Tribute to Women: Katharine F. Erskine Award Luncheon
YWCA Central Massachusetts is set to host their 30th annual Tribute to Women celebration on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 12pm.
NEW LOCATION! Now at the AC Hotel Worcester! Located at 125 Front Street, Worcester, MA.
The Katharine F. Erskine Award recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership and reached exemplary levels of achievement in their professions and communities. Award recipients show a commitment to the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
Tickets & Sponsorships
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Award Recipients
Laxmi Bissoondial, Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Worcester State University
Laxmi is the Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Worcester State University, where she oversees the University’s A.I.D (Access program), Upward Bound program, (the University’s pipeline high school program) and retention efforts for all first generation students. Above and beyond access and retention efforts for underrepresented students, she has led and continues to provide cutting-edge student leadership and Multicultural programming on behalf of the University.
She has worked at Worcester State since 2002 and was appointed as director in 2022. Laxmi’s journey with the OMA at WSU has facilitated and supported a comprehensive campus-wide strategy that addresses academic and cultural gaps to ensure that equity is at the forefront of service delivery in all aspects of the university; these strategies have created models and offices throughout the institution that continue to serve all students. Her work and life experiences reflect her dedication to ensuring BIPOC students can succeed academically without barriers to social justice and racism. Under her leadership, Worcester State University’s ALANA/BIPOC population has contributed to the overall 65% admissions increase by quintupling their incoming first year class.
In 2022, Laxmi received the Key to the City of Worcester along with the Office of Multicultural Affairs for the impact, retention rate, and graduation of ALANA/BIPOC, first-generation and low-income students at Worcester State. Earlier in her career, she received Special Congressional recognition for her youth development work.
Today, Laxmi serves as a member of the board of directors for the Multicultural Wellness Center and as chairwoman of Worcester’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Breakfast Committee.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Community Health from Worcester State University and her M.Ed. and C.A.G.S. in School of Counseling from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Christina Connolly, Community Resources Manager, Worcester Public Library
Christina is the Community Resources Manager for the Worcester Public Library. She has over 25 years of professional experience in urban libraries. Since joining the Worcester Public Library in 2012, Christina has introduced inclusive programs and services for vulnerable individuals for whom the library has become a place of respite and refuge. Her initiatives have connected patrons with essential resources, including housing, shelter, clothing, food security, reintegration assistance, career services and more. She also spearheads staff training in life-saving interventions like naloxone administration for opioid overdoses, non-violent de-escalation, and mental health first aid.
Her extensive record of trauma-informed service led to the establishment of the Community Resources Department and has been pivotal in addressing the critical needs of underserved populations in Worcester.
As a level four graduate librarian, Christina has served as a leader in an organization staffed largely by women, working with them to improve their public service skills and create professional opportunities. Her dedication to gender equity and women’s empowerment is evident in every aspect of her work and lasting impact on the community.
Christina earned her Master of Library and Information Science from Simmons University.
The Honorable Margaret Guzman, Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Judge Guzman is a U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts. Judge Guzman is the first Latina judge appointed to the U.S. District Court in Worcester. Prior to her appointment as a federal judge by President Biden in March 2023, Judge Guzman served as the First Justice of the Ayer District Court.
She served as a public defender from 1992-2005, a private practitioner from 2005-2009, then was appointed as an Associate Justice presiding over criminal and civil business in 32 of 62 District Courts. She actively participated on several judiciary committees addressing general education, implicit bias and race and ethnic fairness.
She received her undergraduate degree from Clark University and her Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law.
Judge Guzman was recently the keynote speaker at the Central Massachusetts Conference for Women. She has participated in several educational efforts, including being a presenter and panelist in legal education programs, and is engaging with secondary school students interested in learning about the legal system.
Judge Guzman is a member of the board of directors of the Worcester Business Development Corporation Member and Creative Hub Worcester. She previously was a vice chair and member of the Worcester County Commission on the Status of Women.
Maydee Morales, Resiliency Center Director, Worcester Community Action Council
Maydee is the Resiliency Center Director for the Worcester Community Action Council. Originally from Puerto Rico, Maydee has worked in human services for over 25 years, including at Centro, Friendly House, Edward M. Kennedy Health Center, and Great Brook Valley Health Center. Prior to joining WCAC, Maydee was the Director of Social Services for Catholic Charities of Worcester County.
For the last 30 years, Maydee has become a community leader by lending her voice to underserved and underrepresented individuals and advocating for a better life for all who live in Worcester. She has worked for racial equity and social justice and has been an advocate for systematic changes in our community. She has worked directly with patients who suffered from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, behavioral health, and HIV. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Maydee became a key leader in efforts to resettle families by helping them find employment and housing.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, from her role in Catholic Charities, she worked directly with the YWCA Central Massachusetts and LIFT (Living in Freedom Together) to create a women’s shelter and secure hotel space for families that were homeless and at risk of getting COVID-19. Maydee also worked to ensure that new immigrants and refugees from countries who have experienced civil unrest, natural disasters, wars, and economic devastation are welcomed in Worcester.
In her current role at WCAC, Maydee leads a team of strong, dynamic and wonderful women running the first guarantee basic income pilot project in Central Mass. She is committed to uplifting all people living at low income, experiencing the cliff effect and impacted by the racial wealth gap.
Maydee is a member of the Board of Directors of The Village Worcester and Colony Homes. She is a member of dozens of local coalitions and task forces working to improve the quality of life in Worcester including Together for Kids Coalition, Worcester Affordable Housing Coalition, Synergy Initiative Project, Healthy Greater Worcester Coalition and more.
Sponsors
Trailblazer Sponsors
Leader Sponsors
Fidelity Bank
Fontaine Community Foundation
Mass General Brigham Health Plan
National Grid
Repligen, Inc.
Saint-Gobain
Synergy
UMass Chan Medical School
UMass Memorial Health Care
WPI
Supporting Sponsors
Assumption University
College of the Holy Cross
Dube Construction Management
Erskine & Erskine
Fallon Health
Mercantile Center/Worcester Business Center
Open Sky Community Services
PENTA Communications
POINT 32 HEALTH/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Quinsigamond Comminuty College
Seven Hills Foundation
Stowe & Degon
UniBank
Webster Five
Women’s Initiative United Way of Central Massachusetts
Worcester Railers Foundation
Worcester State University
About Katharine Erskine
Katharine Forbes Erskine devoted more than 80 years of her life to furthering the mission of the YWCA Central Massachusetts. She first became a member of the YWCA as a teenager in the early 1900s when she signed up for a gymnastics class at the organization, which was formerly located on Chatham Street.
A 1911 graduate of Vassar College, Mrs. Erskine went on to serve as President of the YWCA twice – once in 1930 and again in 1960 during the YWCA Building Campaign, which raised one million dollars to construct the present YWCA facility located at One Salem Square. She also briefly studied law and received a physical education certificate from Wellesley College.
Mrs. Erskine served on nearly every YWCA committee throughout her lifetime, but particularly enjoyed serving on the YWCA Public Affairs Committee, as well as the Camp Committee, which acquired Camp Wind-in-the-Pines located on Stiles Reservoir in Leicester. She founded the YWCA Dialogue Group, which was comprised of women interested in discussing women’s issues and current events, as well as the Nereids Club, a swimming group for adult women.
Mrs. Erskine died in 1990 at 100 years of age, but her unwavering spirit and commitment to creating opportunities for women and girls lives on through the contributions of the Katharine F. Erskine Award recipients.
