2010 YWCA Women of Achievement Honoree #3: Kay Goodwin

Meet Kay Goodwin - one of this year’s 2010 YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the third in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 18. This year marks the 14th annual YWCA Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon, honoring the outstanding women in our community whose personal and professional achievements inspire and empower other women to strive for their highest goals.

KAY GOODWIN is a lifetime forerunner in arts and education. She was reappointed Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts in 2005 by Governor Manchin and currently serves on the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, the WV Humanities Council, and the Professional Staff Development Advisory Council. Named a Distinguished West Virginian, WVU’s Outstanding Alumna, and recipient of the WVU President’s Distinguished Service Award, she was inducted into the WVU College of Human Resources and Education Hall of Fame in 2008.

Secretary Goodwin is co-chairman of the Center for Professional Development Board, chairman of the West Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, co-chairman of the West Virginia Council on Civics Literacy and the Governor’s designated chairman of the Educational Broadcasting Authority. She is a member of The Workforce Planning Council, a lifetime member of the Governor’s Honors Schools Advisory Council, a member of the Board of Advisors for WVU’s Blaney House and serves on the HB 3009 Workforce Development Initiative Committee.

Formerly, Secretary Goodwin served as chair of the University of West Virginia System Board of Trustees, the WV Commission on the Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Financial Aid Coordinating Council. She was appointed in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the Independent Commission to Review the Grantmaking Procedures of the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2004, Secretary Goodwin was designated one of only four recipients of the National Public Service Award and was recognized as Daughter of the Year by the WV Society of Washington, DC.

For more than 20 years, Secretary Goodwin directed community and high school musical theatre in Jackson County, in addition to staging opera performances in other state venues. Secretary Goodwin was honored by both the National Educational Theatre Association and the West Virginia Thespian Conference for her support and advancement of student theatre in West Virginia and the nation. Secretary Goodwin has taught at both WVU and WVSU and has received five honorary doctoral degrees.

Women of Achievement Honoree #4: Callen McJunkin

Meet Callen McJunkin, the fourth 2009 YWCA Women of Achievement honoree and the last in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to Thursday's event. It's not too late to get your tickets! $75 each (65% tax deductible) and you can buy them simply and securely online.

CALLEN MCJUNKIN brings an artistic flair to the state of West Virginia. After graduating with honors from Hollins College with a degree in art history, her love for art manifested itself in the business of representing artists and making fine art and craft available to area businesses and individuals. From exciting new regional artists to nationally recognized professionals, Callen has curated numerous exhibitions of fine regional and national artists and artisans – including curating the catalogue and acquiring the works for the permanent collection of West Virginia artists now on display at Marshall University College of Graduate Studies. She established the Callen McJunkin Gallery in 1991 and helped establish the Downtown Charleston ArtWalk to enliven downtown Charleston and make art more accessible.

Callen has lent her artistic expertise to the community by serving on the Sunrise Museum Board, Tamarack Advisory Board, the WV Commission on the Arts, FestivALL Steering Committee, Clay Center Advisory Board, Fund for the Arts Board and Kanawha Garden Club, and is a founding member and past president of the Clay Center Collector’s Club. She is also the former co-chair of the WV Committee to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, where her responsibilities included overseeing the exhibition of West Virginia Women Artists in Washington, and developing an educational program in WV for all ages to learn about women artists from 1300 to the present. In 2007, Callen received the Clay Center’s Kathe C. Payton “Spirit of Volunteerism” Award for her continuous commitment to making our community a more beautiful place.

Women of Achievement honoree #3: Empowerment Award winner Lois Smith

Meet Lois Smith, our 2009 BrickStreet Empowerment Award Winner. She is the third of this year’s YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the third in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 19.

The Empowerment Award, this year sponsored by BrickStreet Insurance, recognizes and rewards a YWCA program participant who, through great perseverance and with the help of the YWCA, has overcome great obstacles and transformed her life.

In fact, LOIS SMITH has rebuilt her life in more ways than one. This year’s honoree withstood years of abuse from her former spouse. While attending the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program’s domestic violence support group, Lois found a place to live that promised a peaceful, safe and supportive environment – the YWCA Alicia McCormick Homes for Battered and Homeless Women and Children. Here, Lois developed a zest for life again. During her months in this transitional housing program, YWCA staff helped Lois find the strength to rebuild her self-esteem, learn how to manage her money, significantly reduce her debt, and secure a full-time job with the state tax department. After enduring a painful divorce, she was re-united with her son – now a sophomore in college.

In addition to securing permanent housing and receiving a promotion at work, Lois recently joined the YWCA Shanklin Center staff as a Residential Aid, where she considers her time with the residents the “highpoint” of her life. Dependable worker, compassionate caregiver, dedicated mother and now financially independent, Lois truly embodies the YWCA’s mission of empowering women.

Hear Lois's inspirational story first hand in her exclusive video interview on the Charleston Gazette's wesite.

Women of Achievment honoree #2: Kim Knopf

Meet Kim Knopf, the second of this year’s 2009 YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the second in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 19.

KIM KNOPF personifies the recipe for business success that says “take an idea and run with it.” Her drive and initiative shone through even in her high school years, where she was elected President of Student Council her senior year. After high school, she pursued a BA in International Studies at the University of Kentucky and involved herself in many social organizations including the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

Kim’s innate entrepreneurship bloomed right out of college, when at the age of 23, she began to consider starting her own business. She answered an ad looking for people to sell mattresses and started investigating the bedding market. Spotting an untapped market in West Virginia, she moved to Charleston in August 1983 and opened her very first store in October of that year.

Knopf knew most businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, and she wanted to be sure she had sufficient capital. Her first investors were the parents of her then-boyfriend, whom she later married. She began with one small store, and had no full-time employees for the first full year. It was the first specialty sleep shop in the state – offering brand names, on-hand inventory, good service and the guaranteed lowest prices. Soon a buzz began to build about this unique store, and the rest was history.

For more than two decades, Kim has combined her innovative ideas and strong marketing presence with her dedication to customer service and community involvement. Today her company, Innovative Mattress Solutions, is a regional powerhouse – operating more than 75 stores in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Kim has always believed in serving her community – holding leadership roles for several organizations including the Putnam County Rotary, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, the Putnam Chamber of Commerce, and served in the Young President’s Organization for over twelve years.

Growing her business from the ground up has presented challenges, but Kim views challenges as opportunities to grow and learn. Her success has landed her profiles in several business publications, including Nation’s Business. Recently, she was chosen as a recipient of the 2008 Who’s Who in West Virginia Business and is a finalist in the 2008 Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

Women of Achievement honoree #1: Anita Casey

Meet Anita Casey, one of this year’s 2009 YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the first in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 19. This year marks the 13th annual YWCA Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon, honoring the outstanding women in our community whose personal and professional achievements inspire and empower other women to strive for their highest goals.

Anita Casey boldly went where no woman had gone. Last year, she became the first female Executive Director of the West Virginia State Bar, following her successful 25-year law career. In her early years, this Charleston native received undergraduate degrees in english and education and a master’s degree in library science at the University of Kentucky. After working as a librarian early in her career, her growing interest in law landed her at WVU where she earned her law degree in 1982.

As a partner at what became MacCorkle, Lavender & Casey PLLC, Anita focused primarily on civil defense litigation and worked extensively as a mediator. She has conducted hundreds of mediations and arbitrations, both in her private practice and while serving as a panel member for United States Arbitration and Mediation, Resolute Systems Inc., JAMS/Endispute, and Justus/MANA. Her dynamic personality and unprecedented expertise landed her countless speaking engagements at the National Business Institute, WVU College of Law’s Continuing Legal Education Program, the WV State Bar, WV Trial Lawyers, the Defense Trial Counsel of WV, and Kanawha County Schools, among others. She was selected as a “Super Lawyer” in the West Virginia Super Lawyers magazine and was recognized four consecutive years (2005-2008) as one of the Best Lawyers in America.

Apart from her work in and out of the courtroom, Anita regularly volunteers with her church and her son’s Boy Scout troop. She also served as an officer for various athletic organizations and on the Keep-A-Child in School board of directors. Anita’s view of volunteerism as a natural extension of a lawyer’s responsibilities has prompted her to encourage more public service from the State Bar’s 6,300 members.