The woman who has been working diligently for years to make other women strong business leaders will get some well-earned recognition next month when the non-profit organization 100 Women Strong will honor her as this year’s Leader of Distinction. That woman is the inimitable Margaret Adams, Program Manager for the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance.
Event organizers say their 6th Annual Leaders of Distinction luncheon honoring Adams will take place on Thursday, October 12th at Shadowland on Silver Beach located at 333 Broad Street in St. Joseph.
Sarah Spoonholtz is Chair of 100 Women Strong, an organization that provides emergency funds to Berrien County Women. She says not only has Margaret Adams worked to help women get into and succeed in business, she is an entrepreneur in her own right and served municipal government for many years. She adds that the event’s keynote speaker is Norma Tirado, Vice President of Human Resources, Information Technology, Organizational Transformation and Chief Talent & Transformation Officer for Lakeland HealthCare in St. Joseph.
Tickets for the luncheon are $25, and a table for eight may be reserved for $180. Spoonholtz asks that reservations be made by October 8 online at www.100womenstrongberrien.com/events, or by mail at P.O. Box 272, St. Joseph, MI 49085. Questions can be emailed to 100womenstrongberrien@gmail.com.
Margaret Adams brings 20 years of past experience working for the City of Benton Harbor, the last 15 years of which she spent as City Clerk. She is also the co-owner and operator of Adams’ Rib, an event planning and catering business. Adams has worked for Cornerstone Alliance since 1999 and received the Program Manager position for the WBC in 2004. In 2006, she was certified as a small business counselor from the Academy of Professional Small Business Consultants at Grand Valley State University.
In 2012, she received the Small Business Administration’s Michigan Women Business Champion of the Year Award. Additionally, she has helped multiple businesses — focusing on female owned and operated — open up shop in Southwest Michigan.
Keynote speaker Tirado joined Lakeland on February 1, 2010. A graduate of Marquette University, Tirado also holds an Executive Master’s in Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Healthcare Administration at Central Michigan University.
Professionally she is a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), certified in Emotional Intelligence and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
As a community member, she is the President of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors as well as a board member of Cornerstone Alliance and the Executive Committee of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
In 2015 Norma was selected by the readers of Healthcare IT News as one of the 2015 H.I.T. Men & Women of the year, she has received the Ally of the Year Award from the Outcenter in Benton Harbor, and has led an IT team that has won the most prestigious Healthcare IT Awards in the country: HIMSS7, Davies Award of Excellence and Most Wired.
100 Women Strong is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves women who are not eligible for other community resources. These women are either working or attending school and can receive a one-time grant up to $500 to pay for emergency car repairs, health, utility or other unexpected bills. 100 Women Strong’s intent is to help women stay self-sufficient and keep them from quitting work or school because no emergency funds were available to them in a time of need. To learn more about 100 Women Strong and its events, visit 100womenstrongberrien.com.
