YMCA honors local women

By: centraljersey.com
The YWCA Princeton Tribute to Women Awards Dinner is the premier event of its kind in central New Jersey.
The Y recently recognized 10 area women who have made significant contributions in their professions and communities. The 28th annual awards dinner was held at the Hyatt Regency Princeton on March 3.
The award program was established by the YWCA Princeton in 1984 to honor women who have made significant contributions to their professions and community in executive, entrepreneurial, professional, educational, and elected roles.
Tribute to Women 2011 honorees were nominated by colleagues and peers in the workplace and in the community. They were judged on criteria that took into account academic achievement, professional responsibility, community service, leadership, and commitment to the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.
Among honorees are Mika Ryan and Irene Etkin Goldman, both of Titusville.
Ms. Ryan is president and CEO of the not-for-profit, Mercer County Sports and Entertainment Commission that attracts, creates and supports sports and entertainment events that will have a positive impact on the local economy and quality of life and is a television color analyst for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Her career as a women’s basketball coach spans from 1977 through 1993 and includes teams at The College of New Jersey, Rider University, and the University of Virginia. She was instrumental in bringing the women’s NCAA "Sweet SixteenTM" tournament to Mercer County in 2006, marking the first time in history a NCAA women’s post-season basketball tournament was held at a neutral site. Ms. Ryan is girl’s varsity basketball coach at Princeton Day School, a high school lacrosse umpire, and a registered pet therapy volunteer. She serves as a member of Rider University’s board of trustees and received the 2007 Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction Award.
Ms. Goldman got the YWCA Princeton Fannie E. Floyd Racial Justice Award. She has had a distinguished career as an advocate for peace and human rights. She serves as board chair and NGO representative to the UN for the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) where she has dedicated her time for two decades working in support of global abolition of nuclear weapons, a peace economy, and a halt to weapons trafficking at home and abroad. She has led countless initiatives to bring individuals together on issues of peace, disarmament, and empowerment. Post Sept. 11, in conjunction with the YWCA, she led Unity Day parades and culture events, spurred conversations with the Muslim community, and helped in the creation of the Central Jersey Interfaith Gathering. She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University.
For more information, call 497-2100 or visit www.ywcaprinceton.org.