We’re so excited to be honoring outstanding women in Asheville’s business community at our WomanUP Celebration on Nov. 28th. While we will be giving awards to three of these women, the list of the nominees is impressive. All of these women deserve recognition for their hard work, dedication to advancing women in business and for their contributions to our community.
We hope you’ll join us at the WomanUP Celebration to recognize all of these nominees and to honor our award winners.
Woman Entrepreneur, Best in Business
This award, sponsored by Webb Investment Services, recognizes a woman who demonstrates the transformation of her dream into the reality of a product or service and who exhibits the traits of an entrepreneur.
- Adriana Chavela, Hola Carolina Magazine
- Debra Slosman, Porter & Prince, Ltd.
- Elizabeth Mailander, Sola Salon Studios — or Mailander, LLC
- Gayla Black, Blacks Moving & Storage
- Jennifer Perkins, Looking Glass Creamery
- Jessica Tomasin, Jet Up Productions
- Kelly Erin Spinney, Modern Asheville
- Kimberly Masters, Essential Journeys Soaps
- Laura Cardwell, SHiFT Brain Integration
- Lauren DeWords, ZaPow
- Lisa White, White Labs
- Lynn Michelle Smith, Che’ Beautiful, LLC
- Marta Santamaria, The Venue and The Ridge
- Melissa Murray, Mosaix Group, Inc.
- Meridith Elliott Powell, Meridith Elliott Powell
- Murphy Funkhouser Capps, Kudzu Brands
- Rowena Patton, Rowena Patton’s All-Star Powerhouse
- Suzy Salwa Phillips, Gypsy Queen Cuisine
- Terri King, Coldwell Banker King
Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit Leadership:
Sponsored by TD Bank, this award recognizes a woman working for a nonprofit who has distinguished herself in her non-profit organization, her profession, and her community.
- Allison Jordan, Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County
- Anna Zanetti, Friends of the Smokies
- April Burgess-Johnson, Helpmate
- Becky Williams, Eliada Home
- Carole Gillham, Brooks-Howell Home
- Celeste Collins, OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling
- Dianne Trammel, Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County
- Eileen Bouressa, Asheville Humane Society
- Madeline Delp Live Boundless
- Michaela Blanton-Lowe, March of Dimes
- Millicent Burke Sinclair, Four Seasons Compassion for Life
- Pat Fugate-Hock, Hope Chest for Women
- Rebecca Chaplin, AARP North Carolina
- Sharon Oxendine, Western Women’s Business Center
- Tami Ruckman, Eliada Home
- Zuri Anuel, Carolina Small Business Development Fund
- Jill Sparks, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Woman Executive of the Year:
Sponsored by Mission Health, this award recognizes a woman who exhibits leadership in her organization, profession and community. Candidates at any level of an organization may be nominated.
- Angie Cullen, Nest Realty Asheville
- Charlotte Stack, Chai Pani Restaurant Group
- Donna Hammett, Spectrum Reach
- Heather Norton, The Biltmore Company
- Ingrid Sander, Mountain BizWorks
- Janice Brumit, Brumit Restaurant Group, LLC
- Latrella McElrath, HomeTrust Bank
- Melissa Murray, Mosaix Group, Inc.
- Sarah Deborah Benoit, JB Media Institute
- Tara McCracken, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina