YMCA honors women who achieve excellence in their field and through community service

ZANESVILLE – The 2024 Muskingum County Women of Achievement inductees will be recognized at the 36th annual banquet on April 24 at the Campus Center of Zane State College.

Since 1988, the program has honored women who achieve excellence in their field of endeavor and through community service. Proceeds from the event will benefit youth and family scholarships at the Muskingum County Family YMCA.

This year's inductees are:

Ann Hollingsworth, Josephine Phillips Health Care Award

Hollingsworth began her career with the Zanesville Muskingum County Health Department more than two decades ago. She has served as a registered environmental health specialist, a lead risk assessor, quality improvement coordinator and a community health planner before becoming the director of community engagement and performance management.

She has led several teams including the Harm Reduction Team, which aims to reduce the stigma of substance use disorders and decrease the number of overdose deaths in Muskingum County. In addition, one of her teams works with county agencies and community members to improve the health of the community by addressing housing, healthy habits, education and literacy and behavioral health issues.

Hollingsworth also serves on the boards of Muskingum County Center for Seniors and West Muskingum Youth League, and been a chairperson for Relay for Life and volunteer for United Way Tax Preparation. She is also a soccer coach and a Girl Scout troop leader.

Carly Bice, Muskingum County Youth Foundation Bright Futures Award

Bice is a junior at Tri-Valley High School and a College Credit Plus student at Ohio University Zanesville. She maintains three part-time jobs. She is a dance instructor at A2J Crew Dance Kompany, a childcare provider and works at PV’s Pumpkin Patch.

She's a member of the National Honor Society, serves as president of Wakatomika Valley 4-H Club and is a volunteer for Tri-Valley Youth League Sports, Christ’s Table and the Muskingum County Cattlemen’s Association. She was also a member of the Muskingum County Junior Fair board.

Bice is her dance team captain and was named as Dancer of the Year for 2022. She was named to the Tri-Valley Homecoming Court as junior attendant, and earned the Muskingum County Fair Reserved Grand Champion Goat award in 2022.

Carol Bridwell, Mary Vashti Jones Funk Business Award

Bridwell has bachelor's and master's degrees from Ohio University. She worked at ARMCO/AK Steel for 36 years. She also completed a process improvement certification and achieved certified quality engineer status through the American Society for Quality. After retiring she began showing and selling her fiber art at various venues.

As a fiber artist, Bridwell recognized the challenges artists experience in marketing their work, which led her to form Elk’s Eye Endeavors with her daughters to save the Elk’s Lodge building on Fourth Street. Their first project was to renovate the main floor and to create the Elk’s Eye Art Market, a place where artists and artisans can display and sell their work. Bridwell serves as the managing partner for the enterprise.

She has received numerous awards for her fiber art including the Robert W. Amos Founders Award at the Salt Fork Arts and Crafts Festival, third place at the Arts on the Square Festival in Caldwell and honorable mention at the Y Bridge Arts Festival.

June Huey, Muskingum Family Y Lifetime Service Award

Huey is a Zanesville native who traveled the world and served the U.S. in the Women’s Army Corp. She also worked for Douglas Aircraft Company. She continued to serve by working for TRW Space and Defense as the first female manager of the Micro Electronics Center, where she supported various NASA sponsored programs.

Huey attended Zanesville High School before going into the military during World War II. She attended night classes and earned her GED from Redondo Beach High School while working full time for Douglas Aircraft Company. After earning her GED she attended El Camino College, taking engineering coursework. At age 80, Huey completed a computer programming course at Ohio University Zanesville.

When she returned to Zanesville in 1991, she began volunteering at the Morrison House. She has also cared for her siblings and her son, in spite of her own challenge of having macular degeneration for the past several years. Huey has been recognized for her service, including being placed in the 2018 Muskingum County Veterans Hall of Fame.

Kassandra Settles, Ethel Granger Schultz Young Adult Award

Settles' career in social services began as an undergraduate student and has continued through her earning her master’s degree and professional certifications. She's been a social worker for the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department since 2021.

Settles is an Ohio licensed social worker and a grief recovery method specialist. She serves on the Muskingum County Interdisciplinary Team, Suicide Prevention Coalition, Drug Free Muskingum, Housing and Homelessness Advisory Group, Collective Impact, Community Council on Resources, Healthier Muskingum County Network and the Muskingum, Perry and Morgan Community Re-entry Coalition. In addition, she volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lunch Buddies program and is a graduate of the Leadership Muskingum program.

The graduate of Zanesville High School has degrees in social work and psychology from Ohio University. During her tenure as a college student she was recognized with the Ohio University Celebrating Women: Leaders On and Off the Court Award, Ohio University Zanesville Special Achievement Award and Outstanding Bachelor of Social Work Student Award and 2021 Ohio University Outstanding Master of Social Work Student Award.

Melanie Klotzbach, Aldine Roach Flegal Special Recognition Award

Klotzabach has worked in finance and accounting, having earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University. She served as treasurer at North Terrace Church of Christ before joining Hamilton, Waltman, Obenour, Melsheimer and Associates as a staff accountant.

She's an active community servant leader as a member of the Beaux Arts Club, where she served as the vice president and president and chaired the Art in Bloom fundraiser. She serves on the board at the Zanesville Museum of Art, where she has been treasurer and vice president. In addition, she served on the Transitions Women’s Shelter fundraiser luncheon committee, was treasurer for Tri-Valley Girls Soccer Boosters and co-chaired the Bishop Rosecrans Shimmer of the Night Fundraiser.

Klotzbach spearheaded the 100 Women Who Care Muskingum County initiative that has raised close to $160,000 and has provided funding to nearly 30 different charities in Muskingum County.

Martha Pollock, Winifred K. Vogt Education Award

Pollock has taught visual arts from kindergarten to 12th grades for more than three decades. She's currently at Philo High School. She also contributes to art curriculum development, gifted student identification and assessment for Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center.

Pollock is a 4-H judge for Muskingum and Guernsey counties and has judged for the Salt Fork Arts and Crafts show for in the youth and adult divisions. She also served as the Region 9 Governor’s Youth Art Show judge. Pollock leads quilt guild workshops, retreats and events in fabric dyeing, beading and embellishments and color theory. She has also volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America arts and crafts for day camp, summer camp and camporees. In addition, she teaches adult paper crafting and painting classes at various area businesses.

She received the 2013 Zanesville Day Break Rotary Teacher Recognition Award, 2019 Philo Key Club Outstanding Teacher Award and the 2020 Zanesville Museum of Art Avant-Garde Award for Excellence in Art Education. Pollock's art accolades include winning the pieced quilt fabric challenge held at Chestnut Ridge and curating the Art Quilt Network show for Roscoe Village.

Pam Kirst, Mary Townsend Professions Award

Kirst currently serves as senior program director for the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation. She was the adjunct services coordinator at Zane State College before retirement and also taught college English. She taught English for several institutions in New York and Ohio and served in various administrative roles throughout her career as well.

Kirst served on the Mental Health and Recovery Board and taught Mental Health First Aid courses. She serves as a board member for the Muskingum County Convention Facilities Authority, Muskingum County Library System and Zanesville Concert Association. In addition, Kirst is a member of the Friends of the Library, NAMI and All Around Club. She is a Big Brothers Big Sisters lunch buddy for two littles and was a participant in the Leadership Muskingum program.

Kirst has been honored with COTC’s Part Time Teaching Excellence Award, Mary Harris Prize in Writing from the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, Friend of Recovery Award, and two awards from Zane State College − the Faculty Excellence Award and Adjunct Faculty Award.

For more information about Women of Achievement, including ticket information, go to muskingumwoanominations.com.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: 2024 Muskingum County Women of Achievement honorees named