Six Women Honored At Leadership Summit 2023
India-West Staff Reporter
ORANGE, CA – The Women’s Leadership Summit 2023 Awards, organized by the Global Peace Foundation and the Long Beach chapter of the United Nations Associations of USA (UNA-USA), celebrated the achievements of six distinguished women on June 17, at Tandoor Restaurant, here. The event featured a red carpet reception, cultural performances, and a fashion show showcasing diversity.
The six awardees were remarkable women who had excelled in their respective professional fields and represented diverse cultures. They included Kieu Chinh, a legendary Vietnamese American actress and film producer; Virgelia Villegas, founder of Virgelia Productions, renowned for producing international talent shows; Dr. Jinny Rhee, Dean of the College of Engineering at California State University Long Beach and an advocate for women in engineering; Maya Vishwakarma, known as the “Pad Woman of India” and the founder of Sukarma Foundation; Juanita Matthews, founder of Springs of Hope Grief Care Center and the 2022 Women of the Year awardee; and Smita Vasant, former Mrs. Asia USA and entrepreneur in the food and fashion industries, who founded LA India Fashion Week.
The awards were presented to them by Dr. Lalith P. Chandradasa, the Consul General of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Manorama S Gupta, President of both the Global Peace Foundation and the UNA-USA Long Beach chapter, addressed the attendees, highlighting the activities of both organizations. She explained the purpose of the event and shared plans for future initiatives, including the packaging and donation of 10,000 meals to children in need worldwide. Gupta encouraged attendees to volunteer and donate to support this noble cause.
Dr. Sukrit Mukherjee presented a slide show highlighting the past activities of the Global Peace Foundation and the UNA-USA Long Beach Chapter. Arvind Patel delivered the vote of thanks, which was followed by lunch.
The program began with a welcome speech by Harkishan Vasa and was emceed by Giovanna Salas, the Founder of Heart of Hollywood and a film producer, introduced by Ramesh Ramnani. The lighting of the lamp ceremony followed the opening remarks.
The cultural program featured performances by Kathak Kala Academy, Laasya Dance Academy, and the Karnataka Cultural Association of Southern California. Dalena Poxsy showcased Lao dance, while Bhadra Bhatt, Anjal Jain, Alan Ford, and Subhash Tolia entertained the audience with their singing.
