Women of the Year to Be Honored

JACKSON – Women who were pioneers in politics, the classroom and the boardroom will be among those honored Thursday at the Commission on the Status of Women’s annual luncheon. Former Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck will receive the Ambassador award, and Mississippi State basketball player Victoria Vivians will be named Young Woman of the Year.

The luncheon, with the theme “Empowering Women,” celebrates the accomplishments of Mississippi’s female leaders from across the state. The event will be at 11:30 a.m. at The South, 627 Silas Brown St. in Jackson.

Nominees for “Woman of the Year” in several categories are:

Arts and Entertainment: Jackson artist Christina Cannon Boteler; Jo Ann Gordon, executive director of the Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Jackson Blues singer Dorothy Moore.

Business: Toni Cooley, president of Systems Companies of Madison; Mary Jennifer Russell, founder and owner of Sugaree’s Bakery in New Albany; and Pat Thomasson, Chairwoman and CEO of Thomasson Co. of Philadelphia.

Community Service: Former Mississippi First Lady Elise Winter, Oleta Fitzgerald, director of the Children’s Defense Fund; and Carol Penick, executive director of the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi.

Education: Dr. Alice Clark, vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs at the University of Mississippi; Jackson State University President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers; and State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright.

Legal and Judicial: Biloxi Attorney Clare Sekul Hornsby; Supreme Court Justice Ann Lamar; and Mississippi College School of Law Dean Wendy Scott.

Political and Government: Jackson Rep. Alyce Clarke; Assistant Attorney General Patti Marshall; and Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran.

Medical and Health: Dr. Freda Bush, partner in East Lakeland OB-GYN Associates and instructor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center; Dr. Mary Currier, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health; and Dr. Lessa Phillips, Chief Medical Officer for the United Healthcare Community Plan.

Military and law enforcement: Mississippi National Guard Sergeant Major Alecia Gates; Retired Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Staehle Lee, Director of the State Office of Indigent Appeals; and Oxford Police Captain Libby Lytle.