AAUW Announces 2013 Women of Achievement Recipients

BRADENTON – The American Association of University Women's Manatee chapter recently announced this year's recipients of their most prestigious honor, the Women of Achievement award, given to women in the community who exemplify the non-profit group's mission of advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. This year's honorees include a music teacher, a police officer and a founding member of the Women's Resource Center.

The 2013 AAUW honorees will be recognized at a luncheon March 16 at the Palm Aire Country Club. For information or reservations on attending the banquet, which is the major fundraiser for the group through which they raise money for scholarships to non-traditional students, contact Jill at BBSFAAUWWOA@AOL.COM or by calling (941) 773-4337.

JAN ENTWISTLE, FOUNDING MEMBER,
WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER

Jan has been involved in Manatee County activities since arriving in 1981. She was on the boards of the Blood Bank, Arts Council of Manatee Co., Manatee Religious Services, American Lung Association, and Just for Girl’s Foundation for many years and a member of AAUW for 25 years.

She is presently on the board of the Manatee County Library Foundation, and a past president. Early on, Jan became involved in the Altrusa Club of Bradenton, an international professional women’s service group, which conceived the idea of a Women’s Resource Center for Manatee County in 1990, a place for ALL women to be served.

That became Jan’s passion and it came to fruition with many of the women of Manatee County being very involved. In 2000, the Women’s Resource Center bought the home, on Manatee Avenue, and expanded to assist over 4,000 women last year.

FAY MURPHY
COMMUNITY LEADER EXTRAORDINAIRE

Fay Murphy has a degree in Music Education and a Masters in Administration. She has taught pre-school through college, and taught Music Education at Oneco Elementary in Manatee County for 15 years. Fay is currently the Vice-Chair of the Manatee Players Organization. She is a member of Retired Educators, currently on the State Executive Board, and a District and State Director.

She has been a past president of both branches of AAUW and is currently vice president of membership/ ways and means in the Manatee Branch. She is one of the forces behind the idea of recognizing Women of Achievement in Manatee County.

Fay has been an active Parliamentarian, President of the North American Butterfly Organization, Sings in the First United Methodist Church choir and Gloria Musicae, was a president of UNIFEM for four years, and a past president of Delta Kappa Gamma, and Alpha Xi Delta.

CONNIE SHINGLEDECKER
VETERAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WITH MANATEE SHERIFFS OFFICE

Maj. Connie Shingledecker is a 35-year veteran law enforcement officer with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.She began her career in 1977 and has worked in various areas within the agency. She was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division for over ten years, during which time she investigated and supervised the investigations of Crimes against Children. In 1997 she was instrumental in the transfer of Child Protective Investigations from the Department of Children and Families to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The program was successful and has been duplicated by six other sheriff’s offices in Florida. Maj. Shingledecker is very active in the community and instructs in the areas of Domestic Violence, Sexual and Physical Child Abuse, Death Investigations, Stress Recognition, Ethics and Courtesy, Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation, Crime Scene Re-enactment and Reconstruction and Juvenile Delinquency.