Texas Women’s Foundation (formerly Dallas Women’s Foundation) has announced the recipients of its 2019 Maura Women Helping Women and Young Leader Awards, which recognize leaders who have positively impacted the lives of women and girls. Award recipients will be honored at the Leadership Forum & Awards Dinner, presented by AT&T, May 2, at the Omni Dallas Hotel. There will be dinner and the presentation of the Maura Award to five outstanding women leaders and Young Leader Award to two remarkable women under the age of 40. The co-chairs are Retta Miller of Jackson Walker LLP and Thear Suzuki of EY.
The event’s keynote speaker is Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a mission-driven investment platform investing in women-led companies that are building stronger economies. She is also chair of Ellevate Network, and was named by Fast Company as one of “100 Most Creative People.” She is the author of Own It: The Power of Women at Work, a book empowering women to be successful leaders in their careers. Her appearance is sponsored in part by the Catherine M. Coughlin Endowment for Women’s Leadership at Texas Women’s Foundation.
“We are humbled to pay tribute to these incredible women who are contributing their passion, skill and time to blaze trails for women and girls to follow,” said Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Texas Women’s Foundation president and chief executive officer. “We are also very pleased to welcome Sallie Krawcheck as our keynote speaker. She has made it her mission to help women unleash our financial power, so that we can build savings and wealth in order to invest in women to make powerful change in our communities and world.”
For 40 years, the Maura Women Helping Women Award has been presented to courageous individuals who have catalyzed change for women and girls. The 2019 Maura recipients will join the esteemed company of more than 200 previous honorees. One of the 2019 recipients is a Garland resident.
DeeDee Bates is a successful financial executive who became one of the first female partners at New York Life (Dallas General Office). She has provided career opportunities for many women by leading New York Life’s Women’s Market Unit (Dallas), an initiative focused on hiring and promoting women into leadership positions. She passionately promotes and advocates for women’s empowerment, economic literacy, diversity and inclusion. She founded and helped charter several women’s organizations such as Women’s E-initiative and Women’s Top of the Table – focused on empowering women in business and advancing women’s leadership. As president of the Collin County Black Chamber, she is collaborating with local branches to begin a new women’s program within that chamber. She and husband, Kerry, are proud and faithful parents of their three children, Ikeyia, Kiara and Keislyn.