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West, Anderson among YWCA’s 2015 Outstanding Women

1/20/2015, 6 a.m. | Updated on 1/20/2015, 4:31 p.m.
Marilyn H. West has broken through cultural, geographic and gender barriers in her 23 years of management consulting. Judy C. ...

Marilyn H. West has broken through cultural, geographic and gender barriers in her 23 years of management consulting.

Judy C. Anderson has advocated for fair housing opportunities and the recognition of civil rights victories during her 40 years of service to the community.

The two are among eight women selected as the YWCA of Richmond’s 2015 Outstanding Women Awards honorees.

The 35th annual commemorative event is designed to “honor female leaders who empower the community,” YWCA officials stated in a news release.

The event is scheduled for Friday, April 24, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. 3rd St. in Downtown.

Ms. West is being honored for her business accomplishments.

In 1991, she founded M.H. West & Co. Inc., a planning and consulting company with specialization in management, education and planning services.

In her spare time, Ms. West mentors others and leads the board of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia and serves on the Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation Board and the advisory board of the Metropolitan Business League.

Ms. Anderson is being recognized for volunteerism.

She led the Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial Foundation, which erected the monument that now stands near Virginia’s Capitol, and has supported social justice and equal rights through her efforts with Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the Virginia Public Access Project and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

Ms. Anderson’s other volunteer activities include working with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Richmond Arts Council, Richmond Community Hospital, the League of Women Voters and the YWCA.

The other honorees:

Arts: Ana Ines King, artistic director of the Latin Ballet of Virginia.

She has dedicated herself to preserving and sharing Hispanic culture through dance education and performance. She also has worked to increase accessibility to the arts for low-income families and to empower young women from diverse backgrounds by instill- ing poise and confidence and an appreciation for other cultures.

Education: Genene D. LeRosen, executive vice president of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

She led a collaboration with Henrico County Public Schools on a concurrent enrollment program that allows students to com- plete an associate’s degree while in high school. Other regional public school districts plan to implement the Advance College Academy program.

Health and Science: Dr. Melissa Byrne Nelson, a pediatri- cian with Pediatric Associates of Richmond.

She is a board member of PACKids, the organization working to create a free-standing, independent children’s hospital. She is the former chairwoman of pediatrics at St. Mary’s Hospital and currently serves on the alumni board of directors at Virginia Tech and the Medical College of Virginia.

Human Relations and Faith in Action: Susan Brown Davis, senior vice president of community leadership initiatives at The Community Foundation.

She provided critical early leadership for the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence. The partnership and its components, which include Nonprofit Learning Point and HandsOn Greater Richmond, provide hundreds of training and service opportunities each year for nonprofit professionals and volunteers.

Law and Government:

Mary E. Langer, Richmond deputy commonwealth’s attorney.

She has been lead prosecutor for most of the serious child physical and sexual abuse cases in the city. She was named the 2013 Woman of Achievement by the Metropolitan Richmond Women’s Bar Association. She serves on the Virginia Bar As- sociation Commission on the Needs of Children.

Nonprofit Management: Kathy Glazer, president of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.

She is a champion for advancing school readiness and early learning initiatives through public and private partnerships on the state and local levels. She is on the advisory board of the Literacy Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University and on the executive council of Bridging RVA.

Tickets for the awards luncheon: www.ywcarichmond.org/ owatix.