Employment Leader Award 2011 Recipients are Announced

Santa Ana, California (November 23, 2011) – WHW (Women Helping Women/Men2Work) is pleased to announce the recipients of the First Annual Employment Leader Award of Orange County! The mission of WHW is to provide comprehensive employment services to disadvantaged men, women and teens to achieve economic self sufficiency through employment success. The Employment Leader Award was created to honor outstanding individuals and organizations that have made a substantial impact on employment success in Orange County.

Mari Kurtz is the CEO and President of OC Metals, Inc. and Cal Pac Sheet Metal. Despite enormous hurdles and a sluggish economy, Ms. Kurtz took OC Metals from a company on the verge of bankruptcy to a profitable growing company. Ms. Kurtz, with no prior business experience took on the day to day operations of OC Metals after her husband's sudden death. She was recently honored as a Remarkable Women by the National Association of Women Business Owners and is involved in several Orange County organizations, including the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Association and Habitat for Humanity.

Trina Norman is the Anaheim Package Division Manager for UPS. Ms. Norman is an unstoppable business woman, striving to build and motivate others through community service, mentoring and developing others to achieve their dreams. UPS is extremely committed to the community, providing countless hours of volunteer support to local nonprofits, despite a difficult economy and changes in staffing structure. Ms. Norman is a tireless advocate for several nonprofit organizations in Orange County, including WHW.

Kristin Byrnes is the CEO of Project Access, Inc., an Orange County nonprofit organization whose mission is to be the leading provider of vital health, education and employment services to families, children and seniors living in low-income housing communities. Under the direction of Ms. Byrnes, Project Access has grown from 8 centers in Southern California to 33 centers in 3 regions of the state. She also led the development of an evaluation system which provides feedback for improvement as well as quantitative measures of the impact of Project Access' services.

WHW congratulates the award recipients and the many nominees who make contributions to employment success in Orange County. The Employment Leader Awards will be presented at WHW's Gala on April 21, 2012 at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel and Spa. All proceeds from the Gala will benefit WHW's Employment Success Program. Underwriting and sponsorship opportunities are also available for this event. For more information, please contact Janie Wolicki at 949.631.2333 x316, or janiew@whw.org.

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