YWCA GREATER CLEVELAND TO HONOR 7 WOMEN AT THE 2023 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Photo by McKinley Wiley
YWCA Greater Cleveland is excited to announce the 2023 honorees of the Women of Achievement award. This award is presented annually to a select group of Northeast Ohio women who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments through career success, community service, and their dedication to YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. Seven women have been chosen to receive the award at YWCA’s Woman of Achievement Award Ceremony, which will be held on May 23, 2023 at Severance Hall. This group of honorees represent organizations across Northeast Ohio that are investing in the betterment and progress of women and girls in our community.
The 2023 Women of Achievement Honorees are:
- Margaret Bernstein – Director of Advocacy and Community Initiatives, WKYC
- Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm – President and Chief Executive Officer, STEP Forward
- Heidi Gartland – Chief Government & Community Relations Officer, University Hospitals
- Angela Mago – President of Key Commercial Bank and Real Estate Capital, KeyBank
- Marcia Moreno – President, AmMore Consulting LLC
- Tracy Oliver – Director, Media and Local Affairs, Ohio, Dominion Energy (Retired)
- Aseelah Shareef – Vice President + Chief Operating Officer, Karamu House, Inc.
“We are so proud to have the opportunity to bring our community together in person to celebrate these incredible women,” said Helen Forbes Fields, YWCA Greater Cleveland President and CEO. “I am humbled to welcome this extraordinary class into the Women of Achievement Academy and to shine a light on their contributions to Cleveland.”
The Women of Achievement Academy boasts over 250 past honorees, all of whom are esteemed leaders, movers and shakers, impacting businesses and communities across Northeast Ohio. On Monday, November 14th KeyBank hosted YWCA in a private reception to reveal this year’s class to former Women of Achievement honorees.
The Women of Achievement Awards Ceremony will be held on May 23, 2023 at Severance Hall and is presented by KeyBank. To be a part of the event, contact Kim St. John-Stevenson for sponsorship opportunities.
MEET THE 2023 YWCA WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT HONOREES
Margaret Bernstein, Director of Advocacy and Community Initiatives at WKYC Studios, is well known for her passion for mentoring and volunteering in Cleveland. A devoted champion of literacy, Margaret earned her first Emmy in 2016 for WKYC’s #WeReadHere campaign, which encourages parents to read every day with their children. She also wrote The Bond, a memoir on forgiveness and reconnection with bestselling authors, Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt the Three Doctors of Newark, NJ. That experience led her to write a series of storybooks designed to tighten the bond between fathers and their young children. Bernstein serves on the board of the George Gund Foundation and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm is the President and Chief Executive Officer of STEP Forward, the largest Community Action Agency in Ohio. Dr. Chisholm has over 30 years of experience in leading nonprofits; navigating complex systems in culturally diverse environments; fostering effective relationships, collaborations and partnerships; and creating and implementing strategic plans that promote organizational efficiency. A Cleveland native, Dr. Chisholm is a 3-time graduate of Case Western Reserve University, earning her Doctoral degree in psychological anthropology with an emphasis in educational anthropology. She currently serves on the boards of the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Education Partnership Council and the Women of Color Foundation.
Heidi Gartland is a healthcare executive, community leader, and lobbyist and serves as the Chief Government & Community Relations Officer at University Hospitals. Gartland advocates for University Hospitals at the federal, state and local level and leads their external relations and strategy. Ms. Gartland is a dedicated civic leader. She co-founded Voices for Ohio’s Children, a nonpartisan statewide group of more than 80 organizations that advocate for Ohio’s children. In 2022, Heidi was elected to the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and is the immediate past Chair of the Center for Health Affairs.
Angela Mago is President of Key Commercial Bank and Real Estate Capital and is a member of KeyCorp’s Executive Council and Executive Leadership Team. In her current role, Mago is responsible for directing strategic growth and business development activities across Key’s footprint for middle-market clients and prospects. Earning her master’s degree in finance from Case Western Reserve University, Angela serves on both the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Board of Directors and Commercial and Multifamily Finance Board of Governors. She is also the Treasurer of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Inc.
Marcia Moreno is the Founder and President of AmMore Consulting LLC, where she focuses her passion for elevating Cleveland’s Latino professionals. She does this by supporting local and multi-national organizations to develop processes and systems to effectively attract, recruit, retain and advance Latino talent and successfully serve the Latino community. Moreno is a native of Chile who originally came to the U.S. to pursue her graduate studies at Cleveland State University in 2005. Marcia is a mentor with College Now where she has mentored three college students, all immigrants like her, and helped them navigate U.S. culture, our higher education system, and professional opportunities.
Tracy Oliver retired as the Director of Media and Local Affairs for Dominion Energy Ohio’s service territory in 2021. Tracy worked in various communications and external affairs positions at Dominion Energy for over 37 years. Oliver oversaw all media relations efforts and local community affairs for the company, as well as serving as the chair of the community investment board. Oliver is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), and the Press Club of Cleveland. She currently serves on the board of the Women of Color Foundation and recently retired from the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation board.
Aseelah Shareef is the Vice President + Chief Operating Officer of Karamu House, Inc. where she implements operational efficiencies across product lines. During her time at Karamu, Shareef has developed new arts residency programs and curated socially and culturally responsive community arts experiences including after-school and weekend arts education models for life-long learners. She recently served as the Interim Executive Director of the Cleveland Arts Prize, the nation’s oldest municipal arts award. Aseelah Shareef is a board member of the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation, and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.