Women of Distinction
to be honored at dinner
Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts, Howell, has selected four women as this year’s recipients of the Women of Distinction Award, which spotlights local women who serve as outstanding role models for today’s Girl Scouts and the community at large.
This year’s Women of Distinction are Cynthia Joy, president/CEO of the YMCA of Western Monmouth County; Ann McNamara, mayor of Tinton Falls; Dr. Linda Milstein, vice president of outreach, Brookdale Community College; and Ann White, president, Family and Children’s Service.
The honorees will be recognized by Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts at the 17th annual Women of Distinction Dinner to be held on March 11 at the Deal Golf and Country Club.
"This year’s Women of Distinction come from an array of backgrounds and yet have impacted our community in very similar ways.
Each woman is a motivated, driven individual who is committed to making a difference in her world, one neighborhood at a time.
These Women of Distinction provide shining examples to today’s Girl Scouts that, in terms of setting goals and achieving results, the sky is the limit," said Susan H. McClure, chief executive officer of Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts.
According to a press release, Joy has been the president of the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, Freehold Township, since 1999.
Prior to 1999 she was executive vice president from 1996-99. Prior to coming to the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, she was the associate branch executive of the Red Bank Branch of the Community YMCA.
Her professional career began in 1986 as a youth and family director for the Red Bank branch of the Community YMCA.
In 1994 she took on the role of acting executive director of the Shore Area YMCA of Asbury Park.
In 1995 Joy became the associate branch executive of the Community YMCA, and in 1996 the executive vice president of the YMCA of Western Monmouth County.
Since September 1999, Joy has been the president/CEO of the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, responsible for the fiscal management of a $7.1 million budget and services provided to 12,000 members.
She provides leadership to 50 full-time and 430 part-time staff. She is responsible for the management and direction of four branches; Freehold YMCA, Camp Topanemus, Hightstown-East Windsor YMCA and the YMCA Community Center, Freehold Borough YMCA. She co-manages Camp Zehnder YMCA in Wall Township.
McNamara, a native of Massachusetts, is married with five children and has lived in Tinton Falls for more than 30 years. She is now serving her fourth term as mayor, having first been elected in 1989. Previous to that, she had been an elected councilwomen and also an appointed member of the planning and zoning boards.
Milstein oversees Brookdale Community College’s services and programs for business and community outreach and lifelong learning. These activities include noncredit courses and special events for professional and personal development, customized training for businesses and credit and noncredit offerings at the college’s five higher education centers. Each year the division of Outreach, Business and Community Development serves more than 25,000 Monmouth County residents and employees.
White has been involved with the community for more than 30 years volunteering for MCOSS (VNACY), the Cerebral Palsy Association, the Monmouth Day Care Center and the Junior League of Monmouth County.
She was a co-founder of the Monmouth Teen Center, PTSA president at Rumson-Fair Haven High School and a board member of the Women’s Center of Monmouth County.
Presently, she is on the Board of Trustees of the Sunfield Foundation.
She and her husband, William, have three grown sons, two daughters-in-law and one grandson.
For more information about the Women of Distinction Dinner call Nancy Cummons at (732) 938-5454, ext. 37.