Celebrating Women of Mt. Lebanon event to honor five residents
In October 2015, Mt. Lebanon resident Michelle Zmijanac became one of the 26 members of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women who were appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
A year later, she is bringing her experience home to help organize the Celebrating Women of Mt. Lebanon event, scheduled for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 22 at the municipal building.
To be honored are Carolyn Byham, Terri Greenberg, Rania Harris, Mary Larsen and Susan Morgans.
“The first words that I might use for all of them are their generosity of time, not just careers or involvement with their jobs,” Zmijanac said. “That is truly a gift to our community.”
She was inspired to take action to recognize their involvement during a recent Commission for Women gathering in Harrisburg, where she talked with colleagues from the Philadelphia area.
“They actually do events of recognition and thanks for women in their communities,” Zmijanac explained. “They have commissions for women on the local and county level. We don’t have them here.”
She and fellow Mt. Lebanon resident Maureen Mamula took the initiative to plan the event, which is coming together in the span of about six weeks.
“We decided we were going to get started with this sooner rather than later,” Zmijanac said.
The honorees bring a variety of talents to the table.
“It’s important to note that this is a cross-section of people, not just any one background or set of contributions,” Mamula explained.
They will receive certificates signed by Randi Teplitz, chairwoman of the Commission for Women, which as a group is sanctioning the Mt. Lebanon event.
“They were excited that I decided to do this in our community,” Zmijanac said.
The commission is responsible for advising the governor on policies and legislation that impact women, along with supporting economic and civic opportunities, and serving as acts advocate for policies and legislation that serve the best interest of females in the state.
The recognition event – for which Ellen McLean, Port Authority of Allegheny County chief executive officer, is serving as keynote speaker – has drawn an enthusiastic response so far, according to Zmijanac.
“Definitely, we’re planning on a next year,” she said about continuing the event, “and we have lots of candidates to go on for many years.”
For more information, visit mtlwomenrecognitio.wixsite.com/mtlwomen.