Since 1980, YWCA Richmond has celebrated local women leading our region and inspiring future leaders through its annual Outstanding Women Awards.  We recognize the following women who have been selected as the 42nd Outstanding Women Awards honorees in nine different categories:

ARTS & CULTURE:
Zenobia Bey meets young people where they are and uplifts them to their potential in Richmond, Tri-Cities and currently expanding to the Tidewater region. She has designed youth led engagement programs like Hip Hop Critical Thinking Workshops, Lyrics & Beats, Nutrition in HipHop and works with youth in Richmond Public Schools and various community-based spaces. She is a daughter, sister, aunt, loyal friend, accomplished poet, writer, hip hop artist, and mental health professional.

BUSINESS:
During her 26 years at Dominion Energy, Carter M. Reid has been an advocate for Dominion’s 17,000 employees, overseeing the establishment of employee resource groups, and goals and transparency for the company’s DE&I commitments. In her current role as president of the services company, she is responsible for the administrative services such as HR, IT, and supply chain for the company, in addition to serving as executive vice president & chief of staff to the CEO and corporate secretary to Dominion Energy’s board of directors. She serves or has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, Collegiate School, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and Richmond SPCA.

EDUCATION:
Kimberley L. Martin began the KLM Scholarship Foundation (KLMSF) to provide book scholarships for students attending Virginia colleges and universities. For over 18 years, the foundation has filled a financial void for college students who need aid to pay for supplies and meet college fee obligations due to existing financial challenges. To date, the KLMSF has supported students at thirty-four Virginia colleges and has awarded over $450,000 for textbooks and supplies. She is a mentor, and has been inspired by her grandmother and great grandmother’s passion for public education. She is also an IT professional at ChemTreat.

HEALTH & SCIENCE:
Zakia McKensey began volunteering as an outreach worker with the Fan Free Clinic, now Health Brigade, and is an advocate for LGBTQ people, especially trans women of color. She established Fan Free Clinic’s transgender clinic—the first such program funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia. She began working for the Richmond City Health Districts as a disease intervention specialist. She also competed in pageants, eventually winning “Miss Nations” title. That title led her to form The Nationz Foundation, focusing on the health care needs of LGBTQ people of color with a focus on Black trans women.

HUMAN RELATIONS & FAITH IN ACTION:
Jill A. McCormick began working in the Richmond region’s philanthropic community in 1996. As a senior program officer for the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, she staffed several key grantmaking and capacity building programs, including REB Awards for Teaching Excellence, Jenkins Foundation and Especially for Nonprofits, the precursor to Nonprofit Learning Point. Jill served as executive director of the Cabell Foundation and Brookfield Foundation, and she continues to lead the Jackson Foundation. Her personal commitment to the community is reflected in her own board service over the years with organizations, including FeedMore, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, YWCA Richmond, and J Sergeant Reynolds Community College Education Foundation.

LAW & GOVERNMENT:
Kimberly C. MacLeod, a corporate finance partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth, chairs the firm’s pro bono committee.  In that role, Kim oversees Hunton’s pro bono engagements and four fellows and sets firmwide pro bono policy. Under her leadership, Hunton has achieved 100% pro bono participation by full-time U.S. lawyers for the last 12 years.  Kim is also a primary driving force behind Hunton’s firmwide Women’s Mentoring Circles initiative and has served or currently serves on the board of a number of RVA and Virginia-focused non-profit organizations, including The Children’s Home Society, Connor’s Heroes, YWCA Richmond, Boaz & Ruth, Re:Work Richmond, The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, Mending Walls, The Positive Vibe Foundation, and Sports Backers.

MARKETING & MEDIA:
Rasheeda N. Creighton is founder and CEO of The 3Fifty Group, a business consulting and financial coaching company, and co-founder of The Jackson Ward Collective, a hub for current and aspiring Black business owners. Prior to her entrepreneurship journey, Rasheeda was the first executive director of Capital One’s 1717 Innovation Center. Rasheeda has served or is currently serving on a number of boards in the area, including FRIENDS Association for Children, Leadership Metro Richmond, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, Virginia Council on Economic Education, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, and The Jenkins Foundation.

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP:
Karen Legato is the executive director of Health Brigade, Virginia’s oldest free clinic. She has served in the nonprofit sector for 30 years focused on seeking and promoting human health and welfare, especially for persons disadvantaged and marginalized. Her roles have ranged from service in the faith community, to a nonprofit focused on supporting children and their families, to direct service as a medical social worker, to her current leadership role at Health Brigade. Throughout her career, Karen has been a part of developing creative and compassionate solutions not just for the safety-net health system, but also for important public health initiatives.

VOLUNTEERISM:
Pam Mines founded the JP JumPers Foundation – named after her son JP who has Autism – to positively impact the special needs community. Through the JP JumPers Foundation, she raises money and awareness for this oftentimes overlooked community.  She is the author of God Chose Me, a guide for children and families with different abilities. Pam led the legislation to establish “JP’s Law” (SB367) in Virginia and Washington D.C. This law allows individuals to voluntarily add an innocuous code to their Driver’s Licenses or Identification Card noting they have a cognitive disability. This allows law enforcement to be aware of the diagnosis; know that their interaction with this person may be different; and know they may need to reach out to their emergency contact.