Columbus Business First held its inaugural Women of Influence Awards reception at the Westin Great Southern Hotel in Columbus this week. The reception celebrated 27 Central Ohio businesswomen who are having an impact on their organizations, bettering the community by giving back and helping foster the next generation of leaders by acting as advisers and mentors.

Bath & Body Works CEO Gina Boswell served as keynote speaker at the sold-out event and participated in an interview hosted by Columbus Business First Assistant Managing Editor Eleanor Kennedy. During her talk, Boswell highlighted her more than 30 years of experience in the personal care industry and offered advice to other women leaders seeking to take the next step in their careers.

See the full list of the 27 honorees below and get more information about this year’s inaugural Women of Influence Awards here.

Businesswoman of the year

• Karen Jefferson Morrison, president, OhioHealth Foundation; senior vice president, OhioHealth

Community champion

• Amy Albery, CEO, Wallick Communities
• Corrine Burger, managing director, JPMorgan Chase
• Darci Congrove, managing director, GBQ
• Natalie Pantalos, director of external relations and community affairs, Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Entrepreneur

• Bhakti Bania, CEO, BBCO
• Sheri Chaney Jones, founder and president, Measurement Resources Company; founder and CEO, SureImpact Inc.
• Merry Korn, CEO, Pearl Interactive Network Inc.
• Catherine Lang-Cline, president and co-creator, Portfolio Creative

Mentor

• Lisa Banks, director, ECDI Women's Business Center of Central Ohio
• Nichole Dunn, CEO, Flying Horse Farms
• Emily Foote, area manager, Bechtel Corp.
• Rachel Kleit, associate dean of faculty affairs, College of Engineering / Professor of City and Regional Planning, Knowlton School of Architecture, Ohio State University

Nonprofit leader

• Rebecca Butler, executive vice president, Columbus State Community College
• Lisa Courtice, CEO, United Way of Central Ohio
• Rachel Finney, CEO, Columbus Humane
• Kari Jones, CEO, Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio
• Lark Mallory, CEO, Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County
• Tammy Wharton, CEO, Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland

Trailblazer

• Lori Bongiorno, managing principal, studio lead – mixed use, MA Design
• Michelle Crandall, city manager, city of Hilliard
• Lindsay Karas Stencel, partner, Thompson Hine LLP
• Vinita Mehra, director and leader, Global Business Practice, Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter
• Sarah Perez, firm managing partner, Perez Morris LLC
• Christina Perry, senior vice president of finance and investor relations, Forge Biologics
• Jo Ann Quinif, chief client officer, Diamond Hill

Rising star

• Amanda Reed, senior consultant, Centric Consulting

Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works

Home of America’s Favorite Fragrances®, Bath & Body Works is a global leader in personal care and home fragrance, including top-selling collections for fine fragrance mist, body lotion and body cream, 3-wick candles, home fragrance diffusers and liquid hand soap. Powered by agility and innovation, the company’s predominantly U.S.-based supply chain enables it to deliver quality, on-trend luxuries at affordable prices. Bath & Body Works serves and delights customers however and wherever they want to shop, from welcoming, in-store experiences at more than 1,890 company-operated Bath & Body Works locations in the U.S. and Canada, more than 525 international franchised locations and an online storefront at bathandbodyworks.com.

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