| MADISON -- On May 31, 2007, the YWCA of Madison will present the 33rd annual Women of Distinction Awards at the Concourse Hotel. Eve Galanter, Rita Kehl, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Margo Melli, Anne Ross and Mai Zong Vue will be honored for work exemplary to our mission: Empowering women and eliminating racism. The YWCA Women of Distinction awards were established in 1974 to increase community awareness and appreciation of the diverse contributions of women in the work force and in the community. Their community service, professional achievement, integrity, leadership and dedication to the lives of others and to the quality of life for all stands as a reflection of the YWCA's historic mission and values. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Chair of Urban Education in the Departments of Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was the 2005-2006 president of the American Educational Research Association, a member of the National Academy of Education, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Society for the Study of Education. She is an active member of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Madison, WI and a 40-year member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. She is wife to Charles Billings, mother of 4 and grandmother of 5. Marygold S. Melli (Margo) is Voss-Bascom Professor of Law Emerita at the University of Wisconsin. She was the first woman to be appointed to a tenure track position at the Law School and only the 14th in the United States. She has been honored by the U.W. System for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Women in Higher Education, the Wisconsin Law Foundation with the Belle Case Lafollette Award for outstanding service to the profession, the State Bar of Wisconsin for lifelong contributions to the advancement of women in the legal profession, and the State Bar Family Law Section for outstanding service. Nationally, she has served on the Board of the American Humane Association, an organization for neglected and abused children, and as Chair of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. She has served on the Board of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, as a trustee of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, as President of the University Club, and as a member of the Executive Committee of a Fund for Women (chair 2002, 2003). She is a member of the Waunona Garden Club. In 2002, she received the Senior Service Award of the Madison Rotary. Mai Zong Vue -- After spending 5 years in a refugee camp in Thailand, Mai Zong came to Chicago O'Hare in1980 with her family. Mai Zong holds a master in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Business Administration degree from Lakeland College. Through Mai Zong's work as a Refugee Program Specialist with Department of Workforce Development, she provides advocacy and culturally competent services for refugee women including developing and successfully implementing the statewide Refugee Family Strengthening and Refugee Women's Leadership program. As an advocate for refugee women to ensure there are just and adequate bilingual services for refugee women, Mai Zong participated in the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women and served as a member of the Hmong American Delegation to Napho Refugee Repatriation Center in Thailand to assess and gather data. Other volunteer work include being a former board of director with Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children in New York, former president of Hmong National Development, Inc. in Washington D.C., co-founder of Refugee Women's Network in Georgia, co-founder of a Hmong TV program "Bridging Hmong American" in Appleton, co-founder of the Hmong women's group at Kajsiab House at Dane County Mental Health Center and a member of the Governor's Council on Domestic Abuse. She is a regular guest speaker at the UW-Madison and other local agencies on refugee women, cultural adaptation, and refugee resettlement issues. Rita Kehl has been a teacher of young children for the past 39 years. Her passion is to empower all young children, especially those from low-income families, to become successful lifelong learners. Rita began her career in Chicago where she worked with Hull House Association and taught in inner-city Chicago for seven years. She then moved to Gary, Indiana, where she organized the first YWCA preschool for inner-city children. Since moving to Madison in 1980, Rita has developed a Four-Year Old "At- Risk" Program for the Madison Metropolitan School District, guided numerous student teachers, traveled to Japan on a Fulbright Memorial Teacher Scholarship, and is presently the Preschool Literacy Instructional Resource Teacher. In this position, Rita has built many community-wide partnerships and initiated several collaborative projects that support high quality early childhood care and education for all children and their families. Along with her husband Tim, Rita continues to be a strong advocate for the poor and an activist for peace, social justice and racial equality. The Kehls have two grown daughters: Jenny, a professor at Rutgers University, and Heather, a Special Education teacher in the Milwaukee Public School District. Anne Ross is a lawyer who is a tireless volunteer on behalf of the less fortunate people in the community. As the lead attorney for the YWCA, she helped guide the YWCA through the process of substantially rehabilitating and refinancing the YWCA building. This was an exceptionally complex financing involving partnership with a power company, multiple income tax subsidies, and several layers of debt financing. Her work on behalf of causes that further justice for women can also be seen in her involvement with such organizations as the Benedictine Life Foundation, the Governor's Task Force on the Glass Ceiling, the Wisconsin Alumni Association Women's Initiative, the Women's Intercollegiate Sports, Inc., the Madison Community Foundation's Fund for Women, the Wisconsin Women's Council, the Wisconsin Women's Entrepreneurs, and The Business Forum, Inc. Eve Galanter embodies continuous excellence, accomplishment, and creativity in her professional and community related activities. Professionally, she's been successful in careers that ranged from a freelance writer to a teacher of emotionally disturbed children. She worked as a television news reporter on consumer and health affairs and as a research and planning analyst on insurance issues. Recently, she developed and implemented the public relations plan and events associated with the launch and deployment of Madison's first wireless network, Mad City Broadband. In her volunteer commitments, Eve is tirelessly devoted to advancing the goals of equality, diversity, and social justice. She is president of TEMPO Madison, a member of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Women's Network and chair of the nominating committee, past Board member of YWCA, past president of Wisconsin Women in Government, chair of the Public Affairs Committee of the Madison Civics Club, and assisted in the creation of the YWCA of Madison Foundation and is the current president. Eve received an Orchid Award for environmental achievement from Capital Community Citizens, selected as Best of Madison, Local Politician, in Madison Magazine, and won the Distinguished Service Award from TEMPO International in 2005. In the last three years, Eve was Project Coordinator for Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton's economic development initiative, Wisconsin Women=Prosperity, and she coordinated both the 2004 Leadership Symposium and the 2005 State Convention. The 33rd annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards luncheon will be held on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at the Concourse Hotel. For more information, please contact (608) 257-1436. |
| 33rd Annual YWCA Women of Distinction From the YWCA of Madison |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |