Announcing the 2019 Pay-It-Forward Women’s Leadership Award Winners!

Below are our final winners and the reasons they were initially nominated. We’d also like to thank this year’s judging panel, displayed below with their bios!

(Click here to see the all the wonderful nominees who were considered for this year’s award and for the award criteria.)

Christine Malcolm, MBA

Principal, Salt Creek Advisors, LLC

Recently Retired CEO, Carol Emmott Foundation

“Christine has been a powerful advocate for women and other marginalized groups throughout her career, both as an executive in healthcare and an advisor to organizations. More recently she was a founding leader of the Carol Emmott Fellowship [part of the Carol Emmett Foundation, of which she became CEO] for women leaders in healthcare and has led its growth and expansion to include the Equity Collaborative. The Equity Collaborative includes 13 major health systems across the U.S. who have each committed to advancing inclusive gender equity and are working together to develop meaningful measures of equity and programs for member organizations to advance opportunities for women within their institutions. Christine is an active mentor and sponsor of women leaders across the country. Throughout her career in her commitment to gender equity she has recognized the value of developing allies and insisted on including men in the movement. She took a risk on me and made me curriculum director for the Carol Emmott Fellowship, but I'm not the only male leader she's brought on board. She communicates clearly that inequity is everyone's problem, not just those who are explicitly disenfranchised and the consequence is that she's been able to grow this organization rapidly and engage a wide range of supporters. She is a natural networker and brings together people and groups to amplify their impact in creating a just society. Her leadership has been enormously helpful in creating a leadership development approach that focuses the primary efforts on changing the social and political context within organizations rather than "improving" the leadership skills of the women involved. This shift away from treating inequity as a problem of the excluded underlies all our work and is fundamentally more respectful of the contributions and value of women in leading our institutions. She is always focused on creating a movement, not just a program.”

Dress for Success empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and life. For 11 years Dress for Success Triangle has been helping women reach their potential and fulfill their dreams. Over 300 volunteers work together to offer career counseling, teach job search classes, and provide work-appropriate clothing as unemployed or underemployed women step out into the work force.

• “I have benefited greatly from this organization and stayed engaged to help other women through this perfect model for women helping women. In 2008, I was transitioning into a new phase of life and hadn't worked outside the home in years. I was insecure, full of fear and uncertain of how I would accomplish this task. Dress for Success was there and welcomed me with a smile and told me how I was equipped to reenter the workforce. The volunteers assisted me with interview skills, resumes and above all increased my confidence level and I was employed within a few weeks. Since that time, I have stayed engaged with this agency and they have continued to assist me in raising my skill level and moving forward with my career. I have since had the opportunity to help open the first Recovery Community Center in Raleigh to support and guide other women and men in their path to successful lives. Seventy-five percent of the women who attend the DFS classes land jobs. DFS clients are eager to make a difference in their lives, the lives of their families, and to impact our community. At DFS, they learn their value in the workplace and in the world. The real work is done in helping them see what is already there. It is in helping them realize that they matter to the world. They enter the career center and boutique with downcast eyes and slumped shoulders, and they leave with their heads held high, shoulders and aware of their worth. Lives are being changed and it's amazing to witness. Dress for Success Triangle is an organization that supports the success of underserved women. Thank you for your consideration of an agency that not only changed my life but the lives of many women in the Triangle. We are certainly leaders and role models for other women and girls.”

• “As a former employee of the organization and now a Board member and volunteer, I have seen the transformation many women undergo when they walk into the doors at Dress for Success Triangle. Here, women not only gain the necessary skills to become employed; they also gain confidence and self-worth. Seventy-five percent of the women who attend the Dress for Success Triangle job acquisition program, the Going Places Network, find sustainable and meaningful employment. Once the women are employed, they are invited to join our job retention program, the Professional Women’s Group, where they receive monthly instruction on topics relevant for working women and mothers. To eliminate any barriers to their participation, childcare and dinner are provided at each monthly meeting. I can think of no better example of an organization that lifts women up and supports the success of underserved women than Dress for Success Triangle. I appreciate your consideration of this agency for the Pay-It-Forward Women's Leadership Award.”

• “For 10 years, I have been one of these volunteers and I can testify to the fact that women's lives are being changed every day the door is open. To welcome a scared, nervous woman who has perhaps been told "no" too often in her life, is a great privilege indeed. She enters the "no judgement" zone and is met right where she is by another woman who has given her time (week after week) to preparing her for an interview, to helping her realize all she has to offer, and to suiting her so that she goes to her interview with the confidence to land the job. AND, it really works! Seventy-five percent of the women who attend the DFS classes land jobs. DFS clients are eager to learn. They are prepared. They are worthy. It's just that they have been told that they are not. At DFS, they learn their value in the work place and in the world. The real work is done in helping them see what is already there. It is in helping them realize that they matter to the world. They enter the career center and boutique with downcast eyes and slumped shoulders and they leave with their heads held high, shoulders back, aware of their worth. It is a beautiful thing to see! Yes, lives are being changed. Indeed they are. I would wager that the change occurs as often for the women who have the honor of serving their sisters in need as it does for those seeking employment. I can think of no better example of an organization that supports the success of underserved women than Dress for Success Triangle.”

A Special Thanks to Our 2019 Judges!

Below are all our judges for this year. But first a little about how they were the picked and how they made their decisions.

1. Judges identified by Brancu & Associates who agreed to volunteer their time to serving in this capacity. Judges represented multiple industries and sectors, and personal demographic backgrounds, to support a diversity of opinions and feedback for this award. Each judges also had a history of supporting women leaders (some would have been great nominees in their own right for this award!)

2. The judges remained anonymous to the public and to nominees during the voting period.

3. Any conflicts of interest were disclosed and lobbying for consideration was prohibited.

4. Each judge was provided with the full list of nominees and the nomination submission (except headshots, in order to limit bias), as well as a nomination form to vote independently on one another. They could vote for their top 3 individuals and one organization. For each individual and organization, they were asked to indicate how many of the four award criteria each nominee met.

5. The winner met both the total number of votes as well as the total number of criteria per vote. Brancu & Associates did not affect the outcome of these votes - the winner was chosen completely by the combined judges’ independent votes.

The judges worked diligently to rate each criteria and this was not an easy decision. We could not be more pleased with both the nominees identified for this award and the commitment to evaluating the criteria for this award so diligently. We thank each and every one of them!

Anthony Sledge, MBA

Business Development Manager, AmerisourceBergen

Anthony manages new business development efforts in the New York Metropolitan, Northern & Central New Jersey market for AmerisourceBergen, a $167 billion pharmaceutical distributor that ranks #10 on the Fortune 500 list. Attracts mid-size, high-value, and Fortune 500 clients through tactical sales and key stakeholder management.  

Becky Williams, MBA

CEO, REALM Leadership; Director, Institute for the Study of Business Markets

An experienced business and people leader, Becky specializes in helping individuals and organizations identify and execute leadership practices to achieve their strategic goals. Over a long career with LORD Corporation she held multiple leadership roles including President of the Asia Pacific Region. She also serves as a board member of ATHENA of the Triangle, and Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina.

Dr. NaTasha Jordan, PhD

CEO & Founder, Plank Speck

NaTasha Jordan, PhD is an Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologist passionate about driving ROI for entrepreneurs and professionals using the science of I/O and marketing. She also helps manage a community of 400+ consulting psychology thought leaders where she stays abreast on the latest workplace research, sponsors students on their career paths, and provides value to community projects.

Michelle Proctor

Principal Business Operations Manager, SAS

Michelle Proctor is the Principal Business Operations Manager for the Risk Research and Quantitative Solutions division of SAS, responsible for the daily operations of 250 global resources across R&D, Risk Business Consulting, Delivery Advisory, Marketing and Operations. Michelle also leads the Women's Initiative Network of 750+ individuals across SAS. Michelle also has 14 years of experience with IBM working on large enterprise products and interned with NASA, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Networks and Communications.

Nancy Parsons

President, CDR Assessment Group

Nancy Parsons is a top global expert combining the science of assessments with the art of leadership development for global organizations. Nancy was recently awarded the 2019 MEECO International Thought Leader of Distinction in Executive Coaching and she is the author of "Women Are Creating the Glass Ceiling & Have the Power to End It" which hit as a #1 Best Seller on Amazon in December, 2019.