The Commission for Women will present Georgina Hickey and Sister Mary Ellen Howard with Susan B. Anthony Campus and Community Awards during the organization’s annual dinner on April 12.
The event also will feature keynote speaker Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Al-Mughairy, who broke ground in 2005 when she became the first Arab woman ambassador to serve in the United States representing the country of Oman. Al-Mughairy is one of only 25 women who are representing their countries in Washington, D.C.
Hickey, chair and associate professor of history, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences and Letters, is well known for her tireless advocacy for women in her research, teaching, and service. She has led several programs that specifically enhance the quality of life and learning for women students. Since 2009 she has been faculty director of the Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL). Hickey provided leadership to the Women and Gender Studies program, served on the Agenda for Women, and the Civic Engagement Project. She has produced outstanding feminist research that helped her earn the Women and Gender Studies Outstanding Research Award in 2009.
Sister Mary Ellen Howard is being recognized for her efforts to improve access to quality healthcare for uninsured men, women and children in the Detroit area, and for her strong voice in the community representing the needs of the uninsured. For the past 16 years, Howard has served as executive director of the St. Francis Cabrini Clinic of Most Holy Trinity Church. There she has led the charge to build a new clinic facility and expand clinic services. The Cabrini Clinic is the oldest free medical clinic in the nation and the largest free clinic in Michigan.
The Susan B. Anthony Campus and Community Awards are presented each year to recognize individuals whose lives and deeds exemplify the dedication, fortitude, political agitation and involvement of Anthony on behalf of women.
