Meet YWCA’s Women of Distinction
Special awards went to eight ‘trail-blazing’ women among 65 nominees at gala event Thursday
The annual Women of Distinction Awards returned to an in-person celebration of Hamilton trail-blazers for the first time since the pandemic began with the largest gala in the event’s 47-year history Thursday.
More than 1,100 guests were expected to gather to honour 65 women and girls nominated for their efforts to lead, empower others and make Hamilton a more equitable place.
Lifelong volunteers, scientists, artists and construction leaders were among the many women leaders nominated and feted at the gala held at the Hamilton Convention Centre by Carmen’s March 2.
Tamika Tulloch, a graduate of the YWCA Hamilton’s construction craft work pre-apprenticeship program, was named Honorary Woman of Distinction for 2023.
The award is presented annually to a YWCA program participant who has distinguished herself through exceptional dedication and passion.
The YWCA described Tulloch as a “strong single mother” to two-yearold Quevo and a “role model and powerhouse woman ready to make her mark in the construction industry.”
The Young Trailblazer award went to Shayna Earle, a fourth-year student in McMaster University’s integrated biomedical engineering and health sciences program who is an accomplished researcher and co-president of the McMaster Women in Engineering society.
The Lifetime Achievement honour was awarded to Janice Shearer, a philanthropist, proud grandma and tireless volunteer with various charities who currently chairs the board for Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice. She also offers her grant writing and communications expertise to local non-profits.
Five additional nominees scooped up awards at this year’s event, including:
■ Shaila Jamal, a McMaster University researcher and mentor who loves to teach data science to the Hamilton community. She is a passionate advocate for the South Asian community, including for menstrual justice for women in her country of origin, Bangladesh;
■ Victoria Mancinelli, who advocates for women and racialized workers in a male-dominated construction industry as a director with the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA). She also helps mentor and empower women who have experienced violence, abuse and trafficking;
■ Dr. Sonia Anand, a McMaster University professor, clinician and mentor for women in medicine who has earned a global reputation for research into women’s cardiovascular health. She champions equity within academia, health care, and the broader Hamilton community;
■ Marybeth Leis Druery, who grew up in a strict religious community and was told her only role was as a wife and mother. Instead, she independently financed her own education, went on to teach high school math and science and co-founded the charity Student Open Circles, which has provided mentoring to underserved communities for 20 years;
■ Dr. Natasha Johnson, a pediatrician, leader in anti-racism and champion for adolescent sexual health — specifically for marginalized youth and equity-seeking populations. She is also the medical co-director of the eating disorder program at McMaster Children’s Hospital.