When Kimberly Sheffield decided to step away from the insurance industry she’d been entrenched in for more than a decade to embark upon an entirely new and unfamiliar career, she was “petrified.”
Despite facing a “scary transition,” she knew she “naturally gravitated” toward serving the community. Her passion eventually led her to becoming the director of community engagement for Charlottesville’s Jefferson School Foundation, the nonprofit group that owns and operates the historic Jefferson School and the community center it now houses, a little over a year ago.
“I’d be lying if I’d say I didn’t sit in certain rooms thinking, ‘Can I offer these people anything?’ I stayed in the tension of that and really, really dug deep,” Sheffield told the Daily Progress. “My career change was because I really wanted to live a more purpose-driven life, and I wanted to be involved in work that really mattered.”
Now, Sheffield is reaping the rewards of pushing through that discomfort. She, along with Sarah Morton, executive director of Virginia Career Works’ Piedmont Region, and Min Lee, COO of the University of Virginia Medical Center, have been recognized as this year’s “Women of Excellence” by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The women have been elevated not only for their extensive achievements in their respective professional fields but also their commitment to elevating those in the community.
This is the third year that the Business Women’s Round Table, a Chamber committee, has handed out the annual awards.
Sheffield was specifically granted the Emerging Professional Award, recognizing her “exceptional talent as a future business leader.”
“To be recognized for a woman of excellence and an emerging professional, that’s reassuring that I have arrived in the nonprofit world, and I’m excited about that,” said Sheffield.
A native of Orange County, Sheffield has always been involved in supporting and empowering underserved people, even while working in insurance. She focused on educating and connecting low-income and minority families with life and health insurance resources.
She also established Kenly’s Mission Outreach Ministry, a family-run resource for those in need — helping to cover the costs of Christmas gifts, electric bills and Thanksgiving turkeys, among other line items — in “our neck of the woods” in both Orange and Madison counties.
“We make it our business not to publicize all that we do in the community. … We try to give people a safe space just to say, ‘Hey, we need support here,’” said Sheffield, who operates the ministry with her mother, Lorraine. “If we can’t help them, we connect them with resources that can, so I would say that we have become more or less a resource for people than anything.”
This year’s winner of the Woman of Excellence Award, designated for an individual with “a proven track record of achievements, community involvement and professional growth,” was Morton, the executive director of Virginia Career Works’ Piedmont Region.
While she has served in nonprofit leadership as well as education and workforce development roles for the past two decades, Morton considers herself “a farmer first and a nonprofit executive second,” according to a statement from the Chamber announcing this year’s award recipients.
Whether at a national or grassroots level, she’s advocated for social equity and food security for marginalized populations. Some of the accomplishments the Chamber highlighted include spearheading initiatives to increase local food access by 30%; assisting more than 50,000 people across the country by promoting technical education opportunities; and raising awareness on the national stage for women in agriculture and community leadership.
“[Morton] is deeply committed to public service, community empowerment, workforce development, food sovereignty, economic mobility, environmental stewardship, regenerative agriculture, and educational rigor,” reads the Chamber’s statement. “With a focus on creating sustainable, inclusive communities, she aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to drive positive social change across Virginia and beyond.”
Last, but not least, is Lee, recipient of the Distinguished Mentor Award, which goes to a woman with “a powerful commitment” to serving those around her in both their personal and professional development. In her position as chief operating officer of Virginia’s top-ranked hospital, she is in charge of more than 2,800 professionals as well as an operating budget of $1 billion.
Ever since she was tapped to handle the daily operations of UVa Medical Center in Charlottesville in 2022, Lee has prioritized a number of programs to boost the medical center’s overall performance, particularly with security, emergency management as well as parking and transportation.
An active member in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Lee has an extensive track record in hospital management after receiving a double master’s in business and health care administration from Georgia State University. Prior to coming to Charlottesville, Lee oversaw the Reading Hospital’s McGlinn Cancer Institute in Pennsylvania and, before that, was vice president of operations for a 550-bed medical center under Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.
“Above all, she takes pride in her role as umma (mom in Korean) to her 2 year old son, Liam,” according to the Chamber’s statement. “In her free time, Min enjoys exploring the great outdoors, reading, playing tennis, and cherishing moments with her family doing nothing and everything.”
This year’s Women of Excellence will receive their awards at a luncheon on March 20 at the Hillsdale Conference Center at 550 Hillsdale Drive just outside Charlottesville. Tickets for the event are available at www.cvillechamber.com/bwrt.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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