Ford Tribute to Women Business Leaders Awards Luncheon

March is National Women's History Month, and the Chamber's annual Tribute to Women Business Leaders highlights the contributions of amazing industry leaders who have helped propel business and civic engagement in our city. The mission of these awards, which is presented by Ford Motor Company, is to celebrate women leaders who are making a difference in San Antonio. The awards will honor individuals who embody leadership qualities which have driven not only their personal success but also the success of those around them.

A $1,000 scholarship will be donated to the college/university of the award recipient's choice in her name. The scholarship recipients and/or academic institutions will be recognized at the luncheon.

Executive Award for Large Business | a business owner, CEO, Managing Partner or top executive in a large company who has a proven success record as an outstanding business leader, is a leading force in her industry, and has had significant impact on the community.
	Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley | Executive Vice President & Chief Delivery Officer, CPS Energy As Executive Vice President & Chief Delivery Officer of the nation’s largest municipally owned energy company, Jelynne oversees and provides strategic direction for an electric system of 7,744 miles of overhead lines, 4,915 miles of underground lines, 1,508 miles of transmission lines; a gas system which has 5,210 miles of distribution lines and 89 miles of transmission lines and interface with Joint Base San Antonio. Additionally, the CPS Energy call center, which handles 4.1 million calls annually and serves 325k customers in walk-in centers throughout the service territory reports to Jelynne. In the community, she serves on a number of boards including the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and NuStar GP Holdings. Additionally, she served on the Board of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas and as Chair of the Board of San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, among others.
Brenda Vickrey Johnson Award for Small Business | a small business owner or CEO who has a proven success record as an outstanding business leader and has had a significant impact on the community.
	Lisa Fullerton | President/CEO, A Novel Idea Lisa is President/CEO of A Novel Idea, dba as Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon. After 15 years in corporate America, Lisa left a secure job at an International Behavioral Science firm to pursue the dream of owning her own business.  In 2000, A Novel Idea, LLC (A.N.I.) was founded and began operating its first Auntie Anne's Pretzels at North Star Mall. Lisa 70-hour weeks for years, learning the business from ground up. Lisa was introduced to pretzels by her neighbor, “Auntie” Anne Beiler herself. Lisa quickly learned about Anne’s passionate work ethic, worldview and intriguing success as a pretzel franchiser. She was most impressed by their high regard for people, knowing the correlation between happy employees and positive production. That hands-on training allowed the business to grow from one store with eight employees, to eight locations employing 80 people. Lisa and her husband have created a purposeful culture with charitable partners in San Antonio which include Clubhouse San Antonio and Santa’s Rolling Reindeer.
Freedom Award | for placing the welfare of others before her own. Through military, police/fire or other public service, this honoree has made a single or ongoing meritorious contribution to the San Antonio community.
	Renee Watson | Manager, SMWBE and Program Liaison, DBE Renee is s champion for Small, Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprises (SMWBE) as well as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), serving as Bexar County’s Manager and Program Liaison for these areas, respectively. Renee acts as a liaison with offices and departments to ensure that SMWBEs have access to County procurement, contracting and professional services opportunities. She reviews current practices to assess and recommend improvements to increase participation. Renee then works in cooperation with the Purchasing Agent, offices and departments to explore these concepts and analyze the advantages and disadvantages to modifying current practices. Additionally, she works directly with community organizations, other public entities and vendors to promote participation and access in local, state and federal procurement opportunities. Renee has dedicated herself to a wide variety of professional and civic organizations as well, such as the San Antonio Area National Organization for Women, Goodwill of San Antonio, National Forum of Black Public Administrators, Associated General Contractors, the National Urban League and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Promise Award | for exceptional leadership and significant impact on business and the community in a short span of time, due to age or length of time in San Antonio.
	Annette Rodriguez | President/CEO, The Children's Shelter Annette is President/CEO of The Children’s Shelter, where over 4,000 children and parents are served annually. Since becoming CEO in 2011, she has led the agency through a Rebranding and Community Awareness Campaign, launched a successful 4 million dollar Capital Campaign to create the Harvey E. Najim Children’s Hope Center, and received national certification from the Council of Accreditation—being one of only five organizations in Bexar County with that distinction. In 2004, Annette founded the San Antonio affiliate of Girls Inc., which received an unprecedented Standard of Excellence Certification from Girls Inc. National within two years of inception and has served over 10,000 girls in our community. Currently, Annette serves on the Bexar County Child Welfare Board, the Texas Alliance for Children & Families and the Master’s Leadership Program of San Antonio & Bexar County. She is treasurer for the San Antonio Nonprofit Council.
Hope Award | for outstanding service in philanthropy, community/public service in the San Antonio area who has had a notable impact on the community.
	Peggy Walker | Managing Director, U.S. Trust Bank of America This year’s Hope Award goes to Peggy Walker, who has served U.S. Trust Bank of America for 36 years in a number of roles. Her corporate and global responsibilities have spanned energy banking, human resources, affirmative action and marketing. As Managing Director, Private Client Manager, she is now one of just three people in this position at Bank of America nationwide. Currently, Peggy serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of The Witte Museum, as Past Chair and Capital Campaign Co-Chair. She is a member of the Executive Committee of United Way of San Antonio, where she chairs the School Family Partnership Education Issues Council. Additionally, she is a Board member of Boy Scouts-Alamo Area Council and the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, and she serves as a member of the American Red Cross Planned Giving Committee. Peggy has held prior Board Chair roles with Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, San Antonio Youth Literacy, the San Antonio Education Partnership and the American Institute of Banking-San Antonio.
Legacy Award | for a longstanding record of success in leadership roles she has had, whether in business or through volunteer philanthropy/public service positions and who has built a legacy of having a notable impact on the San Antonio community.
	Katie Reed | Vice President, NISD Board of Trustees Katie has been a leader in the San Antonio area for decades, having served on the Northside ISD board since 1990, including five terms as President, making her the longest-serving trustee in Bexar County. She is a Past President of the Texas Association of School Boards, representing ALL 1,030 school districts in Texas. Additionally, as the Immediate Past Chair of the Alamo Area Council of Governments, Katie is the first school representative to hold this position, further integrating education issues fit into the larger development of the San Antonio community. She is a Board Member of the Master’s Leadership Program, a United Way of Bexar County program that educates adults on volunteerism and community activities. Also, Katie is a member of three neighborhood associations and is a member and Past Chair of The Salvation Army Advisory Board, the Women and Children's Advisory Committee, and the Boys and Girls Club.