October marks one of DePaul’s Favorite Traditions—the Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon.
The 14th annual luncheon was the most successful Women of Achievement event to date. The awards honor leadership, volunteerism, dedication, and compassion—values shared with and upheld by DePaul—and pay homage to the countless ways in which women make a difference in their professional and personal communities in the Commonwealth and beyond.
This year introduced the addition of the Women of Achievement Reception on September 13th, a precursor cocktail reception to the luncheon, to celebrate past recipients and honor the 2016 nominees. The reception signifies the start of a new tradition and provides an opportunity for Women of Achievement to share stories with their fellow recipients and stay engaged with DePaul. The Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon was held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center and was emceed by Carilion Clinic’s Karen McNew McGuire.
This year, seven women were introduced as the newest class of Women of Achievement. DePaul CEO Amanda Stanley introduced the theme for the day: it takes courage to open doors for others. Three hundred pairs of hands, our largest gathering yet, came together to applaud this year’s recipients. As the crowd listened for the recipients to share their “doorway” moments, laughs were shared and lives were touched—a brief moment of impact compared to the hundreds of lives these women touch daily.
Women of Achievement is truly an inspirational and empowering event—it is important to recognize women who do so much, yet whose contributions sometimes go unnoticed. It takes courage to open doors to hope and belonging and to invest time and livelihood in the service of others.
Anyone can nominate a Woman of Achievement in Central and Western Virginia. For more information visit depaulcr.org/woa.