10th Inspire ceremony celebrates women in leadership

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Inspire Lincoln, 9.18

Wid Salih (right) smiles as she walks through the crowd to accept the Inspire Scholarship during the Inspire Lincoln ceremony Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.




The Inspire — Celebrating Women Leadership Awards marked its 10th anniversary Wednesday by doing something it had never done before.

Colleen Jones, who was honored as the Woman of the Year, was given the award posthumously.







Colleen Jones

Colleen Jones


Jones, an emeritus associate professor of practice in management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, died June 18.

Ava Thomas, president of the Lincoln Journal Star, which presents the awards, said that Inspire Awards in the past have gone to women for lifetime bodies of work, even though one has never been given after someone’s death.







Inspire Lincoln, 9.18

Ava Thomas, president of the Lincoln Journal Star, speaks during the Inspire Lincoln awards ceremony Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.




“From my perspective, it’s often through loss when we feel the full impact of someone’s contributions,” Thomas said. “For Dr. Jones’ contributions to the students of the university, the faculty, the community of Lincoln and beyond, she’s deserving of the award.”

The awards ceremony seeks to celebrate women who positively impact the community. Jones, who had a doctorate in business administration, showed her students how to create a positive impact while teaching at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In one of her classes, she created the Strive to Thrive Project where students awarded $10,000 to local nonprofits while learning about the grant writing process, according to her obituary published by the College of Business. The project continued past her retirement and has given a total of $150,000 to local nonprofits.

She also was president of the Melvin W. Jones Foundation, which she established following her husband’s death.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said Jones had an impact on the lives of many of her students.

“Like all great teachers, Colleen helped her students cultivate academic excellence and leadership skills while providing a really powerful example of what it looks like to give back to the community,” Gaylor Baird said.

In addition to Woman of the Year, the Inspire Awards nominated women in 12 other categories to celebrate their accomplishments, including entrepreneurship, government service, education and women’s athletics, which debuted this year.

Liza Mendoza-House won the Excellence in Entrepreneurship award for her business LP Fitness Transformation Center, which she started three years ago.







Inspire Lincoln, 9.18

Marthaellen Florence accepts the Woman of the Year award for her late friend Dr. Colleen Jones during the Inspire Lincoln ceremony Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.




“Trust me, there’s a lot of imposter syndrome that comes with being an entrepreneur,” Mendoza-House said. “But these past three years I’ve learned something really important. That I’m freaking great at what I do.”

The other women honored Wednesday were:

* Karen Kassebaum, Hudl, Excellence in Business (large business).

* Christine Weeks, Eleanor Creative, Excellence in Business (small/medium business).

* Amanda Woodward, Lincoln Public Schools, Excellence in Education.

* Maggie Stuckey-Ross, Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Excellence in Government Service.

* Dr. Ameeta Bansal Martin, Children’s Hospital & University of Nebraska Medical Center, Excellence in Healthcare.

* Duy Linh Bui, Asian Community and Cultural Center, Excellence in Nonprofit.

* Kathleen Grossman, Down Under Pottery, Excellence in Philanthropy.

* Erynn Butzke, Nebraska Athletics, Excellence in Women’s Athletics.

* Katie Zulkoski and AshLea Allberry, RISE Lincoln, Founders Award.

* Hannah Johnson, Lincoln Formal Dress Store, Young Leaders Award.

* Wid Salih, University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, Inspire Scholarship.

To learn more about the Inspire Awards and the businesses that help sponsor them, go to inspirelincoln.com.

Daily Minute: Nonprofit, LPD to collab on calls; Lincoln Bike Kitchen moves locations; Nelson, Barney making impact early



Reach the writer at [email protected] or 402-473-7391. On Twitter @NealFranklin_9

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