Women’s Council Celebration of Women’s Leadership

26th Annual Women's Council Celebration Luncheon 2023

The WCC Foundation Women's Council truly appreciates the outstanding community support for the 2023 Women's Council Celebration Luncheon. Many thanks to everyone who participated in this special day!

We were thrilled to welcome a record-breaking crowd of 350+ guests back to campus on May 24th for an inspirational program filled with outstanding women and their stories of perseverance & growth.

Congratulations to the 2023 Shero Honorees — Michelle Crumm, Donna Doleman Dickerson, and Nancy Margolis — and thank you to our dynamic keynote speaker & WCC alum Aisha Bowe!

We call these women “Sheros” — female heroes who demonstrate professional excellence through their work and service; support the lives of women, children and the underserved; and advance equity, diversity and inclusion.

The proceeds from this luncheon benefitted the WCCF Student Emergency Fund. Photos from the event are available here.


Congratulations, 2023 Women’s Council Honorees!

Michelle Crumm

Michelle Crumm, MBA, CPA

Founder and CEO of Present Value, an executive coaching company

Michelle Crumm, MBA, CPA, is an accountant and auditor who used her procurement and investor relations expertise to co-found Adaptive Materials, Inc. The company develops and manufactures propane fuel cells. Crumm served as its chief business officer for 12 years. Recognized by Inc. 5000 and Inc. 100’s Energy Company awards for its dynamic growth, Adaptive Materials, Inc. was acquired by Ultra Electronics in 2011. Crumm, known for her energy, entrepreneurship and community involvement, then became the Founder and CEO of Present Value, an executive coaching company, where she inspires others to develop bold leadership.

Crumm has been a founder or investor in many start-up companies. Widely recognized for her leadership, Crain’s Detroit Business in 2007 named her one of the region’s “Most Influential Women.” In 2014, former Governor Rick Snyder appointed Crumm to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, where she served from 2015 to 2022.

A first-generation college student from a small, blue-collar town in Indiana, Crumm is a mentor with the Mentor, Access and Guidance in College program, known as MAGIC, which serves EMU students placed in foster care as a teen. For six years, she has championed the MAGIC Wishlist program, which has given more than $100,000 in gifts to students. She established an endowment for the program to ensure its continued success.

Donna Doleman Dickerson

Donna Doleman Dickerson, MBA, CDP

Chief Marketing Officer, University of Michigan Credit Union

Donna Doleman Dickerson, MBA, CDP, is a powerhouse at building brands and repositioning companies. As Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU), she leads Brand, Marketing, Communications, Community Development, Financial Education and innovative product design. 

Before joining UMCU, Dickerson led the brand pivot as the first Chief Marketing Officer of GreenPath Financial Wellness, a 60-year-old national nonprofit focused on financial  health. Ann Arbor SPARK earned multi-year awards for successfully promoting the Ann Arbor USA brand, with Dickerson serving as senior vice president of marketing and communication.

Dickerson is a Certified Diversity Professional trained to create a framework for transforming an organization into an engaged, productive, and inclusive workforce. She has used her business acumen to coach and advise local small businesses through the Michigan Small Business Development Center. 

Her passion for community service has led to service on many nonprofit boards. Dickerson serves as the Chair of Trinity Health Michigan Board of Directors and sits on the Make-a-Wish Michigan Board of Directors, Forbes Communications Council, and Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. 

With an eye towards health, wellness and sustainability, Dickerson launched Natural Kids, which promotes youth and school-centric environmental programs and products in Washtenaw County. She strives to inspire women in her professional capacity and improve the lives of others throughout the community.

Nancy Margolis

Nancy Margolis, MSW

Founder and President of Embracing Our Differences Michigan

Nancy Margolis, MSW, is the Founder and President of Embracing Our Differences Michigan, a nonprofit educational art program launched in 2021. It uses the transformative power of art and an educational curriculum to celebrate diversity and enhance understanding. Last year, the group installed 16 x 12.5-foot artistic images reflecting an array of life experiences at prominent parks in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

While serving as Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center (JCC), Margolis became manager of the Jewish Federation of Ann Arbor in addition to her JCC duties. She worked to make the Federation the center of Jewish philanthropy, engagement and community building, leading to the development of the Jewish Community Foundation. She was also a founder of Jewish Family Services.

Margolis formed a Black-Jewish coalition that sponsored Freedom Seders (antiracist dinner parties), “Driving While Black” workshops and recorded the personal histories of elderly Black and Jewish community members.

Her concern for low-income and disadvantaged residents of Washtenaw County has prioritized Margolis's volunteer efforts. She led the Inter-Faith Coalition of Congregations in fundraising for start-up organizations addressing poverty. She helped found The Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti, which provides health care, mental health and supportive services to teens and young adults.

A former elected Trustee of Washtenaw Community College, she has served on the boards of directors of the WCC Foundation and Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, among others. Margolis’s enthusiasm and “just do it” attitude in the face of obstacles fuel her commitment to change.

Keynote Speaker

Nora Martin, PhD

Aisha Bowe, BSE, M.Eng.

CEO and Founder of STEMBoard & LINGO

Aisha Bowe is a WCC alumna who set her sights on the stars. Had she followed her high school guidance counselor’s advice, Bowe would have become a cosmetologist. But her father urged his daughter to take a mathematics class at WCC, which she aced. Her studies at WCC paved the way for Bowe to transfer into engineering programs at the University of Michigan. 

After earning a BSE in Aerospace Engineering and an M. Eng. in Space Systems Engineering. Bowe worked at NASA as an aerospace engineer. She leads by example, smashing stereotypes and demonstrating the power of diversity.

She is the founder and CEO of STEMBoard, a tech company recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US. The company is working to close the achievement gap through STEM camps, partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and career opportunities for youth. Bowe tirelessly advocates for STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).

In 2022, Bowe raised nearly $2 million in venture capital to fund a second company, LINGO. Its hands-on kits help students learn computer coding, hardware and software design. More than 5,000 students in 10 countries currently use LINGO, and the company is growing fast.

In 2020, ESSENCE magazine included Bowe in its first list of “Woke 100 Women,” which honored women who are blazing trails for equal rights and inclusion for Black people in America.

Bowe will be the first Black woman to travel on a commercial flight to space with Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos. For her, the sky is not the limit!


1997 Dores McCree *
1997 Cheryl Elliott  
1997 Janet Tupper  
1998 Jean Campbell *
1999 Norma Sarns  
1999 Ingrid Sheldon  
1999 Hazel Turner *
2000 Mary Dobson  
2000 Marguerite Eaglin *
2000 Terry Foster  
2001 Ann Telfer  
2001 Ingrid Deininger  
2001 Lisa Dengiz  
2002 Ernestina Parravano *
2002 Rose Martin  
2003 Kathleen Wright  
2003 Joan Chesler *
2003 Lola Jones  
2004 Calla Fette  
2004 W. Deckard *
2004 Ann Schriber  
2005 Ann Kettles *
2005 Ruth Moorman *
2005 Doris Sperling *
2006 Lois Jelneck  
2006 Marguerite Oliver *
2006 Lori Saginaw  
2007 Shirley Brown *
2007 Johnnie Mae Seeley *
2007 Molly Resnik  
2008 Virginia Johansen *
2008 Johnnie Bass *
2008 Lois Baru  
2009 Ann Mattson  
2009 Lisa Hesse  
2009 Ellie Serras  
2010 Bettye McDonald  
2010 Letitia Byrd *
2010 Marianna Staples  
2011 Marcia Harrison  
2011 Gloria Edwards  
2011 Eileen Spring  
2012 Judith Hommel *
2012 Faye Askew-King  
2012 Sue Schooner  
2013 Ann Meredith  
2013 Laurita Thomas  
2013 Phyllis Meadows  
2014 René Greff  
2014 Verna McDaniel  
2014 Wendy Woods  
2015 Sava Lelcaj  
2015 Nancy Wheeler  
2015 Sarah Winans Newman  
2016 Lakshmi Narayanan  
2016 Marnie Leavitt  
2016 Amy Seetoo  
2017 Anya Abramzon  
2017 Joyce Hunter  
2017 Kelly Parent  
2018 Debra Bourque  
2018 Elaine Rumman  
2018 Jan Newman  
2019 Joan Doughty  
2019 Mariko Foulk  
2019 Melissa Anne Rogers  
2020 Marsha Chamberlin  
2020 Eva Feldman  
2020 Joetta Mial  
2021 Afa Dworkin  
2021 Joanne Faycurry  
2021 Penny Fischer  
2022 Cleopatra Caldwell  
2022 Yodit Mesfin Johnson  
2022 Daicia Price  
2023 Nancy Margolis  
2023 Donna Doleman Dickerson  
2023 Michelle Crumm  

* deceased


Presidential Sponsors

molly dobson
tim and laurie wadhams
um credit union

Celebration Sponsors

emu logo
story point senior living

Ambassador Sponsors

alex milshteyn real estate
amy cell talent
carey jernigan and mali resnick
emu logo
eileen thacker
entrepreneurship center
fran beckley and ann furtwangler
nancy margolis
old national bank
retirement income solutions
roddy wares
stefani carter
trinity health
utec

Learn more about the WCCF Women's Council