YWCA to honor 5 local women

Five local women who have achieved success in their professions and have gone out of their way to help empower others have been named recipients of the YWCA's 2009 Outstanding Achievement Awards.

A luncheon in their honor, keynoted by legendary Essence magazine publisher Susan L. Taylor, is scheduled Sept. 18, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom in the Grand America Hotel.

Marjorie A. Chan will receive the science/technology/environment award. Chan was the first female professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah and the first female department chairwoman of a university science department in the state of Utah. Chan is the founding chairwoman of PROWESS, the Professional Women in Earth Sciences committee that recruits, involves and retains professional women in the industry.

Sanchaita Datta will receive the business/industry award for achieving her dream of becoming an engineer and owning her own company, FatPipe Networks, which she co-founded. She is the chief technology officer and vice president for developing technology there. She developed and owns seven patents on the company's core technology that enables high-speed data transfer through multiple lines. For more than 16 years she has promoted and supported the education of young girls and women of India from kindergarten to graduate school by contributing to the Foundation for Women's Education.

Judy Kasten Bell has been singled out for the government and public service award. Bell is the executive director of the Utah Domestic Violence Council, a statewide 36-member coalition with a mission to make domestic violence intolerable in Utah through public awareness, training, advocacy and collaboration. She works as an advocate for single parents, co-authored On Being Poor in Utah and directed a nontraditional employment for women grant for the state Department of Workforce Services.

Ann Millner will receive the education award. Millner was selected by the state Board of Regents to be the 11th president of Weber State University in 2002, the second woman to be appointed president of one of the state's nine colleges and universities. Millner has held teaching and administrative positions, which provided her associations with students, staff and faculty members. She chaired the Women in Management Committee for the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce and received the Chamber's Athena Award for professional achievements and support of women.

Elaine M. Pace will receive the health and human services award. She is the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Utah, the statewide organization committed to helping girls build courage, confidence, and character while making the world a better place. She has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School. She previously served as executive director of Ogden Nature Center and as a political consultant in Florida. She is a governor's appointee to the Utah Commission on Volunteers and was elected vice chairwoman in 2007.

For more information about the luncheon, call 801-537-8619 or visit cricks@ywca.com.