Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England Announces 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Award Honorees

Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England (GSSNE) is thrilled to announce that the 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Awards ceremony and breakfast will be held at the Squantum Association, Inc. on Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 8:00am-9:30am.

The 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Honorees listed below lead by example and exemplify the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place—the women who demonstrate qualities of leadership and excellence in their life. This year’s Honorees are:

• Anita Bruno, CEO/Founder, RI Women in the Trades
• Lisa Guillette, Executive Director, Foster Forward
• Dr. Deb Myers Meilun, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital
• Ayana Melvan, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for Mission Programs, Mystic Aquarium
• Dimetra Nettles, Chief Clinical Laboratory Scientist, State of Rhode Island
• Monsurat Ottun, Cybersecurity Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Lisa Ranglin, President/CEO, Rhode Island Black Business Association
• Amy Walsh, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase

Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England CEO Dana Borrelli-Murray, stated, “We are so excited to celebrate this year’s Leading Women of Distinction. This was the most competitive year for the award, with more than double the number of nominees than ever before! All nominees are incredibly accomplished, diverse leaders that exemplify the Girl Scout mission of courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place. We believe that shining a light on our community leaders will influence our next generation of leaders to make our world a better place.”

Since 2015, the GSSNE Leading Women of Distinction Honorees have been a direct reflection of what Girl Scouting stands for—they are both impressive and inspiring. GSSNE hopes that through positive, girl-led, girl-centric experiences and exposure to strong, female role models, all girls can thrive in the direction of their ambitions and lead lives full of courage, confidence, and character.
To learn more about the 2023 Leading Women of Distinction Awards and to purchase tickets to the awards breakfast visit www.gssne.org/leadingwomen. 

We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs across Southeastern New England, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gssne.org. follow @gssne on Instagram, follow @GirlScoutsofSNE on Twitter, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GSSNE.