2019 Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon Co-Chairs Marjon Henderson, Marisa Howard and Samantha Wortley have just made it official who will be on stage on Friday, October 4, for The Family Place benefit.
The keynote speaker will be award-winning actress/producer Laura Linney, who has established quite a reputation on both big and small screens, as well as Broadway and London stages. While having worked with such actors as Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood and Jim Carrey, she has also “witnessed the operative gender inequality within the film industry.”
In keeping with its 23-year tradition of presenting the Texas Trailblazer Award to outstanding individuals, this year’s group includes five female CEOs of Dallas-based companies, “who are leading the charge in once male-dominated industries” — Beth Garvey of BG Staffing Inc., Mandy Ginsberg of Match Group, Kim Lody of Capital Senior Living, Melissa Reiff of The Container Store and Jill Soltau of JCPenney.
Also recognized for her “efforts to pass landmark legislation that protects sexual assault victims” will be Lavinia Master, who was sexually abused as a child and suffered a brutal rape at the age of 13. Despite the physical and emotional nightmare, she led the efforts “to end the nationwide accumulation of backlogged rape kits through DNA that sit on shelves just as hers did for over 20 years.”
The Family Place CEO Paige Flink thinks this year’s luncheon has even a greater importance to “celebrate the year of women’s empowerment.”
According to Paige, “2019 is the year of women making headlines: The U.S. women’s soccer team delivered a history-making performance, more females are in U.S. Congress now than ever and women are rising to the top in corporate America. There’s much to celebrate, but more work to do.”
Sponsorships and tickets for the luncheon are available here!
* Graphic and photo provided by The Family Place