General Federation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina To Honor Outstanding Women
Posted: 04-16-2009 : WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C.

Wrightsville Beach, NC – The General Federation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina Inc. (GFWC-NC) will honor 21 outstanding women for their significant contributions to the state of North Carolina. These women are pioneers in their professional and community efforts serving as role models for future generations. The Women of Achievement (WOA) award winners are some of our best and brightest leaders in government, business, and nonprofits in the state. Each honoree boasts a career defined by hard work and a commitment to helping others. They have taught us that service is not a duty, but a privilege, and a part of living life to the fullest.

On Thursday evening, April 16th, the annual WOA Banquet will honor 21 women who were either born or currently reside in the state. Gail Evans, author of She Wins, You Win and Play Like A Man, Win Like A Woman, will be the keynote speaker during the event.

The 2009 Women of Achievement honorees are:

• Molly Barker, Girls on the Run, Founder and Vision Keeper
• Lynne Meiggs Bunch, College of Albemarle President
• Monica Caison, Founder of CUE (center for missing persons)
• Rosemary DePaolo, Chancellor UNC-Wilmington
• Hannah D. Gage, Chairman UNC Board of Governors and first female leader of the State University System’s governing board
• Judge Phyllis M. Gorham, first female Resident Superior Court Judge in the 5th Judicial District
• Major Jennifer A. Harris, first female NC Highway Patrol promoted to the rank of Captain and then Major
• Clarice Holden, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
• Nelle Hotchkiss, Sr. Vice President of Corporate Relations, NC Assoc. of Electric Cooperatives, serves on Touchstone Energy National Board of Directors
• Bobbie Jacobs-Ghaffer, CEO Native Angels Homecare & Hospice and The Angel Exchange
• Honorable Carolyn Justice, NC House of Representatives
• Teresa Lee, GFWC-NC Past President and Community Volunteer
• Jan Matthews-Hodges, Founder and Co-Owner of The Pound Cake Co., Inc.
• Lynn Davis Minges, Asst. Secretary of Tourism, Marketing, and Global Branding for the NC Dept. of Commerce
• Donna D. Moffitt, Director, North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
• Suzanne Reynolds, law professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, Co-Founder of Domestic Violence Advocacy Center
• Phyllis Stump, Educator, Patron of the Arts, Author
• Lieutenant Colonel Michelle L. Trusso, USMC, Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Honorable Alice G. Underhill, NC House of Representative
• Frances Weller, Television News Anchor
• Margaret Weller-Stargell, President and CEO of Coastal Horizons

Center, Inc. The WOA awards were first given by GFWC-NC in 2002. Recipients are nominated and selected by a committee and must be from or currently residing in North Carolina. GFWC-NC is a nonprofit organization comprised of more than 5,000 women across the state committed to their local communities, state, nation and world a better place to live and work. For more information, visit www.gfwcnc.org.