Keck to Be Honored as Woman of the Year
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown Business & Professional Women’s Club will honor Students Motivated by the Arts executive director Rebecca Keck as its Woman of the Year at a dinner Oct. 18 at Antone’s Banquet Center.
Tickets for the dinner, which takes place during National Business Women’s Week, are $50. All proceeds will go toward the Dr. Anne McMahon Scholarship Award, given to a female student attending Youngstown State University.
Students Motivated by the Arts, better known as Smarts, is a “community-based art school” for Mahoning Valley students. The program serves as the lead organization for the Warren City Schools’ Any Given Student initiative.
In addition to her work with Smarts, Keck serves on the board of directors for the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and the Mahoning County Salvation Army.
She also reviews grant request for the Ohio Arts Council, is president of the Rotary Club of Youngstown, is chairwoman of the Power of the Arts Initiative and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“We are honored to celebrate Becky’s accomplishments and impact on our community,” said Youngstown Business & Professional Women’s Club President Janelle Fumerola in a statement. “Her years of professional leadership, advocacy for our youth’s education, and ability to overcome obstacles that would deter most from success is why YBPW has chosen Becky as the 2016 Woman of the Year.”
Smarts was originally part of YSU’s College of Creative Arts and Communication, but was shut down due to budget cuts at the university. Keck led the program’s transition to an independent program and in the fall of 2014, the program reopened. In June 2015, Smarts was approved to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In the time since, Smarts has raised more than $225,000.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Dee McFarland at 330 853 7858 or [email protected].
Pictured: Becky Keck, executive director of Smarts.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
