By Ronni Hannaman — Women have always played a starring role in history since the beginning of time, all the way back to Eve. Today, women still play starring roles in making their community a better place for all to live, work and play. Ten Carson City Women of Distinction will be honored by the Carson City Chamber and community members on March 11.
As the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in her book, Women in Power, “As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.” Those are powerful words from a woman who had many firsts that made history attributed because of her gender instead of her accomplishments.
In 1981, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to officially establish a Women’s History Week under the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Every president since then has signed the proclamation to honor women during March. This is the month when women from all over the world come together to celebrate their accomplishments as a reminder of the role women continue to play in history.
The still tough and often frustrating climb up the ladder to success is not for every woman and doesn’t need to be. Fortune 500 reported that as of 2024, only 10.4% of women have earned the opportunity to run major corporations. Mary Barra was elected Chair and CEO of General Motors in January 2014 making her the longest serving female CEO on the annual Fortune 500 list. She says what most women think when we become “the first woman to break a male barrier, “I never want to get a job because I’m female. I want to get it because I earned it, and I deserve it.”
While women can excel at almost any profession, most women by nature gravitate toward running non-profits and advance in education fields. Many women have chosen successfully to make their opinions heard through the election process and are serving as elected city/county officials, within state legislatures (Nevada is now at 62%), and within the hallowed halls of the U.S. Congress and Senate, though in that august body the percentages remain low with 26 elected to the Senate out of 100 (of which 2 are from Nevada) and 125 elected to the U.S. House of Representatives out of 435. The respected Pew Research declares Congress “remains out of step.”
Women excel in business. Statistics provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy report that as of 2024, 12 million businesses, equating 39% of all businesses in the U.S., are owned by women entrepreneurs and this number continues to grow.
Moving Forward Together is the Women’s History Month theme for 2025. In Carson City there are many strong, independent women moving forward together creating a vibrant city by doing what they love while changing the world around them.
As ex CEO of META Sheryl Sandberg wrote, “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”
The Carson City Chamber is pleased to once again announce the Annual Ten Women of Distinction who will continue to reshape the conversation. They will be honored on March 11, 2025, at a special luncheon to be held at the Casino Fandango to showcase their accomplishments. Some of the women to be honored are working their way up the ladder of success while others have made their way up that ladder with just a few rungs to go, if they so wish.
The women to be honored this year at the special luncheon to be held on March 11 at the Casino Fandango join the list of the 33 past honorees the Chamber Board of Directors has formally recognized since 2020 during Women’s History Month.
The Campagni Auto Group is co-sponsoring the event with Director Cliff Sorensen once again serving as host. Also serving as host is Western Nevada College President Kyle Dalpe.
Carson City Judge Kristin Luis, one of the most powerful women in our city and an honoree in 2023, will serve as keynote speaker.
Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Chamber at 775-882-1565
The 2025 honorees are:
Melanie Bruketta, Carson City Justice of the Peace
Colleen Chapman, Executive Director for Resource Development, Boy and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada
Ellen Jackson, Founder and CEO, Spirit of Hope
Lupe Ramirez, President, Carson City School Board Trustees
Candi Robles, Career & Technical Education and Work-based Learning Coordinator, Carson High School
Brenda Sandquist, Executive Director, Xquisite
Lou Skaggs, Volunteer, Lions Club of Carson City
Brook Sweeting, Senior Relationship Manager, United Federal Credit Union
Molly Walt, Executive Director, RSVP – Retired Senior Volunteer Program
Stacy Woodbury, Manager, Public Affairs, Southwest Gas
District Court Judge in Department II Kristin Luis to keynote
Carson City Judge Kristin Luis will serve as the keynote speaker at the 2025 Carson City Women of Distinction luncheon to be held by the Carson City Chamber of Commerce at the Casino Fandango on Tuesday, March 11. The event will honor ten 2025 Carson City Women of Distinction.
The Women of Distinction title was accorded to Judge Luis by the Carson City Chamber Board of Directors in 2023. Since 2020, 33 women have been so honored.
On Jan. 9, 2024, Kristin Luis was sworn in as the District Court Judge in Department II after being selected by Gov. Joe Lombardo to fill the term left vacant by Judge John Tatro. She was elected by the citizens of Carson City in November 2024 to a full four-year term beginning January 2025.
She joined the Carson City DA’s office in 2000 as Deputy DA prosecuting all types of cases. In 2010, she was appointed to serve as the Juvenile Special Master overseeing juvenile delinquency and child welfare cases.
In November 2018 Judge Luis was elected to Department 2 Justice/Municipal Court and was the first female to hold this position in Carson City. She has had a varied career path in both private practice and public administration before becoming an elected official. Her passion is advocating for youth in her profession and through private volunteer work.
The public is invited to join in the celebration of the 2025 nominees and to hear Judge Luis. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Chamber at 775-882-1565.
— Ronni Hannaman is the Executive Director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.
