YWCA Columbus just awarded their 2024 Women of Achievement. Meet this year's winners.
Six women were honored Thursday as the Columbus YWCA 2024 Women of Achievement, recognized for the work they've done in the Columbus community.
Hundreds of people filled part of the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the 39th annual event hosted by YWCA Columbus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, helping families and strengthening the community.
The award “honors leaders in Columbus for their determination, generosity, courage, and fight for equity."
Elizabeth Brown, president of the YWCA, said the women being recognized "have dedicated their lives to lighting a path that empowered future generations."
Here are the 2024 YWCA Women of Accomplishment, and what they had to say Thursday:
Corrine Burger
Corrine Burger is a managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she leads a global team as the firm’s chief control manager and oversees the firm’s Columbus Strategic Hub as a lead executive.
She also serves on the boards of Columbus State Community College and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and is a member of the executive committee of the Columbus Partnership. Burger is also a Dean’s Advisory Council member at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, her alma mater.
Thursday, she said she admires how the Columbus community "collectively values and welcomes those who raise their hand, show up and speak up to do good work, lift up others and participate in the often difficult conversations that lead to positive change. ...
"The lesson I take from this extraordinary experience is how important it is to encourage everyone who wants to engage in our community," Burger said. "To raise their hand, show up, speak up and use their platform. You don't need the brand power of a great company like the one I'm privileged to represent. Your platform might even be a personal experience."
Demetries Neely
Demetries Neely is executive director and CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing & Cultural Arts Complex.
The King Arts Complex established its first endowment under her leadership and gained national prominence for its financial sustainability. Neely is also president of the Burlie Neely Scholarship Fund, vice president of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium, a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Project 2025 Committee, and treasurer of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company.
Neely said she became pregnant in high school, but was able to return to school and graduate fourth in her class. She said her parents and grandparents helped her in so many ways while she was growing up. Her message Thursday was not to be afraid of asking for help.
"Ask your friends, your family, your teachers, whoever is in your village," said Neely, who is stepping down from her King Arts Complex role in June. "If you don't think you have a strong village, someone is always watching you and they are willing to help, and in fact, they want to help."
Elaine Richardson
Honoree Elaine Richardson is a professor, nonprofit founder and activist. Also known as “Dr. E,” she founded the nonprofit Education Foundation for Freedom, which hosts the Columbus Women and Girls’ Fest, and curated Ohio State’s influential HipHop Literacies Conference, which seeks to challenge stereotypes and promote women’s empowerment within the genre. She is also a performance artist and literacy expert and advocate.
Richardson uses her personal experiences, including prostitution at a young age and substance abuse, to help elevate the lives of Black people, especially women and girls.
"It took me years, four pimps, drug addiction and two babies before I was on the road to healing through love and education," Richardson said. "Being from the street life and overcoming it helps me have compassion and passion for the work that I do."
Renée Shumate
Renée Shumate is a philanthropist and an external affairs manager at AEP Ohio. She serves on several boards, including the Community Shelter Board and Columbus Metropolitan Library, and as Governing Board Chair for YWCA Columbus.
Shumate is also a founding member of the Matriots, a nonpartisan political action committee focused on electing more women to public office. Shumate also established the Shumate Council at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
Shumate, a Columbus native, said Thursday that the upbringing her parents gave her instilled in her "working hard, serving the community and giving back." She said she has taken that into life, where she tries to address issues of racism and discrimination.
"I will continue to shine my light on racial and social justice," Shumate said. "If you join me in sharing your gifts and shining your light, we can make a difference in making Columbus' future bright."
Ola Snow
Ola Snow is the chief human resources officer at Cardinal Health. She also serves as co-executive sponsor for the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion council and an adviser for the Black and African American Racial Equity cabinet.
Snow has also served on the Columbus Women’s Commission, advocated for pay equity studies at Cardinal Health, and co-chaired the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.
Snow said that when her two children came out as LGBTQ, and she announced that during a work meeting, remembering "the ultimate pride I had in them daring to be their authentic selves" rather than concerns about saying something wrong. She urged others to join her in "paying attention to your moments in your life where you can make an impact."
"As women, we are difference makers," Snow said. "Lean into your vulnerability because it is your strength — listen, learn and grow — and most importantly, act."
Erin Upchurch
Erin Upchurch serves as the executive director of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, which serves and supports LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. She is also a social worker, nonprofit leader, and community lecturer in the OSU College of Social Work.
Upchurch speaks in areas of leadership and organizational development, trauma recovery, and Transformative Justice as a framework for community and organizational practice.
Upchurch said Thursday that she will always work to fight for young LGBTQ people and work with others to help society "stop creating and perpetuating environmental trauma and harm."
"We must be nonnegotiable and unapologetic, and understand the dignity of all people," Upchurch said. "That will forever remain our collective charge: to create a world in which our young people no longer need to be resilient."
2024 Women on the Rise also recognized
The YWCA also recognized five Women on the Rise as emerging leaders working to "uplift marginalized communities and inspire others through their passion and dedication." They are:
Maria Bruno: public policy director at Equality Ohio
J. Averi Frost: executive director of the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce
Rebecca Joseph: higher education attorney at Bricker Graydon
Olivia Nathan: director of pharmacy services at PrimaryOne Health
Jennifer Walton: chief brand officer at Sky Nile Consulting
@Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Six women honored as 2024 Women of Achievement by YWCA Columbus
