A YWCA ‘Tribute to Women’

Four are honored at 24th annual event

   Claire Robinson Jacobus and Anne Reeves, both of Princeton, and Shauna McWoods and Michele Minter, both of Plainsboro, were feted during the 24th annual YWCA Princeton "Tribute to Women" awards dinner on March 15 in the Hyatt Regency Princeton.
   The event honored 14 outstanding women from businesses, community organizations and educational institutions in the greater Princeton area.
   Now serving as president of the Friends of the Princeton Public Library Council, Ms. Jacobus set a goal when she assumed the position that every Princeton child would have a library card. She believes that access to information and social interaction in a community setting is essential to addressing the sweeping ignorance of issues of race in a community.
   Ms. Jacobus is the 2003 recipient of the Leslie "Bud" Vivian Community Service Award and a 2004 recipient of Mercer County’s Women of Achievement Awards. She has been a freelance writer for several publications and served on many local nonprofit boards and commissions.
   Ms. Reeves is the founding director of the Arts Council of Princeton. She has infused that vital community organization with her infectiously creative style for more than 20 years. During her tenure, she brought well-known figures such as Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee; Rachel Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s widow, and Marion Wright Edelman to Princeton, and organized a spirited collection of annual community events — Communiversity, Dining by Design, Christmas Eve caroling on the Nassau Inn’s green, Valentine workshops, several Latin American celebrations, and outdoor concerts.
   As senior manager of Strategic Sourcing for Novo Nordisk, Ms. McWoods uses her more than 20 years’ experience to make critical decisions for operational improvement and significant savings. She is dedicated to the company’s fight to find a cure for diabetes; in her free time, she participates in walks for the cure. She also volunteers with the Plainsboro Historical Society and tutors grade school and high school students in math.
   Ms. Minter, as director of development for Princeton University, oversees a staff of 90 and fundraising offices that raise $300 million annually. In addition to playing this key role, she has dedicated the last several years of her professional and volunteer life to strengthening the voices of the underrepresented. She spearheaded the "Women in Leadership Initiative" at Princeton University and has served as a leader for the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Fund for Women & Girls. She also serves as a volunteer board member for the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund.
   The Tribute program was established nationally by the YWCA to honor women who have made significant contributions to their professions and community in executive, entrepreneurial, professional, educational and elected roles.
   Honorary chair of this year’s awards, and a past Tribute honoree herself, was Lawrenceville resident Eleanor Horne, vice president of the ETS Social Investment Fund.
   Other 2007 honorees were:
   • Mary Gay Abbott-Young, Chief Executive Officer, Rescue Mission of Trenton;
   • Karen Baylor, cardiopulmonary technician, Princeton HealthCare System
   • Elizabeth A. Duffy, head master, The Lawrenceville School;
   • Elizabeth Escalante, LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Specialist, Capital Health System;
   • Christine Jacobs, senior vice president of Plant Operations, NRG Energy, Inc.;
   • Ida M. Lawrence, senior vice president of Research and Development, Educational Testing Service;
   • Lynne Ransom, director of Program Development, Center for Music and Young Children;
   • Gail Ruderman, executive director, Bring the Outside World Inside;
   • Becky Taylor, senior director of Corporate Communications, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and
   • The Honorable Shirley Turner, New Jersey State Senator (District 15, Trenton).
   Co-chairs of the Tribute program were Doreen T. Miri, principal of Jaguar Group, LLC, Princeton, and Karen A. Jezierny, director of Public Affairs for Princeton University.