EVANSVILLE – On November 1, 2023, community leaders will gather at BALLY’S-Evansville to observe the City-County Observer staff bestowing several “Community Service Awards†and the “Female and Male” to deserving individuals or organizations who are well-known and highly respected community leaders and volunteers throughout our community.
It’s with extreme pleasure and pride, that we announce the well-deserving recipient of the CCO 2023 “WOMEN OF YEAR” award winner is the well-respected Connie Robinson-Blair.
Connie Robinson-Blair was the longest-serving City Council member in Evansville history and has an unwavering commitment as a strong minority female voice in local government. She is also an advocate for local government policies that protect people, including the LGBTQ community, from employment, housing, and education discrimination.
Current Board Memberships:ÂÂFounding Member of CDFI Evansville Advisory BoardPresident of Pigeon Township Advisory BoardPresident of Glenwood Neighborhood AssociationFirst Lady of McFarland Missionary Baptist ChurchRetired from numerous boards and advisory committees, highlights include:ÂEvansville Water & Sewer Utility BoardEvansville Urban Enterprise Association BoardEvansville Loan Administration BoardEvansville Commission on The Social Status of African American MalesAward and Recognition Highlights:2020 Making Democracy Work award from the League of Women Voters of Southwestern Indiana.
2020 Junior League of Evansville Jeanie Brubeck Woman of Empowerment Civic Leadership Award
2020 University of Evansville Mays Legacy Award
2019 Dedication of Connie Robinson Way by Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.
2018 Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Sadelle Berger Award
2012 Female Entrepreneur of the Year from the Small Business Assistance Network
2007 Indiana Governor’s Award for Achievement in Business and Entrepreneurship
Connie-Robinson-Blair was the first African-American woman to ever seek election to the City Council in 1995. For the next 24 years, she represented the center city’s low-income 4th Ward, focusing on affordable housing, extended bus service, economic development, and other projects that could “really help people.†She became the first African American woman to serve as the council president, and she was credited for working across political party lines to achieve solutions.
She retired from the City Council at the end of 2019 but continues to serve the community as a newly appointed member of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board. She is a native of this city, a graduate of the University of Evansville, and the Founder and CEO of HMR Enterprises, a wholesale distributor of disposable products to restaurants and other venues
The City-County Observer recently announced our third (3) deserving “Community Service Award†winners for 2023. They are the highly respected Daniela Vidal Chancellor of IVY Tech Community College and the Honorable Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge, Tom Massey, and the Southwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council.
Steve Hammer and County Commissioner Ben Shoulders are Co-Chairmen of the 2023 “Community Services Award Luncheon” Â They are also excited to announce that D. William Moreau a highly regarded and nationally known attorney and newspaper President/Publisher of the Indiana Citizen newspaper shall be the event Keynote Speaker.
This year’s event Master of Ceremonies will be the Memorial Baptist Church mega preacher and publisher of “Our Times” newspaper, Dr. Adrian Brooks.
This year’s awards luncheon will be held at Bally’s-Evansville in Walnut rooms A and B. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the event will officially start at noon on November 1, 2022.
Reservations and additional details concerning this most worthy community event may be obtained by calling 1-812-774-8011. The deadline for registration is October 30, 2023. Â For the last 10 years, this “Awards Luncheon” was sold out.
