The energy was real on the 24th and 25th floors of the Kimpton Hotel Palomar on Wednesday evening, as more than 200 guests joyfully gathered to celebrate the nominees and winners of the 2024 Rad Awards.
There was a lot of catching up to do — this was the first Rad Awards since 2019. Founder Leah Kauffman established the event in 2015 as a way to celebrate kickass Philly women. In the process, she created a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see, be seen, get to know, and take so many selfies. The Philadelphia Citizen partnered with Kauffman to relaunch the awards this summer.
“Tonight, we have the incredible opportunity to come together and applaud these exceptional individuals for their dedication, passion, and leadership,” Kauffman said, as she and Citizen Co-Executive Director Roxanne Patel Shepelavy kicked off the awards ceremony. “Each of them represents a beacon of inspiration and serves as a testament to the limitless potential of women in our community.”
By the end of the night, 21 Philadelphians took home awards— although, to be honest, everyone at the Rad Awards felt like a winner that evening. As one winner said the next day, “I had so many convos with several entrepreneurs and business owners who said, ‘I needed this tonight.’ Running a business today is so much harder than it was yesterday, and not sure if you all realize what these little pick me ups do for us that are working from sun up to sun down to make a difference!”
See below who went home with 2024 Rad Awards, a Philadelphia tradition The Citizen and Kauffman plan to continue. (So buy your tickets earlier next year.)
And keep scrolling for bios and photos of the winners, nominees — and more super stylish, smart and powerful partygoers.
Rad Recap
Your 2024 Rad Girls
Hospitality Star of the Year: Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Co-owner, Honeysuckle Provisions
Cybille St. Aude-Tate is the co-owner of Honeysuckle Provisions, an Afroc-centric cafe in West Philly, alongside her husband, Omar Tate. She is a chef and children’s book author who has appeared on the Food Network’s Chopped. This year, St. Aude-Tate and Tate were James Beard Award semifinalists for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
Artist of the Year: Natalie Hope McDonald, Writer, Illustrator and Editor
Natalie Hope McDonald has worked in mediums ranging from paper and canvas to decorative plates, reclaimed wood and upcycled materials. She has work in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Art Museum and has created murals for the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, and the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. She’s written for PhillyVoice, Vulture, where she covered both of the criminal trials for Bill Cosby.
Style Influencer of the Year: Erikka Banks, Director of Member Events, The Fitler Club
There’s seemingly nothing Erikka Banks can do about it. No matter where she goes, she’s on the receiving end of nearly endless compliments on what she’s wearing. She’ll tell you she’s just retooling outfits from her days working for Nordstrom, in a very “Oh, this old thing?” way, but the truth is, Banks possesses more fashion sense in her little pinky than the rest of us have in our whole closet. If you think the neon magenta tulle frock she wore to the Rad Awards is something special, then you should see what she’s pulled together on a random Tuesday at Offsite, the Fitler’s coworking space.
Storyteller of the Year: Heather Shayne Blakeslee, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Root Quarterly
Heather Shayne Blakeslee is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of Root Quarterly, a Philly-based print journal of art and ideas that seeks to highlight the city and the state’s artists, writers, social entrepreneurs and neighborhoods. Prior to founding RQ, Blakeslee served as the editor-in-chief of the local sustainability magazine, Grid. She is founder of Red Pen Arts, LLC, which publishes RQ. In addition to her work in the magazine world, she heads up the folk-noir band Sweetbriar Rose, as a singer-songwriter.
Nonprofit leader of the Year: Lauren Cristella, President and CEO, Committee of Seventy
In 2023, Lauren Cristella became the first woman to serve as President and CEO in the Committee of Seventy’s 119-year history. The nonprofit works to ensure Pennsylvania’s elections are fair and played a pivotal role in ensuring the 2020 election was honorably administered. Cristella has been with the organization since 2018, when she started as Chief Program Officer. She spearheaded C70’s Youth Civics programs, which help educate the next generation of voters and itsWeVote program, which helps organizations create a culture of voting. Under her leadership, the C70’s Board of Directors has grown to become 50 percent women and more than 30 percent people of color.
Connector of the Year: Sisterly Love Collective, Co-founders Ellen Yin, Sofia Deleon, Jill Weber, and Jen Carroll
Founded in 2020, the Sisterly Love Collective formed to support women in the restaurant and hospitality space in some of the hardest years for the industry. It offers mentorship, educational programming and networking opportunities. It’s founders include James Beard Award winning restaurateur Ellen Yin, founder and co-owner of High Street Hospitality Group; Jill Weber, owner of Sojourn Philly, which operates four restaurants; Jen Carroll, founder of Carroll Couture Cuisine, known for her appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef; and Sofia Deleon, owner of El Merkury and Tenango Rum.
Attorney of the Year: Kristen Gibbons Feden, Shareholder, Anapol Weiss
As a 35-year-old prosecutor in Montgomery County, Kristen Gibbons Feden became known for her closing argument in the second criminal trial against actor Bill Cosby. The New York Times said her closing argument “would have been a viral moment” if cameras had been allowed in the courtroom. Since then, she’s continued her work as an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. In 2023, she won two eight-figure verdicts in one day — a $10.5 million verdict for survivors of singer and entertainer R. Kelly, and a $22 million verdict for a sexual abuse survivor of a renowned New York pediatrician.
Scientist of the Year: Dr. Joan Lau, CEO, Spirovant
Dr. Joan Lau has built a career in biotech. With her latest venture, Spirovant, she is working to develop advanced gene therapies to treat cystic fibrosis. Additionally, she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, served as president for the Alliance for Women Entrepreneurs, and co-founded the nonprofit PhillyBio, which helped bring together people in the local biopharma community.
Activist of the Year: Jude Husein, Executive Director, World Affairs Caucus, PA State Senate
Jude Husein has long been an activist. In 2021, the year she graduated from LaSalle University, she started the city’s first Palestinian American Solidarity Day. She’s also served on the Mayor’s Millennial Advisory Committee and as Chairwoman of Jobs and Economics on the Mayor’s Youth Commission. In 2022, Husein became the only Arab staffer in the PA Senate and now is the executive director of the World Affairs Caucus. In addition to her work in government, she is currently the interim executive director of the nonprofit Philly BOLT.
Sports Pro of the Year: Shariah Harris, U.S. Women’s Polo Championship Competitor
Shariah Harris made history this February when she became the first Black woman to compete in U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championships. Growing up in Upper Darby, Harris began riding horses through the Philadelphia-based program Work to Ride. She competed in polo as a student at Cornell University and continues to do so while to working as a nurse for Mainline Health.
Wellness Woman of the Year: Christa Barfield, CEO, FarmerJawn
Urban agriculturalist Christa Barfield launched community-support agriculture (CSA) FarmerJawn to provide fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables to under-served Philadelphians in 2020. Today, she oversees 128 acres of land and trains people of color to become organic farmers — all while continuing to operate the CSA. “It’s really important that we are paying attention to where our food comes from,” Barfield told The Citizen in 2022. “[FarmerJawn] is a message to our community saying that anybody can farm, and if you don’t want to farm that’s perfectly fine but at least you have the option to know who your farmer is.”
Entrepreneur of the Year: Jeannine A. Cook, Founder and Owner, Harriett’s and Ida’s Bookshops
Jeannine A. Cook left her Fishtown bookstore mid-rehab to attend the Rad Awards. Seems she’s always doing something to transform Harriett’s (named for Tubman) or Ida’s (named for B. Wells, in Collingswood, NJ) to make them more than booksellers. She’s transformed them into event spaces for hosting A-list authors, poets and intellectuals — 800 people recently showed up for Nikole Hannah-Jones. They’ve been entertainment spaces for music (gospel choirs perform on Sundays) and safe spaces for free thinkers and protestors, wide-eyed kids and seasoned readers.
Product of the Year: AnaOno Bras & Lingerie, Dana Donofree, Founder and CEO
After surviving her battle with breast cancer at 27, Dana Donofree felt the only bras available to her were “grandma bras.” So, she decided to create something that met her needs — something comfortable and sexy. Thus was born AnaOno Bras & Lingerie, a company that creates bras designed for people who have had mastectomies and other breast surgeries. It was the first mastectomy bra sold on the internet.
Technologist of the Year: Sindi Banaj and Maryem Bouatlaoui, Co-creators, Finiverse
Now sophomores at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Sindi Banaj and Maryem Bouatlaoui began working on the app Finiverse when they were just seniors at Central High School. A project of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance, Finiverse helps high school students and their families assess the costs of college. It calculates loan debt and allows students to assess it alongside potential career paths and other future financial decisions. Around 40 students from across Philadelphia have worked together to develop, code and design the app, which launched in April.
Innovator of the Year: Samantha Wittchen, Founder and CPO, Circa Systems; Co-founder and Director of Programs and Operations, Circular Philadelphia
Once a consultant to the City of Philadelphia’s Recycling Office, Samantha Wittchen is co-founder of the nonprofit Circular Philadelphia alongside Nic Esposito, the City’s former litter czar. The nonprofit strives to make Philly a zero-waste city by creating systems to keep waste out of the landfills, and reused for other purposes. The duo also worked together the found the tech company Circa Systems, which created a circular point of sale platforms to power the new circular economy.
Rad Ally of the Year: Wil Reynolds, Founder and CEO, Seer Interactive
When Wil Reynolds got not one, but two multi-million dollar offers for his B-Corp internet search company, Seer Interactive, he reflected on what really mattered to him and the answer wasn’t money; it was people — his employees, the folks in his community. So in 2022, he decided to double-down on the company’s community impact, committing to invest $15 million in various initiatives by 2032. Last year they donated $154,000 to various causes and nonprofits.
Rad Girl of the Year: Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP, Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation; President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation
Since 2020, Dalila Wilson-Scott has led Comcast’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives and philanthropic strategy, giving out $1.5 billion in support to more than 5,000 nonprofits. Among other things, she oversees Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to reduce the digital divide, advance economic mobility and create more workforce opportunities. “What’s a major issue that’s affecting a lot of people that we are uniquely positioned to address?” Wilson-Scott said in a 2023 interview. “I always say our three best assets at Comcast are our talent, our technology, and our reach. If I took all those assets and put them behind a large-scale societal issue, we will have a good chance of solving it. For us, that issue is digital equity.”
Beyond her work at Comcast, Wilson-Scott serves on the board of Main Line Health, City Year, CodePath, and the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., among others. [Note: Comcast is a supporter of The Citizen.]
More 2024 Rad Awards Party Pics
Shoutout to our supporters and sponsors: Comcast NBCUniversal, Penn Medicine, Anapol Weiss, Bondfire, Committee of 70, Visit Philadelphia, Darco Capital and Campus Apartments — and our partners in throwing this party — Blue Coat Gin, Top Dog Cocktails, Union Forge Vodka — and especially Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the publisher of Heather Blakeslee’s RQ. It is Red Pen Arts, LLC.
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