Over 65 years of Honoring Charlotte Woman Leaders
Our Mission
The mission of the Charlotte Woman of the Year (CWOY) is to annually recognize and celebrate a woman who has demonstrated exemplary civic leadership and exceptional service, which has had a lasting impact on the quality of life in our city. Since 1955, the Charlotte Woman of the Year honorees have been catalysts for change and positive progress, benefiting the well-being of the Charlotte community. Their ongoing legacy of civic service ensures a brighter future for all.
Our History
The Charlotte Woman of the Year award honors exceptional service and exemplary civic leadership to the Charlotte Mecklenburg community. The award has been given annually for over 65 years, recognizing a woman who has made a significant civic impact.
In 1955, WBT Radio sponsored the first Charlotte Woman of the Year (CWOY) award. The honoree was Martha W. Evans. Mrs. Evans was the first woman elected to the Charlotte City Council and was an advocate for universal kindergarten and the licensing of daycare centers.
When the sponsorship from WBT ended in 1991, the group of former honorees chose to continue the award. They designed a nomination process and each year, the nomination packet is shared with a diverse list of non-profits and businesses in Charlotte, requesting nominations for the award.
Over the years, CWOY has partnered with a variety of organizations to present panels and programs focused on civic leadership and shine a light on how women in this community are engaged. Partners have included the Levine Museum of the New South, The Lee Institute and the Foundation for the Carolinas. Programs have been presented during Women’s History Month – with the Levine Museum of the New South, and Roundtables for Emerging Leaders were conducted with The Lee Institute, bringing together past CWOY Honorees and young female leaders interested in connecting with established female leaders to understand the history of women’s leadership, with a focus on dialogue to encourage civic engagement for current needs and the future.
Martha W. Evans receiving the first Charlotte Woman of the Year in 1955.
Patsy Kinsey, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 2013; Valecia McDowell, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 2019; Susan Patterson, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 2015; Darrel Williams, former Mecklenburg County Commissioner
Carol Hardison, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 2008; Kathy Izard, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 2022; Mary Lou Babb, Charlotte Woman of the Year – 1995
2023 Charlotte Woman of the Year Honorees
The 2023 Charlotte Woman of Year award is being given to two women leading affordable housing solutions: Laura Belcher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region and Dionne Nelson, president and CEO of Laurel Street.
Laura Belcher
Dionne Nelson
Charlotte Woman of the Year Honorees
1979 Dr. Mary Thomas Burke*,
Betty Chafin Rash
1980 Harriet Cuthbertson*
1981 Freda Nicholson
1982 Louise Brennan*
1983 Dolly Tate*
1984 Susan Green
1985 Caroline Myers
1986 Carrie Winter*
1987 Deborah Harris
1988 Cynthia Marshall, Sally Robinson
1989 Carla DuPuy
1990 Susan Hancock Sewell
1991 Dr. Ruth G. Shaw
1992 Sarah Stevenson*
1993 Martha B. Alexander
1994 Sis Atlass Kaplan
1995 Mary Lou Babb, Thereasea Elder*
1996 Judy Rose
1997 Cyndee Patterson, Marcia Simon
1998 Sharon Decker, Shirley Fulton*, Gloria Pace King, Velva Woollen
1999 Dianne English
2000 Jill Flynn
1955 Martha Evans*
1956 Dr. Bonnie Cone*
1957 Louise Watkins*
1958 Helen Hunter*
1959 Beatrice Wallas*
1960 Dr. Elizabeth Corkey*
1961 Gladys Tillet*
1962 May Lebby Rogers*
1963 Lurlene Barnhardt*
1964 Ruth Easterling*
1965 Charlotte Kelly*
1966 Ruth Wanzer*
1967 Tempe Franklin*
1968 Charlotte Watkins*
1969 Dr. Jonnie McLeod*
1970 Edyth Winningham*
1971 Jacqueline Hairston
1972 Sarah Bryant*
1973 Julia Mauldin*
1974 Maggie Ray
1975 Elisabeth Hair*
1976 Kathleen Crosby*
1977 Ann Davis Thomas*
1978 Elizabeth Randolph*
2001 Claire Tate
2002 Emily Zimmern
2003 Vi Alexander Lyles
2004 Molly Barker
2005 Patty Norman
2006 Cathy Bessant
2007 Peggy Culbertson, Joan Zimmerman
2008 Carol Hardison
2009 Pat Rodgers
2010 Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown*
2011 Rabbi Judy Schindler
2012 Ann Clark, Anna Spangler Nelson
2013 Patsy Kinsey
2014 Jane McIntyre
2015 Jill Dinwiddie*, Susan Patterson
2016 Dr. Joan Lorden
2017 Dr. Pamela Davies
2018 Octavia Seawell
2019 Valecia McDowell
2020 Tanya Stewart Blackmon
2021 Linda Lockman-Brooks
2022 Kathy Izard
2023 Laura Belcher, Dionne Nelson
*deceased
