The Women of Achievement Awards return on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Omni William Penn Hotel to honor outstanding women in the Pittsburgh region.
Celebrate the leaders, innovators, and change-makers in your life by nominating a Woman or Junior Woman of Achievement who is making a meaningful impact in their community, workplace, or school.
Purchase a ticket or a table today! Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available.
18th Annual
Women of Achievement Awards
March 19, 2025
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Omni William Penn Hotel
Grand Ballroom
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
All event proceeds from the Women of Achievement Awards directly support Cribs for Kids’ infant safe sleep programming. Each year, over 3,500 babies lose their lives to preventable sleep-related causes, including accidental suffocation and SIDS. Cribs for Kids is dedicated to ending these tragedies by providing safe sleep education and portable cribs to families in need. Your support helps create safer sleep environments and saves lives every day.
The Women of Achievement Awards return on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Omni William Penn Hotel to honor outstanding women in the Pittsburgh region.
Celebrate the leaders, innovators, and change-makers in your life by nominating a Woman or Junior Woman of Achievement who is making a meaningful impact in their community, workplace, or school.
Nominations are open now and must be submitted by Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET.
Congratulations to our 2025
Distinguished Women of Achievement Honorees
- Lynn M. Banaszak: The Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation
- Jenna Bosi BA, MSW, MBA, DSW: 412 Foster Project
- Diana P. Byas: UPMC Health Plan Maternity Baby Steps Program
- Caroline Fitzgerald: GOALS
- Natalie Gentile, MD: Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh and Rebel Wellness
- Diane Gross: University of Pittsburgh (Retired)
- Jeaonna Cienne Hodges: The Birth Circle Magee Womens Hospital and Divin Geri Endijen
- Denele Hughson: Grow Pittsburgh
- Jacqueline Kaiser: South Side Community Council
- Amber Kolesar PhD, RN, CNE, CCRN: Duquesne University School of Nursing
- Michele McGough: solutions4networks
- Maribeth McLaughlin, MPM, BSN, RN: UPMC
- Lee Ann Munger: United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania
- Tina Reczek: Pitt Ohio
- Rebecca Ross Haywood: PNC Financial Service Corp.
- Dianne Shenk: Dylamato’s Market
- Carmella Stamm, RICP®: Blueprint Financial Partners
- Sandahl Taylor: Connecting Hearts Changing Lives Foundation
- Tracey Vogel, MD: Allegheny Health Network / The Empowerment Equation LLC
Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy & Service
- AJ Jefferson: Homeless Children’s Education Fund
National Woman of Achievement: Making a Difference Award
- Nancy Cowles: Kids in Danger (formerly)
Junior Women of Achievement Honorees
- Darla Sherlock, CD, CLC: Beverly’s PGH
- Giavonna Barone: Senior Smiles
- Laila King: Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6-12
- Braylee Ann Neal: Buddy Bags
- Caroline Praveen: Fluency Forward Foundation
- Prachi Chetlur: Women Power: Impact
Nominate a Woman or Junior Woman of Achievement for 2025
Nominations open March 27, 2024.
Note: You will be redirected to our applications manager Submittable.
National Women of Achievement Awards
Each year at the annual Women of Achievement Awards, Cribs for Kids honors two National Women of Achievement.
Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Service
In 2019, we introduced the Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Service in memory of Laura Ditka, who unexpectedly passed away in October 2018 at the age of 55. Laura Ditka was a Woman of Achievement in 2008 for child advocacy. Her life revolved around serving others as she dedicated her life to public service, law enforcement, and supporting victims.
Laura spent her legal career as a prosecutor serving for 25 years in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, before joining the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office as supervisor of the western region criminal division. In her honor, the Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy and Service will be awarded each year at this event. Laura will always be an example of an inspirational Woman of Achievement.
National Woman of Achievement: Making a Difference Award
The National Woman of Achievement: Making a Difference Award celebrates women who have spent their lives and careers serving others. At Cribs for Kids, we are incredibly inspired by women who represent a positive force for good. Each day these women demonstrate their strength, resilience, and unwavering commitment to their cause. They are exemplary models of what it means to persevere in the face of adversity.
Whether their influence can be seen in the non-profit sector, legislative action, volunteer work, or philanthropy, these women walk with a purpose and use each day to work towards creating a better community and a better world.
Each year, Cribs for Kids recognizes one woman, nominated by her peers, who demonstrates strength, resiliency, compassion, and commitment to being a force for change. This woman will be known as the National Woman of Achievement.
-
Laura Ley Carlson: Allegheny Health Network
Laura Ditka Award for Advocacy & Service -
Dr. Shanea Clancy, DNP, EMBA-H, RN, CARN-AP, FIAAN: Clancy Consulting Services
-
Kaitlin Cobourne, PhD, RN, CNE, CNEd: South College
-
Renee’ Coyner: Business Development and Strategy Executive
-
Chaunda Cunningham: Healthy Start, Inc.
-
Roxanne Elizabeth Epperson: Women Against Abusive Relationships (WAAR)
-
Sunnie Fenk: Thermo Fisher Scientific and getWITit Pittsburgh Chapter
-
Carolina D. Frantz: Duquesne University
-
Madalyn Gottschalk: UPMC
-
Carey A Harris: Literacy Pittsburgh
-
Maura Hanke: Charlie’s Kids
National Woman of Achievement: Making a Difference Award -
Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew: Allegheny Health Network / Highmark Health / Drexel University / JUST WONDOOR
-
Susan Lautenbacher, Ph.D.: Lark Enterprises, Inc.
-
Ariel Meadows: Bridgeway Capital
-
Maria Montaño: Office of the Mayor Ed Gainey
-
Delvina Lorraine Morrow: Pittsburgh Penguins
-
Michelle Pagano Heck: Nonprofit Talent
-
Raquelle Pakutz: Zen Freight Solutions
-
Tonja Smith: Allegheny County Home Care
-
Tracy Staller, PNC-Certified Women’s Business Advocate: PNC Bank
-
Dr. Tamara Thornhill, LPC, MBA, CCTP, NCC: The Community Mental Health Collective
Junior Women of Achievement Honorees
-
Eshal Ahmad: The Pink Dragonfly
-
Merris Gable: Pajama Pals, Inspired Women Paying It Forward
-
Sophia Gerardi: One Box at a Time
-
Abigail Ann Hall: The Ribbon Girls and Woolslair Elementary School
-
Bristol Joseph: Magical Milkweed Market, LLC
-
Nikhita Thakuria: Quills and Keyboards (International Nonprofit)
A Special Thank You to Pittsburgh Digital DJs and DigiBooths for providing our Selfie Booth for our 2020 Women of Achievement Awards.
