Eight Cincinnati-area women have been selected as 2018 YWCA Greater Cincinnati Career Women of Achievement for their outstanding leadership, vision, exceptional community contributions and renowned professional success.
Under the theme “Women Leading Change,” the 39th Annual YWCA Career Women of Achievement Luncheon will be held 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, in the grand ballroom of the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati. The event is the single largest fundraiser for the YWCA Greater Cincinnati, founded in 1868. Proceeds from the luncheon, which attracts over 2,000 attendees each year, directly sponsor the YWCA community-wide programs serving more than 34,000 women, men and families such as domestic violence shelters, youth services, racial justice programming, job training and literacy education.
The 2018 honorees were announced by luncheon co-chairs Christi Cornette, chief culture officer, Cincinnati Bell Inc. and Susan B. Zaunbrecher, corporate department chair, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. Both are former Career Women of Achievement honorees.
“In addition to paying tribute to eight outstanding leaders, we are honored to host a keynote speaker of Ashley Judd’s international caliber, they said. “Ashley Judd perfectly represents the YWCA’s three pillars of empowerment and economic advancement, health and safety, and racial justice and inclusion.”
The 2018 Career Women of Achievement winners are:
Cathy Bernardino Bailey, Director, Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW)
As the first woman and African-American woman to lead the utility since it was formed 200 years ago, Cathy Bernardino Bailey has demonstrated an unrelenting drive, perseverance, consistent goals and perpetual optimism that have led her to the top of her profession. Often the only African-American at the table, she carefully watched and learned how leaders operated. For 23 years she employed a rigorous work ethic to prove her abilities and win over skeptics. Now as the GCWW director she ensures safe drinking water for a regional population of over 1.1 million citizens, supervises a team of over 600 full-time employees, and oversees a $90 million operating budget.
As part of a handful of females in the nation leading a water utility, Cathy sees opportunity to be a change maker based on her vast experience and the lessons learned from water crises in our nation. A chemist by training, she is able to parlay that knowledge into ensuring the best water quality for the region. She is a fearless leader who is not afraid to say “time’s up” when it comes to replacing lead service lines here and in other metropolitan areas.
Stacey Browning, President, Paycor
Vision, determination, grit, and a passion to help others succeed. These are all terms various sectors of the community use to describe Stacey. Never afraid to immerse herself into something new, Stacey rose from sales representative to president during her 26-year tenure with Paycor. Her boundless drive, penchant for staying ahead of trends and commitment to helping others discover their personal brand often catapult her into new responsibilities she faces with zeal. This includes overseeing the construction of a new headquarters and augmenting the successful payroll service with a Human Capital Management (HCM) platform. Ready to extend beyond sales and marketing, she took on the role of Paycor’s first Chief Product Officer and immersed herself into the project by attending conferences, reading countless books and meeting with experts until she became an authority on HCM. The company’s revenue skyrocketed as her knowledge expanded.
While she is a role model and mentor for women working in technology or toward C-suite roles, she is also a dedicated wife and mother of two sons. The youngest was born with a genetic mutation that prevents him from caring for himself. Stacey devoted countless hours gaining support for legislation to give care and a voice to her son and others who cannot speak for themselves. She was present when Governor Kasich signed the legislation.
Tracy Cook, Executive Director, ProKids
Tracy Cook oversees a powerful organization that advocates for hundreds of Cincinnati’s most vulnerable children. Last year she led a staff of 35 and over 250 specially trained volunteers to assist nearly 900 children in the Hamilton County child protection system, giving them a voice they would otherwise not have. Tracy is steadfast in training an ever-expanding corps of Court Appointed Special Advocates known as CASA volunteers.
Armed with a law degree in 1990, it didn’t take long for Tracy to begin demonstrating her passion for standing up for children by volunteering for ProKids as a CASA volunteer in 1992 and then joining the organization as staff attorney in 1993. She was named ProKids executive director in 1998. Through her transformational leadership style she has positioned ProKids as a community collaborator focusing beyond the abused and neglected children ProKids can directly serve. She is a founding member of the Children’s Protection Collaborative, collaborates nationally and is known for her commitment to recruiting, training and supporting outstanding CASA volunteers.
Kimberly Halbauer, SVP & Managing Director, Private Bank, Fifth Third Bank
Kim is the perfect example of determination and grit. Her career began right out of high school as a Fifth Third Bank teller after she found herself pregnant and in need of a job. She attended college courses at night. Her can-do attitude made her unstoppable. While it took her 11 years to complete her degree, she simultaneously rose up the Fifth Third ranks to regional manager. Her commitment to education and community volunteerism is a reflection of the support and mentorship she received as she rose in her career.
Following additional promotions she now presides over Cincinnati’s Private Bank for Fifth Third’s Bancorp where she leads a team of 150 employees responsible for over $12 billion in total assets. Kim is the first woman to lead the Cincinnati Private Bank in its 25-year history. It was recently rated the top private banks in the Midwest by Global Finance Magazine.
Deborah Hayes, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, The Christ Hospital Health Network
Debbie Hayes has come full circle. She began her healthcare career as a teenage hospital volunteer. Her grandfather drove her to the hospital and would advise, “remember, always reach for the stars, defy the odds, help others around you and all of your dreams will become realities.” Now as COO of The Christ Hospital Network, she continues to take those words to heart and uses that advice to inspire others to lead. She knows most of the employees by name. There are very few areas of the hospital she hasn’t touched over the last 30 years. She has taken on many roles; from staff nurse to manager, director, Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Patient Safety Officer, Chief Information Officer and Chief Hospital Officer. Her passion to help improve the health of the community is seen in her community activities both as a representative of The Christ Hospital and as teacher and advisor in academic settings.
“I have worked with women in the past who were afraid to surround themselves with other talented women,” says Chief Nursing Officer Julie Holt. “Debbie listens and learns and then she shares openly with others. Women can watch, learn and grow because Debbie is transparent, supportive and collaborative. She is an amazing mentor and boss.”
Wijdan Jreisat, Shareholder, Katz Teller
It didn’t take long for Katz Teller to recognize Wijdan’s unique ability to bring people together and use her sharp wit and intellect in the courtroom. Her ability to serve as a counselor, zealous advocate (or devil’s advocate) and warm-hearted friend has earned her clients’ trust and confidence. After honing her skills in business litigation and employment cases, the firm was convinced that she would be the ideal successor to the firm’s well-respected family law practitioners. They were right. Wijdan now navigates hotly-contested and emotionally charged matters with the same aplomb she exhibited during her business litigation years.
Along the way, Wijdan has been recognized in her field by multiple organizations. She is now a certified specialist in family relations law and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Widjan has been lauded for her legal skills as one of the Best Lawyers in America, as one of the top 50 Cincinnati and Top 50 Women Ohio Super Lawyers and a Leading Lawyer. That said, Wijdan is equally recognized outside the legal field and her law firm, serving in leadership roles on a number of critical community organizations that have sparked her interest and harnessed her personality and passion.
Donna Salyers, President & Founder, Donna Salyers Fabulous Furs
At the age of 44, Donna Salyers’ great revelation came from a segment on Paul Harvey’s radio show. In the car on her way to purchase her first full-length mink coat she listened to his story about kittens skinned alive to make plush “mink” teddy bears. Horrified, the seamstress and columnist hatched the idea to create sewing kits for faux mink coats. The idea took off and as women began to sew less, Donna and her growing facility in Covington switched to creating ready-made apparel and furnishings. It is now one of the largest woman-owned businesses in the Tri-State with annual revenue exceeding $18 million. Her charitable spirit assists organizations for furry as well as humans in need.
For 17 years Donna wrote a syndicated newspaper column leading to a video series, national cable TV show and eight books, which helped to fund her company in the early years. Now she can be seen on cable shopping networks as the face of her beloved brand. She is well-known to her distributors such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Her coats have graced the covers of prominent magazines, was “Oprah’s Favorite Thing” and been worn by actresses in dozens of movies and television shows.
Carolyn Wallace, Owner, The Perfect Brew
Nutritious home-grown food plus a 32-year jazz concert series equals community development and engagement. That’s the formula Carolyn Wallace has used for almost three decades to make an everlasting impact on Cincinnati. Using her adept business skills, she developed It’s Commonly Jazz, the longest-running free summer jazz series in Cincinnati. She launched the series in the courtyard of the Swifton Commons. As it grew, the series moved to the Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park. It now draws 5,000 each summer. Every Thursday night through the month of August, Carolyn’s volunteer team brings the community together for an incredible night to gather, connect and enjoy great jazz.
Carolyn also owns The Perfect Brew, a catering business that began in 2000. It has evolved from box lunches to catering around 25 events a month for 35 major clients. She takes every opportunity to connect people through food, music and conversation. Xavier University, Findlay Market, Ollie’s Trolley and the Food Network have all partnered with The Perfect Brew to complement their event with Carolyn’s unique blend of healthy food and a unifying environment.
Other key events of the May 9 YWCA Career Women of Achievement program include:
• Presentation of the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Scholarship Award, Fifth Third Bank,
Trustee, to Beverly Hector, a single mother who has benefitted from several YWCA programs.
• Presentation of the Mamie Earl Sells Scholarship, presented by Kroger, to Natera Bean, a senior at Purcell Marian High School.
Judges were Martine (Marty) Dunn, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Dan Hurley, Interim President, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center; Candace McGraw, CEO, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; Mary Miller, CEO, JANCOA Janitorial Services; and Liza D. Smitherman, CEO/Owner, Brewster Pumping and VP, Professional Development, Jostin Construction.
Luncheon tickets are $85; corporate sponsorships are also available. For information, call the YWCA Greater Cincinnati at (513) 241-7090 or visit www.ywcacincinnati.org.