INTRO

Meet the 2022 WILMA’s Women to Watch Award finalists

They represent leaders in their fields and community. Read more about the thirty-five women on the following pages to learn more about why the judges selected them out of nearly 300 nominations and applications that came in this year.

In this issue, we introduce this year’s finalists in arts, business, education, health, nonprofit/volunteer, public sector, and rising star. The rising star category is the only one with an age description and is open to those under thirty.

The women will be honored at this year’s awards event October 21 where the winners will be announced. For party details, go to W2WAward.com.

Congratulations to this year’s group.

For more about the finalists and their accomplishments, go to our website at WILMAmag. com.

The Judging Process

Each year, WILMA opens up the nominations process for the Women to Watch Awards during the summer.

Our judging panel – made up of leaders who sit on the Women to Watch Leadership Initiative’s advisory board as well as outside guests – met to pick the finalists and winners in each of the seven categories.

WILMA would like to thank the judges for volunteering their time and expertise on the awards.

The Judges

Wanda Coley Amy Grant Kristy Hubard Alexis Hunter Kendall Hurt Lily Loizeaux Tammy Proctor Ruth Ravitz Smith Justine Reel Deloris Rhodes Kelly Schaudt Sheri Shaw Debbie Warwick Karen Weaver

About the Cover

2022 Arts category finalist, comic artist, and editor-in-chief/art director of a local comic book series Tales of Cape Fear ANGELA FERNOT illustrated this month’s cover. Playing on the annual Awards issue’s silhouette, Fernot wanted to bring a different inspiration to this year’s artwork. “It was important to me that I created something that felt representative of Wilmington and also honored the art I love to create most, while also not feeling too ‘out there’ for the average reader,” she says. “It was a delicate balance for me.”

The Setting

For this year’s Awards photoshoot, we took over the many different sides of the Cargo District for the day’s category group photos. Thanks to the neighborhood’s businesses for hosting: Shop Local shipping container, End of Days Distillery, The Fuzzy Needle, The Plant Outpost, Coworx, Alcove Beer Garden, and The Starling. Info: cargodistrict.com The Bracelet

This year’s awards bracelet is from HALF UNITED (read more about founder and former Women to Watch Award-winner CARMIN BLACK on page 39).

group photos by DARIA AMATO & MADELINE GRAY | headshot photos by LIGHTBLOOM PHOTOGRAPHY