Six honored as 2023 YWCA Columbus Women of Achievement for advocacy, professional work

The six women being honored next year as the YWCA Women of Achievement come from a variety of professions and missions — from elected officials and a news anchor to an auto shop owner, art curator and social worker.

The differences between their careers and experiences are vast, but all have received YWCA Columbus' signature recognition, now entering its 38th year, for taking on work that furthers the nonprofit organization's mission of fighting racism, educating the community and empowering women.

YWCA Columbus was slated to announce the 2023 honorees Wednesday evening at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park in front of a select group of YWCA alumni, marking the first year that incoming CEO and president Elizabeth C. Brown introduced the Women of Achievement class.

Brown, who will soon resign from her position on Columbus City Council, was announced last week as the successor to outgoing CEO and president Christie Angel.

"Not only do their accomplishments set them apart, but also each of these women embody what it means to unite community service and professional accomplishment together," Brown said in a statement. "I am overjoyed to welcome this group as my first class of honorees."

Here is more about each of this year's six honorees:

Laurel Beatty Blunt

In her many years as an attorney and now as an elected official, Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt has come to understand that most regular citizens have limited knowledge of how the court system operates.

After a decade as a trial court judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Blunt was elected in 2019 to the 10th District Court of Appeals, which covers Franklin County. In those years, she's seen many people in front of her bench who would never have anticipated they'd end up in her courtroom.

It's why Blunt made it her mission to educate people, primarily through posts on her social media accounts, on the nuances of the judicial branch and the rights every citizen has when they enter any court room.

“In the past couple of years, we have seen absolutely the importance of courts and judges,” said Blunt, a graduate of Vanderbilt University's law school. “As a Black female judge, I am in a special position to share the things I learned from the bench with the community to try to make it better.”

Blunt was among the founding members in 2021 of the Ohio Black Judges Association, which made increasing diversity on the bench one of its primary goals. Most recently, she began teaching this semester about the Supreme Court of the United States to master's level public policy students at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy.

“I am really enjoying engaging with young people who more than likely will be leaders of tomorrow in some form,” Blunt said.

Marilyn Brown

In her 14 years as a Franklin County commissioner, Marilyn Brown took on a wide variety of important issues.

Before she retired in May 2021, citing family health issues, Brown was involved in large-scale public construction projects, major initiatives to counter poverty and racism, and criminal justice reform programming, among other issues.

“It was the best job ever because I could do so much work in the community and focus on the most vulnerable people in our community, as well as arts and culture,” Brown said. “I think what I did over the time I was a commissioner was make people realize that it’s really about the residents in this community, and it’s really about treating people right.”

But what Brown considers to be her top accomplishment in the office was her establishment of the county’s Office of Justice Policy and Programs, which heads reentry, recidivism and other initiatives aimed at preventing crime.

“I’m very proud of that,” Brown said.

Following her retirement from elected office, Brown is now a consultant for small businesses and nonprofits, and she also sits on the board of Jewish Family Services.

“There was no way I could just retire,” Brown said. “I’m willing to help organizations that are doing good, work and it’s really been fun.”

Chris Cozad

Although she has a degree in biology, Chris Cozad’s real passion has always been working on automobiles.

But to forge her place in such a male-dominated industry, Cozad decided she would have to open her own shop. In 1983, Cozad did just that, opening Alternative Auto Care on West Fifth Avenue in the Short North, where for nearly 40 years she has employed other women looking to make their own careers in the field.

Throughout her career, Cozad said she also has taught in the automotive technology department at Columbus State Community College.

“The women who have managed to succeed in this industry have really had an uphill struggle,” Cozad said. “If I can help pave that road in some ways for future generations of women, that’s an important piece.”

It’s not the only issue of equity that is personal for Cozad.

As a lesbian, Cozad’s advocacy also extends to LGBTQ equality. Cozad has sat on the boards of many LGBTQ organizations in Greater Columbus, including Stonewall Columbus and Lesbians Benefitting the Arts. And she is chair of the Columbus Community Relations Commission, which addresses all forms of discrimination, and she serves as LGBTQ community liaison to Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

“We’ve made some great strides, particularly for urban areas like Columbus,” Cozad said. “But we’re not there yet.”

Colleen Marshall

In an age where misinformation reigns on social media and politicians routinely spread divisive rhetoric about news outlets, Colleen Marshall said she seeks to uphold the pillar of objectivity as she strives to hold the powerful accountable and provide a voice to the voiceless.

Among the highlights of her 38-year career with NBC4 (WMCH-TV), the eight-time Emmy winner helped to start and continues to host NBC4's "The Spectrum," in which she interviews political leaders and covers legislation and elections, and which she touts as the longest running political program in Columbus. Marshall also said she was part of reporting that helped to uncover allegations of sexual abuse by former Ohio State University doctor Richard Strauss, which helped earn her a national Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

"I think journalists have a responsibility to hold those in power accountable and pass information on to the audience in a truthful and fair and trustworthy way,” Marshall said. “I want people to know I'm asking the questions that I not only think they want to hear the answers to, but that they deserve to hear the answers to.”

Aside for her dedication to journalism, Marshall is also an advocate and speaker for a number of charitable and community organizations. Most notably, Marshall has long advocated on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association Central Ohio Chapter, which provided support to her own family when her own mother struggled with the disease.

“The Alzheimer's Association is closest to my heart because of what they did for my family,” Marshall said.

Patrice Palmer

Patrice Palmer’s life had spiraled out of control due to drug addiction and mental health issues, but as she was headed to prison for the fourth time in 2003, she cried out to God for help.

In that moment — that spiritual crisis — she opted to see the barbed wire fence surrounding the prison’s walls not as a barrier to keep her in, but one to keep her out.

For good.

“It was my internal cry for help that my higher power who I choose to call God answered,” Palmer said.

Palmer set about to get an education, and now, as a chemical-dependency counselor and a licensed social worker, she uses her own lived experiences to guide her on her quest to equip others with the tools to avoid going down the path of substance abuse and imprisonment.

In the years since, Palmer has worked as a re-entry social-support specialist at the Franklin County Office of Justice Policy and Programs, and has operated Pathways to Women's Healthy Living program at the Franklin County jail.

Her work has been a direct influence on various legislation focusing on improving the path to reentry for offenders into their communities and more.

In 2010, she founded her own nonprofit organization, Chosen4Change, which she said is focused on reducing recidivism, gaining governor pardons for certain convicted felons, and advocating against mass incarceration.

“I do what I do because to me it’s my gift and my calling to help people,” Palmer said. “I believe if we can enhance the value and dignity and worth of a person, we build stronger families and more productive communities.”

Bettye Stull

In the years she’s spent curating art for exhibits and galleries in Greater Columbus, Bettye Stull has made it her focus to highlight and lift up Black culture.

Stull began her career as an arts specialist and center director for Columbus Recreation and Parks, where she worked for 30 years. In 1989, she became cultural arts director and curator for the King Arts Complex, educating youth, supporting artists, and developing nationally significant exhibitions for 25 years.

In 2004, Stull set out on her own, becoming an independent curator.

Most recently, Stull's curated exhibits this year have included quilts made by African-American artists at the Ohio Craft Museum, and an exhibit celebrating the work of the late Columbus photographer Kojo Kamau at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church.

"I am humbled and honored that people recognize the contributions I have made to artists, the community, and working with youth to make a difference in their lives,” Stull said.

Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering social justice issues and nonprofits.

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: YWCA Columbus honors six as Women of Achievement for 2023