Awards

2016 Making A Difference Award Winners

Congratulations Anne Boyer!

Our first award is for the Making a Difference award. This award recognizes professionals who have been members of our organization for 1 to 5 years and who have made significant contributions to the organization.

I’m very happy to announce that this year’s recipient of the 2015-2016 Making a Difference Award is Anne Boyer! Anne was nominated by our current President, Sarah Wangler. I’d like to read her nomination at this time:

Brave. Bright. Professional. In her first year of membership, Anna accepted a Board of Directors position and took on the new role of Mixx and Mingle Coordinator with Verna. In that role, they greeted and welcomed our members, and guests, to every month’s meeting. This new position represents a very important organizational strategy and key role in the organization. Anne is a bright young professional who is so genuine and caring and made a tremendous impact on the Board of Directors and our members this year. Several people nominated Anne for President, which is unheard of for such a young professional and after only 1 year!!! For being her first year of membership, Anne should be highly commended for her outstanding and insightful contributions. She has made a HUGE difference this year and I highly recommend Anne for this award!

Please help me congratulate Anne and welcome her to come forward – and I hope – to say a few words!

2016 FCS Professional of the Year Award Winner

Our next award is for our FCS Professional of the Year! Each year, a member of this organization is honored for her or his leadership in their profession and outstanding service to this organization. They are involved in the community and support this organization in making it stronger/better. This is the highest organizational award a member can receive.

I’m very happy to announce that this year’s recipient of the 2015-2016 FCS Professional of the Year Award is Lois Kemp! Lois was nominated by our Gerry Luepke and I’d like to read her nomination at this time:

I am nominating Lois Kemp for FCS Professional of the Year. I am nominating Lois because she is an active and most supportive member. Lois’s membership spans four decades. Wow!

Lois Kemp has been a long-standing, active contributing member since the mid 1970s, when she came to Minnesota. Prior to her move to the Twin Cities then National HEIB Chair Judy Smeltzer reached out to the TC HEIB group urging us to invite Lois to join HEIB. Judy highly recommended/praised Lois for her professionalism, strong work ethic, knowledge and willingness to give back to her community. Judy told us Lois was a well versed professional and had worked in extension, education, business and the political community. 

Lois has had both elected and appointed board positions. Most recently served on the name-change committee and suggested businesswoman leader Donna Fahs, Chief Operating Officer at Parasole Restaurant Holdings to be a student night panelist. Lois is well connected!

Lois always supports our fund raising efforts bringing unique silent auction items and bidding on others. The one time she could not participate, Lois sent a monetary donation. Lois also assisted with the editing of our Chocolate Lovers Cookbook. 

After a six-decade career encouraging women to be their own person, to pursue their dreams, and to believe in him or herself, she continues to stand firm in her high standards for quality of work and the highest-good achievement of the organizations in which she participates. Lois is active in FCS Professional’s and TCHC. Her critical thinking and powerful observation of details lend to astute suggestions and recommendations. Lois enjoys interacting with and inspiring new/younger members who have said such things as: “Love her spunk and knowledge depth.” Further they have commented that Lois has encouraged them to have passion for their career(s). 

Likewise, Lois always encouraged her daughters Mary and Jana to find a career passion. Daughter Mary says mom would challenge us “to dare to dream big and that we as women can achieve it.”

Lois encouraged a strong sense of community. Of belonging to it and giving back to it. Which is what she did professionally, and in her job at Byerly’s. She imparted knowledge and insights and care for her community of customers. And she has continued to give back as she is able to her professional community, even in retirement.

Dave Jones, Byerly Lund manager states, “Lois was a key player on our team, and central to any success we achieved. I worked with Lois for several years at Byerly’s.”

Lois was the professional face of what we did and who we were. Articulate, incredibly knowledgeable, warm and friendly, and approachable, Lois guided our customers in their shopping and buying decisions for many years. From the simple to the sophisticated, she helped everyone. From the creation of complex and tantalizing recipes, to beautiful and enduring cookbooks, to questions fielded after hours as to the cooking of holiday birds, Lois helped us all, and we all benefitted from the interaction.”

After a multiple-decade career encouraging women to be their own person, to pursue their dreams, and to believe in herself, she continues to stand firm in her high standards for quality of work and the highest-good achievement of the organizations in which she participates.

Please help me congratulate Lois and welcome her to come forward – and, again, I hope – to say a few words!