The Denison Chamber of Commerce celebrated women have made an impact on the Grayson County community with its first GLOWI awards during a luncheon Wednesday. The Grayson’s Leading and Outstanding Women of Influence awards ceremony recognized women who were nominated in five categories with a winner selected by an out of county committee.
“LA has the Emmys and New York has the Tonys so we have the GLOWIs,” GC Vice President of Community Engagement and GLOWI committee chair Molly Harris said at the event.
Nominations for the awards were accepted through Oct. 4. Once the women are nominated, they completed applications and those were reviewed. The awards ceremony took place at Parkside Baptist Church in Denison.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Texoma Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Michele Fowler.
“Author Pam Farrel says ‘Influence is earning the right to be heard so that others are moved toward their best like salt shaken out is hard to see but the flavor is impossible to miss,'” Fowler said. “Many famous women come to mind when I think of women of influence: Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou just to name a few. These ladies did amazing things, and it is certainly hard to imagine our world without them.”
Fowler graduated as a Doctor of Osteopathy from the Oklahoma State University of Osteopathic Medicine and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee. Fowler has worked as a board-certified emergency medicine physician throughout Oklahoma and Texas and has served as both a medical director and a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine.
She has been with Texoma Medical Center since January of 2024.
During her presentation Fowler spoke of well-known women of influence as well as special to her women like her mother and grandmother.
“Famous, not so famous, these ladies all embody what it means to be a woman of influence,” Fowler said. “The flavor that they all added is something that is unmistakable, and with that, we are going to honor the women of influence of Grayson County. No doubt, even though I may not know you personally, you have done wonderful things to advance others to be their best. As I finish today, I charge each one of us to look inside our hearts and minds to help further the lives of others by using our skills and talents.”
After recognizing all the nominees in each category, a winner from among them was named.
“Leave here inspired by the work of empowering others, supporting each other’s dreams and creating a stronger brighter community together,” Chamber President Diana Theall said. “When we recognize and honor each other, we all rise. Thank you for being a part of this celebration. Let us continue to champion one another and uplift the outstanding women who influence our community in meaningful ways. Let’s keep making Grayson County a place where women lead, influence and shine.
Nominees:
Academic
Joanna Garner Bryant
Secily Commons
Mary Linger
Jackie Melancon
Amber Nowaski
Sierra Whittington
Arts and culture
Secily Commons
Jenna Zapata
Chele Wells
Jodi Castelli
Shawnda Rains Shearer
Marsha Wallace
Business enterprise
Secily Commons
Natalie Hair
Lisa Marie Hitchcock
Kara Stacks
Sierra Whittington
Louella Williams
Community
Nancy Anderson
Lynne Baur-Arnold
Rene Birchall
Michelle Castle
Secily Commons
Dr. Molly Harris
Tommi Sue Homuth
Sherry Howard
Stacey Johnson
Tina Kurtenbach
Clemente Love
Lindsey Manley
Kelsey Morris
Amanda Phillips
Stephanie Phillips
Crystal Rhodes
Marty Sanderson
Sierra Whittington
Marsha Wilson
Young woman
Lauren Bell
Secily Commons
Lexi Rains
Bailey Vaughn
Sierra Whittington
Jenna Zapata
GLOWI woman of the year
Janet Gott-Douglas
