Meet Our 2023 Honorees

As a top executive at fintech giant FIS, Kelly not only serves as the Fortune 500 company’s site leader in Cincinnati, but is also responsible for driving strategy, accountability, and cost efficiencies for its more than 65,000 employees around the globe. Kelly humbly leverages her position to advocate for women in finance and technology within the company and in the community. She is board president of the internationally recognized program PayTech Women. Internally she is a fierce supporter of women as co-founder and executive sponsor of Empower, the FIS Women’s Inclusion Network.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

An ardent advocate for anti-poverty measures at local, state and federal levels, Catrena has worked with Community Action for 22 years. In her current role she develops strategic priorities for the agency’s 20 programs located in 25 counties covering Northern and Central Kentucky. A $26 million budget serves at least 30,000 families annually. Her deep commitment has led to speaking engagements where she discusses racial justice, equality, diversity and inclusion. Catrena “walks the talk” by personally investing in a Covington boutique that caters to women representing all socio economic groups. She is the first Black woman to open a downtown Covington clothing store.

Catrena is also the first Black woman to be appointed to the following:

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

Liz oversees an annual budget of $10.5 million and an endowment that exceeds $60 million. She uses her compassionate spirit and vast experience in the non-profit world as the first female to head St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati to leverage resources at The E.W. Scripps Company. At the height of the pandemic she masterminded a Covid relief effort which allocated $1.6 million to two initiatives, The Scripps Covid-19 Employee Relief Fund provided up to $2,000 to Scripps employees with urgent needs. The other program offered local food pantry support up to $12,000 in 61 geographic markets where Scripps operates television stations, newspapers and other national brands, with thousands more raised by empathetic television viewers.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

Since 2015 Julie oversees 1,700 nurses and hundreds of support staff covering 15 counties. Through her dynamic leadership and ingenuity, Christ has achieved nursing magnet status a staggering three consecutive times—a feat only 9% of all U.S. hospitals have been able to attain. Julie is one of the most knowledgeable nursing administrators in the Tri-State. Her 30-plus year nursing career also included executive roles at Mercy Health/Catholic Health Partners, Mercy Anderson, West Chester Medical Center, The Drake Center, Jewish Hospital and University Hospital. She is an ardent advocate for ensuring that women have a seat at the decision table.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

Danya wears many hats to assist the underrepresented. She is President and Co-Founder of Brilliant Advice, a boutique wealth management firm overseeing $100 million in client assets. It caters to those who don’t always check the usual boxes—young professionals, retirees, the LGBTQ+ community, non-profit endowments, and diverse social, religious and ethnic entities. Only 20% of those in her professional field are women, a statistic she fervently wants to change. As a Muslim, Danya facilitates healing conversations and inclusivity, especially after 9/11 occurred. On many occasions she has been the first Muslim to serve on various boards and community organizations.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

Alecia heads an organization that funds more than 150 projects and cultural organizations in the Tri-State. Due to her astute leadership Cincinnati was named a Top 20 “most arts vibrant region” in the country in 2020 and then again in 2022. Funding from ArtsWave made 162,094 arts education experiences possible during the last academic school year. Her vision also entailed developing programs promoting justice and eliminating racism and bigotry. Alecia boldly called upon the region’s 30 largest arts organizations to develop and track their own board-approved DEIA plans, providing assistance as needed for board training. She also designated funding for inspirational arts projects that help youth deal with the effects of gun violence and food insecurity.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

A 36-year veteran of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Charmaine McGuffey is the first female Hamilton County Sheriff, and just the third female sheriff to serve in Ohio. She is also the state’s first LGBTQ+ sheriff. Sheriff McGuffey presides over a staff of 900 with the third largest jail in Ohio. Upon election Sheriff McGuffey wasted no time in creating a division of community affairs. The division has a call center that received 70,000 calls for help in its first eighteen months of operation. She established a community advisory board with a diverse cross-section of community members to enhance transparency and communication. Sheriff McGuffey also ensured diversity within top leadership and ensured that signage and business cards boast the Sheriff’s Office mission: protecting and serving Hamilton County with accountability, transparency, dignity and respect.

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards

The author of over 50 articles and other publications, Dr. Unaka is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Hospital Medicine. She has trained and mentored many of Cincinnati’s pediatricians as associate program director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program from 2011–2021. Dr. Unaka has a special heart for serving marginalized populations. She is Co-Lead for the Health Equity Network (HEN) which supports 10 clinical teams seeking to eliminate disparities in child health outcomes by race, and or socioeconomic status. Concurrently she is medical director of a 48-bed pediatric unit with 100 staff members. Nationally, Dr. Unaka is a mentor to Black women through the Academic Pediatric Association’s New Century Scholars Program and the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Advancing Inclusiveness in Medical Education (AIMS).

Achievements, Affiliations, Awards