The Princeton YWCA is putting a fitting exclamation point on Women’s History Month with its annual Tribute to Women Awards on Friday, March 31.
Since its establishment in 1984 the more than 600 women and allies have been honored for their accomplishments.
“The Awards place emphasis on celebrating professionals, volunteers, and activists who demonstrate commitment to promoting equity, supporting underserved or marginalized communities,” YWCA publicity materials say. “Its purpose is to highlight the impact and contributions of those advancing the YWCA mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, as well as the various ways the mission can be embodied.”
The 2023 celebration will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Carnegie Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. Register online at www.ywcaprinceton.org. Cost: $195.
This year’s honorees are:
Lynne Azarchi advocates for improving the lives of at-risk youth in communities across New Jersey. She is the founder and executive director of Kidsbridge, which focuses on creating an immersive learning experience for kids, teachers, and community leaders. She is also the author of “The Empathy Advantage: Coaching Children to be Kind, Respectful and Successful.”
Rebecca Boswell, Ph.D., is the supervising psychologist at Penn Medicine Princeton’s Center for Eating Disorders. Their mission is to offer care that includes and values patients from all backgrounds, cultures, socioeconomic groups, and people of all body shapes and sizes. She works to combat body shaming and weight stigma, and to educate professionals and individuals from the lay community about the true nature of eating disorders.
Retired Justice Jaynee LaVecchia was the fourth woman to be named to New Jersey’s highest court. Justice LaVecchia was the longest-serving woman, authoring hundreds of opinions on critical issues impacting all of New Jersey’s citizens and businesses before her retirement in 2021. She is currently a partner at McCarter & English.
Madeline Lightman has been volunteering her time and resources to both YWCA Princeton’s Breast Cancer Resource Center and Homefront for the past 12 years.
Mitch Livingston, CEO of NJM Insurance Group, is receiving a Male Ally Award. He joined NJM in 2006 and has served as the company’s president and CEO since 2018. Under his leadership, NJM has increased the number of women on both its board of directors and executive leadership team. Livingston appointed the first woman to the executive leadership team in the company’s history and has supported promoting women to other senior positions at NJM.
Sheria McRae is a passionate educator who works to help others find the original intent for their lives and serve that purpose for the greater good. She emphasizes equity, empowerment, freedom, and dignity in her role as CEO at Foundation Academies in Trenton.
Marissa Muoio, Ed.D., has served as head of Upper School at Stuart Country Day School since 2020. In July, 2022, Muoio was named the director of the National Center for Girls Leadership at Stuart and oversees the leadership curriculum from pre-K through 12th grade.
Carlo Vitale, owner of Vitale Inspection Services and Happy Smiles Foundation, is receiving a Male Ally Award. For the past 12 years he has served the community performing comprehensive home inspections for potential home buyers. He has also been giving back to our community through his Happy Smiles Foundation, which was started in memory of a dear friend he lost.
