Building on the premise that the essence of a woman is all about using the light she possesses within to illuminate the paths of those around her, Wichita non-profit Storytime Village, honored their second class of Shine Award recipients.
The 2023 Shine Awards honorees include history-making civic leaders, civil rights advocates, mental health champions, esteemed businesswomen and more. All of these well-accomplished women share the common belief in themselves and a belief in their communities!
The Shine Awards were presented at a luncheon held Wed., March 8 in the Wichita Art Museum’s Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
Kim Doze-Lohmann is the Director of Marketing at Martin Pringle Law firm and is responsible for providing regional marketing support for 40+ attorneys in three offices across two markets. She is the current Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Vice Chair of Leadership.
Carla Eckels is the Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW, where she has been an award-winning announcer and news producer for KMUW since 1996, producing and hosting shows like the gospel & R&B focused Soulsations.
Virdena Gilkey is the Executive Director of the Wichita Bar Association and the Sedgwick County Law Library, Inc. Virdena was employed with the City of Wichita for over 25 years. Virdena is also a licensed Evangelist Missionary in the Church of God in Christ.
Teketa Michelle (Berry) Harding is a Community Development Manager for Capitol Federal. Teketa helps the community by originating affordable housing loans, housing grant programs, and special lending initiatives for low-to-moderate-income persons in underserved neighborhoods.
Mary Beth Jarvis is the Executive Director of NXTUS, Inc., which helps entrepreneurs grow companies of significance. Her previous roles included President and CEO of Wichita Festivals, Inc. She was also a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
Dr. Chela Love is a Family Nurse Practitioner that provides primary care to individuals of all ages. Chela’s goal is to see her patients healthy while taking minimal medications to maintain health. Chela feels that being a medical provider is a ministry and loves serving those in need.
Roseline Onijala is the founder and owner of Roseline’s International Enterprise, a clothing store specializing in African clothing and artifacts since 1996. Roseline dedicates much of her time outside her boutique, supporting community organizations including the Kansas African American Museum.
In 2021, Amber Sellers became the first African American woman ever elected to the Commission in the City of Lawrence. Amber is a Regulation Specialist for the Bureau of Family Health with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Sue Tirukonda is a financial planner at Cordell Wealth Management with more than 13 years’ experience in investments, retirement planning, insurance, and tax planning. She is the past president of the Financial Planning Association of Kansas and the Wichita Estate Planning Council.
Dr. Michelle Vann is the CEO of Vanntastic Solutions, a coaching and speaking company designed to help women gain the skills and confidence to move forward and accomplish their goals. She is also the President and Founder of the non-profit Sistahs Can We Talk. She is a licensed minister of the gospel.
Amy Williams joined Spirit AeroSystems in December 2015 and is currently the Executive Director for Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), and Corporate Culture. Upon starting with Spirit, Amy was responsible for the strategic direction of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) enterprise-wide.
Annika Wooton serves as a National Program Officer with Lead for America – a non-profit working to build the next generation of civic leaders. She served a historic two-year reign during the pandemic as Miss Kansas.
2023 Legacy Honorees – Three generations of Fabulous Brown Women
This multi-generational family of Wichita women is led by matriarch Josephine “Jo” Browns groundbreaking female leader, Jo was the first African American female elected to the Wichita School Board. For decades, she worked with the NAACP and other organizations to fight against segregation.
Sheila Kinard, her daughter Sheila Kinnard retired from teaching Drama after 17 years at Mayberry Cultural Fine Arts Middle School and is a self-described artist of words and song; audiences have enjoyed her talents since 1998 in shows and musicals at the Forum Theatre, Music Theatre of Wichita, and Roxy’s. Sheinelle Jones-Ojeh, who has gained national recognition as the co-host of the 3rd hour of the Today Show. Since joining NBC News in 2014, Sheila’s daughter has covered a variety of breaking news events and interviewed many notable politicians and celebrities.
