Here Are the 2018 Rad Awards Nominees

A scene from the 2017 Rad Awards. Courtesy photo.

It’s almost time for the 2018 Rad Awards, and in its fourth year, the ceremony will once again honor local women (and one local guy!) who are shaking things up with their work in media, tech, culture, business and the arts.

In the last year alone, the country has witnessed the explosive growth of grassroots movements like Black Lives Matter, MeToo, and #NeverAgain, which at their core all strive for equity and the preservation of lives. This year’s Rad Awards nominees — whether it be through a scientific breakthrough, a protest or tech innovation — are fortifying the essence of these movements in Philadelphia.

Following Rad-Girls.com’s month-long open nomination period, awardees will be honored in 12 categories at the end of April, the start of Philly Tech Week. A diverse committee of local thought leaders will select this year’s winners, according to the organization.

Before you jump down to the impressive list of nominees, be sure to secure your seat at this year’s Rad Awards bash on Monday, April 30 hosted at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar. You can get your ticket here.

Here are the 2018 Rad Awards nominees:

Innovator of the Year

Michele Marcolongo, InvisALERT Solutions
Tiffanie Stanard, CEO & Founder of Stimulus
Tiffany Newmuis, Senior Director of Community Engagement and Emerging Market at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
Kiera Smalls & Takia McClendon, City Fit Girls

Entrepreneur of the Year

Meredith Waldman, Founder & Creative Strategist at Rally
Brandi Baldwin-Rana, PhD, CEO & Founder, Millennial Ventures Holdings
Anna Welsh, Founder & CEO, littlebags.BIGIMPACT
Shannon Maldonado, Yowie

Technologist of the Year

Sarah Gray, Software Engineering Manager at Promptworks
Jumoke Dada, Tech Women Network
Ebonie Butler, WordPress developer at Yikes Inc
Elizabeth Brown, Co-CEO and Head of Design at Webjunto

Scientist of the Year

Genevieve Dion, Director, Center for Functional Fabric
Margaret Prendergast, Director of Bioengineering at Allevi
Bethany Edwards and Anna Couturier, Lia Diagnostics
Marie Webster, Ph.D., Staff Scientist at The Wistar Institute

Artist of the Year

Morgan Smith, Photographer, Time To Pretend
Denise Fike, Illustrator
Nile Livingston, Visual Artist
Tierra Whack, Recording Artist

Nonprofit of the Year

Monique Curry-Mims, Director of Development, Steppingstone Scholars
Deborah Diamond, President, Campus Philly
Dawn McDougall, Code for Philly
Jamila Harris-Morrison, ACHIEVEability

Educator of the Year

Victoria Kinzig, Founder & CEO, Kickup
Julie Cousler Emig, Executive Director, Education Plus Health
Carol Wong, Director of the Chinatown Learning Center
Michelle R. Martin, Temple University Food Pantry

Connector of the Year

Leigh Goldenberg, Executive Director, Theatre Philadelphia
Melissa Alam, Femme & Fortune
Steph Wolfson & Paige Dietz, Philly Fights Cancer
Nicole Allen White, Director of Government and External Affairs at Philadelphia Museum of Art

Storyteller of the Year

Lauren Leonard, Director and Producer of Earlie Bird Productions
Lara Witt, Freelance Writer and Managing Editor, Wear Your Voice Mag
Kate Kelly, Civic Communicator and Digital Storyteller
Julie Hancher, Co-Founder, GreenPhilly

Activist of the Year

Dena Driscoll, Co-Chair, 5th Square Action Group
Elicia Gonzales, Executive Director, Women’s Medical Fund
Michelle Feldman, Executive Director of Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
Amber Hikes, Executive Director, Office of LGBT Affairs

Rad Guy of the Year

Ernest Owens, Award-Winning Journalist, Philadelphia Magazine
Michael Hisey, Protester, “Alt-Facts Kelly”
Britt Carpenter, PhillyUnknown Project
Evan Urbania, CEO of Chatterblast

Rad Girl of the Year

Katherine A. High, M.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer, Spark Therapeutics
Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, Executive Editor of The Philadelphia Citizen
Jane Golden, Executive Director, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Lisha Davis, Head of Innovation Studio, Vanguard