The 2022 West Michigan Woman People's Choice Brilliance Award
People’s Choice Award voting is now open! The top honoree will be announced on May 12 at the West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards. Tickets can be purchased here.
Please keep in mind that each of the West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards finalists were selected for a reason. All exude a contagious spirit and broad skill set that in one facet or another, betters the West Michigan community. This is an opportunity for you to get to know them. Read through their bios, resonate with their challenges and triumphs, and vote for the person whose story speaks to you most. The People’s Choice Award is not a popularity contest; it’s a way of introducing brilliant individuals to the community and making connections that may not have otherwise existed.
Of the 30 Brilliance Awards Finalists, who most inspires you? Who would you like to see further recognized? Whose story should be told in a big way to West Michigan? Vote for that person.
• To vote, please provide your first and last name and email address. • You may only vote one time for one person. • Voting opens March 28, 2022 and closes at 5pm on April 15, 2022.
Emily Quellet’s leadership and dedication stems from overcoming adversities as a young woman. She explains, “I moved six times my senior year of high school because my mother and I couldn’t afford rent. This is what fueled my passion to succeed and to help others like me.” Emily was one of two people in her entire extended family to complete her bachelor’s degree. She worked her way up from a receptionist in a small real estate firm to becoming Chief Operating Officer for a high-end custom home builder. Emily’s passion for her community lives on in her volunteering efforts: She has served on the NextGen Board for Wedgwood Christian Services for the past three years and was recently appointed co-chair. In her spare time, she volunteers for other organizations that ignite her passion for diversity and inclusion. Emily says, “I want other young women of color to see me as an inspiration that anyone can defy statistics. Your history does not define you. Your struggles do not define you. What defines you is what’s in your heart.”
Wedgwood Christian Services Brilliant Best Supporting Man
Gary Raterink has had two successful 30-year careers, one in public accounting and the other in nonprofit finance. At 86, Gary continues to work as Wedgwood Christian Services’ Planned Giving Officer. He has served as a local and state director for the Michigan Association of CPAs and as the president for Holland Home. In addition, Gary has led the Estate Planning Council for West Michigan. He has also been a member of Kiwanis for 20 years, which is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children. Throughout Gary’s professional and philanthropic efforts, he has mentored many talented women and has been a role model to men, demonstrating how to elevate the voice of women in the workplace. “Recognizing the talent of others and watching them thrive in their roles is its own sense of achievement,” says Gary. “I cannot take credit for any of the accomplishments of the women whom I have led, but I am honored to have played a small role in their success.”
Grand Rapids Community Foundation Brilliant Connector
Ashley René Lee is a nonprofit and communications executive who helps organizations determine strategic direction and deliver messages through an equity lens. She previously led communications at Michigan State University and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has written for publications such as Essence Magazine. Ashley is passionate about mentoring students and professionals in the fields of communications, philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. “... being an advocate for other women has always been a priority of mine. Connecting other women to networks, resources, information and opportunities for growth and advancement is among the most important work that I do. This is especially true for women of color who face added barriers when it comes to equitable access to networks and opportunities," says Ashley, whose accolades include being recognized by Grand Rapids Young Professionals as Young Professional of the Year, Who’s Who in Black Washington, D.C. as a Woman of Excellence Under 40 and as a finalist for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award.
Laurel Romanella is an attorney, mentor, business owner and passionate spark plug. Specifically, she is the owner of the RNR franchise, where she helps companies implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System. She is the eponymous owner of Laurel & Co, applying a unique blend of business experience and legal knowledge to help others scale their businesses. As the owner of RedLine, PLLC, Laurel employs healthcare experience and contract expertise to help physicians and providers navigate employment legal documents. Though each business is different, Laurel’s position remains that same: people facing. “I believe mentoring isn’t about information … it’s about transformation,” says Laurel. Driven by a passion for pouring into others, Laurel has mentored and consulted with small and large businesses in various industries nationwide since 2009. And as an entrepreneur and local investor herself, Laurel has a proven track record of helping owners operate successful businesses and live their ideal lives. “Through mentoring, I have the opportunity to give away my gold—my experiences, perspective and expertise—in service to others.”
The Empowerment Institute Brilliant Social Change Agent
Monique Salinas is passionately working for West Michigan social justice. The daughter of a Mexican migrant worker, she received her degrees in music and business administration from Aquinas College and her doctorate in music education from Michigan State University. The first nonprofit organization she founded, Girls Choral Academy, raised self-esteem and self-confidence in girls with specific outreach to Latina girls in GRPS elementary schools. Her second nonprofit, Mind Meets Music, focused on literacy and academic achievement through music in marginalized preschool through third-grade students. Monique raised over $4 million dollars spanning her 23+ years in the nonprofit world. She served as President of the Boards of Ebony Road Players, STEM Greenhouse and Grand Rapids Community Arts. She continues to mentor numerous women of color in leadership roles and is more recently the founder and president of a new nonprofit, The Empowerment Institute, working to solve the problems of inequity in nonprofits of color and helping to achieve radical systems change.
