Honorees of CCFWG’s Champions of Change Breakfast Shatter the Glass Ceiling

The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls recently hosted its first annual Champions of Change Breakfast at The Farmhouse Bistro at People’s Light in Malvern.

The event honored Patricia B. Miller and Fox Rothschild LLP for their breakthroughs in shattering the glass ceiling.

“We are recognizing those who hold their sledgehammers high and are not afraid to swing away,” said Cate Sennett, CCFWG Board Member. “Every effort and act – from mentoring a young female professional to hiring a woman in an executive position – creates a crack that brings us closer to making it rain glass.”

Stephanie Nolan Deviney, a partner at Fox Rothschild, accepted the Corporate Champion of Change Award on behalf of the firm’s Exton office. She spoke about the importance of company culture in setting the tone for future success and achievement of female attorneys.

[uam_ad id=”58459”]

Advertisement

“Fox Rothschild realizes that women are an important part of its business,” she said. “To recruit and retain highly talented women, companies need to care about women in the workplace and implement policies and procedures to address issues of importance to women.

“Companies cannot simply have policies – they must also review those policies, make sure women are taking advantage of them, and ensure they are not treated differently for doing so.”

Miller, President of Nobel Learning Communities, accepted the Gladys Black Woman of Distinction Award for her longstanding dedication to the advancement of women in professional and leadership roles.

Miller shared childhood memories with the audience, harkening back to her courage and belief at a young age that girls could do anything. That solid foundation inspired her to continue to achieve throughout her career, while remembering to mentor and elevate fellow women along the way.

“I do what I do so that young women don’t have to go through what many women my age went through years ago,” she said. “I am proud to mentor and support the incredible rising women leaders I work with every day.”

Michelle Legaspi Sánchez, the CCFWG’s Executive Director, discussed the CCFWG’s 2016 Blueprint Report, which notes that in Chester County, the gender wage gap is 73 percent – women make 73 cents to every dollar a man makes.

“As women are a growing economic force, our economic impact would be greater if earnings were more equitable – it would benefit the whole community,” she said. “CCFWG is raising these issues, but we are also raising up Patricia Miller and Fox Rothschild as leaders who are responding. We applaud their efforts as Champions of Change who are bold, intentional, and serious about advancing women and gender equity.

“Because of their leadership, Chester County women have more opportunities to move forward.”

[uam_ad id=”71915″]