UPDATED SEPT. 22, 2024
WILTON – If there was any overarching message that people could take away from Thursday night’s Women Innovators in our Region event, it is women business leaders are driven to move forward in these volatile times.
Catherine Cioffi, communications director for Westchester County, set the tone at Westfair Business Journal’s awards presentation at Rolling Hills Country Club Thursday night with more than 100 in attendance. She is one of 22 businesswomen who were honored for their achievements in Westchester and Fairfield counties.
The MC for the night was Stacey Ross Cohen, CEO of White Plains, N.Y.-based Co-Communications and author of “The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success.” The sponsors were Bank of America, Audi Fairfield, Cuddy+Feder LLP, Northwell Health, M&T Bank and Westchester County.
“My motto has always been sempre avanti – which mean ‘always forward’ in Italian,” Cioffi said. “Does that mean that I always have to sacrifice moments of rest? Yes. But as women, there is so much more to do. And we are not done yet.
“I am especially honored to receive this award during these turbulent times. It’s a powerful reminder that women have a choice. We all have a choice in this room.”
In an apparent allusion to the 2024 presidential election, Cioffi cited one place women can make a difference – at the ballot box in November.
“I stand here today in that we are moving forward,” she said. “And we must move forward in November. Ladies, as they say, grab your shoes because there is going to be glass all over the floor as that glass ceiling shatters.”
For fellow honoree Stephanie Joyce, she credits “faith, perseverance and perception” as factors that drive her to succeed and prepare to face the simultaneous challenges of work and motherhood.
“This award couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It’s deeply meaningful for me as I have some personal challenges this year,” said Stephanie Joyce, CEO of Attune Wellness Med Spa in Stamford. “As many women know the journey to motherhood can be emotionally taxing. I have navigated multiple rounds of IUI and ultimately landed with IVF. Before this, I faced some family issues.”
Before undergoing the stress of trying to start a family with her husband, she took over as CEO of a firm with some great challenges at her previous company.
“Ultimately, I landed in a CEO job literally overnight and was faced with every challenge a CEO could imagine – losing capital sources to facing mass turnover threats,” Joyce said. “Despite all of that, I felt like that each experience really did shape what I am today.”
But more recently, this “whole motherhood thing” has taught her something in that “you don’t control everything.”
“I am overjoyed to share that I am three months pregnant,” she announced at the awards ceremony. “I am so excited to show my future daughter all the things a woman can do and for her to see other women do great things and make this world a better place.”
For Renee Dobos, CEO of Trumbull-based Connecticut Housing Partners, being named a Women Innovators honoree is a way for her to promote an important social message to Connecticut residents and businesses.
“The crisis we have in CT is really extreme,” Dobos said. “What gets me going in the morning isn’t accolades or awards. It’s the people that I’m helping. I’m helping people who live in basements with mold with unscrupulous landlords. I’m seeing women living in cars in parking lots. So, these are the winners for me. They are so strong. They keep holding on to hope. That gives me hope we can solve this problem.”
The rest of the winners named to be the 2024 Women Innovators in our Region include:
- Katherine Bigby, Co-founder, HudCo
- Darcel Dillard-Suite, President, Full Circle Health
- Robyn Drucker, Principal, Cohen and Wolf PC
- Jennifer Galluzzo, Vice President, Digital, Harry
- Andi Gray, President, Strategy Leaders
- Susan Henner, Immigration Attorney, Henner Law Group PC
- Elizabeth Jones, Senior Vice President, COO, Orange Bank & Trust
- Andrea Kawakami, Residential Mortgage Sales Manager, M&T Bank
- Zina King, Founder and President, The Next Mile LLC
- Anna Komorowski, Regional Director, Northwell Health Center Institute
- Kara Mac, Creator, CEO, KARA MAC SHOES
- Jeannette R. Mahoney, Founder, President, JET Worldwide Enterprises
- Sarah Jones-Maturo, President, RM Friedland
- Alison O’Dwyer, Partner, Fullerton Beck
- Tina Sadarangani, Founder, CareMobi
- Lauren Shugrue, CPA, Founding Partner, The Innovative CPA Group
- Gretchen Thomas, Chief Creative Officer, Barcelona Wine Bar,
- Katherine Yamulla, Assistant Dean of Clinical Skills Education and Assessment, NY Medical College
- Neviana Zhgaba, Co-founder, Aquila’s Nest Vineyards
Jessica Walsh, senior vice president and senior relationship manager at Bank of America, a sponsor of the event, had a piece of inspirational advice.
“I encourage you to keep your passion alive, to continue to innovate and to use her two hands as they were made, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others,” Walsh said. “And don’t forget to ask what would you like the power to do.”
