PAST AWARD WINNERS

The inaugural awards, inspired by the book From Cinderella to CEO, at the JW Marriott Essex House in NYC, honored 200 women across industries and communities who were nominated for the awards. 

 

Ellen Voie was voted grand prize winner of the Cinderella CEO Awards by the New York audience. Ellen began her career as a truck dispatcher, eventually owning her own fleet of trucks.  She has worked to transform the trucking industry to be more inclusive of women as founder of womenintrucking.org, growing the organization from two people to more than 4,000 corporate and individual members. Cinderella CEO Grand Prize Award winner "never gives up," and has instituted a remarkable transformation of her own life, a business, community or industry, and will be voted on by the audience and the judges at the event. 

 

Prizes were provided by Carnival Cruise Line, 2020 Women on Boards, KPMG PGA golf clinics, The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, Broussard Global and the Cinderella to CEO "WAND" ambassadors. The inaugural awards, inspired by the book From Cinderella to CEO, at the JW Marriott Essex House in NYC, honored 200 women across industries and communities who were nominated for the awards.

 

Winners and Finalists included:

Ellen Voie 

"Climbing the Beanstalk." award

She cultivated an innovative improvement to the workplace to create inroads for women to achieve career goals and enhanced work-life balance opportunities for all genders. Finalists in the category included:

• Ashley Materise, WIIT Board Member, Toyota Motor North America

• Georgia Green, CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer), BE-U Revolution 

• Frida Polli, CEO, and Founder, Pymetrics 

• Alison Malmon, Founder and CEO of Active Minds won the Red Riding Hood category. The audience voted Malmon runner up to Cinderella to CEO of the Year. She displayed exceptional bravery in overcoming an extraordinary hurdle to reach a challenging goal. Finalists in the category included:

• Anne Kirkpatrick, Chief of Police, Oakland Police Department

• Katherine Klimitas, Graphic Artist, KAK Art NOLA

• LaTonia Smith, Brotherhood, HIV Counselor

 

Sheila Brooks, Ph.D.,

Founder of SRB Communications

Beauty and the Beast award

She demonstrated outstanding, inspirational leadership in a seemingly hopeless situation by creating opportunities, supporting and mentoring, and providing solutions for gender equity. Finalists in the category included:

• Dori Berinstein, Lead Producer, The Prom on Broadway 

• Brittny Drye, Founder, Editor Love, Inc. 

• Terri A. Haack, President, Terranea Resort 

 

Deborah Jackson and Andrea Turner Moffitt

Founders, Plum Alley Investments

Hansel & Gretel award

They used extraordinary foresight and vision to blaze a new path to navigate tenuous circumstances. Working as a team, they are creating remarkable change that no one thought possible. The leaders' solution required group think and collaboration. Finalists in the category included:

• Deborah Bial, Founder, The Posse Foundation 

• Georgene Huang and Romy Newman, Founders, FairyGodBoss 

• The Red Roof Marketing, Operations, Human Resources, and Hotel Team

 

Vivian Greentree, PHD, SVP,

Corporate Social Responsibility & Head of Corporate Citizenship, First Data Corporation (now Fiserv)

Sleeping Beauty award

She improved access to services that improved social and economic opportunities in an innovative way for a vulnerable population or group(s). She is inclusive, manages differences, and builds unity. Finalists in the category included:

• Michelle Guelbart, Director of Private Sector Engagement, ECPAT-USA 

• Dr. Terry Neese, CEO, Founder, Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women 

• Layla Sabourian–Tarwé, Founder & CEO, Chef Koochooloo 

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Cate Luzio

Founder and CEO of Luminary

Snow White award

She introduced a unique concept, innovative idea, or policy. She approached a problem by innovatively uniting hearts and minds, building rapport & camaraderie with others. Finalists in the category included:

• Allison Orr, Founder and Artistic Director, Forklift Danceworks

• Vicky Rey, Vice President, Guest Care & Communications, Carnival Cruise Line

• Shawna Suckow, CMP, Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) Founder 

 

Georgienne Bradley

Founder/Director, Sea Save (seasave.org)

Swim with the Swans award

She developed a product or system that fundamentally improved the environment, positively disrupting the status quo. She identified a problem, focused on her research, and achieved a beautiful and excellent solution for the environment. 

• Elaine "Ella" Delio, Director, Environmental and Regional Initiatives, Greater New Orleans Foundation 

• Christine Siller, Executive Director, Friends of Rye Nature Center 

• Thyme Sullivan, Founder and CEO, TOP, The Organic Project 

 

Nadine Vogel

CEO, Springboard Consulting, LLC,

Thumbelina award

She performed an outstanding, ethical act that brought positive results to another individual, community or organization, acting with purpose and initiative. 

• Peg Dougherty Marcus, Co-Founder, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association 

• Kelly Krenzel Founder, Hope Blooms 

• Michele Sarkisian, CEO, President P3 Advisors 

 

Bo Talley-Williams

Founder, Balling for Lupus Luvs Foundation

Rapunzel award

She utilized her voice to spark an innovative, positive result, advocating for others and building alliances

• Kathy L. Murphy, Founder, Organizer, Director The Pulpwood Queens Book Club

• Marylou Martinez-Mazzia, Founder, Community Cares for You 

• Nancy Witter, Comedian, Author & Life Coach, Hot Flash Laughs

 

Judges for the awards include: Madeline di Nonno, CEO, Geena Davis Institute in Media Studies; Lorraine Hariton, president & CEO, Catalyst, Inc; Mia Mends, CAO, Sodexo North America; Marilyn Nagel, CEO of Watermark, Sheila Robinson, founder & CEO of Diversity Woman magazine and Betty Spence, president, National Association Female Executives. 

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The Cinderella to CEO Awards sponsors and supporters include: Fiserv, Travel Leaders Group, 2020 Women on Boards, KPMG PGA Golf Clinics, Aimbridge Hospitality, Carnival Cruise Line, Red Roof, Marriott Hotels and JW Marriott Essex House, Toyota North America, Inspirus and Sodexo Benefits & Rewards Services - USA, American Hotel Lodging Association and Broussard Global Communications.