4 | Women in Leadership Awards | September 2021
Announcing the launch of the Women in Leadership Awards in Texas City-La Marque
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n the midst of the pandemic and the workforce crisis, when all businesses have been looking for more ways to recruit and retain employees, the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce launched this new program that gives businesses a way to reward valued female workers. To recognize women who are vital to the success of local organizations, the chamber launched the Women in Leadership Awards (WILA). “The goal for this program is to allow local businesses to honor key women in their organizations and inspire others to strive for excellence in their professional and personal lives,” said Georgia Meyer Barzilay, board of directors chairwoman and owner of Karat Creations Jewelry and Urban Works. A steering committee from the chamber’s Women In Business networking group led the development of the WILA program. During planning meetings, the group was determined that honorees would be recognized for integrity, passion, humility, empathy, for fostering collaborations, being a servant leader, uplifting others and adding value to their organizations. The group noticed that the acronym WILA sounds a lot like “willow,” and during conversations about what types of leaders to recognize, the metaphor developed with the tree and branches symbolizing a solid foundation, roots, reach and impact. That led to the steering committee choosing a woman in tree pose for the WILA logo. They also decided that the award itself would include the tree pose icon. Further, it was decided that nominations would be based on these “branches” of leadership traits: integrity, passion, humility, empathy, fostering collaborations, servant leadership, uplifting and adding value to others. Recognizing the wide variety of business sectors and sizes in the
community, six categories were chosen for this awards program: Large Business, Small Business, Woman-Owned Business, Education, NonProfit/Volunteer and Young Professionals. “In the program’s first year, we received 48 nominations for women leaders in this community,” said Mandie McMillan Crowder, W.I.L.A. Planning Committee chair and RE/MAX Coastal agent. “Their wonderful nominations have been very inspiring.” The finalists were chosen by the chamber’s Women in Business networking group. “The awards have been judged by a panel consisting of founding members of the Chamber’s Women in Business networking group and representatives from La Marque City Council and Texas City Commissioners,” said Chamber President Page Michel. Inside this special section of The Galveston County Daily News, the leadership stories of all 18 award finalists are shared. We hope you will enjoy reading about their mentors and leadership advice and draw inspiration for your own organization and leadership path. One winner in each category ultimately will be announced at the Women in Leadership Awards Luncheon” hosted by the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City. The women are being featured in social media (on facebook.com/ tclmchamber and instagram.com/tclmchamber) and other chamber publications. Video tributes will be showcased live at the awards luncheon, produced by Clear Life Media. “We’re also proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated in the name of each award winner to a charitable organization of their choice,” said Women in Business Committee Chair Caytlyn Stanley of Hospitality Health ER.
Tickets to the awards luncheon can be purchased online at www.tclmchamber.com or by contacting the Texas City-La Marque Chamber at 409-935-1408.
