The Women of Excellence nominees have been revealed and there is yet another record breaking number of nominees.
“We surpassed last year’s record. We have 56 nominees and so it gets better and better and more and more women are being recognized every year, which is a good thing because it’s about time to start recognizing the work of women in our community and our region,” said Kristine Bugayong, chief executive officer of the Red Deer & District Community Foundation.
“They’re not celebrities, they’re not rock stars, they’re women who are like you and I just doing their day to day work but with the intent of making the lives of people around them better,” she added.
And this year there is a new category – the Women of Excellence in Construction.
In a partnership with the Red Deer Construction Association, they wanted to make sure that women know that construction is a career option.
“It’s perceived to be a male-dominated field which it is, but women like the nominees that we have, have excelled in this field for a very long time. They’re trailblazers because no one has ever been in that profession before and so it’s really neat.”
Last year there were 51 nominees.
Nominees per category are as follows:
Agriculture
Judy Andres, Stettler County
Shelley Brandshaw, Red Deer County
Donna Trottier, Red Deer
Arts & Culture
Doreen Bergum, Olds
Erin Boake, Red Deer
Randi Boulton, Lacombe
Stephanie Grue, Red Deer
Lorna Johnson, Red Deer County
Heidy Panameno, Red Deer
Athletics, Recreation and Fitness
Rachel Andres, Olds
Tammy Cunnington, Red Deer
Kari Elliott, Red Deer
Suzan King, Red Deer
Riana Luck, Red Deer
Business and the Professions
Suzanne Alexander-Smith, Red Deer
Ryan McDougall, Red Deer
Nancy Paish, Red Deer
Tammy Schlamp, Red Deer
Community Building
Shauna Bossert, Red Deer
Shelley Hanlan, Red Deer
Danielle Klooster, Penhold
Teresa Kutynec, Blackfalds
Theresa ‘Corky’ Larsen Jonasson, Red Deer
Christina Ray, Olds
Sherri Smith, Red Deer
Women of Excellence in Construction
Treena Dixon, Red Deer
Martine Francis, Red Deer
Sue Neufeld, Red Deer County
Education and Training: Red Deer College
Bev Manning, Red Deer
Entrepreneurship
Autumn Dyck, Red Deer
Denise Harty, Lacombe
Travis Mills, Red Deer
Diana Rude, Red Deer
Estie Vandervelden, Red Deer
Environment
Erin Findlay, Red Deer
Sarah Grass, Red Deer
Sharina Kennedy, Red Deer
Nancy McAteer, Red Deer
Health and Wellness: Warren Sinclair LLP
Velma Karpa, Red Deer
Vanessa Higgens-Nogareda, Red Deer
Nicole Schmitt, Red Deer County
Human Services
Christine Harris, Red Deer
Karyn Kay, Red Deer
Amy Komarniski, Sylvan Lake
Elsie Machell, Olds
Yvonne Peebles, Red Deer
Tabitha Phiri, Lacombe
Heather Reynolds, Red Deer
Dana Rondeau, Red Deer
Jessica Schurman, Red Deer
Gillian Wallis, Blackfalds
Linda Yargeau, Penhold
Alvina Zaidi, Red Deer
Crystal Zens, Lacombe
Young Woman of Excellence
Tatyanna Stoesz, Sylvan Lake
Ola Zein Alabdin, Red Deer
A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented to an exemplary woman, who for many years of her life, has been a role model for the community.
The annual Women of Excellence Awards Gala will be held on June 19th at the Sheraton Red Deer starting at 6:00 p.m. Award recipients will be announced that evening. Tickets are now on sale for $125 each or $1,000 for a reserved table of eight. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketsalberta.com.
