2016 Women of Excellence Awards
Colleen M. Quinn, attorney, and owner of the Quinn Law Centers, as well as Locke & Quinn (now Locke & Otto), was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2016 Women of Excellence Awards, hosted by the Richmond chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Colleen was among three other award winners that evening, recognized in categories such as Community Leader, Rising Star, and Student Entrepreneur. The post below is from the March 17, 2016 Richmond Times-Dispatch article about this year’s event.
‘Creative and Courageous’ Entrepreneurs Honored by Women Business Owners
Four Richmond-area women were honored Thursday evening with 2016 Women of Excellence Awards by the Richmond chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.
“The women who are honored at the dinner represent some of the most creative and courageous entrepreneurs in our region,” Myra Howard, president of the NAWBO Richmond Foundation, said before the event. “They exhibit passion, courage, and perseverance and all have exceptional stories of relevance.”
Danielle Gildbert
Danielle Gilbert, administrative director in human resources with Bon Secours Richmond Health System, won in the Community Leader category. Gilbert is a high-performing person who is committed to the evolving mission of Catholic health care and volunteerism, according to the association’s write-up about the award winners.
Katherine Wintsch
Katherine Wintsch, founder and CEO of The Mom Complex, a consultancy firm, was honored as the Rising Star. Wintsch is a leading expert on modern motherhood and, as the founder of a consulting firm, companies rely on her and her team to reveal the good and the bad behind motherhood and turn those insights into new products and services for mothers. She also served as the 2015 Richmond Christmas Mother, which provided Christmas gifts for children in need and supported Christmas-related projects throughout the area. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has sponsored the annual fund drive since 1935.
Erica Amatori
Erica Amatori, a student at the College of William and Mary, was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Amatori is an entrepreneur, student-athlete and scholar in business and psychology. She founded a software company and created a nonprofit.
Colleen M. Quinn
Colleen M. Quinn, an attorney and owner of Locke & Quinn, won Entrepreneur of the Year. Quinn practices in the areas of adoption and surrogacy, personal injury, employment law and estate planning. She is the president-elect of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys.
Event Speakers and Attendees
About 300 people attended the event at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa Short Pump. Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe opened the program. Lisa Schaffner, director of public relations and marketing for United Network for Organ Sharing, commonly known as UNOS, was the emcee.
The keynote speaker, business owner and author Christie Garton, imparted advice on motivating millennials — who she identified as people born from 1977 to 2000 — as employees and consumers. “Millennials are influential not only for their size (a quarter of the U.S. population) but also as consumers (purchase power of $1.3 trillion annually),” Garton, 36, said before the event. Garton is founder and CEO of 1,000 Dreams Fund, a nonprofit whose purpose is to support the dreams of young women with $1,000 scholarships, and creator of UChic, a lifestyle brand for teenage girls and young women.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Richmond National Association of Women Business Owners Foundation, which supports the educational programs of the Richmond Chapter of NAWBO.
Read the full story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch article ‘Creative and courageous’ Entrepreneurs Honored by Women Business Owners by Carol Hazard.