The Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW) honors outstanding individuals in Florida with its Florida Achievement Award for their work in improving the lives of women and families. On November 14, 2006, the FCSW honored seven women in the Big Bend Florida area at a special luncheon ceremony held during the commission’s regular quarterly meeting at the Tallahassee Community College Complex.

The recipients -- Dorothy Inman-Johnson, Kim Rosier, Patricia Smith, Patricia Summerlin, Karen Woodall, Kaycee Brock, and Monique Gillum – received a special plaque and a congratulatory letter from Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

During the ceremony, the Commission also presented Liberty County School Superintendent David Summers with a check for $1,500 for Liberty County’s participation in the Commission’s “Girl’s E-mentoring in Science, Engineering and Technology Program.”

Florida Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings was the guest speaker. In addition to the awards presentation and business meeting, the commission heard from Tallahassee Community College President, Dr. Bill Law, Mother’s In Crisis founder Rosalind Tompkins, and author Elaine Berstein Partnow.
 

Dorothy Inman-Johnson, affectionately known as "Dot" to most everyone in the community, has proven her tenacity time and time again in the city she’s called home for more than 30 years. She has served her community first as an educator and founder of an affiliate of the Children’s Defense Fund called Big Bend Stand for Children Coalition, followed by a dedicated career in Tallahassee government.

In 1986 Dorothy Inman-Johnson became the first black woman elected to the Tallahassee City Commission, serving eight years as a member during which time she was elected twice by her colleagues to serve as the City’s Mayor. While on the Commission she made tremendous strides to enhance Florida’s Capital City. She is the founder of the Tallahassee Art Museum, now located in the Mary Brogan Center in the Capitol Complex.
 
Her personal commitment to improve the lives of people and the overall quality of life of the community did not end when she left public office, as the Executive Director of the Capital Area Community Action Agency, she is currently a leader and champion in the charitable community. The agency under her direction is now among the best and most effective providers of services for the poor and low income, providing emergency assistance, job training and food assistance programs among other things to the most vulnerable populations in the Leon County area.

Kim Rosier is an innovator dedicated to uplifting the women of her community. In 2006 Kim created Tallahassee Woman magazine, a complimentary publication for Tallahassee women designed as a source of information, entertainment, and recognition of outstanding women in the community. In crafting Tallahassee Woman, Kim included a section recognizing women whose contributions to the community make a difference to the quality of life of all citizens. All of the women are representative of the diversity that makes the Tallahassee community special and they illustrate that every woman’s role is important to the success of the family and community.
Prior to Tallahassee Woman, Kim served 10 years at a local non-profit organization, providing research and training services to local and state law enforcement personnel.

Patricia Smith is true trailblazer and a mentor, exemplifying the perseverance and tenacity that is often admired by her peers. She is committed to community service, working with numerous boards and organizations including the Tallahassee Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend and the Tallahassee Urban League.

Patricia has more than eight years of progressive experience in the field of public relations and community affairs. She is President of Pat Smith Communications, a Public Relations consultant business and has also served as the Marketing Manager for the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee. In addition, she services as the Chairperson of the Tallahassee Chamber Professional Women’s Forum and she teaches a weekly bible study at her church.

Smith plays an active role in minority and women’s issues through her local talk radio show, “The Woman in You.” The show exemplifies “Real Women, Real Issues, and Real Talk.” Patricia is the recipient of the 1000 NAACP, Black Achiever Award and is also motivational speaker on a range of religious social and cultural topics.

Pat Summerlin is a native Floridian and lifelong resident of Liberty County, a small community located 33 miles west of Tallahassee. Pat retired after 30 years of service with the State of Florida within the human resource office of the Department of Management Services and is currently fulfilling her lifelong dream of restaurant ownership with “Miss Pat’s Restaurant” in Hosford.
She is active in her community, dedicated to helping others while serving as a role model to young women and helping them reach their fullest potential. Pat has coached the county softball league for several years and played on a woman’s softball league. Her influence as a coach has made a positive impact in the lives of all the children she has mentored. She also worked to break down gender barriers in local politics by boldly running as a candidate for the Liberty County School Board, which has never elected a woman.

Pat is very active in her church and serves as pianist and has also conducted annual cantatas. She mentors others to help them discover their passion and enjoyment of music.

Karen Woodall is a native Floridian who has dedicated her life’s work to promote quality and economic self-sufficiency for Florida’s working women and families. Since 1990 she has worked as an independent political consultant working with community based organizations and individuals throughout the state including Farmworkers Association of Florida, Farmworker’s Self-Help, Florida Low-Income Housing Coalition, and the League of Women Voters.

Karen is a graduate of Florida State University graduate holding degrees in Social Work, Government and Psychology. She has served as Executive Director for “Florida IMPACT” which is a statewide, interfaith, legislative, action network and currently serves on the Statewide KidCare Coordinating Council and has been a member since its inception. She has served on numerous boards and task forces related to issues of social and economic justice on both the state and national level.

Karen has also conducted international training sessions with Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with the National Democratic Institute and in Dominica with the National Women’s Council. Karen is also a former Commissioner of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.

Kaycee Brock is an innovative self-starter who is an inspiration and mentor to the students at FSU. Kaycee is a junior at Florida State University majoring in Sociology & Leadership Studies and is the chief-of-staff of the Student Government Association. She has served her University as a First Year Experience peer leader, as a member of the Student Alumni Association, as the campaign manager for the Vision political party, as the president of the Association of Prominent Women and as secretary of women’s affairs for the Executive Cabinet of the SGA. In addition, Kaycee has served her community by volunteering for both the Boys and Girls Club and the Girl Scouts. An active member of the Black Student Union, and is the president of the Zeta Omicron chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She plans to start a consulting business to help develop programs for students in grades k-12, so that they can learn how to be leaders in their schools and communities.

Monique Gillum is a pioneer and a true trial-blazer. Her achievements began in her hometown of Gainesville where she was the recipient of the President’s Leadership Award upon graduation. She is currently a third-year political science student at FAMU. She has been actively involved in student government, National Council of Negro Women and co-founded the FAMU chapter of the National Organization for Women. Monique was elected as Freshman Class Senator receiving the second highest vote in FAMU’s Senate race history. During her sophomore year, she served as Chair of the Student Relations Committee for the Student Senate where she initiated and implemented the Rattler Reach-Out Program. Along with school-related activities, Monique has been actively involved in her surrounding community.