Women of Inspiration: Honorees offer insights – and humor – to inaugural event

State Chamber recognizes 12 leaders from various sectors up and down the state

Inspiring: Absolutely.

Impressive: You bet.

Insightful: This is where it gets fun.

The 12 women making up the inaugural class of the N.J. Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Inspiration awards reception, all have the tremendous resumes that speak toward their success in the business and government sectors of the state.

They all have plenty of words of wisdom worth repeating.

And they all showed the light-hearted touches that helped make this more than just another awards event.

In short speeches after accepting their awards Thursday night, they each revealed a few insights that had the audience both cheering and chuckling.

Since we like to keep things light at ROI, we thought it would be fun to see if you could connect the dots.

First, the honorees – presented alphabetically:

  • Ruthi Byrne, founder, Zinn Graves & Field Inc.
  • Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-Chester)
  • Jeanette Hoffman, president, Marathon Public Affairs
  • Eileen Kean, state director, New Jersey, National Federation of Independent Business
  • Audrey Lane, president, Garden State Initiative
  • Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-Perth Amboy)
  • Christina Renna, CEO, Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey
  • Mary Kay Roberts, partner, Riker Danzig
  • Stacie Sherman, senior editor, Bloomberg News
  • Catherine Tung, Government Affairs advisor, McCarter & English
  • Carolyn Welsh, CEO, NJ Sharing Network
  • • Melanie Willoughby, executive director, New Jersey Business Action Center

Now, a random sampling of revelations. See if you can match the insight to the honoree (the connection will be revealed in each writeup):

  • One started a 25-year career by answering a post in the want ads (remember those) in the Asbury Park Press;
  • One was celebrating her 26th wedding anniversary;
  • One said she’s going to hear it from her kids – as she was the only honoree who brought them;
  • One has found the strength to be a voice for those who don’t have one;
  • One said she always is on the lookout for a ‘B.S.’ story;
  • One got her start by working for former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman – another in the Gov. Brendan Byrne administration;
  • One was getting her very first award;
  • One began her career as a high school history teacher at Shore Regional;
  • One is a self-described ‘Swifty’ (maybe);
  • One spent her early career in banking and corporate philanthropy;
  • One has been ‘paying it forward’ for nearly five decades;
  • One didn’t want to get in the way of anyone having cake.

A brief recap of the honoree speeches, presented in the order they were given:

Roberts: The Riker Danzig partner who leads their government affairs team, talked about the inspiration she got from her grandmother, a VP at a bank when women often were seen only as tellers, working into her 70s — another way she set an example for others. Roberts, eager to follow her lead, often to help anyone unsure of their next career move or life choice. “I love to talk to young people about where they want to go.” She brought her two children.

Kean: She’s now the co-founder of her own firm, Kean and Komjathy, and the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. She’s a lobbyist, the only job she’s ever wanted, she said, because it allows her to follow in the footsteps of her father. “I always had this burning desire to be a lobbyist,” she said. “Even when I was in third grade, people would say: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would say, ‘I want to be a lobbyist.’ She achieved her goal — but only after starting her professional life as a high school history teacher.

Willoughby: Now the executive director of the New Jersey Business Action Center, Willoughby traces her career success (which began in the administration of Gov. Brendan Byrne) to one key factor: Mentors. People who believed in her along the way, providing opportunities, even during times when women often were overlooked. That’s why, she said, she’s always on the lookout to help other women. “I see my life’s history as being about paying it forward.”

Lopez: Now the deputy speaker in the General Assembly, she said she was proud to serve with so many other women – and be honored with such an impressive group. Being among talented women in the workplace has not always been a given. “I am humbled and stand here not just as an individual, but as part of a long line of women that have worked tirelessly to break barriers and create change to the respective communities,” she said. “I still remember being the lone woman in the room.” She began her career in banking.

Dunn: The Assemblywoman has a long history of advocacy, serving on the women’s re-entry commission, volunteering on a domestic violence crisis response team and as a policy advisor on for the house Veterans Affairs Committee and as an advocate for public television (yes, she lobbied for more of Mr. Rogers). She said she got her inspiration from her grandmother — and her grandmother’s quirky sayings, including:

  • ‘There are no armored cars in heaven,’
  • ‘Dress for the job you want, not the one you have,’
  • ‘The pathway to hell is paved with good intentions.’

And, her personal favorite:

  • ‘This is a B.S. story’ — except she didn’t say B.S.

Welsh: The now CEO of the NJ Sharing Network, she chose to share her award not only with her team but the virtually anonymous people who give the gift of life in their final moments. ‘As a kid, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. “I just knew that I wanted to help people. So, I’m moved by the 215-plus employees that work at the Sharing Network every day to save people like you and your loved ones. We don’t know them, we don’t know their names, we don’t know anything about them — (but) we are inspired every day to wake up and do that work for someone else.’ All this came about after answering a want ad in the newspaper.

Hoffman: She’s a marathoner (yes, she’ll run NYC in a few weeks), but she never runs from issues. In fact, she’s made a career of bring people and politics together because, as she says, “There’s more that brings us together than tears apart.” That starts at home (her husband is on the other side of the aisle) and continues in the workplace (she thanked the state chamber for always working to bring everyone together to find common ground on the state’s economic interests). The state chamber, she said, has been part of her career since she worked for Gov. Christine Whitman — as a 12-year-old, she joked.

Renna: The leader of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, she thanked her team — and 11-member, all-female team — that helps the chamber put on hundreds of events while advocating for more than 1,200 members in a seven-county region. It’s a region she proudly calls home. “I was born in Atlantic City, raised in the city of Vineland and I currently live in Mount Laurel,” she said. “It is a true privilege every day to advocate on behalf of the business community in South Jersey that is unique and special and genuinely misunderstood, but also fantastic.” Perhaps almost as fantastic as a Taylor Swift show.

Lane: The president of Garden State Initiative, she aims to help steer the state to sound state policies in education, business, community, safety and budgeting. It’s a challenge. But, as she told the crowd, it is work that one of her three children has made her realize is something she is lucky to do. Jobs aren’t what we have to do, it’s what we get to do, he made her realize. “I get to work to make New Jersey a better place and a better place, not only for us, but for my son and my children’s generation.” And she gets to accept awards on her wedding anniversary.

Sherman: As the senior editor of the Americas news desk at Bloomberg News, helping it serve as one of the last great sources of journalism in the state, she is a giant in the journalism industry. Her best writing, however, may be found in her own personal blog – turned powerfully-told book — about being an ‘autism mama’ to two kids on the spectrum, one of which is non-verbal. Her daughter was her inspiration. “As I’ve gotten older, I realize how important it was to speak up, to take my place in conversations where I belonged as an experienced journalist, as a mentor to other women, and, most importantly, as an advocate for autism awareness. Each of us has a voice that needs to be heard. We matter, and our stories matter. I often say I’m Brielle’s voice. I speak for her, and I speak for others like her, who have so much to say, but they cannot speak for themselves.” Her voice is a powerful force for autism awareness.

Tung: As the rising star honoree, Tung joked that had to set the example of a millennial – her notes were on her phone. As a top government affairs advisor at McCarter and English, she already acts with the skill of a seasoned veteran. She thanked the team at McCarter and the Chamber. “We all work together to make the state a better place to live, work and play every single day,” she said. But mainly, she thanked the other honorees, wonderful mentors that have done so much for so many woman — it’s an effort she intends to follow as her career progresses. It’s a career that certainly will include more honors. This award, however, was her first.

Byrne: The founder of the PR marketing firm Zinn, Graves and Field, she is a master of the art of connecting people across businesses and nonprofit sectors at events all over New Jersey. She is sought after for her warmth, energy and unifying spirit. More than anything, she said, she knows how to read a room. Tuesday night, serving as the final honoree, she worked to move the program along. “I can only say that everything that needed to be said tonight has already been said,” she joked. “So, I will just say, the way you can inspire me, is to make sure to come up and say hello to me and introduce yourself at this event.”