Women of Courage, Confidence and Character

19th Annual Women of Courage, Confidence and Character Award

In recognition and gratitude to the many outstanding women who exemplify this mission in our communities, GSNWGL is hosting the 19th Annual Women of Courage, Confidence and Character Awards in Eau Claire! This unique acknowledgement celebrates exceptional women in western and west-central Wisconsin who are role models for peers and community members. Award recipients will be chosen by a volunteer selection committee and honored during the awards banquet.

Date:	Monday April 1, 2013
Location:	The Florian Gardens 2340 Lorch Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54701
Time:	Reception & Silent Auction 6:00 p.m. Dinner & Presentation 6:50 p.m.
Entertainment:	Audacious A-cappella & Girls Night Out (all UW-Eau Claire women’s singing group)
Cost:	$60/person, $600/table for 9 $20/youth (age 15 & under)
Register:	Purchase your seats now
	Registration closes March 18, 2013

Congratulations to the 2013 honorees!

Judi Anibas — Chippewa Valley Technical College

Judi Anibas was the first female firearms instructor, hostage negotiator, and evidence/forensic technician for the Eau Claire Police Department. In her 25 years with the police department, Anibas served as board of directors president for the Wisconsin Association of Women Police, Eau Claire Police Benevolent Association, Eau Claire Police Local 9, and Eau Claire Police Supervisors Local 39. In 2006, Anibas left law enforcement to become dean at Chippewa Valley Technical College, overseeing emergency service programs. She now serves the safety committee and chairs the green committee.

Anibas’s interest in serving her community piqued as a college student, when she aided peers with severe cognitive disabilities. Among various volunteer roles in the Chippewa valley, she has been involved with Indianhead Special Olympics since 1985, has been paired up with her “little” through Big Brothers Big Sisters since 1999, and is the current president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Wisconsin Board of Directors.

Colleen Bates — Eau Claire County

Colleen Bates has been actively involved in the community for many years. She is currently serving the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors as first vice chair. In 1980, she co-founded the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony and served as president for more than 10 years while also serving many other community organizations. She is currently involved in a number of committees, including serving as president of the Wisconsin Associated County Extension Committee, chair of the UW-Cooperative Extension Committee, co-chair of the City-County School Board Shared Services Committee, chair of the Human Services Board of Directors, and several others.

Bates and her husband Patrick have been married for 47 years. The two of them worked together at his family medicine practice for 38 years before retiring. They have seven children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton — University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire

Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton teaches various history courses and supervises master’s candidates and teaching assistants at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire (UWEC). She has written several published papers and reviews, co-authored the book Minority and Gender Differences in Officer Career Progression, and has presented in front of professional and public crowds across the country. She is also currently writing a book on Deacons for Defense and Justice, an African-American militia that fought the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s.

Ducksworth-Lawton is highly involved in her community and the university. She serves as a coordinator for the ClearVision Empowerment Summit, has coordinated UWEC’s African-American History Month and Martin Luther King Remembrance programs for several years, serves on the Board of Directors for the Northern Great Plains History Conference, is chair of the Native American Historian Search, serves on the Chancellor’s Diversity Council, is an advisor for the Black Student Alliance, and serves many other programs and organizations in the Eau Claire area.