5 Philly locals celebrated as ‘Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania’

5 Philly locals celebrated as ‘Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania’
Pa.gov

On Wednesday state officials honored eight outstanding women at this year’s Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania celebration. The Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania celebration has been around since 1948 and honors women who have shown distinguished service through volunteering and in their professional career.  

The list of celebrated women are as follows: Sister Rosemary Donley (Pittsburgh), Angela Duckworth (Philadelphia), Carmen Febo-San Miguel (Philadelphia), JoAnne Fischer (Philadelphia), Vanessa German (Pittsburgh), Marci Hamilton (Philadelphia), Shubhra M. Shetty (Scranton) and Leslie Stiles (Philadelphia). 

Here’s what to know about the five Philadelphia women honored: 

Angela Duckworth 

Duckworth is the CEO and founder of Character Lab, which is a nonprofit that offers advice to parents and teachers based on science. Duckworth also started a summer school for low-income families. She wrote a New York Times best-selling novel called “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” Additionally, she is a Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and more. 

Carmen Febo-San Miguel, M.D.

Febo-San Miguel worked as a Family Medicine Specialist for four decades. She worked as a medical director previously and retired in 2014. She is well-known for her work with Taller Puertorriqueño, where she served as chair of the board from 1984-1999 and has served as an Executive Director since then. She also opened up a center for North Philadelphia’s Latino community in December 2016. 

JoAnne Fischer 

From 1989-2018, Fischer served as the Executive Director of Maternity Care Coalition (MCC). She turned the project into a statewide organization and helped it grow in every way possible. She had incredible initiatives focusing on maternal mortality and incarcerated pregnant women, and more. She has served in many leadership roles that focused on women and was recognized by President Obama as a White House Champion of Change. 

Marci Hamilton

Hamilton is the CEO, founder and Academic Director of CHILD USA, which is a nonprofit that focuses on evidence-based research to help improve laws & public policy to end child abuse and neglect. Hamilton is also the Fox Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. She authored “God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty” and “Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children.” Both have a focus on religion. 

Leslie Stiles

Stiles is the Board President of the PA Conference for Women, a large event that that celebrates personal and professional development of women. She was also Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Commission for Women. Additionally, she was appointed by former Gov. Rendell as an advocate for all issues relating to women. She has held many additional leadership roles and has won several awards. 

To read more about these women, visit governor.pa.gov