The finalists of the 2019 Brilliance Awards are:
Top honorees
Brilliant Woman of the Year:
Meredith Bronk, CEO & President, OST
Christy Buck, Executive Director, Mental Health Foundation of WM
Peaches McCahill, Founder, The McCahill Group
Brilliant Tenacity:
Sandy Dettmann MD, DABAM, Founder & Addiction Medicine Specialist, The Dettmann Center P.C.
Raquel Guzman, Co-Founder and Managing Member, Avanti Law Group
Emily Richett, Founder and Lead Publicist, Happy PR
Brilliant Team Player:
Mary O’Neill, Vice President, Atomic Object
Leslie Pelkey MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer/Internal Medicine, Cherry Health
Meredith TerHaar, AM Content Director & Anchor, WZZM13
Brilliant Social Change Agent:
Amy Acton, Executive Director, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
Beca Velazquez-Publes, Director, Urban Core Collective
Elise Kutt, Founder and Photographer, Mod Bettie Portrait Boutique
Brilliant Mentor:
Karen Tracey, Principal & Creative Director, The Image Shoppe
Amanda Wildman, Owner, TruMedia
Liz Murphy, Vice President Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer, Trinity Health - Mercy Health Saint Mary’s
Brilliant Entrepreneur:
Shelby Reno, Owner, CKO Kickboxing
Sandi Frost Steensma, President & CEO, Kennari Consulting
Maria Erazo, Founder & Chief Brand Officer, Maria Erazo Enterprises
Brilliant Emerging Leader:
Daniela Rojas-Cortes, Fund Development & Communications, Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
Emily Babson, Director of Organizational Development & Leadership Training, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
Sara Sherry-Knoester, President, Mixed Staffing & Recruiting
Brilliant Connector:
Shannon Cohen, Founder and CEO, Shannon Cohen Inc.
Anna Baeten, Executive Director, Scratch Branding and Funky Buddha Yoga
Ann Noe, Inclusiveness & Diversity Sr. Program Manager Corporate Inclusiveness & Diversity, Herman Miller
Brilliant Champion of Service:
Bridget Clark Whitney, Founding CEO & Executive Director, Kids' Food Basket
Jennifer Hunt, Director of Public Policy, Alzheimer’s Association
Elizabeth McEwen, Communications and Development Coordinator, Girls on the Run Kent and Muskegon counties
Brilliant Best Supporting Man:
Michael Cazer, COO, Amway
Bill Jack, Shareholder, Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge
Mike Guswiler, President, West Michigan Sports Commission
People's Choice Award:
Emily Babson, Director of Organizational Development & Leadership Training, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital