Meet This Year’s <em>Live Your Dream Awards</em> Judges
Each year, Soroptimist provides more than $2.8 million to over 1,800 women all over the world through our Live Your Dream Awards. These awards provide women who are the main wage earners for their families with the resources to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education—such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.
Many of the women who apply and become recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking and sexual assault. ALL the women have overcome obstacles with the dream of securing a better life for themselves and their families with the power of education.
It is never easy selecting the women who receive the top-level awards. This year’s recipients will be announced in the coming weeks once all have been notified. For now, we wish to thank the following women who had the difficult task of selecting the three finalists out of many courageous, inspiring and deserving applicants.
Shanna Barnes
“Thanks for the opportunity to support the great work of Soroptimist. I am happy to know that each of these candidates have been awarded in the past as they are all deserving.”
Shanna Barnes, MHA, is vice president with the Office of Transformation for AmerisourceBergen, an American drug wholesale company that delivers solutions that power patient care for pharmacies, physician practices, hospitals, and health systems. In addition to distribution and logistics, AmerisourceBergen helps pharmaceutical manufacturers bring their products to market—and assist with each step from pre-commercial to broad-market availability.
Over her 11 year tenure with AmerisourceBergen, Shanna has supported business development and client management within patient services and market access consulting. In her current role with the Transformation Office, Shanna provides strategic leadership and insights on innovative opportunities and partnerships to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and growth of AmerisourceBergen.
A passionate advocate for healthcare access and health disparities, Shanna provides community education and support regarding navigating Medicare, public programs and patient assistance programs. Shanna also serves as the chairperson for one of eight employee resource groups, Black Organization for Networking and Development, and is a board member for the Associate Assistance Fund.
Shanna earned her bachelor’s degree from University of North Carolina – Charlotte and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Pfeiffer University. The mother of two young adult sons (Donavon and Harrison), Shanna is actively engaged in her community as a member of The Park Church and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Rho Psi Omega Chapter.
Sabrina Batista
“While an incredibly tough decision as all these candidate truly show resilience through difficult circumstances.”
Sabrina Batista is a passionate marketer with over nine years of experience in beauty and highly proficient in the development of 360 campaigns with a targeted consumer in mind. Currently she is the global integrated marketing manager for Sol de Janeiro where she supports go-to-market strategies for the brand.
Inspired by her Luso-American origins, Sabrina earned her Bachelor of Arts in Portuguese and Spanish Studies with a minor in linguistics from Georgetown University.
Sabrina’s hobbies include travel, cooking and making playlists for every occasion.
Jamie Bui
“All of these women are an inspiration and I wish I could choose all of them. Thank you for all that you do to help women better their lives. ”
Francine Edwards, Ph.D.
“Soroptimist has a rich history of giving where it is needed and providing women and girls with the lift needed to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.”
Prior to being elevated to the role of deputy chief administrative officer, Francine served as the founding dean of the College of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, managing a multimillion dollar operating budget, five academic departments and a lab school and innovation center.
Francine has over a dozen leadership, organizational development and scholarly publications and has presented research for AEJMC, the National Communications Association, and the International Organization of Social Science and Behavioral Research.
With over 20 years of experience in organizational development, Francine performs needs assessment in order to assist with the development of training policies and programs, helps organizations to pivot, engage in ideation, and leverage performance and efficiency. Francine has worked with Baltimore City Community College, Delaware State University, Ethiopian Airlines, CPCU, The City of Alexandria Fire Department, Howard University Hospital, Connection Community Church, UTC, Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc., and District of Columbia Police Department.
Prior to entering the academic area, Francine worked for the District of Columbia Department of Health, as a lead public information officer where she launched several city-wide heath campaigns including an asthma partnership with the Washington Mystics, HIVAIDS awareness, and community-based prostate cancer awareness.
Francine received a B.A. in communications from James Madison University, a master’s in strategic communications from Bowie State University and a Ph.D. in organizational communications from Howard University and has been certified by the Harvard Women in Leadership Certificate Program. Francine has given two TEDx talks on race and ethical digital content creation.
Toyin Graham
Toyin Graham is a skilled marketing and communications professional with over eight years of experience working with fashion, lifestyle and beauty companies. Currently, she serves as the director of public relations and influencer marketing at Sol de Janeiro, an innovative leader in the global prestige body care market.
With a passion for teaching and mentorship, Toyin has guest lectured at Loyola Marymount University and has frequently worked with Step Up, a non-profit organization that works with girls and gender-expansive teens who may be facing systemic barriers to unlock their career potential.
As her interests are deeply rooted in adventure and the arts, Toyin’s hobbies include travel, surfing, film, dance, and painting. She currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Annette Turlington
“This was so tough to do. All of these applicants have compelling stories.”
Annette Turlington of New Castle, Del., is a seasoned professional who has worked in operations management with an area of specialty in customer experience/customer service, educational assessments and association management. She has experience working for organizations with a global customer base; has led global teams and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She currently serves as director of customer operations at the National Board of Medical Examiners for the last five years.
Annette holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Delaware and a bachelor’s in political science from Virginia Tech. She is also six sigma green belt certified. In her spare time, Annette enjoys golf, travel, music and collecting artwork.
Shana Williams
Shana Williams is a graduate of The College of William and Mary and holds a degree in government. She spent over 20 years in medical sales and marketing and was an award winning sales professional. In 2017, Shana opened Cecile Boutique, Delaware's premier source for prom and pageant gowns. She believes in mentoring young women to achieve their goals and aspirations and utilizes this philosophy in her professional endeavors. Shana is a former Mrs. Delaware America, Top 40 Under 40, and an avid volunteer for organizations like the March of Dimes and Autism Delaware. Her favorite thing is spending time with her husband of 15 years and their three children (Hunter, Weston, and Harmony). Shana is a proud dog lover and also mommy to two German Shepherds (Stormy Weather and Jet Stream).
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