7 trailblazing women honored with Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award – Tennessean
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee on Thursday honored seven trailblazing women who are committed to bettering the Nashville area with the 2019 Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award.
Established in 1993, the annual award recognizes community leaders who embody the strength of character and unwavering integrity of the late Joe Kraft. Recipients of the award can then choose charities to receive grants from the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award fund.
The 2019 honorees are seven impressive women who have been influential leaders in diverse fields, from higher education to fashion, civil rights activism and the arts. Those women, who were honored during a luncheon Thursday at Music City Center, are:
- Style icon and philanthropist Clare Armistead, who has worked on and created many fundraising events in the Nashville area and been involved with an assortment of nonprofits
- Janet Ayers, president of the Ayers Foundation and an avid supporter of Tennessee artists
- The late Colleen Conway-Welch, who served as dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing for 29 years, transforming the nursing school into a leader in the field and acting as a role model for countless nurses
- Tennessee State University educator Inez Crutchfield, who has been a longtime political and civil rights activist in the Nashville area
- Education reformer and philanthropist Annette Eskind, who is known for her lifelong commitment to supporting education in the Nashville community
- Carrie Gentry, a Tennessee State University educator and civil rights pioneer
- Tennessee Tribune founder Rosetta Miller-Perry, who has served as a civil rights activist and fought for social justice her entire career
Past recipients of the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award include Amy Grant, Vince Gill, John Seigenthaler, Francis S. Guess, Clayton McWhorter, Karl Dean, Martha Ingram and Chet Atkins.
Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.
Published 6:35 PM EDT Oct 17, 2019
