The Powerful Women of the Bay 5th Annual Awards Luncheon was held at Wedgewood Banquet Center at the Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland.

Mistress of Ceremonies Barbara Williams commanded the crowd of more than three women in attendance to honor the legacy of Dr. C. Diane Howell by acknowledging the work and commitment of present day women making their mark in the Bay Area.

In honor of Howell, the Entrepreneurial Award was awarded to Melanie Shelby, President of

Melanie Shelby

Gray, Greer, Shelby & Vaughn, LLC.

“The most important thing that I do is connect people because fostering relationships is key,” said Shelby.

Event Producer Cathy Adams also presented awards to seven other distinguished women, which included Shellye Archambeau, CEO of Metric Stream; City of Fremont Councilmember Suzanne Lee Chan; Linda Harrison, CEO of the Museum of the African Diaspora; Dale Marie Golden, Vice President of Torrey Pines Bank; San Francisco Supervisor Malia Cohen; and, Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed.

“It is so important for women to uplift each other and acknowledge our achievements,” said Adams.

Fire Chief Teresa Reed.

The Honorable Dezie Woods Jones, State President of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) and The Training Institute for Leadership Enrichment (TILE) gave remarks and emphasized the importance of women leadership and encouraged the community to join organizations like BWOPA and TILE.

Keynote speaker Patricia “Pat” Ford, Founder of Della & Associates, LLC and former vice president of the Service Employees International Union Awards, spoke on the importance of women gaining ground in the workplace.

Other special attendees included musician Marcus Shelby, Mayor Jean Quan, and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner.

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