Women’s Leadership Program Inspires Women to Action

Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson, partner, Thompson & Bender,  accepts Women of Distinction Award from BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon. Honorable Regent Judith Johnson, New York State Board of Regents,  accepts Women of Distinction Award from BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.Celebrating the accomplishments of strong women and lifting up women living on the edge of poverty were the themes of the United Way of Westchester Putnam Women’s Leadership Council’s 5^th Annual Celebration of Women in Philanthropy.

Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester presented Regent Judith Johnson of the New York State Board of Regents and Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson, partner at Thompson & Bender, with Women of Distinction Awards at the annual breakfast at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown.

United Way of Westchester and Putnam President and CEO Alana Sweeny said proceeds from the breakfast go to support Women’s Leadership Council programs that work to lift women from poverty and help them achieve financial self-sufficiency as well as programs to help children to read on grade level, an indicator of future success.

“Proceeds from this breakfast and annual contributions to the WLC go to programs that target poverty at its roots—programs that help local women find durable employment and financial self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. Your support goes to helping more children in our counties learn to read on grade level by the end of 3^rd grade – a CRUCIAL marker of whether a child will flail or thrive in their future,” she said.

Sweeny presented a special award to one of the program’s beneficiaries Zaneta Darden, a young mother of 4 from Yonkers who is improving her life through work and study.

Keynote Speaker Dyllan McGee is a two-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Founder and Executive Producer of MAKERS, a women’s media brand for trailblazing women, inspired the crowd with a look into the lives and successes of powerful women including Oprah Winfrey, Mathematician Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures) and other game-changing women in the public and private sectors.