BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

Eight area women have been chosen to receive YWCA Tribute to Women awards.

The awards ceremony will start with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6 on May 4 at Heritage Hall in the Living and Learning Center on the campus of Pitt-Johnstown in Richland Township.

Advance tickets are $50 and can be purchased by calling the YWCA at 536-3519.

Honorees are nominated by their peers or colleagues, who submitted a brief biography about a particular nominee and her contributions.

Sixty-seven women were nominated.

“This year, there are more than I ever remember having,” said Valerie Deater, who has served on the Tribute to Women committee for 10 years.

“I think it’s due to advertising, awareness and word of mouth.”

The committee actually begins working on next year’s tribute shortly after this year’s event wraps up.

“We have a review meeting in June to see what we can change, what we can improve,” Deater said. “We have a hard-working team, which helps the Y and helps the community. We share the excitement of the honorees.”

The Yellow Rose Award is the YWCA’s top honor. That recipient is selected by the YWCA board.

This year’s winner is Shelby McHenry of Johnstown, a certified surgical technologist at Memorial Medical Center’s Lee Ambulatory Surgical Center.

“Shelby is the Yellow Rose Award,” said YWCA board member Audrey Basko, who nominated McHenry for the award. “She doesn’t just exemplify its meaning.”

She received her medical certification in December 1973 after graduating from the surgical technician program at Memorial.

For nine years, McHenry worked as an expanded function dental assistant in dentist’s offices in Johnstown; Marion Center, Indiana County; and Punxsutawney, Jefferson County.

She and her husband returned to Johnstown in 1981, when McHenry accepted a job in the operating room at the former Lee Hospital.

While at Lee, McHenry received the hospital’s first Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service.

She is a member of the advisory board at the YWCA and also is a member of the tea committee.

Lady Liberty

Karen Richards of Westmont is the Lady Liberty honoree.

Richards graduated from the former Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and began her nursing career in Memorial’s emergency department, where she obtained credentials as an emergency nurse and trauma nurse.

She also has worked in the home-health field and at UPMC Lee’s department of emergency medicine.

After joining the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Richards graduated from the AMED Officer’s Basic Course at the Military Academy of Health Sciences, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

She was assigned to the emergency medical treatment area of the 108th Combat Support Hospital based in Philadelphia and the 1-103rd Armor Battalion, Headquarters Company, Medical Platoon in Johnstown, where she and two other nurses were the first women to participate in field training with an armored unit.

In 2004, Richards volunteered as a support group leader when the 1-103rd was deployed to Iraq.

She also has served as honorary chairwoman of Military Families First Campaign sponsored by the Keystone Chapter, American Red Cross.

Richards now has the civilian position of administrative officer of the Family Action Center at the National Guard Armory on Walters Avenue, Richland Township. The center provides support to about 2,000 military families within a 10-county region.

Business

Stephanie Stohon of Portage, a partner with Wessel & Company, certified public accountants, Johnstown, since 2006, is being honored in the business category.

Stohon graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in business economics.

She began her accounting career at Wessel & Company that year, and in 1995, she passed her exam as a certified public accountant.

In 2000, Stohon was promoted to audit manager and obtained the certified business manager designation.

In 2005, she was named a certified fraud examiner.

Education

Michele Beener of Rockwood, director of continuing education at Allegany College of Maryland, is the honoree in the education category.

Beener is a lifelong resident of Somerset County and a graduate of Allegany College of Maryland with an associate degree in business administration.

She has worked for Berlin Brothersvalley School District as a staff accountant and prom adviser while developing an adult education program for district residents.

In 1999, she taught the first continuing education course at the college’s Somerset campus.

Beener earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Waynesburg College and a master’s degree in business ethics and leadership from Duquesne University.

She also has played a fundamental role in the development of the Leadership Somerset County program and serves on the board of Somerset Rotary Club.

She is director of Somerset County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the education and leadership committees.

In 2005, Beener helped to develop the first Somerset County Job Fair.

Professions

Cindy Breen of Somerset, owner of Atlas Printing Co., Somerset, is the honoree in the professions category.

She is a member of the graphic arts advisory committee for Greater Johnstown High School’s vocational wing.

Breen has served as president and on most committees at Laurel Arts.

She is the editor of the arts center’s bimonthly newsletter, Artlink, and teaches a dance class for adults with special needs.

Breen has served as president, secretary and treasurer of Soroptimist International of Somerset County.

She received a bachelor’s degree in speech/public address from Westminster College, New Wilmington.

Nonprofit

Ann Torledsky is this year’s honoree in the nonprofit category.

Torledsky came to Johnstown with her husband in 1972, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in family resources from West Virginia University.

She worked at Cambria County Child Development Corp. teaching preschoolers before joining her husband in the family retail apparel business, LA Surplus.

In 1995, she was named employment counselor at Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley Inc.

Torledsky was named Goodwill’s director of employment and training in 2000 and vice president of workforce development in 2006.

A career highlight while working with Goodwill was traveling to Israel to help develop a welfare-to-work project.

Community service

Rita Kreger is the community service volunteer honoree.

When her husband came to Johnstown to work for Memorial hospital, Kreger became active in the hospital’s auxiliary, the Newcomer’s Club and Johnstown Symphony Auxiliary, as well as teaching English at Westmont Hilltop High School, Mount Aloysius College and Penn Highlands Community College.

She also is active with the American Cancer Society and helped to establish the Pink Ribbon Ball, of which she was chairwoman for three years.

Kreger remains active on the Pink Ribbon Ball’s auction committee and has chaired a fashion show for the cancer society.

At Beth Sholom Congregation, Kreger has served as president of the sisterhood and religious school director.

She also wrote for the congregation’s bulletin and has served as secretary of the congregation board.

For more than 10 years, she has served as office manager at her husband’s Southmont medical practice.

Arts and letters

Charlotte Aubrey of Johnstown, instructor for Aubrey Studio of Voice, is the honoree for arts and letters.

Her notable students have included a Miss Pennsylvania, three state and four county Outstanding Young Women and an Outstanding Young Teen.

Her Aubrey Singers have performed throughout the area when special musical entertainment is required.

After serving on the voice faculty at the women’s college of the University of Georgia for a year, Aubrey moved to Philadelphia with her husband.

She has sung at the Metropolitan Opera and Walter Reed Medical Center. She also has performed for the National Chamber of Commerce and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Temple University Choir and Philadelphia Orchestra.

After moving to Johnstown, Aubrey taught in the Richland School District for 34 years.

She has entertained at service clubs and country clubs in western Pennsylvania, performed at the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown and sung with Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the choir at First Lutheran Church.

Aubrey is president of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and has served with the Community Concert Association.