Three New West women are in the running for YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.
Seventy-eight nominees, including three who live and/or work in New Westminster, are in the running for the YWCA’s 40th annual Women of Distinction Awards. Award recipients will be announced at the Women of Distinction awards gala at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver on May 9.
Here are the local nominees:
Angel Lam, managing director of Liv’Ez Co, is nominated in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Category. She’s the founder of Liv’Ez Co., a science-based skincare and wellness brand focused on adding environmental and social impact through effective personal care products and cosmetics that can safely re-enter the water and soil post-consumption.
“Angel intentionally purchases ethically sourced, sustainably produced and pure ingredients that empower farmers through fair trade, while supporting traditional farming practices. Through sourcing directly from women-owned and operated co-op farms in West Africa, she has funded 17 years of primary schooling for young women in the region,” said a YWCA profile. “Angel also serves as a mentor and innovator in the conscious skincare and wellness space. She is a marketing consultant and national conference organizer for the Handcrafted Bath & Body Guild and is an alumna of both Project Zero circular economy incubator and RISE’s Peer-Supported Training.”
Two local women are nominated in the Non-Profit category – Amina Yasin and Marisa Espinosa.
Amina is director public hearings and planning, Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative at SFU, and serves as a director of the board at Hogan’s Alley Society, where she helped daylight the history of the Black community in Vancouver and facilitated a strong tenant engagement program for residents.
“Her commitment to shifting public space planning towards equity focuses on uplifting Black women and girls, and she brings this perspective to her role as a Vancouver City planning commissioner (VCPC),” said a YWCA profile. “After 600 people in Vancouver died in a heatwave, Amina co-authored a memo to council that is helping change the city’s response to the climate crisis. Her work as commissioner has contributed to a historic first with establishing the justice, equity, decolonization and inclusion subcommittee that is reviewing historical planning inequities and organizing community engagement panels.”
Espinosa is the director of major studies for TransLink, where she leads a project development portfolio of major infrastructure planning across Metro Vancouver. She is committed to ensuring the lived experiences of equity-seeking and Indigenous communities are incorporated into infrastructure project development.
“Throughout her career, Marisa has been disrupting the traditional methods of business case development, environmental assessment and infrastructure design by infusing all stages of project development and evaluation with EDI and reconciliation lenses,” said a YWCA profile. “Previously, as director of green operations in the City of Vancouver’s engineering division, she reduced greenhouse gas emissions using alternative fleets and fuels and implemented and led the engineering mentorship program. She made sure to help lower barriers for other women and racialized planning professionals to also succeed in the STEM, skilled trades and operations fields.”
The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honour individuals and organizations whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community. Awards are handed out in 12 categories.
Since 1984, YWCA Metro Vancouver has paid tribute to more than 352 award recipients and 2,100 nominees.
