Dr. Michele Halyard, Mayo Clinic Dr. Michele Halyard on the path she chose:“As a child, my mother’s breast cancer impacted me significantly. I was only five when she was diagnosed, and I remember that she was gone from our home for several weeks undergoing treatment. At the time in medicine, doctors performed radical mastectomies regularly, meaning they even took the chest muscle wall. I didn’t completely understand what was happening to my mother because I was so young, but I instinctively knew that it impacted her significantly. Full Article

Pamela Lam, Henkel Pamela Lam is the Vice President of Research and Development for Henkel Laundry and Home Care in North America, reporting directly to the President. She is an inventor who understand exceedingly well the importance of sustainability. This is especially significant given the global reach and products ofHenkel, which operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in Laundry & Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies. Full Article

Sharon Lechter, Pay Your Family First Sharon Lechter has dedicated her life’s work to financial literacy. She has served on the Dean’s Council 100 of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and is a national spokesperson for the National CPAs Financial Literacy Commission. Sharon was also appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy for both President Bush and President Obama in highlighting the need for financial literacy in our nation. Full Article

Jane Spicer, Daphne’s Headcovers Jane Spicer, Her Global Company And The Sailboat. If I hadn’t lived it, my story might well be described as a Fairy Tale—a story of a little girl who learned that hard work, perseverance, and determination would not only achieve a short-term goal but would further be the foundation for a lifetime’s labor of love. As a precocious ten-year-old, I determined that I needed a sailboat. My mom, who was wise beyond her years, encouraged my seemingly impractical dream with a high dose of reality. “How will you earn the money,” she asked? Full Article

Deborah Bateman, National Bank of Arizona The 2011 Positively Powerful Woman Award for Philanthropic Leadership will be given to Deborah Bateman Executive Vice President of Specialty Banking, member Executive Committee and Board of Directors National Bank of Arizona for her establishment of the Women’s Financial Group (WFG) dedicated to providing networking and resources to female business owners; for giving over 500 hours each year to community organizations including theArizona 
Foundation for Women, American Heart Association’s Heart Ball, Juvenile 
Diabetes Research Foundation, The Phoenix Zoo, and Arizona State University’s 
Women; for serving as an Arizona Skills Standard Commissioner for the Arizona State Department of Education. Full Article

Kay Kallander, ABHOW The Positively Powerful Woman of Global Leadership Award will be given to Kay Kallander for her many contributions as Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW); for her design and launch of The Grove, an acclaimed memory support program; chairpersonship of EMERGE, Aging Services of California’s leadership development program; the launch of Leadership ABHOW; her contributions as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging; representation of the U.S. in Australia at the first Alzheimer’s Association/E-Rotary conference on Alzheimer’s disease; leadership in the  structure of the innovative Leadership AAHSA fellowship program in which she serves as the lead coach and being the recipient of the 2008 AAHSA Mentor of the Year award. Full Article

Colleen J. Payne-Nabors, MCI Diagnostic Center Colleen J. Payne-Nabors will receive the 2011 Positively Powerful Woman Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership for her vision as expressed through the founding of six successful companies including the award winning Mobile Cardiac Imaging, LLC, (dba) MCI Diagnostic Center. Under her leadership as founder and CEO, MCI Diagnostic Center has become one of the most successful and well-positioned companies in the medical industry. Inc. Magazine listed her company as one of the 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for 2007, 2008 and 2009. Full Article

Rev. Dr. Cathy C.  Patterson, Fountain of Life Church Rev. Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson, Pastor, Fountain of Life Church will receive the first Positively Powerful Woman Award for Spiritual Leadership for her vision as expressed through the founding ofFountain of Life Church and her global ministry; for  serving on the ministerial staff at Tanner Chapel AME Church in Phoenix; for her academic credentials and contributions; for her success in the world of business as only the second African American woman in U. S. history to be named a Managing Director of a major investment bank; and for being a role-model as a community leader. Full Article

Angela Curley, Henkel of America Inc. Originally from New York, the award recipient relocated to Arizona to join the Dial Corporation. Since joining the company in 1998, she has provided direction on community outreach efforts as well as the diversity program.  She also influenced senior leadership to sponsor the African American, Asian and Hispanic Employee Resource Groups, served two terms as president of the African American Forum, Treasury and steering committee member of Professional Women’s Forum and was appointed to Dial’s Executive Diversity Leadership Team. Full Article 

Debbie Paine, Debbie Paine, Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix is the first Positively Powerful Nonprofit Executive Award Recipient for her vision and programs that bring together art, artists, and businesses as well as her organization’s “Business On Board” program that prepares diverse executives to serve and lead boards of directors. Debbie, mother of Brian, Matthew, and Shelly and grandmother of 4, says the secret of her success is “…trust in my higher self and the belief that everything happens for a reason; that if you put your aspirations out into the universe and go with the flow, abundance will follow.” She also credits a commitment to building and sustaining meaningful relationships Full Article

Maria Benson, Nyla Simone Home Following in the footsteps of her father, Maria Bailey Benson has staked her fortune on a potent cocktail of education and entrepreneurship. While growing up she spent countless hours working with her father in his custom furniture and upholstery business. Today he has returned the favor by inspiring Maria to fulfill her dreams of launching an upscale furnishings boutique, Nyla Simone Home, in Tempe, Arizona. Full Article

Fatimah Halim, Life Paradigms, Inc., Blueprint For Womanhood  Fatimah Halim began her professional life in New York City as back-up singer for Laura Nyro and recorded with Jimi Hendrix as a member of Ghettofighters. Today, Fatimah takes great joy in the meaningful work she performs through the project that has driven her passion for the past fifteen years: the Rites of Passage Programs for Phoenix area youth. Her dedication to promoting the development of women and girls is evident in her latest book, “You Grow Girl”; through her Sistah Circles; and through her latest project Blueprint for Womanhood: Reinventing Ourselves at any age. She has co-hosted the local KTAR radio teen talk show “At The Crossroads”; cable talk shows “Focus: Video Profiles” and “Think About It: Perspectives from Women of Color”; and “Real Life Focus” on KISS Radio in Phoenix. Full Article

Ruth Covey, Arizona Magic of Music & Dance Ruth is the President and founder of ZETA²¹ International Leadership Foundation – a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization established to identify and develop nontraditional leaders. Arizona Magic of Music & Dance, Arizona Magic Leadership Network, Connecting 1000dreams, Platform Power and Women’s Self-Defense are amongst the programs developed by ZETA²¹ International.

Joanna DeShay, APS, now Black Russian Label Born on the Western coast of Africa to a Nigerian Father and Russian Mother, this international designer could not think of a more representative name for her new clothing line. Thus, Black Russian was born and is a clothing line dedicated to showcasing the many wonderful cultures, religions and ethnicities from around the world. Joanna de’Shay owner of Black Russian took a less direct path to obtaining her design dream and first earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing, followed by completing her Master’s degree in Business Administration. With a strong business background, she felt like she could then move on and acquire her second Master’s degree, a Fine Arts degree in Fashion design.