Carol Stiles named Bend Chamber Woman of the Year

A large audience packed the Tower Theatre in Bend Thursday night for the Bend Chamber’s Women of the Year Awards. This is the fourth year of the event.

NewsChannel 21’s Emily Kirk was one of the hosts of the event. One of the other hosts and a spearhead behind the ceremony said it’s a rare opportunity for women to be measured against other women.

“It just changes the whole dynamic,” Bend U.S. Bank Vice President Wendy McGrane said. “It allows us to celebrate the unique contributions of women. As many people I know are familiar with, history has written a different story.”

The winner of 2018’s Woman of the Year Award is Carol Stiles. She was the director of the Head Start programs in Central Oregon and was a founding member of the Family Resource Center, only two of the many organizations in which she’s involved.

Heather Davenport won the Young Community Hero Award in the category for 14- to 17-year-olds. Isabelle Rice won the category for 18- to 21-year-olds.

Dana Barbato won Entrepreneur of the Year and Cascade Publications founder Pamela Hulse Andrews, who recently died after a fight with cancer, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Read more about them and the other finalists here:

https://bendchamber.org/bend-event/2018-women-year-awards/