Nominations Open for 2017 Iris Awards

January 9, 2017
For Immediate Release

For additional information:
Hannah Erickson, Clark College Communications & Marketing
Telephone:  360-992-2954
Email:  herickson@clark.edu

Clark College celebrates more than 30 years of honoring women in Southwest Washington

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 Iris Awards, which honor outstanding women in Southwest Washington. The winners will be announced at the end of January, and the recipients will be honored at a reception and ceremony on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, from 5:30-7 p.m. in Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center. Tickets will go on sale in late January.

Award criteria and nominations forms are available at www.clark.edu/cc/irisawards. Nominations must be received by January, 27, 2017. A list of past award recipients can be found at http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/iris/iris-award-honorees.php.

The Iris Awards follow in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, which began in 1985 at Clark College. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards, still celebrated on or around International Women’s Day (March 8) and with the same core mission: honoring the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond.

One Iris Award recipient may be selected in each of four areas: service in the public sector; service in the private sector; philanthropic leadership; and leadership in the promotion of civil discourse, teamwork, collaboration and cooperation. This last category is a new addition to the Iris Awards, sponsored by H-RoC, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to the advancement of elected and appointed women leaders in Southwest Washington.

Additionally, nominations are being taken for the Legacy Award, presented to previous Iris Award or Women of Distinction honorees who have continued to serve Southwest Washington.

Anyone may submit a nomination, and more than one person can fill out a nomination form or provide letters of recommendation for the same nominee.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and H-RoC.