Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
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April 23, 2001

Maricopa Community Colleges Honor Women of Distinction

Greater Phoenix - Leadership … Innovation … Service to Women … and Service to the Maricopa Community Colleges - key characteristics for the winners of the Distinguished Achievement Award, an annual award sponsored by the Women's Leadership Group/American Association of Women in Community Colleges (WLG/AAWCC) of the Maricopa County Community College District. The twelve women of distinction selected and their colleges were

Maria Hesse, Dean of Instruction, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Debbie Thompson, Director of Financial Planning & Budget, District Office
Myra Curtis, Administrative Assistant, Estrella Mountain Community College
Roberta Jeffers, Business Outreach Representative, GateWay Community College
Jean Ann Abel, Dean of Instruction, Glendale Community College
Susan McRae, Assistant Director for Instruction, Maricopa Skill Center
Deb DeVore, Scholarship Coordinator, Mesa Community College
Heather Anderson, Program Advisor in the Student Life Center, Paradise Valley Community College
Dorothy Sisneros, Health Enhancement Department Chair, Phoenix College
Dr. Angela Ambrosia, Web Technology Faculty, Rio Salado College
Laura Ruiz-Scott, English Faculty, Scottsdale Community College
Ann Lindner, Math Faculty, South Mountain Community College

The women were honored during the recent WLG's annual luncheon held at Mesa Community College. Each of the District's ten college presidents coordinated with the WLG college representative to select a woman who had demonstrated success and achievement in leadership, innovation, service to women and service to the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Dr. Anna Solley, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Development, gave the keynote address, "The Future for Women at Maricopa." She challenged the women of the Maricopa Community Colleges to dream and to remember "'Querer es poder' - loosely translated, one must have the will in order to succeed. You can reach your dreams, but you must have the will to succeed - and you can do it." Solley is the first woman in the College District to become a vice chancellor. She also received the WLG award last year while she was Dean of Instruction at Estrella Mountain Community College.

Presenting the awards were Chancellor Dr. Fred Gaskin, Dr. Solley and Mrs. Linda B. Rosenthal, a Maricopa Community Colleges' Governing Board member and founder of the Women's Leadership Group. Each award recipient was escorted to the stage by one of last year's award winners.

Throughout the year, WLG sponsors women's leadership seminars and recently established a WLG Mentor Program, especially designed for the women employees of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Emily Weinacker, Coordinator, Employee and Organizational Learning, District Office, and Nancy Larrick, Director of Research Planning & Development, South Mountain Community College, organized the annual luncheon.

The Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the nation, includes 10 colleges - Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Estrella Mountain Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves over 264,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002