @YWVanWODA on Twitter.

YWCA Metro Vancouver is dedicated to achieving women’s equality. Their mission is to touch lives and build better futures for women and their families through advocacy and integrated services that foster economic independence, wellness and equal opportunities.