In the News
Tara Miles Honored as “Person of Vision” Award Winner
Eileen Russell Melia, Tara Miles and Cecilia Cassidy receive Person of Vision Awards
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On March 10, 2009 the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women in honor of Women’s History Month, hosted its annual Person of Vision Awards program. The awards focused on the three women’s lifetime of community involvement and achievement, along with their future successes. Tara Miles, Director of BizLaunch, Arlington’s small business assistance network was one of the three women honored at the event.
“It’s an exciting time - we’re on the move again, but there’s lots of work to do,” said Eleanor Smeal, former president of the National Association for Women and now president of the Arlington-based Feminist Majority Foundation, who was the guest speaker at the annual AED’s Women’s History Month program hosted by the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women.
“So often, women are encouraged not to be leaders - most of the gains in the women’s movement came because doors were closed and women decided they were going to open them,” Smeal said. “One of the key things about leadership is role models. The people here getting awards are role models.”
In addition to Tara Miles, Cecilia Cassidy, Director of the Rosslyn Renaissance and Eileen Russell Melia, a registered nurse who has been an active volunteer in issues ranging from hospice care and homelessness.
As director of BizLaunch, Tara has helped thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs realize their dreams of small business ownership. The BizLaunch program is a one-stop-shop for everything necessary to start or grow a business in Arlington. BizLaunch partners with a wide variety of small business organizations to provide information, counseling, and research opportunities, all free of charge.
In different ways, the three have “selflessly devoted themselves to the service of the Arlington community,” said Anita Nahal, co-chairman with Donna Hatfield of the awards committee of the Commission on the Status of Women.
“These exemplary women have worked tirelessly,” Nahal said.
Samantha Sewell, vice chairman of the Commission on the Status of Women, said the awards program has two goals.
“It really highlights the work that these amazing women are doing for women and families, and they’ve been doing for years,” she said.
The Person of Vision Awards have been presented since 1988; more than 100 local residents have received them.
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