Six women named 'Women of Achievement' by YWCA Columbus

The YWCA Columbus has named six philanthropists, activists and businesswomen from all walks of life as its 2024 Women of Achievement.

The award “honors leaders in Columbus for their determination, generosity, courage, and fight for equity."

The 39th annual Women of Achievement Luncheon will be held April 11 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to celebrate the winners.

YWCA Columbus is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, helping families and strengthening the community.

Read more about this year's recipients:

Corrine Burger

Corrine Burger is a managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she manages a global team as the firm’s chief control manager and oversees the firm’s Columbus Strategic Hub as a lead executive. She also serves as a trustee on the boards of Columbus State Community College, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and One Columbus. She is a member of the executive committee of the Columbus Partnership.

Burger is also a Dean’s Advisory Council member at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, her alma mater.

“Corrine is a committed community advocate who ensures equitable access to services, education, and opportunity,” the YWCA said in a news release.

Demetries Neely

Demetries Neely is the executive director and CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing & Cultural Arts Complex.

The King Arts Complex established its first endowment under her leadership and gained national prominence for its financial sustainability, according to the YWCA Columbus.

Neely is also president of the Burlie Neely Scholarship Fund, vice president of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium, a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Project 2025 Committee, and treasurer of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company.

Elaine Richardson

Elaine Richardson is a professor, nonprofit founder and activist. Also known as “Dr. E,” she founded the nonprofit Education Foundation for Freedom, which hosts the Columbus Women and Girls’ Fest, and curated Ohio State’s influential HipHop Literacies Conference, which seeks to challenge stereotypes and promote women’s empowerment within the genre.

“Dr. E utilizes her lived experiences to support and mentor girls and women facing hardships while advocating for literacy, empowerment, and social justice,” the YWCA said in a news release.

Renée Shumate

Renée Shumate is a philanthropist and an external affairs manager at AEP Ohio. She serves on several boards, including the Community Shelter Board and Columbus Metropolitan Library, and as Governing Board Chair for YWCA Columbus.

Shumate is also a founding member of the Matriots, a nonpartisan political action committee focused on electing more women to public office.

Shumate established the Shumate Council at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

“Her passion for community engagement and empowerment solidifies her legacy as a catalyst for positive change and cultivating future achievers,” the YWCA said in a news release.

Ola Snow

Ola Snow is the chief human resources officer at Cardinal Health. She also serves as co-executive sponsor for the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion council and an adviser for the Black and African American Racial Equity cabinet.

Those organizations are “two internal groups that challenge the status quo and advance DE&I within the organization,” the YWCA said.

Snow has also served on the Columbus Women’s Commission, advocated for pay equity studies at Cardinal Health, and co-chaired the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.

Erin Upchurch

Erin Upchurch serves as the executive director of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, which serves and supports LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. She is also an integrative social work practitioner, nonprofit leader, and community lecturer in the OSU College of Social Work.

Upchurch speaks in areas of leadership and organizational development, trauma recovery, and Transformative Justice as a framework for community and organizational practice.

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Meet the YWCA Columbus 2024 Women of Achievement