Since 2007, your Chamber and the Ford Motor Company have carried on the annual tradition of honoring women business leaders who are working, inspiring, and thriving in San Antonio. After the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribute to Women Business Leaders Awards came back roaring louder than ever, with six women joining the ranks of the most esteemed and illustrious ladies our city's business community has to offer.
The six honorees of Tribute 2021 are:
- Hope Andrade, Former Texas Secretary of State, Founder and CEO of GO RIO River Cruises, and the current Chair of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. (Legacy Award)
- Elaine Mendoza, Founder, President, and CEO of Conceptual Mindworks Inc. and member of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. (Brenda Vickrey Johnson Award for Small Business)
- Corinna Holt Richter, President and Chief Administrative Officer of HOLT CAT. (Promise Award)
- Harriet Dominique, Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Corporate Responsibility Officer for USAA. (Hope Award for Community Support)
- Deborah Morrill, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chief Development Officer for UT Health San Antonio (Hope Award for Development and Healthcare Advocacy)
- Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, President of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. (Executive Award for Large Business)
The honorees, along with their guests, colleagues, and fellow Chamber members, arrived at the Witte Museum's Mays Family Center Monday, November 15, for the long-awaited luncheon recognizing their achievement and celebrating the work and influence their careers have had on the Alamo City. Sociable excitement permeated through the room, as attendees took their seats and the program began.
One by one, esteemed members of the community, including Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System John Sharp, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Bexar County First Lady Tracy Wolff, President and CEO of the CE Group Janet Holliday, Vice President Community Investment and Engagement at Valero Laura Vaccaro, and CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams, introduced the honorees. Each honoree was accompanied by a video of their story, with testimony from their colleagues and friends. Some honorees danced to the stage as they were introduced. Others simply smiled and waved.
After all six honorees accepted their glass medallion awards and spoke to the crowd about what the occasion meant to them and their stories, Tribute Chair Mary Rose Brown, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of NuStar Energy, led the room in a collective final recognition of Tribute's guests of honor, as Chamber staff handed the six women gift baskets courtesy of Whataburger and beautiful floral bouquets courtesy of HEB.
Despite the event's conclusion, the spirit of Tribute continues every day at the Chamber, where supporting, fostering, and promoting talented, driven women in business is a priority and a passion. The six honorees come from a variety of backgrounds, but they all share two major similarities: Their work helps make San Antonio a better place and they inspire the people around them to do the same.
We are grateful and appreciative to our sponsors, attendees, and of course, our honorees for making this year's Tribute worth the wait.
To view photos from this event,
click here.
