Tanya Brown, sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson

Winners have been named for the 2011 Legacy of Women Awards, chosen annually and honored a  fall luncheon benefiting SafeHaven of Tarrant County.

This years luncheon, set for Oct. 14 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, will feature keynote speaker Tanya Brown, youngest sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson.

Honorees are nominated by the public, and chosen for their outstanding contributions by specially-formed committees. This year’s winners and their catergories are:

Winners in the arts  Shirley Orr, of Theatre Arlington; Deborah Ferguson, news anchor at NBC 5; and portrait artist Cheri Irwin. For the business category, selected were Connie Gauntt, owner of Gene Allen’s Gift Stores; attorney Patricia Cole; and Realtor and broker Roxann Taylor.

Education honorees include Judy Leflore, director of the Pediatric and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs at University of Texas at Arlington; Triesha Light, psychology professor at Tarrant County College;  and Shea Stanfield-McGarrah, pre-kindergarten coordinator for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district. Winning for health and human services are Jackie Finch, president of Cancer Research Foundation of North Texas; Dr. Karen Albritton, director of adolescent and young adult oncology at Cook Children’s Medical Center; and Jenny Ellis, oncology nurse specialist at Texas Health HEB Hospital.

Outstanding for their volunteerism are Laura Distefano, Martine Ginsburg, Ginny Richards and Karen Parsinen.

Guest speaker Brown and her family created The Nicole Brown Foundation in 1994 to educate communities on strategies to prevent domestic violence. Nicole Brown Simpson’s famous ex-husband, O.J. Simpson was accused of her murder in 1994 before being found not guilty in a controversial decision. Tanya Brown recently was the keynote speaker at The Sixth Annual Conference to Promote Mental Health and Prevent Mental Illness in Washington, D.C.
A frequent guest on national TV programs, Tanya Brown is completing her master’s degree in counseling at Argosy University.

For sponsorship information, contact Valerie Salter at 817-546-6040, ext. 246 or vsalter@safehaventc.org.  Additional information about SafeHaven is available by visiting www.safehaventc.org.

Tanya Brown, sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson

Tanya Brown, youngest sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, will be the featured speaker at the annual Legacy of Women Awards Luncheon Oct. 14 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel.

Tanya Brown and her family created The Nicole Brown Foundation in 1994 to educate communities on strategies to prevent domestic violence. Nicole Brown Simpson’s famous husband, O.J. Simpson was accuse of her murder in 1994 before being found not guilty in a controversial decision. Tanya Brown recently was the keynote speaker at The Sixth Annual Conference to Promote Mental Health and Prevent Mental Illness in Washington, D.C.

A frequent guest on national TV programs, Tanya Brown is completing her master’s degree in counseling at Argosy University.

The speaker will be just one of many highlights at the luncheon that honors outstanding community women in a variety of professions.

Winners and their categories are:

Arts–Arlington: Shirley Orr, Theatre Arlington;Fort Worth: Deborah Ferguson, NBC 5; and Northeast Tarrant County: Cheri Irwin, portrait artist

Business–Arlington: Connie Gauntt, Gene Allen’s Gift Stores; Fort Worth: Patricia Cole, Decker Jones; and Northeast Tarrant County: Roxann Taylor, Roxann Taylor and Associates Realtors.

Education–Arlington: Judy Leflore, University of Texas at Arlington; Fort Worth: Triesha Light;Northeast Tarrant County: Shae Stanfield-McGarrah, Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district.

Health and Human Services–Arlington: Jackie Finch, Cancer Research Foundation of North Texas; Fort Worth: Dr. Karen Albritton, Cook Children’s Medical Center; and Northeast Tarrant County: Jenny Ellis, Texas Health HEB Hospital.

Volunteerism–Arlington: Laura Distefano; Fort Worth: Martine Ginsberg and Ginny Richards, Gill Children’s Services; and Northeast Tarrant County: Karen Parsinen.

SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a nonprofit organization that exists to end family violence, operates two emergency shelters.  In 2010, SafeHaven sheltered more than 2,338 adult and child victims and provided non-residential services through our Resource Centers to more than 3,300 other clients.

For more information, visit  www.safehaventc.org or call 817-535-6462.

Fifteen women who will be honored at SafeHaven’s 18^thLegacy of Women Awards luncheon, set for Oct. 29 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. 

The women selected represent diverse aspects of the arts, business, education, health and human services, and volunteerism. This year’s format was changed to include an honoree in each category from three geographic areas: northeast Tarrant County, greater Fort Worth and greater Arlington. 

The 15 chosen will be recognized at the October luncheon where Darren McGrady, former chef to Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth will serve as keynote speaker. The event serves as a fundraiser for SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending family violence. SafeHaven of Tarrant County operates two emergency shelters that can accommodate 174 women and children in Tarrant County.

The 2010 honorees and their categories include:

Arts

Arlington: LeeAnn Chenoweth-Lawson, president, producer and violinist for Timeless concerts

Fort Worth: Rebecca Low, owner and sculptor at Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery and Studio.

Northeast Tarrant County:  DeeAnn Blair, executive producer at Artisan Center Theater.

 Business

Arlington: Taylor Gray, owner of The Shoppes at Brownstone Village.

Fort Worth: Shirlee Gandy, owner at RPM Commercial.

Northeast Tarrant County: Susan Clark, owner of Sweet Memories Cakes and Catering.

Education

Mansfield: Dee Lemser, retired teacher at Mansfield ISD.

Fort Worth: Mary Cinatl, director of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth

Northeast Tarrant County: Janice Kane, executive director of the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Education Foundation.

Health & Human Services

Arlington: Donna Bertram, vice president and chief nursing officer at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital.

Fort Worth: Susan Sward-Comunelli, president of the board and medical director of Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas.

Northeast Tarrant County: State Rep. Vicki Truitt, District 98.

Volunteerism

Arlington: Cristy Duke, volunteer for Junior League of Arlington, the Boys and Girls Club, The Oakridge School and Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Fort Worth: Gail Landreth, volunteer for Historic Fort Worth, Inc., Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Jewel Charity and The Junior League of Fort Worth.

Northeast Tarrant County: Shirley Schollmeyer, volunteer for the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, The City of Colleyville, Colleyville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Colleyville Women’s Club and  the Colleyville Garden Club.

For more information, visit the website at www.safehaventc.org or call 817 535-6462.