Each of the West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards finalists were selected for a reason. All exude a contagious spirit and broad skillset 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 ideally, make a few new connections!
Founder & Executive Director, Still I Run
Social Change Agent
Sasha Wolff originally thought she was destined to climb the corporate ladder. But in 2011, a week-long hospitalization for depression—coupled with the discovery of running for her mental health—initiated a transformative journey that spanned years, reshaping both her life and purpose.
In 2016, Wolff launched a Facebook group called “Still I Run - Runners for Mental Health Awareness” to connect with others who ran for mental health. Met with incredible interest and positivity, Wolff turned the group into a non-profit. For the next six years, she continued to balance her full-time job and raise three small kids, all while devoting every “spare” moment to Still I Run. She’s now working full-time for the organization and looks forward to its expansion, including the Starting Line Scholarship in West Michigan, which eliminates barriers to running by providing free gear, fitness instruction, run coaching and group mental health support—all at no cost.
Wolff shares, “No one should bear the burden of shame for experiencing mental illness; after all, mental health is just as vital as physical health, just like addressing heart disease or a broken bone. Having intimately experienced the crushing weight of stigma and mental illness, I’m driven to ensure no one else suffers needlessly.”
Emergency Recovery Coordinator, Paul Davis of West Michigan
Tenacity
Leading with service, Mandy Fidler is a liaison to families facing substantial loss after catastrophes, lending heart and humanity. Fidler faced catastrophe herself after enduring a horrific assault in 2023 that saw her hospitalized and undergoing reconstructive surgery, resulting in her mouth being sewn shut and only consuming liquids for 100 days. Her husband—subsequently convicted for aggravated domestic assault—died by suicide shortly before his sentence. In the face of the unimaginable, Fidler presses on.
She advocates for community risk reduction through education and emergency preparedness, and on the Board of Hero Services, she plays a pivotal role in furthering the pursuit of mental wellness among Veterans and First Responders. You’ll find Fidler impacting our most at risk communities through life-saving initiatives like Sound the Alarm and the West Michigan Red Cross.
“Some days I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Fidler shares. “My tenacity is what made me wake up one morning and say, ‘Are you going to let these traumas make or break you? Are you going to lay down and accept defeat?’ My determination to rise above kicked into gear. I had to set the example for my children that bad things are going to happen in this lifetime, but where there’s bad, you’ll always find good.”
Founder & Co-Owner, Acceso VIP
Tenacity
Dedicated to enhancing community engagement and empowering individuals in West Michigan, Yeli Romero strives to bridge cultural divides and foster collaboration and inclusivity. When Romero was 19, she began struggling with alopecia universalis—total hair loss. After enduring severe bullying, Romero kept her condition hidden for years, but eventually went public and now advocates for alopecia education and support. For Romero, every tear shed, every obstacle, every setback, was a stepping stone.
As CEO of Accesso VIP, Romero actively shares resources, interviews community members, and organizes empowering events, with her and her team having supported more than 500 clients and promoted over 3,000 events. Romero also engages diverse audiences as a WYCE on-air personality; offers crucial support to business owners along Cesar E. Chavez Avenue as manager of the South West Business Association; and manages the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Farmers Market, leading marketing efforts, creating bilingual social media content and more.
Being named a finalist, Romero shared, is like receiving a warm embrace from her community. She says, “It symbolizes the struggles and triumphs of every person who has ever dared to dream big and chase those dreams relentlessly. It’s a tribute to resilience, to that inner strength that propels us forward, even when the path seems daunting.”
Director of Communications, SpartanNash
Tenacity
Carrie Smith is a passionate advocate for postpartum mothers. Having navigated motherhood and postpartum depression herself—along with additional heartbreaking personal struggles—she has poured herself into improving outcomes for mothers, parents, and babies as the former Executive Director for MomsBloom and through lobbying and public speaking engagements.
Smith started her career as a reporter at WOOD-TV8, and then worked her way through the ranks at BISSELL and AHC+Hospitality. In 2018, Smith began leading MomsBloom through a difficult phase that threatened the non-profit’s closure. She knew it would be challenging, but she got to work—fundraising, revising the program model, recruiting and training volunteers and planning events. Under her leadership, the program grew to serve more than 400 postpartum mothers each year with free in-home support services. Following MomsBloom’s continued success, Smith recently accepted a position as Director of Communications for SpartanNash, and volunteers her time on the board at Park Church.
“In my early years,” Smith says, “I doubted myself often, and wondered if I was too ‘weak’ for leadership, simply because I’m a sensitive person. But in time, I realized that my depth of emotion was a gift and not something that would hold me back.”
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, SpartanNash
Woman of the Year
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear.” This George Addair quote is one in which Ileana McAlary finds much inspiration.
Named Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of SpartanNash in March 2023, McAlary oversees the company’s legal, government affairs, compliance and aviation functions. She also serves as Corporate Secretary of the SpartanNash Board and President of the SpartanNash Foundation.
McAlary has held roles at Wolverine Worldwide, Meijer, Amway Corporation, Miller Johnson and as an adjunct professor at WMU’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in addition to volunteering with the Hispanic Center of West Michigan, Habitat for Humanity and the Grandville Avenue Arts Academy. Over the course of her career, McAlary has cultivated relationships based on trust, empathy and gratefulness, and has become an expert in a number of issues across multiple industries and international markets. She’s a proven leader of people and processes with a passion for client service and excellence.
Having developed successful in-house legal teams and leaders at some of the area’s largest companies, McAlary remains a mentor to several legal and compliance professionals, and often speaks to audiences about careers in law and business and leadership development.
“Almost 30 years ago,” McAlary shares, “I was a 20-year-old Cuban immigrant who came to Grand Rapids to make it my home and start a new life, not knowing what the future would bring. Today, I take this opportunity to give thanks and express my deepest gratitude for a community that has given me so much support and opportunities to change my own life and positively impact the lives of so many others. In the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege to help advance the careers of several amazingly talented women leaders in our community who are now paying it forward and continuing the mission.”
