By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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CHERRY VALLEY — The YWCA Northwestern Illinois honored six women on Monday for their leadership and commitment to empowering women, eliminating racism and improving our community.
The annual Women of Achievement Awards were handed out in front of a crowd of 450 people at the Tebala Event Center. The event, now in its 44th year, always kicks off Women’s History Month.
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Honorees this year were Jennifer Furst, Alderwoman Gabrielle Torina, Mary Jo Hare, Victoria Mayer, Catherine Valdez-Doyle and Karen Walker. They were selected from dozens of nominees.
“The common denominator out of all of our nominees is that they support the mission of the YWCA: They live empowering women. They live trying to make a more inclusive community,” said Kris Machajewski, president and CEO of the YWCA Northwestern Illinois. “They live the lifting up of other female talent and bringing someone along with them.”
The YWCA also awarded five scholarships to Jordan Happ of Rockford Christian High School, Elle Mathison of Belvidere North High School, Evelyn Walters of River Ridge High School, Leonel Bautista Cortez of Auburn High School and Gabriella Herrera of Belvidere North High School.
“It’s really important, especially for younger women coming up in their careers, to see women who look like them and who are from their community knocking it out of the park,” Machajewski said. “The really cool thing is to see the scholarship winners come back 10 years later and talk about the impact that seeing the women on the stage had as they were pursuing their careers.”
Torina, who represents the 5th Ward on Rockford City Council and runs her own public relations firm, referenced this summer’s battle over the future of the former Barber-Colman factory in her acceptance speech.
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Torina voted in favor of moving the project forward without requiring a deal with organized labor. Her vote pitted her against her biggest financial supporters in labor unions, but she maintained ensuring the project could go forward was the best thing for south Rockford, where a blighted mess of buildings had stood as a symbol of division and an uncaring city to residents of her ward.
“Maintaining unwavering integrity is my commitment to myself, to God and to this city — and no political or monetary influence can ever sway my dedication to principals over profit,” she said. “I stand firm in my resolve to lead with integrity so that the community’s interests always come first.”
Torina was given the award for Community Leadership from the YWCA.
“This award belongs to all of us who refuse to be silent, who challenge the status quo and who tirelessly work toward a more inclusive Rockford,” Torina said. “I stand here as someone who is fully dedicated to calling out racism wherever it exists because we can’t just acknowledge the issues, we have to actively work toward dismantling systemic barriers, even if that means editorial written about you, inflatable rats and your face on a mobile billboard.”
Valdez-Doyle, who was given the Promise Award for women younger than 35 who show potential for extraordinary leadership and service, delivered a call to action in her acceptance speech.
“I want to invite everyone to join me not just as an ally but as an accomplice in this work,” she said. “We might come out beat up, but we’re never going to get this work done if we’re not out there side-by-side getting into some good trouble, too.”
The keynote speech in the event was delivered by Ginger Kerrick, the first Latina director of NASA Mission Control and a 30-year veteran of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. She is now the chief strategy officer for Barrios Technology, a Houston-based aerospace company.
She started her speech be recounting the February 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts, and talked about the ways her team at NASA challenged themselves to confront difficult problems with innovative solutions to prevent future disasters.
She said that although she worked in aerospace, leaders in every industry can learn how to say yes to ideas that may seem impossible at first. But her most important lesson, she said, was about finding joy in your career.
“If you’re in a career right now and you hate it, get out. If you’re a student and you’re trying to figure out what to do, pick something that brings you joy,” Kerrick said. “Be true to yourself and live life like that, where every picture that they take to you at work you are smiling and laughing.”
2024 Women of Achievement Awards
- Business Award: Jennifer Furst, president of Furst Staffing
- Community Leadership Award: Alderwoman Gabrielle Torina, owner of Riche Black Public Relations
- Mentorship Award: Mary Jo Hare, partner with SERVPRO of Rockford and Family Counseling Services board member
- Professions Award: Victoria Mayer, retired Rockford Public Schools teacher who is now a Rockford University adjunct professor and supervisor of bilingual student teachers
- Promise Award: Catherine Valdez-Doyle, interim executive director of Rockford Dance Co. and founder of a progressive leadership and skills development program for area high school students
- Racial Justice: Karen Walker, dean of the center for learning strategies at Rockford University
2024 YWCA scholarship recipients
Bright Future scholarship:
- Jordan Happ, Rockford Christian High School
- Elle Mathison, Belvidere North High School
- Evelyn Walters, River Ridge High School
La Voz Latina scholarship:
- Leonel Bautista Cortez, Auburn High School
- Gabriella Herrera, Belvidere North High School
Photos | Women of Achievement leader luncheon XLIV
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas