Two Northern Kentucky women are among ten who have been selected as the 2026 YWCA Greater Cincinnati Career Women of Achievement, recognized as outstanding role models for their leadership, vision and professional success – and for how they use that success to lift others.
The honorees will be celebrated at the 47th anniversary luncheon on April 30 at Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, historically the largest business luncheon in the region. The Career Women of Achievement event is also the largest annual fundraiser for YWCA Greater Cincinnati, founded in 1868. Proceeds directly support YWCA programs focused on safety, racial justice and inclusion, economic empowerment and mental health and wellbeing.
This year’s class represents a wide range of sectors including healthcare, education, government, finance, law, construction, technology, philanthropy and the arts. Together, the honorees reflect the YWCA’s long-standing commitment to leadership that expands opportunity, and creates lasting community impact.
The Northern Kentucky honorees are:
• Julie Kirkpatrick, CDME is the President & CEO of meetNKY, where she leads Northern Kentucky’s visitor economy strategy and champions regional collaboration to grow tourism, strengthen local businesses and elevate the community’s profile. A connector by nature and a change agent by reputation, Kirkpatrick believes that progress happens when leaders share credit, build momentum together and widen the circle of opportunity. Under her leadership, meetNKY has advanced development initiatives and expanded partnerships while helping position the Northern Kentucky region as a dynamic destination for both residents and visitors.
Kirkpatrick is the first woman to serve as CEO of Northern Kentucky’s tourism industry, and her celebrated leadership is grounded in stewardship, collaboration and legacy. She has a reputation for moving initiatives from concept to reality and for bringing people together around shared goals, including cross-river partnerships and destination development efforts that strengthen the region’s competitive edge. Kirkpatrick also invests heavily in the next generation of women leaders, opening doors and creating access through sponsorship.
Kirkpatrick currently serves on the boards of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Tourism Industry Association, Red Bike and the Cincinnati Music Festival. She is the proud mother of Lily and Logan, who fuel her commitment to building a region that is vibrant, welcoming and full of possibility.
• Cady Short-Thompson, Ph. D, is the President of Northern Kentucky University and a nationally respected higher education leader who has devoted her career to expanding access, success, and opportunity for students. A mission-driven executive with deep roots in the region, she has championed student-centered systems, strengthened academic and operational structures, and advanced institutional initiatives aimed at ensuring more learners can thrive.
Short-Thompson has spent more than two decades elevating educational institutions through transformational leadership, first as a professor of communication at NKU and later in senior roles across higher education, including provost of Hope College. In 2023, she returned to lead NKU as its first woman president and is currently the only woman serving as president of a public university in Kentucky.
A committed mentor to emerging leaders, Short-Thompson believes in empowering others to realize their full potential and “lifting as you climb” by surrounding herself with talented teams, resourcing their success, and promoting their growth. She serves on multiple civic and regional boards, including ArtsWave, BeNKY, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Dan Beard Council, Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and OneNKY Alliance. Her leadership has been recognized with recent honors including CEO of the Year (Cincinnati Business Courier), Newsmaker of the Year (NKY Tribune), and the distinction of Kentucky Colonel.
Short-Thompson resides in Covington with her husband Steve and is the proud mother of Alex, Skye, and Seth.
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The other 2026 Career Women of Achievement honorees are:
• Nabila Ahmad is the IBM Americas Sales Leader, where she drives strategic growth initiatives and develops high-performing teams in one of the world’s most competitive and quickly evolving industries.
• Evaline “Evie” Alessandrini, MD, is the Chief Operating Officer of Cincinnati Children’s and a nationally recognized pediatric healthcare leader whose career has centered on improving child health, strengthening systems of care, and advancing health equity.
• Debbie Brant serves as President & CEO of Cincinnati Ballet, where she leads one of the region’s most celebrated cultural institutions and champions the role of the arts in shaping our community.
• Sheryl M. M. Long serves as City Manager for the City of Cincinnati, where she leads day-to-day operations of the municipal government and advances policy, infrastructure and community priorities across one of the Midwest’s most dynamic urban regions.
• Michele O’Rourke is the CEO of O’Rourke Wrecking Company, and has built her career on a simple philosophy: you do the hard work, you do it the right way, and you take care of people along the way. As the first female CEO of O’Rourke Wrecking Company, she leads in a field where women are scarce and expectations are high.
• J. Phenise Poole serves as Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Fifth Third Bank, where she provides strategic legal leadership and counsel on complex organizational matters while advancing equity and opportunity within the legal and corporate sectors.
• Susan Street Whaley serves as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Procter & Gamble, where she oversees global legal strategy, governance, compliance and business integrity for one of the world’s most recognized consumer brands.
• Kiana R. Trabue, MPH is the President of the HealthPath Foundation of Ohio and the Public Health Fund of Ohio, where she works to advance health equity, strengthen community health systems and expand who is seen, heard and represented in decision-making spaces.
YWCA Greater Cincinnati supports thousands of women, men, and children annually through direct services, including community education, leadership development, trauma-informed programming, and its 24/7 domestic violence hotline. The organization continues to expand programming that supports mental health, resilience, and healing alongside its core work in racial justice and economic advancement.
YWCA Greater Cincinnati