Three local women to be honored as Women of Distinction by Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands
September 28, 2016
SPARTANBURG, SC – The Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands will honor three Spartanburg-area women at its Annual Women of Distinction Awards Celebration: Boots and Pearls on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at Indigo Hall in Spartanburg beginning at 6:00 p.m. Cecilia Hanna has been appointed as the event’s chair. The evening pays tribute to women who exemplify excellence in service, leadership, community visibility, and professionalism.
This year’s honorees are: Dr. Gloria Webb Close, Executive Director of Citizen Scholars and Counselor for Spartanburg District Seven’s Early College Students; Kathy Dunleavy, President and CEO of the Mary Black Foundation; and Dr. Kay Woodward, President and Owner of the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home, Inc.
Dr. Gloria Webb Close grew up in rural North Carolina. She holds master and doctoral degrees from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, she completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University.
Currently she is the Executive Director of Citizen Scholars through the Spartanburg County Foundation as well as the Counselor for Spartanburg School District Seven’s Early College students. Previously she served as a Vice Chancellor with the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg, Director of Guidance at Dorman High School, and Assistant Librarian at N. C. State University’s School of Design.
Committed to the community, Dr. Close has served on numerous boards and committees including being President of the Junior League of Spartanburg, a member of the Association of Junior Leagues International Board of Directors, Children’s Trust of South Carolina, founding board member of The Boy’s and Girls’ Clubs of Spartanburg and Family Care Council, Girl Scouts (now Mountains to Midlands), Governor’s Job Training Council, HALTER, Salvation Army, Leadership Spartanburg and the Spartanburg County Board for Disabilities and Special Needs.
She is an ordained Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg where she has served as a Sunday school teacher for more than thirty years.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Spartanburg Jaycees 38th Distinguished Service Award (the first woman), USC Professional Women on Campus Award for Community Leadership, Lieutenant Governor’s Service to South Carolina Citation, Spartanburg Community College Women of Distinction Award and Leadership Spartanburg Alumni Association Leadership Award. She was also awarded a Leadership Development Fellowship from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to conduct a three-year international study, “Disempowerment of People as a Result of Social Change and Political Reform.” During that time she travelled worldwide studying homelessness and the roots of poverty.
The best of her life is that she has been married to Leland Close for forty two years, is the mother of two wonderful adult children (Rebekah and Grant), mother-in-law to two incredible people (Joel and Mary Grace) and grandmother to the most amazing five people on the planet – James, Jane, Caroline, Grant and Mary.
Kathy Dunleavy is the President/CEO of the Mary Black Foundation in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was a banker for over 20 years and retired as Sr. Vice President of Retail Banking for BB&T. She spent 8 years as CEO of United Way of the Piedmont in Spartanburg which covered three South Carolina counties. She began her tenure as CEO of Mary Black in March, 2013.
Kathy serves on the boards of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Spartanburg Academic Movement, and the BB&T Advisory Board. She graduated from both Leadership Spartanburg and Leadership South Carolina.
Kathy has also received numerous awards over the years, including the Neville Holcombe Distinguished Citizenship Award from the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, The Order of the Palmetto presented by Governor Nikki Haley, the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award from Converse College, Humanitarian of the Year from Urban League of the Upstate, and the Salvation Army’s Toast of the Town.
Kathy and her husband Ray have six children, 3 grandchildren (and 1 on the way!). She was a Brownie, Junior, and Cadet Girl Scout spanning seven years with many fond memories.
Dr. Kay Woodward is President and Owner of the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home, Inc., in Spartanburg. The J.W. Woodward Funeral Home, Inc. is the oldest, black, family-owned business in Spartanburg. Dr. Woodward has been a licensed funeral director in the state of South Carolina for 35 years.
Prior to her leadership at the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home, Dr. Woodward was a professor in the Department of Psychology at Converse College in Spartanburg for ten years – beginning when she was 24 years old. She served on the Converse College Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2013 and remains engaged and involved with the college.
Dr. Woodward, a Spartanburg native, attended Mary H. Wright Elementary, Carver Junior High School, Carver High School, and Spartanburg High School.
She earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctorate in Psychology with highest distinction, from Purdue University in 1972, 1973, and 1978, respectively. Dr. Woodward was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Purdue in 1971.
In November 2015, Dr. Woodward was recognized with a Pioneering Women Award at Purdue University. That same month, she was nominated and recognized as a finalist for the Philanthropist of the Year Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Dr. Woodward is also the 2016 recipient of the Pioneering Women Award for Business by Spartanburg Methodist College.
Dr. Woodward is a tireless and devoted volunteer and philanthropist in her church, business, community and state. She regularly devotes her resources and experience to mentoring children and young adults in disadvantaged areas. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Sorority. She has been a member of the Spartanburg Chapter of the Links, Inc. for 40 years. She served on the Board of Directors for the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center and is currently a former Trustee for the Spartanburg County Foundation.
Dr. Woodward enjoys worship, public service, and spending time with her friends and family. She has two adult children, James Cleveland and Stinson Woodward, both of whom work under her leadership at the family mortuary.
WSPA-TV is the Media Sponsor for the October 18, 2016 Women of Distinction Awards.
For ticket and/or sponsorship information to this annual fundraising event, please contact LaTanza Duncan, Chief Advancement Officer, [email protected], 803-461-3731or visit www.GSSC-MM.org.
