DeLand Woman of the Year
Nomination Form & Eligibility
Nominations close on February 12, 2025.
Ticket sales close on March 4, 2025, unless the event sells out first.
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Nominee's leadership skills, past or present, may span from business, education, philanthropic endeavors, and/or religious organizations.
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Nominees must be a woman over the age of twenty-one (21) living in, working in or representing the DeLand Community (includes zip codes 32720, 32721, and 32724).
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Her contributions to the DeLand Community may be past or present.
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Nominees may not be a current Junior Service League of DeLand (JSL) Member or Provisional Member.
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Nominators may submit only one (1) nomination per award cycle.
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A JSL Sustainer may be nominated, only if five (5) years or greater have passed since her time as an Active JSL Member has ended.
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The Nominator provides consent on behalf of the Nominee for submitting the Nomination Form. A Nominee may opt to decline the nomination by contacting the Junior Service League of DeLand.
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Nominees are eligible for re-nomination in subsequent years. A new nomination and fee must be submitted by the deadline.
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Nominations are to be submitted electronically and should include the following:
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How the Nominee currently supports or previously has supported the DeLand community.
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Leadership positions the Nominee currently holds or has previously held in the DeLand community.
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Personal attributes of the Nominee that exemplify her leadership and impact in the DeLand community.
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A recent photograph or headshot of the Nominee to include in publicity and share to social media.
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The nomination fee must be paid at the time the nomination is submitted in order to be considered. The nomination fee covers the cost of the Nominee’s seat at the award ceremony.
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Nominations submitted after the nomination deadline will not be considered.
The Junior Service League of DeLand reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity for inclusion in the program and social media. Please scroll down the page to view FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How are Nominees notified?
The Nominator agrees upon submitting the Nomination package to notify the Nominee in a timely manner. The Nomination form includes a field for the Nominee’s email. Upon the complete package submission, they will receive a welcome email from the Event Chair/Assistant Chair with important event details.
How are the winners chosen?
Nominee packages are reviewed by our Selection Committee based on the information submitted. Please ensure packages are completed before submitting them. Incomplete packages will not be eligible. No late entries or changes to the nomination package will be accepted once submitted. The Committee includes representatives from the DeLand community, the Junior Service League of DeLand President, the Event Chair and Assistant Chair, and the JSL Sustainer President, or her proxy. The Junior Service League of DeLand reserves the right to move forward with a select group of finalists to honor at the event.
How is the Junior Service League of DeLand committed to an unbiased process?
To maintain the integrity of the DeLand Woman of the Year Award, members of the Selection Committee should recuse themself should a colleague within their organization or company be nominated. Active JSL Members who are not part of the Selection Committee are eligible to submit a nomination, but are not eligible to participate in the selection process.
Who are the community representatives on the Selection Committee?
These members may include, but are not limited to, active community leaders or representatives of businesses or organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, City of DeLand, clergy, civic organizations, law enforcement, healthcare, and more.
Is the selection process confidential?
The Selection Committee should agree to maintain the confidentiality of the selection process, and must not disclose the winners ahead of the event.
Is the information submitted in the Nomination Packet edited?
For social media and marketing purposes, including the event program, JSL reserves the right to edit for length, clarity, and use case, as needed.
What are the two awards presented at the DeLand Woman of the Year Awards event? Two (2) awards will be presented at the awards ceremony:
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DeLand Woman of the Year Award: A woman exemplifying leadership skills and contributing to significant community impact, past or present, spanning from business, education, philanthropic endeavors, and/or religious organizations.
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The Heart of the Community Award: This award takes into account community feedback, such as social media engagement. It recognizes a woman who has made a substantial impact in the greater DeLand community.
PREVIOUS YEARS
2023 DeLand Woman of the Year Ceremony
Volusia County Court Judge Rachel D. Myers was appointed to the bench in 2022. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and her law degree from Liberty University School of Law. She was a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit from 2011-2015. She then went into private practice; first as an associate at Landis, Graham, French, P.A. and then as the managing partner at her own firm, Myers Law Group, P.A. Judge Myers currently hears civil cases at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand.
When Myers first enrolled in law school, she was already several years into her struggle with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic eye disease that causes vision loss. She was first diagnosed near the end of high school after losing close to 80 percent of her vision in a matter of weeks. “It’s been a huge hurdle, but I’m definitely grateful to (use) it as a motivator,” she said. While at Liberty, Myers used large magnifying machines to assist in her schoolwork, and she continues to do so as a judge. She often reminds people that although she has difficulty seeing, she is more than capable of doing what
her job requires. “As I’ve explained over the years, it’s not my brain, it’s my eyes,” she said. “I can do what other people do, I can do what other judges do. I just do it a little differently. Having a hurdle in front of me makes me that much more determined to overcome it.
Myers’ commitment to service to our community is impressive as well. She has served as a judge for Volusia County Teen Court; she is a member of DeLand Chamber of Commerce, Mainstreet DeLand Association, Daughters of the American Revolution, Domestic Violence Advisory Committee, Krewe of Amalee, Dunn-Blount Inn of Court, and the Business Networking Institute. She has served in the past as President of The Volusia County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, Volusia Flagler Association for Women Lawyers, and The Junior Service League of DeLand. She is a graduate of Leadership West Volusia and founder of both Fuel the Families and DeLand Woman of the Year. In 2010 Myers founded, 4SITE, Inc. a 501(C)3 organization which provided scholarships to low vision individuals in our area who were "Seeking Independence Through Education.”
- The Honorable
Rachel Myers
2022 DeLand Woman of the Year Ceremony
Congratulations to our 2022 DeLand Woman of the Year Winner, Linda Ryan!
Among her many accomplishments, Linda is co-founder of ME STRONG, a 501c3 charity whose mission is to support the friends, families, and individuals battling cancer through the power of friendship. ME STRONG has given nearly $2,000,000 to ease the financial burden of patients in Central Florida by assisting with household bills and has funded annual cancer research grants through the Foundation for Women’s Cancer and Conquer Cancer.
After a virtual celebration last year, we were thrilled to come together in person for the 6th Annual DeLand Woman of the Year Awards to recognize 10 distinguished local women. The event took place at the Sanborn Events Center on March 25, 2022.
2022 Nominees
Sakeia Wingate
Becky Adesso
Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown
Jackie Mosness
Linda Hannon
Leah Dokey
Linda Ryan
Kristi Tyrrell
Emilie Wren
Shannon Young
2021 DeLand Woman of the Year Ceremony
2021 DeLand Woman of the Year Winner Belinda Huttmann
2020 DeLand Woman of the Year Ceremony
2020 DeLand Woman of the Year Winner Lorna Jean Hagstrom.
2020 DeLand Woman of the Year Winner Lorna Jean Hagstrom with 2019 Winner Barbara Curtis Underhill.
The 2020 Nominees, pictured left to right: Savannah-Jane Griffin, Pam Coffman, Jennifer Stephenson, Elizabeth Williams, Lorna Jean Hagstrom, Amanda Sarnes, Barbara Girtman, Susan Clark, Lisa Lewis, and Althea Ross Chavers.
The 4th Annual DeLand Woman of the Year saw the most nominees yet, with 10 outstanding local women honored at the March 1st event. Nominees were lauded with a luncheon banquet at the Sanborn Events Center.
Nominees included Lorna Jean Hagstrom of Advent Health Foundation, Althea Ross Chavers of the West Volusia Boys and Girls Club, Susan Clark of the Neighborhood Center, Pam Coffman of the Museum of Art-DeLand, Lisa Lewis, Supervisor of Elections, Barbara Girtman Volusia County Councilwoman for District 1, Elizabeth Williams, Personal Trainer, Amanda Sarnes, Co-owner and Marketing Director of Home Team Lending, Jennifer Stephenson, SMA Healthcare and Savannah Jane-Griffin, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence at Stetson University.
Event chair Erica Carter presented a brief history of JSL and rundown of current projects before introducing each nominee. JSL membership voted for the winner, choosing Lorna Jean Hagstrom. Thank you to Assistant Chair Gini Myers and committee members for your help on a spectacular community event.
2019 DeLand Woman of the Year Ceremony
Assistant Chair Erica Opisso Carter, Rachel Myers pictured with 2019 winner Barbara Curtis Underhill, Jennifer Hightower, and Chair Maigan Walters. Committee member Jamie Mathews not pictured.
The 2019 Award Nominees
2018 winner Mary Gusky
2017 winner Louise Ball Caccamise