Leading Women of Distinction Awards

GSSNE's Leading Women of Distinction Awards is a special breakfast fundraising event that celebrates local outstanding women.

First launched in 2015, this event brings together community leaders and professionals to honor the achievements of these inspiring women. Each year, Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England celebrates and honors leading women who:

Lead by example, exemplify the Girl Scout mission, and make the world a better place
Demonstrate qualities of leadership and excellence in their personal and professional life
Are exemplary role models for the current and next generation

Through the years, GSSNE has honored 71 Leading Women, representing many industries, organizations, and skill sets.

We are excited to announce our 2026 Leading Women of Distinction Honorees:

Tatiana Baena, Executive Director, Providence After School Alliance
Trudy Coxe, Executive Director, Preservation Society of Newport County
Paola Fernandez, SVP - Community Development Officer, Centreville Bank
Honorable Erika Kruse Weller, Magistrate, State of Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal
Dora Vasquez-Hellner, Veterans Service Representative, Veterans Benefits Administration
Arlene Violet, Columnist, GoLocalProv and Former Rhode Island Attorney General
Amy Vitale, President, The Beacon Mutual Insurance Company
Lauren Waterson, Director of Philanthropy, Waterson Terminal Services

Thursday, October 29, 2026
8:30 AM check-in and breakfast
9:00 AM program begins
Squantum Association
947 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Riverside, RI

Tickets are sold out for the 2026 event!

If you are unable to attend the event but would still like to support our mission, please consider making a donation.

Proceeds from the Leading Women of Distinction Awards directly support Girl Scout programming in underserved communities, helping ensure that every girl who wishes to participate has access to life-changing opportunities. Funds provide financial assistance for membership, uniforms, camp experiences, leadership programs, and more.

Thank you to our generous 2026 event sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Supporter Sponsors

Blue Cross Blue Shield of RI
DiPrete Engineering
KPMG
Sol Power

Sponsorship Opportunities

Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England (GSSNE) is able to celebrate our Leading Women of Distinction Honorees thanks to the support of businesses and corporations who are advocates of balanced leadership— those who recognize that gender equality supports business success and growth. These businesses know that supporting Girl Scouts feeds our community’s leadership pipeline. Check out the link below to learn the benefits your business receives by sponsoring our event. You can also submit your sponsorship payment online through our donation form!

If you have any questions about sponsoring this or any other event, please contact Lisa Ducharme at lducharme@gssne.org.

Past Honorees

Through the years, GSSNE has honored 71 Leading Women, representing many industries, organizations, and skill sets. We’ve shined a light on those that lead the way in their community by going above and beyond to help others. From teachers to executives, small business owners to CEOs, community pillars to emerging talent, Leading Women of Distinction provides a stage to recognize the hard work it takes to exemplify bravery, empathy, and drive. Learn more about our past honorees below!

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The 2025 honorees:

Katherine Hypolite-MacMannis, Communications & Event Manager, Providence College
Laura Jaworski, Executive Director, House of Hope CDC
Katherine Kazarian, House Majority Whip, Rhode Island House of Representatives
Corinne (Cori) Kilzi, Associate Executive Director, Newport County YMCA
Cortney Nicolato, President/CEO, United Way of Rhode Island
Ellen Pinnock, Director of Community Engagement & Equity, FabNewport
Rebecca Twitchell, Founder/President, half full, llc
Kilah Walters-Clinton, Director of Equity & Community Engagement, RI Executive Office of Health & Human Services

Proceeds from the 2025 event support Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England programming in communities most underserved by the Movement.

Thank you to our generous 2025 event sponsors

Premier Presenting Sponsor

Premier Gold Sponsors

Silver Level Sponsors

Bronze Level Sponsors

Supporter Level Sponsors

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI
Centreville Bank
DiPrete Engineering
DiSanto Priest Charitable Foundation
KPMG
Malin Family Fund

Gifts in Kind

Pearl necklace donated by Imperial Pearl
Headshots of our Leading Women were taken and donated by Alan Hubbard from Photo By Friday
Honoree gifts by Gail Ahlers of Ahlers Designs

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Thank you for supporting the 2024 Leading Women of Distinction

Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2024 Leading Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony, and to those who supported the event but were unable to attend!

We thank our honorees for the outstanding commitment and contributions they have made:

Rose Albert, Executive Director, Rhode Island for Community and Justice
Chrystal Mars Baker, Education Manager, Tomaquag Museum
Tina Guenette, Founder and President, RAMP- Real Access Motivates Progress
Elena Kissel, Environmental Lawyer
Sarnya KP, Project Director, Family Service of Rhode Island
Creusa Michelazzo, Head of Brand and Marketing Strategy, The Rise Group
Mev Miller, Instigator/Lesbrarian, Wanderground Lesbian Archive/Library, Inc.
Simona Simpson-Thomas, Superintendent, Highlander Charter School, and CEO/Founder, Freedom Dreams LLC

Each of them has identified issues in their community that are important to them, and are using their voices and extraordinary skills to make a difference.

During the 2024 nomination period, over 40 deserving leaders in our community were nominated for this award. We shine this Leading Women of Distinction spotlight because as a youth-serving organization, we focus on formative years and we need to hold up examples of what is to come. We want our Girl Scouts of today to see women who show up as full human beings with experiences across sectors and geographies, diverse backgrounds and upbringings … and who have excelled. Thank you for your work.

We would also like to thank David Cicilline, our outstanding emcee; our generous event sponsors; the local elected officials who were able to join us; and our Leading Women of Distinction Awards Committee, led by Peg Ruggieri. At the event, we honored Peg for her 10 years of commitment to this event— view the video of Peg’s mother, Terry Pitt, to see what a lasting impact Girl Scouting had on her life. We are forever grateful for Peg’s commitment to continuing her mother’s legacy through her support of GSSNE.

Event photos can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn—take a moment to relive our wonderful morning spent together!

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Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Awards!

Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony, and to those who supported the event but were unable to attend!

We thank our honorees, Anita Bruno, Lisa Guillette, Dr. Deb Myers Meilun, Ayana Melvan, Dimetra Nettles, Monsurat Ottun, Lisa Ranglin, and Amy Walsh for the outstanding commitment and contributions they have made. Each of them has identified issues in their community that are important to them, and are using their voices and extraordinary skills to make a difference. We want our Girl Scouts of today to see women who show up as full human beings, who have experiences across sectors and geographies, diverse backgrounds, and upbringings … and who have excelled.

We would also like to thank Alisha Pina, our outstanding emcee; our other 32 award nominees; our generous event sponsors; the local elected officials who were able to join us; and our Leading Women of Distinction Awards Committee, led by Peg Ruggieri.

2023 Leading Women of Distinction Honorees:

Anita Bruno, CEO/Founder, Women in the Trades
Lisa Guillette, Executive Director, Foster Forward
Dr. Deb Myers Meilun, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital
Ayana Melvan, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for Mission Programs, Mystic Aquarium
Dimetra Nettles, Chief Clinical Laboratory Scientist, State of Rhode Island
Monsurat Ottun, Cybersecurity Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Lisa Ranglin, President/CEO, Rhode Island Black Business Association
Amy Walsh, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase

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Kristin Anastasiades, Vice President of Marketing, JF Moran
Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director, RI Kids Count
Sarah Courtemanche, Chief Officer of Teaching & Learning, Pawtucket Schools
Adriana Dawson, Community Engagement Director- State Government Affairs, Verizon
Alisha Pina, Owner/Founder, Inner Wingspan
Maria Rivera, Mayor, City of Central Falls

Girl Scout Speaker: Marykate Tillinghast, Gold Award Girl Scout

Through everyone's support, we were able to raise approximately $31,000 through this event!

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Sara DeCosta-Hayes, Owner of RI Sting Girls Hockey, Olympic Gold & Silver Medalist
Marie Ghazal, CEO of Rhode Island Free Clinic
Pamela Harrop, MD, President, Medical Associates of Rhode Island
Hilary Levey Friedman, PhD, Professor at Brown University & Former President of RI NOW
Eva-Marie Mancuso, Managing Partner of Hamel Waxler, Allen and Collins Law Offices, Founder Clothes for Kids
Jennifer Pereira, Vice President of Grant Programs at Rhode Island Foundation

Girl Scout Speaker: Olivia Tracy, Gold Award Girl Scout

View event photos

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Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health
Kimberly Anderson, Creator, Co-Founder, PLANT CITY
Kate Brewster, Executive Director, Jonnycake Center for Hope
Angela McCalla, Newport City Council, First Ward
Sandra Pearl, President, Science & Engineering Education Development, Inc.
Carole Ann Penney, Founder, Penney Leadership, LLC
Rachel Prendergast, Owner/Operator, RaNew Salon and The Barbershop by RaNew Salon
Shannon Sullivan, President & COO of Women & Infants Hospital, Care New England

Girl Scout Speaker: Holly Viphakone, 2020 Gold Award Girl Scout

The ceremony recording is available at https://youtu.be/rNuYPVQRgMM.

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Cindy Scibetta Butts, Founder, Grow with Strengths
MaryKay Koreivo, Senior VP & Senior Relationship Manager, Bank of America
Kathleen Malin, VP of Technology & Operations Management, Rhode Island Foundation
Sylvia Maxfield, Dean & Professor Providence College School of Business

Girl Scout Speaker: Julie Lewis-Borgia, Gold Award Girl Scout

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Mai Donohue, Author/Educator
Daniela Abbott, Principal Engineer - Abbott Naval Architects
Alexandra Curtis, RI National Guard, Former Miss Rhode Island
Deborah Ricci, Director of Business Operations, Carousel Industries
Rep. Teresa Tanzi, Representative, Rhode Island State House

Girl Scout Speaker: Nicole Famiglietti, 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout

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Suzanne Fogarty, Head of School, Lincoln School
Joan Johnson-Freese, PhD., Professor, NSA, Naval War College
Susan Keller, Founder/CEO, Entrepreneurial Executives, LLC
Kati Machtley, Co-Founder & Director of the Women's Summit, Bryant University
Cheryl A. Merchant, President & CEO, Hope Global

Guest Speaker: Neil D. Steinberg, President & CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation

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Gail Alofsin, Director of Corporate Partnership & Community Relations at Newport Harbor Corporation
Sierra Barter, CEO and Co-Founder of the Lady Project
Alison Bologna, WJAR NBC 10 anchor
Julie Sygiel, founder of Dear Kate, co-founder of The Lady Project, member of the Girl Scouts of the USA National Board of Directors
Kathy O’Donnell, Senior Vice President, Head of Public Affairs for Citizens Bank
Nellie M. Gorbea, RI Secretary of State
Meg DeCubellis, fashion and apparel professor at RISD and URI, co-founder of the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation
Nancy Armstrong, lifelong Girl Scout and volunteer, former member of the GSSNE Board of Directors

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Those honored at the first annual event in 2015 included:

Laurie White
Judy Sansone
Daynia La-Force
Betty Cugini
The Honorable Gina M. Raimondo

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