BUFFALO, N.Y. — On this International Women's Day, we are celebrating the work the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County does to advocate for women in our community.
This year's President's Award went to Rhonda Frederick, who recently retired from People Inc. after rising up through the ranks to CEO over her 43 year career there.
"You have changed the lives of so many people. You have been a mentor and a supporter of more people than you will ever know," said Trina Burruss, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County President and CEO.
Frederick worked for People Inc. for more than four decades, starting as a direct support professional and ending her career there as the organization's CEO.
"Honor of a lifetime. Love the organization. Loved everybody that I met, that I worked with, could support, and letting the community know the incredible things that individuals with disabilities are capable of," Frederick said.
On Friday morning, Frederick was honored with the United Way's President's Award for her contributions to our community. The event celebrated all of the incredible accomplishments of the women of Western New York.
Frederick reflected on how it's different now for women compared to when she started out.
"In the not-for-profit world, most of the CEOs were men. There were women working, you know, direct support roles, but there were mostly men in the leadership roles. We now see women in every level of leadership in organizations, and that's the biggest difference I've seen," Frederick said
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County CEO Trina Burruss also worked her way up in her career path, starting out as a bank teller. Now, she leads the United Way.
Both women are looking to the future on this International Women's Day.
"I would encourage women to not look up, but to look around. To find other women who can pour into them. To find other and pay attention to what's going on in our community so that they might get involved, so that they might use their time, their talents, to help move our community forward. If you don't look up, you don't know the ceiling is there, right?" Burruss said.
"Find people that you enjoy being with, work together, support each other, and the collective power of the women of Western New York is incredible," Frederick said.
And while Frederick is retired from People Inc., she found a perfect fit for a retirement job. She's now the Director of Community Support and Giving at West Herr.