A prosecuting attorney, workforce talent recruiter and local Foundation leader are among the women to be highlighted at this year’s 27th Annual Washtenaw Community College Foundation Women’s Council Celebration Luncheon.
The event will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 1.
Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Washtenaw Community College Foundation Student Emergency Fund, which helps students meet unanticipated expenses that may jeopardize their ability to stay in school.
The luncheon will honor three Washtenaw County women and one organization for their work as “Sheroes,” or female heroes who demonstrate professional excellence through their work and service to support women, children and the underserved or advance equity, diversity and inclusion.
The three women to be honored include Victoria Burton-Harris, Amy Cell and Shannon Polk.
Victoria Burton-Harris, J.D., was a family law and criminal defense attorney in Detroit. In 2021, she was appointed Chief Assistant Prosecutor in the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office, the first Black woman to hold the position. She teaches at the University of Michigan Law School.
She serves as the board chair for We the People Opportunity Farm and as board chair of the Washtenaw Justice Project.
Amy Cell, MBA, CPA, founded Amy Cell Talent, a talent consulting and recruiting firm that has empowered underserved individuals since 2015. Cell and her team have helped hundreds of start-ups and small businesses attract, retain and develop talent. She supports and promotes programs that help job seekers overcome obstacles to employment.
Cell previously served as a senior vice president for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and on the boards of the Washtenaw Community College Foundation and the Desai Accelerator and Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Shannon Polk is the President and CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF). She has increased the accessibility of the staff to the broader community and invited new partners from marginalized communities that were previously underrepresented. She advanced a work-life balance policy to benefit parents returning to the workforce and support team members with caregiver responsibilities.
Polk is a tireless advocate for maternal health, a skilled diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator, and an ordained minister and pastoral leader.
The Women’s Council will also celebrate the Ann Arbor (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, a dynamic group of African American women committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and others of African ancestry.
Since 1979, the Ann Arbor (MI) Chapter of The Links, Inc., has impacted the community through countless hours of volunteer service as they address needs including literacy, the arts, homelessness, and the chapter’s current focus, Black maternal and infant health.
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, Retirement Income Solutions, and Laurie and Tim Wadhams are the event’s presidential sponsors.
Celebration Sponsors include Bank of Ann Arbor, Power Wellness, Stutzmann Moore Wealth Management Group/Wells Fargo Advisors, Eileen and Ted Thacker, and Carol and John Welsch.
Ambassador Sponsors include Belle Eve Financial, CEW+ Center for the Education of Women, Old National Bank, and UTEC.
SHEROES CELEBRATION & STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND
For information about the May 1 Sheroes Celebration or donating to the Student Emergency Fund, please contact the Washtenaw Community College Foundation at 734-973-3665, [email protected], or www.wccnet.edu/foundation.
Tags: Sheroes, Student Emergency Fund, WCC Foundation, Women's Council