• By Todd Luck
• Posted Friday, March 22, 2019

Commissioner Whisenhunt honored at Outstanding Women Leaders Banquet

Forsyth County Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt was among 11 local women honored during the 2019 Outstanding Women Leaders Banquet.

The annual banquet was held Thursday, March 22, at Embassy Suites. The awards were started by Winston-Salem Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke as a way to recognize female leaders in the community and inspire others to follow their example.

Whisenhunt, a Winston-Salem resident, has been a commissioner since 1996. She is on the national Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties (NACo), a position she was elected to by her fellow county commissioners from across the state. She also serves on the county’s Consolidated Human Services Board, which advises the departments of Public Health and Social Services. She was instrumental in bringing the Stepping Up program to Forsyth, which helps women with substance abuse and mental illness who’ve been incarcerated at the county jail.

“It’s been an honor for me to serve Forsyth County,” said Whisenhunt. “I’ve never thought about not being able to do it because I was a woman, I always thought I can do it because I am a woman.”

The other recipients were:
Pam Anglin – V.P. of Marketing at Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC
Dorothy Bonner – Community Activist and Retired Childcare Provider
Michelle Butt – President and General Manager of WXII
Nicole Ducouer – Sr. Dir. of Corporate Communications & Programs at IFB Solutions
Susan Frye – Clerk of Superior Court, Forsyth County
LaShanda Millner-Murphy – Professional Image and Style Expert
Nadiyah Quander – Creative Community Lab & Project Manager for the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNCSA
Rasheeda Shankle – Community Engagement Coordinator at S.G. Atkins CDC; President & CEO of Honorable Youth
Mamie Sutphin – Community Engagement Programs Director for Reynolds American
Catrina Thompson – Winston-Salem Police Chief

Also during the banquet, Atkins High School Student Nicole Iturbide became the first winner of the annual Future Outstanding Women Leaders Scholarship Award. The $500 scholarship is awarded to a female high school senior from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System who is outstanding in areas such as academics, integrity and service.