e e 14th year of the Halls induction and we have 56 women to take that have been honored for exceptional contributions tonight we are happy to say we have two inductees and I promise
you that you will be inspired by their stories let me introduce our distinguished MC Donna Bennett holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communications from the University of Delaware she
currently serves as the president CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem counties Donna began her journey with big brothers and big sisters in 1988 when she became a big sister to Jennifer then in
1992 she went from advocating for one little sister to advocating for all of the youth enrolled in the program during her tenure the agency has had significant growth expansion and
recognition in local state and National levels tonight's MC Curr serves as the treasur for the brothers and big sisters State Association Ste committee for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America small
and mid agency Alliance bylaws committee chair for the Cumberland County Human Services advisory Council and member of impact 100 South Jersey she's a founding advisory member of the Cumberland County
leadership program and in the past Donna has served as president of the vinin rotary club chair for the Cumberland County Commission of abused and missing children chair for
fam care and board member for Gateway Community Action Partnership Donna herself was inducted into the Cumberland County Women's Hall of Fame in 2014 she's had a number of previous Awards which include the Liberty belt
award from the Cumberland County Bar Association CEO of the Year award from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America South jerseyan of the Year award from ruter Senator Walter Rand Institute
for public affairs and the New Jersey state Governor's Jefferson award ladies and Gentlemen please welcome our MC Donna Bennett oh my gosh I just hate to hear bios of
myself as I'm sure other people do too good evening everyone and thank you for coming can everyone hear okay okay it's such an honor to be here for the 14th annual induction ceremony of Cumberland County Women's Hall of Fame celebration we are recognizing women
that facilitate making a positive difference in our County I would like to thank shelle Snyder and the board for asking me to do this this year and it truly is an honor to not only be here tonight as the MC but also as a past
recipient I wear this metal with pride let's see so Amy and Jean you'll get yours tonight it's very appropriate that we celebrate the accomplishments of two wonderful women tonight during the month of March because it's National Women's
history month did you know that National Women's History Month began at National Women's history week in 1978 it wasn't until 19887 that it became known as National Women's history month and since
1995 each president has issued an annual Proclamation designating the month of March as women's history month and also each year National Women's history Alliance selects a theme and this year's theme is moving forward together women
educating and inspiring generations and both of our recipients have been doing that for many years tonight we are here to acknowledge these two women and they're living up to this theme their shaping have shaped and enhanced Cumberland County's past present and and
future their Vision resilience and achievements have paved the way for advancing education and history in our County surely these innovators have left Everlasting marks throughout our County congratulations to our honores and your
commitment to making a difference will continue and have everlasting impact now we'll start to recognize the individuals and let me Begin by first introducing and um our first inductee
which is Amy manso Amy mansu is a trailblazer in healthcare leadership public service and advocacy with nearly three decades of transformative contributions to New Jerseys Healthcare landscape a proud
graduate of the University of Alabama Amy holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in social welfare her academic background laid the foundation for a career that blends policy expertise with compassionate service always prioritizing the well-being of
individuals and communities Amy was appointed president and CEO of inspir Health in August of 2020 what an interesting time prior to joining inp Health Amy served as Executive Vice President and chief experienced officer at RWJ
Barnabas Health she also served as CEO of Children's Specialized Hospital where she positioned the hospital as a national leader in pediatric Rehabilitation as president and CEO of inspir Health she has successfully led the drive to create a healthier
Cumberland County and we thank you expanding the behavioral health program launching the violence Intervention Program fighting for an increase in Medicaid funding investing in EDS and meds Carter from Gloucester County to Cumberland County and
overseeing elective PCI implementation were just some of her involvements in shaping cumland County Health most notably remarkable under Amy's leadership the community health work program was launched in the city of mville which directly benefits
Cumberland County Community this program helps the community navigate the Health Care System more effectively and efficiently provide additional support for new parents overcome negative social drivers build trust in the Health Care
system and link to relevant programs or resources that better serve the needs of women Amy's dedication to healthc care has earned her numerous accolades and her influence even extends Beyond healthc care institutions Amy has served as board
chair for both the New Jersey Hospital Association and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce as a role model for women across New Jersey she exemplifies Integrity resilience and the ability to drive meaningful change her Legacy
continues to inspire as she she builds systems and programs that enhance the lives and strengthens communities please welcome Amy B mansu thank you all so much and Donna thank you for that very kind introduction um that I'm sure my mother
from Heaven uh added a couple of words there or more um it is truly tumbling to be before you tonight as an inductee of the Cumberland County Women's Hall of Fame I want to express my deepest gratitude to Shel Schneider president to the members of
the Cumberland County Women's Hall of Fame committee for all of you who participated in the selection committee for this tremendous honor I also just want to give a shout out to the elected officials who are here tonight who give so much to our community and asks a little back mayor Kelly commissioner La
director sarrow I know that you um every single day advocate for us work with us and we are just so very grateful for that partnership we have to be included in this tremendous group of um women both past and present as well as my fellow
honorary jeene is just something that is um beyond words Jean I just want to congratulate you on your service it has been a lifetime of service both as an educator as well as a businesswoman on behalf of the children's lives that you
have touched thank you for the selfless service and advocacy to create a learning environment where they would flourish it is an honor to share this evening with you I also want to congratulate the women who will be receiving scholarships um to continue
their education tonight we know education creates the opportunities for new doors to open when they when you will have a chance to explore new ideas and most importantly to develop critical SK thinking skills that will serve you well for the rest of your lives now I
feel like I just have to take a moment um I have many of my board members here and lots of folks from Inspira and I just want to make sure yes thank you but I just want to make sure you know if you watch all these pictures you don't think I don't do any work so I'm really worried that you all are worried about the work that's going on but um the
reason I'm here tonight is because I have the privilege to be the face of the 7,800 employees as on who are part of the inspir family and the work that they do every single day see it's because of the compassion and the quality of care
that they deliver that we are able to to be part of this community 78% of the people who work in inp are women we call that a pink collar organization by the way but that's not the important part of the
story the important part of the story is that seven of our 13 senior leaders are women see it's important to make sure you can see yourself in the leadership of the organization it is not enough to say you're supportive but you actually
have to walk the walk as I look at this audience and I reviewed the many women who have been honored previously what I see is a history of dedication you are the individuals that have given your time and effort whether it's been to the Y or whether it's been
at the county at CCT Tech or whether it's been um in all of the Maurice River organization or whatever it is it is you that have stepped forward it's those same names I see over and over again and I also have to say it's the same men that are supporting the women to make
sure that we're able to do all the work we do and I just want to say thank you um and recognize all of your efforts because it's only because you did that work early on that somebody like me can stand here as the CEO of inspir health so I want to thank all of you for that thank
you so a few of my own thank yous tonight um I want to acknowledge Betsy Ryan who is our Network board chair Don flitcraft who is the hospital board chair G Gary Galloway as you know who's the foundation board chair of andp all who have been here tonight and I just want to recognize the tremendous leaders
that that are here tonight um all of whom I have the opportunity every single day um to stand side by side but as importantly to make sure that we're pushing ourselves are we indeed delivering the highest quality care we can deliver and most importantly are that we doing that with the tremendous
compassion see it's always about the needs of our community our mission is to provide a safe and compassionate experience that improves the health and well-being of our community by placing the safety of our patients and the support of our employees at the center
of all we do and we do that through the work not only within the hospital walls but outside those Hospital walls and I want to just talk about two programs tonight you heard Donna mention one of them um what she didn't share with you is that community worker program has happened because of the tremendous
generosity of Peter and Jane galletto they helped us launch that program in v milville and it isn't just about doing that um the organization of their Healthcare needs it's about linking with our community partners with Gateway with Complete Care with our County homeless
shelter all of which trying to make sure we understand that you cannot talk to somebody about managing their diabetes if they don't have food water and shelter and so you have to start where they are and sometimes that means that we all have to be together every single
day looking out for them looking out for each other and most importantly making sure all boats rise and that is what is the key to a successful community I also want to talk about the the just the tremendous um compassion and
expertise of our staff see during covid um we were seeing obviously lots of everything you could possibly imagine but we were also seeing a tremendous increase in the number of people coming to our behavioral health programs an inpatient program being admitted where
people had never been diagnosed before but clearly we on the autism spectrum two of our staff members were so so passionate about making sure that those individuals got the care they needed and were diagnosed early they went back to school during covid they got their certifications they now are able to make
those diagnosis and because of the tremendous team of Robin Walton and B Donahue we were able to get funding from the state to set up an Autism diagnosis diagnosis program in Woodbury and in Bridgeton and you know who our largest referral is to that program the school districts because they knows there's
something wrong with those kids and they want to get them um the help that they need and I think that's another example of how we make sure we Leverage The expertise of what's within our walls to be able to support outside and so I just share those with you as two minor
examples of the tremendous work we do lastly I just want to acknowledge this is not about me this is about all of you who have opened the doors before me but mostly about my parents and the tremendous love that they have shown me they were both Educators like Jean and
they made sure every every day that their little girl knew she could do anything she wanted and I have and I am blessed by that and I thank you for this tremendous honor
[Applause] congratulations Amy thank you for all that you do for
Cumberland County and the families that you're helping um my mom is currently home with dementia so Amy I understand what you've been going through I was at one of the U Alzheimer events when you
were there and talking about your mom so okay now it's time to talk about our next inducting Jean scaran so Jean pursued higher education with Vigor earning both a ba in
education and an AB in business foundational steps in her lifelong mission to support whole Child Development for the children of Cumberland County as a teacher at Fairfield Elementary School Jean experienced firsthand the challenges of
balancing a career with raising her own children this inspired her to dream of opening a nurturing educational preschool environment where working parents could confidently entrust their children in a remarkable display of vision and determination Jean
transformed the attached garages of her home in certon into certon Country Day School a monu inspired preschool she meticulously designed the space for fost to Foster creativity confidence and
social responsibility incorporating child-size furniture and sensory stimulating materials her school became a Haven for high quality Early Education emphasizing a safe supportive and engaging
environment for children Jean's dedication to learning extended to herself she earned a master's degree in education from Glassboro State College now Rowan University her preschool quickly flourished partnering with bridon public schools to incorporate
Abbott three-year-old classrooms and collaborating with local Head Start programs for private students eventually the school found a permanent home on Route 77 and was renamed Upper Deerfield preschool Beyond her work with young
children Jean sought to help her fellow Educators she opened the Village School teacher Center in Dutch neck Village in Hopewell Township providing much needed and readily available teaching supplies and resources for teachers across the
area until the mid 2000s Jean was known as a mentor Advocate and leader and her positivity and encouragement left an indelible mark on her staff and students helping them developing and thriving academically self-described as
semi-retired we know what that means people that are retired they're busier than ever she continues to visit the school daily supporting students and staff with the same energy and dedication she has exhibited throughout her career
I'd like to please ask Jean to come forward and accept her award and [Applause] oh thank you Amy that was wonderful and I have to follow you
so I have a few words to say congratulations Amy you are a very hard worker and dedicated uh I'd also like to thank uh sh and and Keith for helping with this and the and the board of
directors well welcome to the annual Cumberland County wom's Hall of Fame and the hardworking committee I didn't mention all your names but I know there are many people that work very hard to make this a success every year and to select women for their individual
accomplishments and it's very nice to be appreciated I was very humble when they announced that I would be one of the recipients uh as I stand before you this evening I want to reflect on my growing up because my family had a lot to do
with my goals and working hard I grew up in an Italian American family in a farm in Rosen Hane New Jersey and uh our motto was early to bed and early to rise because it on a farm that's what you do
and it shaped my desire to be successful in the future uh while in high school I was taking business classes because I didn't think that I would be able to go to college but then my parents told me if you want to go to college we're willing to uh
send you to school and I applied and was accepted at American University in Washington DC so I graduated in four years with a double major and living in the nation's capital was eye openening it was like a different world compared
to South Jersey uh the students I went to school with didn't even know where South Jersey was they knew North Jersey and the ter pipe but they didn't know South Jersey um I gradu I graduated in 1964
and started my career as a fifth grade teacher in Deerfield Township school and I worked there for a few years uh until I received my master's degree from then glasg State College and Along Came my first
child and then it was juggling work with a a a new child after researching my options for child care I decided to open my own license preschool I decided I didn't want to do babysitting and in
those days it was called Nursery School that was a different terminology they don't even used today and the certificate was a nursery certificate well at the time while teaching fifth grade I had a k to8 Elementary certificate so I could teach any of the
grade levels but I decided to open open the nursery school and call it a preschool I was very uh insured that I would going to change the terminology in the world uh with enthusiasm and a desire to
succeed I named the school sardan Country Day School and on the sign I put up big bird because Sesame Street was in at the children and families called at the Big Bird school and over the next
few years I opened second location in Upper Deerfield Township uh starting '90s I started teaching at R University and and Cumberland County College so between the
two I taught adun class and I also had student teachers who I would visit at their locations and as well as teaching at the college I'm very proud of all the young Educators I have worked with in my Center and in the public school and the
dedicated staff who build strong teach teams to keep up with Changing Times lots of new regulations training programs new curriculum that come around constantly and working with the many interesting and wonderful families in
the area uh I would like to thank my great staff for all their hard work and support every day especially Kelly Pierce who's here tonight and Sue everingham who have been running my Center they operate and direct the
center daily there are a lot of people that make a team work my wonderful family has always been there for me my husband Albert of 60 years my daughter's Gia who is filling my shoes as executive
director my daughter Maria who works with adult education programs in Pennsylvania and my son Albert who went to culinary SCH as the chef at the preschool serving breakfast and lunch to our students and I wish I could name every
one of my friends who is here tonight they're all wonderful supported people and a special thanks for everyone that came tonight friends family to join in the celebration of the Cumberland County Women's Hall of Fame thank you
this is okay great okay congratulations Jean Jean was Jean was just mentioning that one of her first students was my little sister in the Big Brother Big Sister program and um I met my little sister in
1988 and now I've become Aunt Donna I've um the next generation is even coming I've um tapped out my niece from the Army um I officiated my other niece's wedding and I was volunteering
for one year and uh it's been a lifelong experience so what a great night tonight I really thank everyone for C coming you know on behalf on Shelly uh on behalf of shelle and the board thank you so much and if we could just have all the past
inductees please stand with our two new ones we just I I think we ju we just needed to see you all we just needed to see you all standing at the same time if we were to take all of that power and work that
this group of women has done it's just so lifechanging and and such a wonderful um just drop in the bucket actually because there's so many other people in this room that have been doing the same thing so congratulations to everyone and
just keep up the good work and um it's been my pleasure to be here and I know Shelly doesn't want me to say this but um before I turn the program back over to Shelly um we know she's a planner
right everything is like tight and uh she asked me to be the MC a year ago and you know we went back and forth a couple times with phone calls and then I eventually said yes cuz how do you say no and um I'm so glad that I did and I
hear that the board is currently reviewing what their plan is for next year and uh so if you happen to get a phone call from Shelly tomorrow or the next couple weeks you can anticipate where that conversation is going so uh again thank
you for everything tonight and what a great night thanks everyone thank you on behalf of the board of directors thank you at this time uh I'd like to give a special thank you to arery Ingram from
photoi for the candid pictures this evening Ryan steinbron and the CCT Tech studio production and broadcasting students for the slide show during dinner Quinn broadcasting for taping
this event and a special thank you to Tommy morigi and the seavo Inn staff for hosting this event for the Del ious food and the wonderful service Allison trevell from sers Speedy for her expertise and patience with your
booklets of course the Hall of Fame board members for another successful Galla and a special thank you to Donna Bennett for mcing this event and to you our attendees for creating a lasting memory for these
remarkable women we appreciate your supporting the celebration and also for the amazing women during National Women's month as we conclude the program I'd like to reiterate a final congratulations to Amy mansu and Jean
scanny both remarkable women honored here tonight as the 2025 cumland County Women's Hall of Fame inductees your induction is a testament to your unending Legacy and enduring Legacy you
are truly an inspiration and we are so proud of you one last thing the flowers at the table are for the inductee if you're sitting at that table including the vase if there is no inductee the person whose
birthday is closest to to to today but has not yet occurred please take them with you how have a wonderful evening thank you for all of your support safe [Applause]
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