For a seventh year, the New Pittsburgh Courier has honored “top caliber women in the Pittsburgh area” through its 50 Women of Excellence Awards. This year’s recipients include legacy winners Alma Speed Fox and Katie Everette Johnson as well as 90.5 WESA General Manager DeAnne Hamilton.
“The contributions of these women are what aids in making Pittsburgh ‘the most livable city,’ “ says Rod Doss, editor and publisher of the New Pittsburgh Courier.
“It’s an incredible honor to be among this fabulous group of women,” Hamilton said, adding that “one of the goals of 90.5 WESA is to create, help and serve the community.”
The winners are leaders in a variety of fields, including communications, education, health care, community service and social service. They were nominated by readers of the New Pittsburgh Courier.
“Yet while each recipient is unique in her profession, they all share a common goal, a diligent commitment to using their talents and services for the betterment of our community,” Doss says.
The legacy award winners have long served the Pittsburgh community. Alma Speed Fox is a civil rights and women’s rights leader and a board member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the NAACP for 50 years.
Through the years, Katie Everette Johnson has fought for desegregation and workers’ rights during her time at the Urban League of Pittsburgh and the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Johnson told the newspaper, “Fighting for civil rights is something I’ve done my whole life. You just do it.”
Doss said all the winners continue to make a lasting impact “and serve as models for future leaders to emulate for years to come.”
