Brenda Brock and Lela Barclay de Tolly
The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce held its third annual Women of Distinction Awards at The Elms on March 23. Sponsored by the Preservation Society of Newport County, Greenvale Vineyards and Seacoast Sweets, the sold-out event celebrated four women for their community involvement, industry impact and personal success.
It was followed by a panel discussion led by Kaity Ryan, executive director of the Norman Bird Sanctuary and “a phenomenal activist in her own right,” as Trudy Coxe CEO of the PSNC told the crowd in her introduction.
Ryan presented short bios on each of the award winners. She described Brenda Brock, founder of Farmaesthetics, as a trailblazer who created a 100 percent natural, clean, green line of products in 1999 that are now found in luxury hotels, retailers and spas nationwide.
She detailed Lynne Tungett’s climb from a part-time job selling classified ads to founding Newport Life magazine before rehabbing Newport This Week, all while staying involved in the community by serving on the board of the chamber and organizing the Broadway Street Fairs.
Jacob Fougere and Melissa Green
Another hands-on, dynamic leader and award winner was Heather Hole Strout, executive director of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, who is overseeing a $7 million “Building Hope Campaign” and an increase in the number of meals the center delivers to 700,000 people yearly.
Rounding out the fab four was Melissa Green, a practicing attorney who assists clients during the important milestones of their lives, but still leaves time to coach soccer and serve as the treasurer of the Middletown Youth Soccer Club.
The support of family and friends was a collective response to questions Ryan posed about work life balance. Brock said she was most proud of her team, which included family and the women she works with, and told the audience to “surround yourself with people you enjoy working with.”
Lynne Tungett and Kirby Varacalli
That sentiment was echoed by Strout, who said she tries to show staff that they don’t need to stay all hours of the night, and that their families and self-care need to come first.
Green advised event-goers to set expectations, but learn to forgive yourself if you don’t get everything done at once. She added that having a team of support people who pick up what needs to be done helps.
Tungett received the biggest laugh of the night when she responded that she didn’t have a work life balance, didn’t go to the gym or sometimes didn’t even eat on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to the paper’s deadline. She encouraged the crowd to “learn to eat healthy early in your career and take the time to put your family and yourself first.” She added how thankful she was to her daughter, who made sure she did eat while on deadline, and how proud she was to have Debbie on the Newport This Week team.
Trudy Coxe, Liz Drayton and Kaity Ryan
Jacqueline Hole, Heather Hole Strout and Jonna Hole
Deanna Conheeny and Nancy Parker Wilson
Kate DeCosta, Maggie Kane, and Kay Viera
Leave a Reply