Michele Iannello-Ward will receive the seventh annual “Effective Leadership Award for Women in Business” at the meeting of the Grand Island Professional Women’s Chapter, New York State Women, Inc., at the River Oaks Clubhouse, Whitehaven Rd., at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 26.
The Award is sponsored by Accu Theranostics, Inc. of Buffalo and will be presented by Dr. Sherry Bradford of Grand Island, who is company president, chief scientific officer, and inventor of the cancer lab’s trademarks and patents.
According to Bradford, the award honors a woman who excels in her chosen field, who devotes time and energy to her community in a meaningful way, and who serves as a role model for women everywhere.
Michele believes that one of her most important contributions when she represented the 10th District in the Erie County Legislature is that she was the first politician to support and work closely with the founder of the Clean Air Coalition. The Coalition supported the efforts to hold Tonawanda Coke accountable for breaking the air emissions regulations, emitting toxins at levels 75% higher than EPA standards. “After years of community support, Tonawanda Coke was recently found guilty of 15 felony counts,” she said.
Before entering public service, Michele worked as a Real Estate Paralegal.
Many don’t know that she was also a small business owner/operator. The small business was a pizzeria on Niagara Falls Blvd., in Wheatfield. And, many didn’t realize that she developed her own pizza sauce and additionally developed dessert pizzas, long before they became popular.
This private sector experience has given her “a vast knowledge of property values and the importance of the relationship between government and business.”
When Michele met her husband, Dennis E. Ward, he was an attorney specializing in divorce and election law. He was also Amherst Town Chairman. He is now in his ninth year as Erie County Board of Elections Commissioner.
“Dennis encouraged me to run for Trustee of the Kenmore Village Board,” Michele said.
That was her first run for office before running for County Legislator in District 10, in 2005. Her District included the Village of Kenmore, the City of Tonawanda, a portion of the Town of Tonawanda and all of Grand Island.
Jean Harper, a member of the Grand Island Democratic Committee, accompanied Michele as she went house to house on both her legislative campaigns, and will be at the Award Ceremony. “She has what it takes,” Harper said. “She’s a hard worker and dependable leader.”
Dr. Bradford’s laboratory, Accu Theranostics, Inc., which sponsors the leadership award, tests and identifies the best chemotherapy for a patient’s unique tumor. It identifies which drugs have the most or least potential for treating the cancer, increasing the success of the chemotherapy.
The Leadership Award arose from Dr. Bradford’s personal and professional experiences as a female, faced with a unique set of challenges, as she formed and developed her business.
“Gender discrimination, stereotyping, dual career-family pressures, and the lack of equal opportunities and pay, all play a role in challenging professional women.” Dr. Bradford said.
“And the Leadership Award is an opportunity to recognize women for what they have accomplished.”