Congratulations Our Two 2023 Luminary Award Recipients!
Congratulations to all of our outstanding nominees for the Shining Star and Visionary Awards for our annual Luminary Awards Luncheon held on September 7, 2023! We honored nine individuals nominated by their peers because of their excellence in their work environment and the
community.
This year’s Shining Star Award nominees were:
Lauren E. Fenner, CPA, Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz
Corinne Mitchell, Shamrock Settlement Services LLC
Mary J. Murphy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region
Emily Runyeon, Pennian Bank
This year’s Visionary Award nominees were:
Brooke Butler Wagner, Playa Bowls/MLB Foundation
Kate Deringer Sallie, Pillar+Aught
Amy Rote, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region
Patty Sibbach, Precision Training Concepts
Lynn Stickler, Members 1st Federal Credit Union
Voted on in a blind review and voting process by our Women in Business Roundtable Committee, Lauren E. Fenner, CPA of Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz was the recipient of the Shining Star Award and Amy Rote of Big Brothers Big Sister of the Capital Region Pennsylvania received the Visionary Award. Girls on the Run Capital Area and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region PA were the two nonprofits chosen by the recipients to receive a portion of the proceeds from the event.
Shining Star Award Recipient
Lauren E. Fenner, CPA of Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz
Lauren Fenner is a Senior Manager with Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz (BSSF) and has over eight years of public accounting experience. She is responsible for planning, performing, and supervising audit and review engagements for nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, and school districts. She also provides tax services to nonprofit organizations. Lauren received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Lebanon Valley College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA). She serves on the PICPA South Central Local Connection Committee and she also volunteers as Board Treasurer for the West Shore Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts named Lauren a Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Awards Woman to Watch honoree in recognition of her commitment and contributions to her respective STEM field.
Visionary Award Recipient
Amy Rote, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region PA
Amy Rote is the Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region (BBBSCR), an evidence-based youth-empowered mentoring organization. Starting with the agency in 2013 as Vice President of Programs, she has successfully grown the agency’s outreach in its five-county service area. Rote’s dedication to helping young people in need of mentorship is evident. She designed and launched Grow Big, Grow Well, a health and wellness education curriculum, and championed Beyond School Walls, the career and workforce development program that matches high school students with mentors from local companies. Rote also introduced Bigs in Blue, a national Big Brothers Big Sisters initiative that matches youth with active-duty law enforcement personnel who serve as mentors. Under her guidance, BBBSCR’s Bigs In Blue has grown to be the second-largest program in the nation. Appointed to Chief Executive Officer in 2021, Rote launched an Innovation award-winning program called Youth Rise: Stand Together, a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion focused career readiness program. Leading the organization to receive the 2021 Quality Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Harrisburg’s Simply the Best in 2022. Rote graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in therapeutic recreation and recreational therapy. She also has a Master of Education in public health education and promotion. Prior to joining BBBSCR, Rote served as an adjunct therapist for the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and a certified therapeutic recreational specialist for Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.
Thank you to Highmark/Penn State Health, Klock Entertainment, The Carlisle Group/SPAtacular Escapes, Susquehanna Style, and Wells Fargo Advisors for their generous sponsorships to make this event possible. In addition, we would like to thank our Supporting Sponsor: Roger That Photography who took the amazing headshots of all the nominees along with Alicia Richards of abc27 for emceeing the event.
Keep an eye out for when we open the 2024 Luminary Award Nominations in the Spring of 2024!