At our March 9 virtual meeting, the Zonta Club of Joliet surprised keynote speaker, Denise Winfrey, with our 2021 Woman of Distinction Award. Each year, our club honors a community member who actively works to support and improve the status of women and girls and/or has a history of leadership and success in a non-traditional role as a woman.
“We celebrate Denise Winfrey for her inspired leadership locally, statewide and nationally,” said President Helen Ross. “She's committed to protecting the rights of girls and women to have better access to safety, education and healthcare. She exemplifies the kind of role model that every girl or woman should want to emulate in their professional life.”
Ms. Winfrey is currently a Will County Board Member for District 8, and a commissioner of the Forest Preserve. She was most recently the first woman and first person of color to be Will County Executive. She was appointed to that position to fill a vacancy caused by the passing of the previous County Executive. In that role, she was responsible for representing the interests and positions of the board to other local, State and Federal legislatures and agencies. Prior to that, she was Speaker of the Will County Board, the first woman to do so.
We are so proud of Denise's commitment to the Joliet community.