Today's Woman June 2015

oman

TODAY’SW

JUNE 2015

Most Admired Woman 2015

JUNE 2015 / CONTENTS Volume 25 8 Number 6

Most Admired Woman 2015 8 Arts............................................Marsha Bornstein 12 Athletics/Fitness.......................Donna Barton Brothers 16 Beauty/Fashion.........................Jessica Moreland 20 Business Owner........................Tonya York Dees 24 Community/Nonprofit ............Karen Morrison 28 Corporate..................................Patricia Henry 32 Education..................................Donna Hargens 36 Food/Entertainment.................Erika Chavez-Graziano 40 Health/Fitness..........................Cis Gruebbel 44 Home/Homestyle......................Kathy Olliges 48 Media........................................Kelsey Starks 52 Political.....................................Barbara Weakley-Jones 58 Hall of Fame 62 Nominate a Way To Go Woman 66 What’s Happening on TodaysWomanNow.com

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PUBLISHER Cathy S. Zion publisher@todayspublications.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Anita Oldham editor@todayspublications.com EDITOR Tiffany White tiffany@todayspublications.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lucy M. Pritchett CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Miranda G. Popp miranda@todayspublications.com ASSISTANT EDITOR/DESIGNER Jessica Alyea jessica@todayspublications.com OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Jillian LeMaster officeadmin@todayspublications.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Susan Allen susan@todayspublications.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kaitlyn English kaitlyn@todayspublications.com Teri Hickerson teri@todayspublications.com Suzy Hillebrand suzy@todayspublications.com Joyce Inman joyce@todayspublications.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER April H. Allman april@todayspublications.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kathy Bolger kathyb@todayspublications.com PHOTOGRAPHER/FOOD WRITER Melissa Donald melissa@todayspublications.com MEDIA ASSOCIATE Alissa Hicks alissa@todayspublications.com CIRCULATION MANAGER W. Earl Zion

BBB RATING OF

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2015

TODAY’S WOMAN

Who is she?

Who was planning to be a college professor but never finished her thesis?

Who’s been whitewater rafting seven times?

?

?

Do you really know her?

Most Admired Woman 2015 Written by: YELENA SAPIN * Photos by: MELISSA DONALD Makeup by: DENISE CARDWELL, Blades Salon & Spa

You admire these women for their achievements, for their work, and for their tireless contributions to the community. You’ve seen their faces on TV and read about them in the paper. You’ve worked with them, and maybe shared some laughs with them. But how well do you really know them?

Do you know which woman has dyslexia? Could you guess who studied psychology and whose father didn’t want her to go to college? One woman loves Taco Bell, another worked in the health industry, but it may not be who you think. And who worked as a medical technologist? You can probably figure out which woman gets up at 2am, but you might never guess who drives a red Lexus convertible. Which woman “lives on American Airlines”? And who had her sister dress up as a scarecrow and walk in a parade?

Read on and find out!

The Most Admired Woman 2015 nominees were selected by the editorial board of Today’s Woman magazine. Reader votes determined the winners.

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TODAY’S WOMAN

Arts

MARSHA BORNSTEIN

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ARTS Marsha Bornstein: Director, Jewish Film Festival WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE ABOUT YOU? I really like cars, which maybe doesn’t quite go along with my persona. I’ve had a T-Bird for 12 years, and everybody knew when I was there and when I wasn’t there because it was that blue T-Bird…and they’d spot it right away in the parking lot.

It was a thing of beauty, and I always handwashed it only.

But it was getting old, so I just bought a new car — a red Lexus convertible!

A

s a young stay-at-home mother of three, Marsha Bornstein was an active volunteer at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Louisville. She was the perfect candidate for the job when a staff position opened up 31 years ago, and she has been an integral part of the organization ever since.

After 12 years of running JCC’s middle school programs and summer camps, the native Louisvillian was tapped to become its cultural arts director, taking on responsibility for CenterStage theater, the orchestra, and the art gallery. “I have always been very passionate about the arts,” Marsha says, “so that made me a good fit for the position.”

Marsha credits her lifelong love affair with the arts to her high school humanities class, where she was first introduced to art, philosophy, and music. “It was a very hard class, but I loved it,” she says. “It’s where I learned to love opera.”

After briefly leaving the JCC to take care of her elderly parents when they became ill, Marsha returned on a part-time basis to head the Jewish Book Festival, the Goldstein-Leibson Scholar-In-Residence Program, and the Film Festival. That was more than a decade ago, and since becoming its director, Marsha has helped the Film Festival grow from a fledgling program consisting of only five films to a city-wide event showing about a dozen films at several large venues.

Now in its 17th year, the Jewish Film Festival is accompanied by lectures and receptions where attendees can mingle and engage in discussion. “I really didn’t know what I was doing when I first got the job,” Marsha admits, “but I figured it out a little bit at a time, and it’s been a source of great joy and satisfaction to me.”

I have “ always been

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WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR JOB? I’d say my biggest challenge, and my biggest goal, is to expand and bring more diversity to the audience. We’re showing fantastic films, but lots of people just don’t know about it. We don’t have the money to advertise, but we work hard to let people know. And many people don’t realize that you don’t have to be Jewish to go to the JCC or to go to see our films and productions. We have fantastic musicals at CenterStage, and the JCC offers lots of opportunities that are not expensive.

We have the best community theater in the whole state, and we’re charging only $20 with rush tickets that you can get for $10. And you can come into the building any day and walk through our art gallery, which is right off of the lobby and is updated constantly, and just enjoy.

very passionate about the arts.

WHY IS THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL IMPORTANT TO YOU? I think that we open minds, we give different perspectives, and we bring films here that people would not necessarily have the opportunity to see. All of the films we show have some form of Jewish content and

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illuminate the Jewish experience, but many of them also show that we all have the same basic values. It’s important for people to realize that we’re not so different so they have more tolerance and more understanding toward each other. And it’s important to have different film festivals as part of our multicultural city.

Whether you go to a Jewish film festival, or a French film festival, or an LGBT film festival, you’re going to learn, and you’re going to look at things a little differently.

”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ART BRINGS TO THE COMMUNITY? It enriches the soul. I believe if you are open to the experience, if you are positive when you enter the doors of a theater and excited about what you’re going to see, it lifts you. Your problems vanish for the two hours you’re sitting in that chair. So often people say, “I don’t like the arts, I like sports,” but I think that if they would just try it, they’d see that they can like both.

Generally, once people come, they continue to come back year after year because they love it.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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Athletics/Fitness

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ATHLETICS/FITNESS Donna Barton Brothers: Retired Jockey HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF? Mondays and Wednesdays I do Annie Locke’s class at Baptist East Milestone, Fridays I do Pure Barre at her studio, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I run the trails at Cherokee Park with my dog.

I absolutely have got to be outside, but I also appreciate that, not being a jockey anymore or an exercise rider who gets on the horses in the morning, I don’t have to be out there if it’s raining or when it’s 12 degrees.

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er mother was a trailblazing professional jockey, her father was a rough-stock rider on the rodeo circuit, and both her siblings became jockeys, but Donna Barton Brothers thought she might become a lawyer. Her mother told her she should do whatever makes her happy, as long as she does it well, so when Donna did decide to give professional riding a try, she gave it her all.

By the time she retired at age 32, Donna had won more than 1,100 races and was the second leading female jockey in the country by money earned. She married horse trainer Frank Brothers and was riding horses for him at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans when the owner of the track asked her to do post-race interviews on weekends. That was the start of her career as an on-air horse racing commentator and analyst for TVG and NBC Sports.

Known for interviewing winning jockeys on horseback moments after they cross the finish line, Donna covers the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Breeders’ Cup, and many other racing and equestrian events. The New Mexico native, who now lives in Louisville, is also the author of a book called Inside Track: Insider’s Guide to Horse Racing.

Donna eventually made it to college, enrolling at the University of Louisville at the age of 36 to study psychology. Five semesters later, as she went from doing four shows a year for NBC to doing 20 shows a year, Donna felt she could no longer do both well and chose to focus on her career. “I love college, but at this point it’s no longer important to me to graduate,” she says. “It’s still important to me to have a lifelong learning experience, so I’ll be one of those people who’s taking courses when I’m 82.”

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WAS GOING FROM JOCKEY TO TV COMMENTATOR A DIFFICULT ADJUSTMENT? You know, I think anybody who can be successful on the race track can pretty much make it anywhere.

Being a jockey at a top level is the hardest thing I’ve ever done because you have to sell yourself every single day, time and time again. Even though it was only for 12 years, to me it was a long time because it was a lot of work: seven days a week, up every day at 4 o’clock — that was hard.

If we listened “ to people the same

way we listen to animals, we would probably communicate with each other a lot better.

DO YOU RIDE FOR FUN? I don’t ride anymore at all. Thoroughbreds are a lot more high-octane than many other breeds, and it takes a lot of reflexes and strength and all that kind of stuff to ride them.

It can be dangerous if your response time isn’t as quick as their reaction time, so even if you’ve been away for just a few weeks, you have to take the right precautions. The horses that I ride on TV when I do interviews on horseback 14

are very laid back. They’re saddle horses, so that’s easy. But I don’t want to go ride really slow, pluggy kind of horses. It’s kind of like I’ve driven a Ferrari my whole life, and now do I really want to go drive somebody’s golf cart? So, riding is in my past now.

”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU LEARNED AS A JOCKEY THAT YOU STILL USE IN YOUR POST-RACING LIFE? One of the great things about horses is that they communicate really well, but you have to listen and be quick to pay attention.

That one flick of the ear might be the only warning you get that they’re getting ready to turn and go the other way — fast. And one of the great opportunities you have as a rider is to get on that same page with the horse. When that happens, there’s no greater feeling than knowing that they gave you everything they had because your line of communication was there.

With horses — and other animals — we listen with our hearts. If we listened to people the same way we listen to animals, we would probably communicate with each other a lot better.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY STRUGGLING WITH? Right now I’m re-reading Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love — to remember that work needs to come from a place of passion. I have to remind myself regularly that it’s not about how eloquently I spoke into the camera and how well I told the story, it’s really about how much passion I felt about that story and whether or not I conveyed that passion to the viewers. I feel that it’s all of our responsibilities to bring more love into people’s lives. So I struggle with trying to remember that doing a good job doesn’t mean that I had a good presence on camera, but that I touched people’s hearts.

TODAY’S WOMAN

Beauty/Fashion

JESSICA MORELAND

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BEAUTY/FASHION Jessica Moreland: Owner, Sassy Fox Upscale Consignment WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL STYLE? It really changes a lot depending on my mood, but I’d say I’m definitely more comfortable with the bohemian, tomboyish look. I love a great pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and I just fun it up with some cute shoes and a jacket. And I have four pairs of earrings that are pretty much in constant rotation and three favorite necklaces that I wear all the time.

They go with pretty much everything.

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s a little girl, Jessica Moreland had access to the ultimate dress-up closet: her mother’s consignment clothing store in Lexington, Kentucky. Called “Sassy Fox” — “sassy” for the now-defunct teen magazine and for Jessica’s occasional outbursts, and “fox” for, well, Jessica has no idea — the store was her favorite playground growing up.

“I’ve always loved playing with clothes all day,” Jessica says. “I would run around the clothing store playing with scarves, wrapping them around myself, and harassing all the ladies while they shopped.”

Having moved from her native Versailles to Lexington right before high school, Jessica spent her teenage years working in the store but went in a different direction after graduating from the University of Kentucky. Her college parttime job at the local Rainbow Blossom had developed into a management and marketing position, which eventually led to a move to Louisville for a job at the natural food market’s main location in St. Matthews.

After eight years working in the health food industry and a year-long stint teaching yoga, Jessica felt that she wanted to do “something that makes me happy and doesn’t feel like work.” With her mother’s expert input and support from family and friends, the frugal fashionista followed her passion and opened her own Sassy Fox upscale consignment store on Chenoweth Lane.

Running the store for the last 10 years has been a lot of hard work, but to Jessica it still feels like play. “It’s something I look forward to doing every day,” she says. “Everybody jokes that, even on my day off, I’ll pop in for a few hours because I just want to get my fix.”

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DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF CLOTHES AT HOME? I have an older house with a pretty small closet — it’s about the size of a rolling rack – so I have to be really good at editing.

I have a one-in-one-out rule, and if I haven’t worn it in six months, it’s time for it to go. I’m a firm believer in not getting terribly attached to my clothes. Except my band T-shirts — those are things I hold on to.

I’m a firm “believer that

when something difficult or challenging is thrown in your way, you can let it overwhelm you, or you can just move forward.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB? I love just looking at clothes all day long.

It’s basically like I shop all day because when people bring clothes in, we shop through them for the store. And I love interacting with people. My favorite thing is when someone comes in and they’re kind of panicked, needing an outfit for something, and after you work with them, they walk out 18

with a smile and feel really good about what they got to wear. That just makes my day.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE WOMEN WHEN IT COMES TO SHOPPING? I hear women sometimes say, “I’m not going to shop right now because I want to lose 10 more pounds,” and I think that’s just crazy. You should shop for who you are right now. Do your best and try to look your best because it simply makes you feel better. And if you lose 10 pounds, get new clothes. I think we’re all so self-critical, and we need to get past that. You actually look better when you feel good. Just take care of yourself — eat good food, get exercise, and try to be happy. That’s the best thing you can do.

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WHAT IS YOUR FASHION PET PEEVE? Capri pants in general. I like a slim cropped pant, like a cigarette pant, but the really boxy mid-calf-hitting capris?

Heidi Klum can’t pull that off! It is just not flattering.

HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF? I do yoga, mostly at home, and I take Barre classes. I also read. I love the classics, and I’m not intimidated by a thousand-page book. I’m pretty introverted normally, so I do need my “bubble time,” as I call it.

DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL MOTTO? Yes, it’s actually a quote from Dr. John, the musician: “Life — you either roll with it, or you roll under it.” I’m a firm believer that when something difficult or challenging is thrown in your way, you can let it overwhelm you, or you can just move forward.

TODAY’S WOMAN

Business Owner

Most Admired Woman York Management

TONYA YORK DEES

“I’M A NOTORIOUS

Tonya York Dees

Night Owl.”

GETS THINGS DONE

WANTS AN 8-DAY WEEK

STUDIED IN

HAS A CHARITABLE

Heart

FOUNDED THE

Unbridled Eve Gala

England SHE PLANS

Toast-worthy EVENTS

Skipped

HER JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL

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BUSINESS OWNER Tonya York Dees: President/Owner, York Management WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WHEN STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? The biggest shock for me was not having that infrastructure of phone systems and computer systems. You take all that for granted when you’re working for a company, but it’s different when you have to figure it all out on your own.

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f a picture is worth a thousand words, a Twitter account bio is worth a thousand pictures. Tonya York Dees’ reads as follows: “York sister, friend, workaholic/playaholic, lover of all things Louisville, philanthropist, always on the go, & living life to the fullest.”

Given more space, the Louisville native and high school track athlete might have also added “hits the ground running.” Never one to stand still, Tonya skipped her junior year of high school, earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s at the University of Louisville, and landed a fast-paced job at Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), Louisville’s Chamber of Commerce.

During her 13-year tenure with GLI, Tonya created and managed a host of programs and events geared to serving and growing the local business community, and she rose to the position of vice president of The Center for Small Business, which she had helped develop. In 2000, Tonya opened York Management, a company that provides event planning, strategy and execution, fundraising, and marketing and PR services.

Her client list includes GLI, IdeaFestival, Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, Louisville Innovation Summit, and many other highprofile businesses and projects.

Despite her packed work schedule, Tonya finds time to give back to the community and volunteers on several local boards and committees, often in collaboration with her sister, Tammy York Day. In 2011, Tonya and Tammy founded the Unbridled Charitable Foundation and inaugurated the annual Unbridled Eve Derby Gala, a charity event that benefits Blessings in a Backpack and other charitable organizations.

“Everyone who knows me has heard me say that I wish I could clone myself,” says the self-proclaimed workaholic. “But I just love what I do, and I want to live every day to the fullest. Work hard, play hard — that’s my personal motto!”

When I was in college, I started a sorority chapter at UofL, directed special projects for student government, and did a lot of big campus programs. I guess I’ve always liked to be involved in things where you can see the impact of what you’re doing and how it makes a difference.

WHY IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IMPORTANT TO YOU? The way my parents raised us is that some people are more blessed than others, and it’s your job and your duty to give back.

My mom would take us to soup kitchens, and we would have an angel for the Angel Tree and things like that. Helping others was just something we always did.

HOW DID YOU AND YOUR SISTER GET INVOLVED IN DOING PHILANTHROPY TOGETHER? We’ve both always been involved in doing charity things. It used to be that I was on something and would sucker her into it, and she would be on something and sucker me into it. I remember one time I was helping with the Derby Festival – that was back when it was more like a parade – and the person who was supposed to be the scarecrow didn’t show up. My sister was in college and was on the way to a regional basketball tournament, but I called her and said, “You have to come back! You have to be the scarecrow for me and walk in the parade!” She did — she says that was her induction into charity work — and over the years we just ended up combining and doing a lot of things together.

love what “I do,I just and I want to

live every day to the fullest. Work hard, play hard — that’s my personal motto!

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HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN YOUR CAREER? I just ended up kind of falling into that.

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I always liked starting and running things.

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WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR OWN FOUNDATION? My sister and I wanted to support causes where we knew that whatever amount we give is going to make a difference. But when you’re volunteering and chairing for another group, leaders might leave or change, and there isn’t always that consistency. So we thought, why don’t we create our own foundation? We have committed volunteers and planning committees, and everyone has a vested interest because the group decides where the money goes. Tammy and I say it’s a labor of love because it’s a lot of work, but we’ve built real friendships with both sponsors and volunteers, and we absolutely love it.

TODAY’S WOMAN

Community/Nonprofits

Most Admired Woman

KAREN MORRISON

KA

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B E S H S INGS Y I

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N CA N E P TH CE R O H E LO S U RVIV O RS ” T T E R Y O F J O B S.

COMMUNITY/NONPROFITS Karen Morrison: President and CEO, Gilda’s Club WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEARN OR GET BETTER AT DOING? One of the things that we’re really focused on at Gilda’s Club this year is physical and mental health.

We realize that we take care of people and we work long hours, but we’re kind of letting our own health go.

What I need to learn is how to take care of myself better physically, and that’s going to impact my mental health and probably force a little more balance in my life.

I recently joined Heuser Health, and I’m going to stick with that.

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hey say life happens while you’re making other plans, and this has certainly been true for Karen Morrison. As a student at Western Kentucky University, Karen planned to make a difference in the world by becoming an English and literature college professor.

She had completed her coursework and was working on her master’s thesis when her grandmother’s illness brought her back home to Louisville.

“I was just going to do my thesis on my own,” Karen says, “but I never did finish that paper.” She had every intention of finishing her master’s and getting her doctorate while working for the Red Cross, where she had gotten a job after volunteering in college.

But just when Karen started back in school, work called her away — first for Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico, then for the earthquake in San Francisco — and she never went back. “After six years with the Red Cross, I stopped saying it was temporary. I guess I’d really gotten bitten by the nonprofit bug,” she says.

Karen spent a total of 17 years with the Red Cross and was chief operating officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico — when her then-5-year-old daughter was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disease that took years of chemotherapy and aggressive treatment to beat. When her daughter’s illness went into remission, Karen and her partner decided to move back home with their three children to be closer to family.

After serving for three years as the major gifts officer for the American Cancer Society in Louisville, Karen “won the lottery of jobs,” as she puts it, and in 2007, she took the helm of Gilda’s Club, a community organization that supports people with cancer, and their families and friends. “Cancer is a tough portion of a person’s life journey,” she says, “and I just feel so privileged that I get to help with that.”

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB? The truth is, there’s a lot more laughter there than tears. Gilda’s Club is largely about allowing people to safely share and explore their cancer journey, but it’s also a place where you can escape it. Cancer doesn’t define you there because everybody has it, so you can talk about other things. While I do go to a lot of funerals, for me it’s an honor and a privilege to work there. I get to be a part of something really unique and phenomenal that our founders created here for Louisville.

It’s a great gift to our cancer community.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF YOUR LIFE? I think the toughest job anybody will ever do is being a good parent. And because I have a partner, we have always thought that we had to be twice as good to be thought of as half as good. But my daughter’s illness — 27 months of chemo, a nightmare roller coaster — was the biggest challenge of my life, and it shaped to a large degree who I am today and the work I do.

Cancer is a tough “ portion of a person’s life journey, and I just feel so privileged that I get to help with that.

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WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? My three daughters. I always think about the fact that I wanted to be a parent so that I could shape and mold these young people into good citizens who would go out and do good work and change the world. But what I didn’t know is how much they would shape and mold and change me. It’s funny, I marched on Washington in 1995, then I got tired of fighting for my life and decided that I just wanted to live it, and now my daughters have picked up that banner. My daughter said to me, “How can you tell me that I can change the world and then tell me to be patient while other people do it?” And as much as I would like to just blend into the background — I feel I set an example every day simply by living my life authentically and honestly, so I don’t need to have a rainbow shirt on – I’m very proud of them for what they’re doing.

TODAY’S WOMAN

CORPORATE *Patricia Henry: Senior Adviser and former Executive VP and President, RehabCare at Kindred Healthcare WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED TIME AND MONEY? My life is pretty simple, and I’d like to just travel a little bit with my family and my grandkids and do some fun things together. And, people laugh when I say this, but I’ve maintained my speech pathology license and continuing education over the years, and I sometimes think about getting back to helping people and doing some clinical work again — kind of getting back to the roots of where I started.

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atricia Henry, known to many as Pat, has always been interested in health care and thought she was going to become a nurse. But after being involved in speech and debate teams through high school and college, the Ohio native started looking for ways to combine her two passions.

“I started thinking along the lines of helping other people with communication problems and decided to become a speech pathologist,” she says. “It seemed like a nice mix of health care and my interest in public speaking.”

Having earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Ohio and a master’s from Ohio State University, Pat spent a year working in Boston before moving to Dallas. There, she worked with a variety of patients including physically handicapped kids and ventilatordependent patients in a long-term acute care facility.

Pat’s entry into management came more by chance than by design. “One of my managers at work asked if I could help put some standards in place for the speech pathology program and help it grow,” she says. “And then one thing led to another.”

Since taking the management track more than 25 years ago, Pat has served in a variety of executive positions in several health care organizations. Most recently, she was executive vice president of operations at the St. Louis-based RehabCare Group.

With the 2011 acquisition of the company by Kindred Healthcare, Pat served as president of RehabCare at Kindred until retiring as of April of this year. “I just decided that I was ready to get out of the day-to-day operational activity,” Pat says, “so now I’m working in a senior adviser role to the current president, Ben Breier.”

learning curve for me. I had never gone through the type of business training that many executives go through, and even reading a financial statement was very challenging the first time. Much of my learning was watching other people and figuring out things along the way as I moved up through different positions, and eventually I learned how to do things. And I had great mentors — CEOs and financial people — who supported me and taught me so much along the way.

HAS YOUR CLINICAL BACKGROUND BEEN AN ASSET TO YOU AS A LEADER? Definitely. I really believe that’s made a huge difference for me. We employ more than 20,000 therapists, and I would often get notes from someone saying how nice it is to know that there’s someone leading the organization who understands what they do. And I always tried to get out into the field as much as possible and spend time talking to our therapists and our nursing teams.

I think that when you get out there and see what’s happening on a day-to-day basis between the health care provider and the patient, you’re much better equipped to provide meaningful input in the conference room.

Much “ of my learning was

watching other people and figuring out things along the way.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED AS YOU ADVANCED THROUGH YOUR CAREER? I can’t think of anything that was a huge challenge, but overall everything was a

”

HAS DALLAS ALWAYS BEEN YOUR HOME BASE? My family and I have always lived in Dallas. I moved there 35 years ago. But when people ask me where I live, I always say “American Airlines” because travel has always been such a big part of my work. The thing about my job is that we have 20,000plus therapists and 2,500 locations spread out across 47 states, so in order for me to be effective, it’s always been important for me to be able to travel. I have spent a lot of time in Louisville while working with Kindred, but I never lived there. I just travel back and forth to wherever I need to be, and it’s worked out really well.

* Photos page 26 and 28 submitted

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TODAY’S WOMAN

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Education

DONNA HARGENS

EDUCATION Donna Hargens: Superintendent, Jefferson County Public Schools WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION? I think what needs to happen is more flexibility, more relevance, more hands-on and projectbased learning that engages students.

Our mission is to provide instruction that inspires students to learn, and we have to continue to try to meet the needs of all students, not just those who happen to fit into the structure we’ve created.

I think we sort of need to flip the paradigm, to create the structure that matches the student.

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I

t might surprise people to learn that, when Donna Hargens was growing up in Milwaukee, her father didn’t want her to go to college. A hardworking truck driver who was otherwise very supportive, “he just didn’t get why going to college was a good thing,” she says. Her mother encouraged Donna to become a secretary, but the future JCPS superintendent had bigger dreams.

Donna did go to college, and she earned a degree in education. She became an English and Spanish teacher — “I loved math too, but I thought Spanish opened up more creative opportunities to engage students in learning,” she says — but decided she could make a greater impact as an administrator.

Donna went on to earn a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from UNC at Chapel Hill and became assistant principal, then principal, of several schools in Wake County, North Carolina. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership, management, and policy from Seton Hall University in 2005 and served as interim superintendent, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and Western area superintendent for Wake County schools.

In 2011, Donna was recruited for her leadership talents and passion for education to serve as superintendent of JCPS, a district with 172 schools, a $1.3 billion annual budget, nearly 17,000 teachers and staff, and more than 101,000 students.

The first in her family to go to college, Donna has certainly come a long way from her Wisconsin teaching days, but her focus has never wavered. “I’m still a teacher at the heart of what I am,” she says. “For me, the center of my world has always been what happens in the classroom.”

“

2015

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR CURRENT ROLE IN EDUCATION? I see my role as support. We have such amazing students who want to have a quality education and to do well, and there are sometimes lots of obstacles that they have to overcome to do that. Our job is to help them overcome it.

What I can’t stand is inertia. In education, we have this amazing ability to start anew every year, and how sad it would be if we didn’t learn from the year before.

WHY DID YOU BECOME A TEACHER? There are all these teachers that make a difference in your life. I often tell the story about my first grade teacher who put me in the first reading group and made me a better reader. Another teacher thought I was really good at math and encouraged JUNE

me to work for NASA if I wanted to. But I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I feel it’s an opportunity to give back, to inspire, and to make a difference for others.

WHAT HELPS YOU MAKE DECISIONS THAT YOU KNOW MIGHT STIR UP CONTROVERSY? My true north is always what’s in the best interest of the kids. When I make decisions that I know will benefit students in some way, I can put my head down at night and say I did everything I could. The other thing I came to grips with long ago is that, when you’re the one at the center of it in administration, you have more information than anybody else. So as long as you keep in mind what your mission is, you can be confident that you’re making a reasonable decision. It doesn’t always have to be my way — we get the best results when we make decisions together — but what I can’t stand is inertia. In education, we have this amazing ability to start anew every year, and how sad it would be if we didn’t learn from the year before. If every year is not the best it can be, that’s one-thirteenth of a child’s K-through-12 experience that we didn’t get right. So sometimes I have to make decisions that break through that inertia and get us back on the road to making things better for the students.

”

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEARN OR GET BETTER AT DOING? I think I would like to learn yoga or something like that. And I would love to learn more about Kentucky. We sometimes go on day or overnight trips in my job to explore a little bit about Kentucky, and it’s a wonderful state. There are also many trails and outdoor experiences in Louisville that I haven’t explored, and I would really like to do that, too.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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Food/Entertainment

ERIKA CHAVEZ-GRAZIANO

CHAVEZ-GRAZIANO,

CELLAR DOOR CHOCOLATES

“There’s nothing I won’t try.”

COOKS

DRINKS

COQ AU VIN

EVERY DAY!

Wants to S-L-O-W down

HOT CHOCOLATE

HAS A WEAKNESS FOR TACO BELL

e t a l o c o ch

1/2v Ad Forum

FR OM N O C I EW MEX

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FOOD/ENTERTAINMENT Erika Chavez-Graziano: Owner, Cellar Door Chocolates DO YOU EAT A LOT OF CHOCOLATE? I don’t eat truffles all the time, but I do have hot chocolate every day, usually for lunch. This is the same type of hot chocolate we offer at the shop for sale. I make super dark hot chocolate, and I don’t add any sugar to it.

Sometimes I have it before bed. It’s nourishing, it’s comforting, and it’s delicious.

But my real weakness is bread, French fries, nachos, and Taco Bell.

Savory and salty — that’s my thing.

A

s a small child growing up in New Mexico, Erika Chavez-Graziano didn’t play house — she played bank.

“My passion lies in business, and I was the girl who was always doing fundraisers,” she says. One of two children raised by a hardworking single mother, Erika channeled her interest in entrepreneurship into a degree in economics from the University of New Mexico, then began graduate work in political economy at the University of Louisville.

Several years later, Erika came to the realization that her heart was no longer in academia and decided to abandon her thesis.

Encouraged by her academic adviser to “do something” with the chocolates she would make for her professors and research assistants, she went back to her childhood dreams of entrepreneurship and opened Cellar Door Chocolates in 2007 as a small-batch wholesale chocolate confectionary.

Today the company also operates a retail location in Butchertown Market as well as the adjoining Jackknife Café and Bakery. Last year, Erika’s handmade truffles, buttercreams, sea salt caramels, and other chocolate treats were featured at the 66th Emmy awards when the company traveled to Los Angeles as the official chocolate sponsor of the event.

“Making the transition from academia to the business world was difficult, but I think my company has been so successful because I’m doing now what feels natural to me,” Erika says. “Still, I have that monkey on my back of my unfinished thesis. I do want to go back and finish it someday.”

“

I’ve always felt that something isn’t worth doing if it’s not difficult.

That’s part of the appeal with chocolate for me.

WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN CHOCOLATES? I started making chocolates 14 years ago for myself and for family and friends.

I was making a lot of French pastries back then and decided to try this whole chocolate thing. It’s not as easy as you would think, and that’s why there are so few chocolatiers, especially people who work with real chocolate like we do. And 38

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that challenge was something that was very appealing to me because I’ve always felt that something isn’t worth doing if it’s not difficult. I think what motivates people to stay in a job is being constantly challenged and constantly learning something new so they don’t become stagnant. That’s part of the appeal with chocolate for me.

WHAT ARE THE BEST AND WORST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? The best part is being able to employ almost 20 full-time people. They have added so much to my life by allowing me to leave the kitchen and to grow the business, but also they teach me things on a daily basis and make me a better person. The worst part is handing over responsibilities for different things as we grow. As a company, we don’t deal with the same problems that I dealt with in year one and year two. My new challenge is how to not distance myself, because I cannot make all of my chocolates, I cannot greet every single customer, and I cannot be there all the time. The solution is that I can mentor and coach this amazing staff of young women to carry my message, and my quality, and my company culture forward. I spend at least one hour a week with my managers one-on-one at my home. I make them coffee or tea, and we talk about whatever. Making myself available to my team has helped to ease the transition to growth and to delegating my responsibilities.

”

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A WORK–LIFE BALANCE? I’ve never had a good balance, but I’m going to try now. I am married to this company, but now I want to back away for a little bit. My boyfriend is very understanding and he’s a workaholic as well, but both of us have recognized that we need to slow down.

I don’t want to get tired and get burned out, and I need to have hobbies outside of chocolate and business.

DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL MOTTO? “Don’t be an asshole.” It’s Rule Number Four in our kitchen.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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are Health/HealthcBE L CIS GRUEB

HEALTH/HEALTHCARE Cis Gruebbel: V ice President/Chief Nursing Officer, Kosair Children’s Hospital

WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE ABOUT YOU? I’ve been whitewater rafting seven times. I think people would be surprised about that.

But otherwise, I’m pretty transparent.

What you see is what you get, which for me has always worked very well. I love life, and I love people.

I’ve always believed there’s good in people. I believe my role is to serve and to try to do everything I can so that people can be successful, whether it’s at work or at home. I just really value my relationships with people.

C

is Gruebbel still remembers when her high school counselor told her that there were too many teachers and she’d never get a job. Having always wanted to be a teacher, she was devastated and ran home from school that day.

A neighbor’s suggestion that she become a nurse and teach nursing to others appealed to the young Louisville native, so she enrolled in nursing school.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Cis says. “I love it, and I think that teaching and nursing go hand-in-hand because they’re both what I consider servant professions.”

In nursing school, Cis fell in love with pediatrics and set working with kids as her ultimate career goal. After seven years in a series of nursing staff and management positions at Jewish Hospital, Cis finally transitioned into the pediatric intensive care unit at Kosair Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for 11 years.

In 2009, after earning several more degrees and serving in management, leadership, and executive training roles at Jewish Hospital, Norton Audubon Hospital, Clark Memorial Hospital, and the Studer Group, Cis was thrilled at the opportunity to return to Kosair Children’s Hospital as vice president of pediatric operations and chief nursing officer.

“I think it says a lot that we’re able to have a freestanding children’s hospital in Louisville that can meet the needs of this community,” she says. “I’m so proud to be a key leader of this organization.”

I see my job as “ the ‘barrier buster’

– I should be able to knock down the barriers so my staff can take great care of their patients.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO PEDIATRICS? I love the collaboration; I love the teaching part of it; I love the family piece of the work and watching the kids do so well. Kids are resilient beyond belief. I think when most people think of pediatrics, they think of the sadness associated with it, but I get so much joy in seeing the children respond.

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HOW DO YOU KEEP UP MORALE FOR YOUR TEAM? I try to get out and talk to the staff as much as I can. I tell them all the time that I see my job as the ‘barrier buster’ — I should be able to knock down the barriers so they can take great care of their patients. So I’m out and about all the time just trying to connect with the staff and trying to relay the good feedback that I hear from the patients and families because that’s what feeds their souls. My job is such a joy for me because even if we’re having a horrible day at the hospital — which is very rare, quite honestly — watching the team just execute is very amazing and very fulfilling. They pull it off because it’s all about the child.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU IN YOUR WORK? Servant leadership.

I think I’m just wound up as a servant leader. My husband just retired, and people ask me all the time if I’m going to retire now too, but I don’t think I will for a long time as long as I’m productive and as long as I can bring value.

I want to serve others and be able to do everything I can to help people. Sounds kind of cheesy, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth.

”

HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF? I try to pay attention to my health and eating habits. I’m a good healthy eater, and I log on to Lose It! all the time. I have a Fitbit on every day and log my miles and really try to pay attention to that. I get on the treadmill three or four times a week and try to get in three or four miles.

HOW DO YOU RECHARGE? I love boating. We have a pontoon boat at our place down on Rough River Lake, and there’s something about the water for me that’s like a spiritual rejuvenation.

That’s where I really feel closeness to God. Whether it’s a beach or a beautiful ocean or a lake, it’s that water and that peacefulness and the serenity that just does something for me.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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Most Admired Woman Home/Homestyle

GEN IUS KATHY OLLIGES

Dee’s

A Crafting

PLAYS TENNiS

athy

BELIEVES

IN SELFEXPRESSION ivity *

Creat

IS IN HER DNA

oge lsberg

lliges

S

HOME/HOMESTYLE Kathy Olliges: Owner, Dee’s

WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH TEACHING ARTS AND CRAFTS TO CHILDREN? I think it’s good to express yourself and have some creativity in your life, and kids need to be able to express their creativity in some way.

But they get frustrated with it if they don’t feel like they know how, so you need to show them.

Watching them create something is a lot of fun. They feel a lot of pride in what they do.

L

ike many teenagers whose families run a business, Kathy Olliges worked in her parents’ store when they first opened Dee’s in 1970. The native Louisvillian never thought about a future in it for herself, however, and she pursued other interests after graduating from high school. Kathy went to college, became a medical technologist, got married, and began looking forward to starting a family.

It wasn’t until her chemist husband decided to switch gears and approached her parents about joining the business that Kathy began to consider coming aboard as well. “I was getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning to get to work in the hospital,” she says, “and I thought, if I’m going to have kids, maybe I should go into the business too.

I loved science and the medical field, but I walked away, and I really love what I’m doing now.”

From its humble beginnings as a consignment gift shop selling handmade items, Dee’s has grown into a 23,000-square-foot store that offers not only everything a crafter might possibly need, but also a rotation of classes and workshops and an ever-changing array of gifts, accessories, and home décor items.

A seasoned crafter herself — “My grandmother had the Craft-of-the-Month club come to her house, and I got started with her,” she says — Kathy is an avid proponent of making creativity accessible to children.

Her volunteer activities include donating her time, skills, and resources to Maryhurst and supporting Ascension School art projects that raise funds for elementary art education in the community.

The process “ of creating something

is therapeutic for most people, but in the end, you also want something that is useable.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CRAFT OR MEDIUM? I’ve tried everything in this job because it’s better for me to learn how to do

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everything so I can know about it and help people. But I really enjoy the Derby hat part of our business, and I like working with the Sinamay product that a lot of the hats are made of. It’s a natural product that they weave and then stiffen, and you can cut shapes out of it, get it wet, and manipulate it. I do a lot of my designs out of that. But at home, I tend to make jewelry right now. I have a little studio in the basement, and I’ll just make something if I need a gift or if I’m looking for something to wear. I mostly do wire work, the same type of stuff that someone in our store could make.

”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO BEGINNING CRAFTERS? I think if somebody wants to do something creative, they need to figure out what process they enjoy. Is it free form, or is it something with a pattern where you don’t really have to make decisions? You need to find out what fits your personality.

The process of creating something is therapeutic for most people, but in the end you also want something that is useable, which can mean that it just sits on the shelf — or hangs on the wall — and looks pretty.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY STRUGGLING WITH? My goal is to try to cut back some of the work so I can start doing some of the other things I like to do. My volunteering is very important to me. I play tennis, and I really want to exercise. Tennis is great, but it’s not like going to the gym. I do go to the gym, but not during Derby hat time when I work a lot. I’m just trying to keep all the balls in the air and keep a balance of those things, not working so much that there’s no time for anything else. Nothing’s worse than coming out of work and having it be a beautiful day, but it’s 8 o’clock and you’ve missed it.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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Media

KELSEY STARKS

MEDIA Kelsey Starks: “Good Morning Kentuckiana” Anchor, WHAS11 WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO BROADCAST JOURNALISM? It was the story telling.

I like to tell stories, and I’ve always loved writing, so to be able to write something and put images with it and see it all come together – it’s always been sort of a puzzle for me. And, gosh, the amazing stories that I get to learn about and tell people about!

I meet really interesting people and learn something new every day.

No day is the same as before, and I love that about it.

S

omewhere in her father’s house there are eight-track recordings of 5-yearold Kelsey Starks introducing songs.

“My dad was in radio,” she explains, “and I used to go to the station with him. He’d be working, and he’d put me in a booth, and I’d be able to record my own stuff.”

Kelsey participated in her native Owensboro, Kentucky, high school’s TV broadcasting program and worked on the school newspaper. “We had a little studio, and we were trying to get the announcements on TV throughout the school,” she says. “It was really fun to work in the control room and edit the tapes, and we’d find little stories in the school to talk about.”

After graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in journalism, Kelsey went straight to New York City, where she covered some of the biggest national stories while working her way up from intern to associate producer for Court TV and MSNBC. She then moved on to Chicago, where she earned a master’s in journalism and worked both behind and in front of the camera for the local PBS affiliate.

In 2008, Kelsey joined the WHAS11 team as an anchor on Good Morning Kentuckiana after further honing her skills as a political correspondent in Washington, D.C., and as a producer, reporter, and anchor in Charleston, South Carolina.

Kelsey and her husband currently juggle a busy household with two young daughters and are expecting a baby boy in the fall. “I’ve really fallen in love with Louisville,” Kelsey says, “and I hope we stay here for a long time.”

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HOW DO YOU JUGGLE MORNING TV HOURS WITH YOUR FAMILY LIFE? It’s great in the sense that I’m off at noon, so I can pick my kids up from school and I’m with them during the afternoon.

On the other hand, I get up at 2 o’clock in the morning, and I don’t go to bed until they do. The drawback is that I give up the sleep, but I’m willing to give that up to have the schedule I do with my kids. I just get used to being tired all the time and catch up on sleep on the weekends.

But everybody has something that’s difficult about their life or their job or about how their schedule works or how they manage with kids and work, and that’s just mine. It’s different, but that’s my gig. It’s great for me right now, and I really wouldn’t want it any other way.

I want to set a good “example for my girls

and show them that, not that you can do it all, because nobody can, but that you can try, and you can be ambitious, and you can be a great mom, and you can work hard, and you can strive for your dreams.

ARE THERE ANY STORIES YOU’VE COVERED THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND? I covered this huge furniture store fire in Charleston, South Carolina, that was national news. It was the most firefighters killed since 9/11, and tragic stories like that you just never 50

forget. But on the other hand, I did a sort of “day in the life” story about this guy who was living on minimum wage, and he ended up getting a better-paying job because somebody saw him on TV and thought he was a great guy. I’ll never forget that, either.

Stuff like that makes you realize you can really make a difference.

”

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU IN YOUR WORK? I’d say it’s my family. I keep doing it because, first of all, I want to help provide for the family, but also because I want to set a good example for my girls and show them that — not that you can do it all, because nobody can — but that you can try, and you can be ambitious, and you can be a great mom, and you can work hard, and you can strive for your dreams and do whatever you put your mind to. I want to be able to set that example for them and for them to see the challenges that come with it too. I think it’s really important for them to see that it’s not easy, and that you have to have a positive attitude and make it work the best you can.

TODAY’S WOMAN

Political

BARBARA WEAKLEY-JONES

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POLITICAL Barbara Weakley-Jones: Jefferson County Coroner HAVING DYSLEXIA MUST HAVE MADE MEDICAL SCHOOL MORE DIFFICULT. WHAT KEPT YOU GOING? My husband.

I met him the first year, and he got me through the first two years of sitting and trying to memorize stuff.

It was tough.

My husband could spend an hour reading something and learning it, and it would probably take me three hours to do the same thing. Several times I almost quit, but he helped me get through that.

The last two years were easier for me because it got to be more about seeing patients and doing stuff on a more personal level.

I

f you had asked a teenaged Barbara Weakley-Jones what she wanted to do for a living, she would have said, “Teach horseback riding.” Growing up in Louisville, Barbara spent lots of time with horses on her family’s Shelbyville farm, and after high school she enrolled in Stephens College in Missouri for its equestrian program.

Two years later, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to make a living in horses, Barbara decided she’d become a veterinarian instead and transferred to the University of Louisville. When she didn’t get into veterinary school — “They just didn’t take women back then,” she says — Barbara shifted her focus to medical school.

There, she met the man who would become her husband and once again tweaked her career plans.

Barbara’s parents were both busy physicians who were rarely home when she was little, and she wanted a different home life for her kids. Since her husband was planning to be a surgeon, Barbara decided to go into forensic pathology instead. “I liked pathology,” she says, “and it’s more of an 8-to-4 kind of thing, so I don’t think I ever missed a field hockey or basketball game.”

For the next 29 years, Barbara served as a state medical examiner and worked on such high-profile cases as the Carrollton bus accident, the Standard Gravure shooting, and the Comair plane crash in Lexington. After retiring in 2010, she successfully ran for Jefferson County coroner and was re-elected again last year. Combining her loves of animals, medicine, and pathology, Barbara also owns, trains, and works with human remains detection dogs and teaches at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. “I guess I was too young to retire,” she jokes.

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HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB? It’s tough, but I’ve tried to leave it at the office. Most of the time I just go home and play with my dogs, or I would go home and play with my kids when they were younger. But I’d sometimes take it home. I’ve been involved with disasters in the state of Kentucky, and I still have nightmares of the Carrollton bus accident.

It can be sad, especially when it comes to child abuse cases, or when you work so hard to build a good case and the guy gets off. But I do the best I can to the best of my training and knowledge on every case I present and hope that it works out.

a point “in myI reached life where I’ve done the best I can.

I think I’ve changed to a more positive person.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO FORENSIC PATHOLOGY? I loved solving the puzzle, and I loved doing autopsies. As a medical examiner,

54

with each body, I always learned something new.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A POSITIVE PERSON? No. I was never an outgoing person when I was younger. I was pretty much quiet. I have dyslexia, and I didn’t know that growing up, nor did my parents. I struggled hard to study, and I was not a very happy person. Then, over the years of being a medical examiner, when I reached a point in my life where I’ve done the best I can, I think I’ve changed to a more positive person.

”

HOW DO YOU RECHARGE? Every Friday I train my two dogs, and some local people who have detection dogs train with me. From a boat, dogs can find a drowning victim, and you have to train them to do that. My favorite thing to do is to be outside, and I like playing tennis.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED TIME AND MONEY? I love to travel. I’ve still got a list of places I want to go on my bucket list. I’ve been to the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu, but Africa and New Zealand are some of the places I’d still like to see. I love wildlife, and I really want to go on a safari in Africa.

TODAY’S WOMAN

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Most Admired Woman

ATHLETICS/FITNESS

HALL OF FAME

ARTS 2003

Patti “PJ” Cooksey 2004

2003

Helen Starr

2005

Carlton Ridge

Bekki Jo Schneider

2006

Laura Lee Brown

2007

Lynn Ashton

2008

Jennifer Bielstein

2005

Julie Hermann 2009

2010

Barbara Sexton Smith

2011

Kim Johnson

Summer Eliason

Opened Copper Moon Art Gallery in New Albany

Read her book, Speaking of Success.

2012

Delanor Manson

2013

Leslie Broecker

2003

2009

Raquel Koff

2015

Jessica Moreland

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2015

2006

Geron Cadden

2014

C.J. Fletcher

“I admire all people who are trying to be a good power in this chaotic world.”

2007

Kirby Adams

2008

Janice Geralds

2015

Marsha Bornstein

— Yoko Ono

BEAUTY/FASHION

Brenda Light

2004

Tori Murden McClure

2004

Phyllis Reed-Johnson

2010

Kelli Flint Campbell

2005

Margaret Schneider Browning

2011

Mary Beth O’Bryan

2006

Cenia Wedekind

2012

Terri Waller

2009

Angel McCoughtry

2007

Zenda Stackelbach

2013

Heather French Henry

2010

Dr. Kara Mohr, PhD.

2008

Janet Rowland

2011

Liz Lewis

2014

June Bale

“I don’t see women and think of them as competition or with judgment. Women really move me.

I feel connected to all kinds of women. I am angry because I think we’ve been mistreated throughout history in different countries, including America. I admire women.”

— Salma Hayek

2013

Chancellor Dugan

2012

Kim Carpenter

2014

Oksana Masters

2015

Donna Barton Brothers TODAY’S WOMAN

BUSINESS OWNER

2003

Martha Neal Cooke

2005

Christina Lee “Christy” Brown

2007

Teresa Bachman

COMMUNITY/NONPROFITS

2004

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Alice Houston

Diane W. Kirkpatrick

Sharon Darling

Helen Donaldson

Elaine “Cissy” Musselman

Judy A. Lambeth

Denise Vazquez Troutman

2006

Teresa Bridgewaters

2009

2010

2011

Jeri Swinton

Lynnie Meyer

Sheila Day

2013

2014

Cathe Dykstra

Marta Miranda

“Have you ever felt the longing for someone you could admire? For something, not to look down at, but up to?”

2008

Tricia Burke

2012

Lori Redmon

2015

Karen Morrison

— Ayn Rand

CORPORATE 2009

Debbie Scoppechio

2010

Jeannie Unruh

2003

Susan Ivey

2011

Debra Walton

2006

2007

Phoebe Wood

Lynn Pendergrass

2008

Deb Moessner

2012

2009

2013

2005

Carolle Jones Clay

Pat Koch

Virginia K. Judd

Patti Swope

2004

Kathy C. Thompson

2010

Diane Murphy

2011

2012

2013

Jill Jones

Karen Lee

Jane C. Morreau

2014

Jill Joseph Bell

2014

Deborah Charlton

“There is an innocence in admiration: it occurs in one who has not yet realized that they might one day be admired.”

2015

Patricia Henry 2015

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Tonya York Dees todayswomannow.com / facebook.com/todayswomanmagazine / @todayswomannow

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Most Admired Woman

HEALTH/ HEALTHCARE

HALL OF FAME

EDUCATION 2003

Sue Stout Tamme

2005

Diane Downs

2006

Dr. Jo Ann Rooney

2007

Beverly Cox Keepers, Ph.D.

2008

Barbara Flanders Wine

2009

Dr. Shirley Willihnganz

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Dr. Cynthia Crabtree

Sara York

Doris Tegart

Cheryl Lowe

Donna Hargens

“Your self-esteem won’t come from body parts. You need to step away from the mirror every once in a while, and look for another reflection, like the one in the eyes of the people who love you and admire you.”

— Stacy London

2004

Mary Norton Shands*

2010

Dr. Rita Hudson Shourds

We added this category two years into our Most Admired Woman contest.

2005

Jerri Quillman

2007

Now chair of UofL Dept of Neurology.

Dr. Kim Alumbaugh

2006

Joanne Berryman

2008

Dr. Anees Chagpar

Working with Wiltshire Pantry

FOOD/ENTERTAINMENT

2009

Rebecca Booth, M.D.

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Elizabeth Kizito

Helen Friedman

Susan Seiller

Kathy Cary

SueAnna Masterson

Grace DeluiseKoenig

2011

Dr. Mollie Cartwright

2009

2010

2011

Judy Schad

Terri Lynn Doyle

Summer Auerbach

2012

“I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence.”

— Ayrton Senna

2015

Ericka ChavezGraziano

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2013

Nancy Grantz Claudia DeLatorre

2010

Dr. Kerri Remmel, M.D., PhD.

2012

Becky Beanblossom

2014

Sarah Fritschner

2013

Charlotte Ipsan

“You have to have enough respect for other human beings to leave their lives alone. If you admire that life, build it for yourself. Don’t just try to come in and take somebody else’s life.” — Elizabeth Edwards

2014

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt

2015

Cis Gruebbel

2015

* Deceased

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HOME/HOMESTYLE

Most Admired Woman

HALL OF FAME

MEDIA 2003

Betsy Wall

2005

Donna Dusel

2007

Lawren Just

2004

Carla Sue Broecker 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Dawne Gee

Liz Everman

Jackie Hays

Jean West

Melissa Swan

Vicki Dortch

2006

Lenora Paradis* 2009

2010

2011

Rachel Platt

Janelle MacDonald

Renee Murphy

2008

2012

Candyce Clifft

2015

Kelsey Starks

2009

Tracie Utter

— Raymond Chandler

POLITICAL

2010

Andie Frisbee

2004

2003 2011

Cindi Sullivan

2013

Leslie McCarthy

2015

Kathy Olliges

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2015

2012

Joan Waddell

Anne Meagher Northup

Janice R. Martin

2009

2014

Diane Stege

2014

Elizabeth Woolsey

Just appointed the executive director at Louisville Apartment Association

“I certainly admire people who do things.”

Liz Wilson

2013

Claudia Coffey

Eleanor Jordan

2010

Virginia L. Woodward

2005

Crit Luallen

2011

Tina Ward-Pugh

2006

Joan Riehm*

2012

Shellie May

“I tell young entrepreneurs to use the leader in their industry and as a benchmark as they work to create their own brand. Don’t look at what your competition is doing — if you emulate the leader in your industry, you will achieve a higher level of engagement with consumers and make their buying experience richer.”

— Steve Stoute

2007

Bobbie Holsclaw

2008

Martha Layne Collins

2013

2014

Angela Bisig

Julie Denton

2015

Barbara WeakleyJones * Deceased TODAY’S WOMAN

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We are looking for women who did not wait to make a difference — whether at work, at play, or in the community. You want to tell her Way to Go, Woman! If you know of a young woman (under age 40) who has done something everyone should know about, nominate her to be featured in this special issue.

Entries should be postmarked by June 30, 2015 (you can also nominate online at TodaysWomanNow.com).

We will be featuring the fi e winners of each category in our September issue of Today’s Woman.

OUR 2014 WAY TO GO WOMEN

Sandra KendalL PROFESSIONAL

Heidi Neal LEADERSHIP

Sarah Provancher ENTREPRENEUR

Kerri Cokely OVERCAME BARRIERS

Anna Blanton COMMUNITY

WAY TO GO WOMAN NOMINATION Name: _____________________________________________________________ Age: _________________ (20-40) Address (will not be published): ______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone numbers: _______________________________ Email address:_____________________________________

Category:

Community Activist/Minded

Professional

Reinvented/Overcame Barriers

Political Involvement

Entrepreneur

Leadership

Deserves to be featured because: ___________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Your name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Phone numbers: _______________________________ Email address:_____________________________________ Fax this form to 502.327.8861 or mail to Today’s Woman Way to Go Woman 9750 Ormsby Station Rd., Suite 307 Louisville, KY 40223 or go online to TodaysWomanNow.com

Deadline: June 30, 2015 62

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TODAY’S WOMAN

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SmartStyles Products and services to ft your style

Dedi’s Beauty Secrets

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We offer permanent makeup for eyebrows, eyeliner and lips. These can beneft people who: • have allergies or medical conditions • desire freedom from daily makeup application Also offering eyelash and eyebrow tinting, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, collagen masks and Smoothsculpt™ Summer Special: $149 Permanent Eyeliner or Eyebrows (value $395) Expires 6/30/15

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Spring is here, and it’s time to store your furs.

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