Maui Women Honored with 2018 Excellence Awards

(Photo: L-R Chief Tivoli Faaumu accepting the award for Joy Medeiros, Deidre Tegarden, Elle Cochran, Mary Lee Sagawinit, Nara Boone accepting the award for Tina Garzero (Posthumous) and Sherri Dodson) (County of Maui/RYAN PIROS)

Maui County’s Committee on the Status of Women celebrated Women’s History Month by presenting the annual “Women of Excellence” awards Tuesday, March 27, in the Mayor’s Conference Room.

Awards this year were issued to West Maui Councilmember Elle Cochran, as well as Sherri Dodson, Joy Medeiros, Mary Lee Sagawinit, Deidre Tegarden and a posthumous award to Tina Garzero.

The recognition celebrates women from all cultural backgrounds and in all levels of public service and government, who have impacted the county’s past, present and future through their public service or government leadership.

Women’s history month is a national celebration of women, a time where the richness of women leaders and their accomplishments are honored. In accordance with the national women’s movement, this year’s award theme was “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.” This formal recognition of women was started in 1980 by then-President Jimmy Carter as a week-long celebration. In 1987, the US Congress expanded it to the month of March.

“The Committee on the Status of Women looks forward to this annual awards ceremony, as it gives us an opportunity to honor all the nominated women for their excellence and all the work they’ve done,” said Sheila Rae Kelley, CSW chair. “We feel it is important to recognize those who have spent so much time and energy for the betterment of Maui County. Their contributions have had a major impact on our community, and they set an example of public service we can all follow.”