Awards Committee
By Linda Gardner, NJAWBO-Mercer Awards Committee

NJAWBO MERCER CHAPTER AWARDS 2005

Congratulations to Linda Principe of Linda Principe Interiors, the NJAWBO Mercer Chapter Business Woman of the Year for 2005! The owner of a sixteen-year-old interior design firm, Linda has been a NJAWBO member for more than 15 years. A former President of the Middlesex Chapter of NJAWBO, Linda joined the Mercer Chapter in 2001. She has been the New Member Open House coordinator and Chapter Vice President Public Policy since 2003 and an active member of the Member Services committee since 2001.

As the Mercer Chapter Business Woman of the Year, Linda is also the chapter's nominee for the state NJAWBO Business Woman of the Year award. The winner of the 2005 award will be announced at the NJAWBO state conference in Atlantic City in May. This award honors a woman business owner who is a NJAWBO member and has distinguished herself in her business, in NJAWBO and in the community.

The Mercer Chapter of NJAWBO has also nominated Dr. Jennifer S. Macleod for the NJAWBO Woman of Achievement/Rose & Scroll Award, which will also be given at the NJAWBO state conference. This award honors a non-NJAWBO member who has been a role model and who has distinguished herself as a proactive voice for women business owners. A Radcliffe College graduate with a doctorate from Columbia University, Dr. Macleod has a long history of activism on behalf of women and is the founder of the ERA Campaign Network, a newly revived campaign to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Other chapter nominees eligible for a state award are Karen Miller, Suzanne Rosenblum and Laurel Wagenheim. As recipients of Teal Hearts from the Mercer Chapter, they are now eligible for the state's Nancy C. Righter Award. Suzanne was awarded a Teal Heart at the February dinner meeting for her organization of the Chapter's participation in the Race for the Cure in October 2004. Karen and Laurel were also awarded Teal Hearts at the February meeting for their work as co-chairs of the Fall 2004 New Member Madness campaign, which increased the visibility of the chapter in the Mercer County area.

If you would like to be a member of the Awards Committee, please contact Linda Gardner at 609-252-9667 or lisse@worldnet.att.net.