Since 1980, YWCA Richmond has honored more than 300 women leaders for their achievements and contributions in the Greater Richmond area.

This year’s honorees include:

Arts & Culture: Ashley Hawkins, co-founder of Studio Two Three.

This community driven arts organization is a collaborative work space for artists, brings art classes and cultural events to 25,000 people a year.

Business: Dee Ann Remo, founder of Heritage Wealth Advisors. Over nearly two decades, Heritage has provided financial services for its clients, including through The Foundation for Financial Independence, which focuses on building wealth among communities historically excluded from opportunities.

Education: Dr. Paula Pando, president of Reynolds Community College. Since 2018, Dr. Pando has championed programs at Reynolds that have helped increase enrollment and decrease performance gaps. She also gives of her time and expertise serving on multiple boards in the Richmond community.

Health & Science: Paulette McElwain, president and CEO of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. Over the past 15 years, VLPP has grown to meet the needs of the community it serves — including primary care and the largest trans health program in Virginia.

Human Relations & Faith in Action: Sheba Williams, founder of Nolef Turns.

This nonprofit helps Virginians who have been charged with or convicted of felonies and advocates for laws that remove the stigmas that surround past convictions.

Law & Government: Susheela Varky, attorney and founder of LA VIDA. The Virginia Poverty Law Center attorney has spent the past 30 years advocating for laws that help low-income survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their legal aid attorneys. Ms. Varky also founded the VPLC’s Legal Assistance to Victim-Immigrants of Domestic Abuse (LA VIDA) program that provides immigrant victims with free legal assistance.

Marketing & Media: Michele Rhudy, founder Rhudy & Co. Strategic Communications. The communications expert has served as president of Richmond’s chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and on the Virginia Council of CEOs board of directors.

Nonprofit Leadership: Tanya M. Gonzalez, executive director of the Sacred Heart Center of Richmond, previously spent 20 years serving the Latinx community in Richmond, after developing the Hispanic Liaison Office in the City of Richmond.

Volunteerism: Rudene Haynes, partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth. As a firm-wide hiring partner, Ms. Haynes works to foster environments that embrace differences and promote equality in the legal profession, and is passionate about ending disparity and racial inequities in health care.

A celebration honoring the 43rd Outstanding Women Award winners will take place on Thursday, May 4, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. For more details, visit www.ywcarichmond.org/oca/