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LINCOLN — Michaella Kumke has a quote from activist Maggie Kuhn posted outside her office at the Lincoln Food Bank: “Speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” “I think about that a lot,” said Kumke, who leads the Food Bank of Lincoln. “And I think about coming into spaces where I felt unsure or inadequate, yet I feel responsible to be both listener and advocate.” While accepting the Woman of the Year award during Wednesday’s Inspire: Celebrating Women’s Leadership Awards, Kumke’s voice shook with emotion, but she spoke about not succumbing under pressure and making sure every neighbor knows their value. Kumke was among a host of women leaders in the community who were recognized Wednesday as being an inspiration to others and positively affecting the community. The awards luncheon drew nearly 1,000 attendees. Ava Thomas, president of the Lincoln Journal Star, who conceived of the awards program 11 years ago, said the public nominated a record 371 women this year. Before Kumke was selected to lead the food bank as president and CEO in 2021, she worked at the organization for more than six years. She had been the organization’s community engagement director and staff co-leader of the food bank’s Raising Our Response to Hunger capital campaign. Under her leadership last year, the food bank connected people with a total of almost 11 million meals and distributed about 4 million pounds of fresh produce, according to its annual report. The food bank has also grown the Lincoln Fresh initiative, which distributes produce in a farmers market setting. Kumke was also honored at the Inspire Awards in 2021, when she received the Excellence in Nonprofit award. Earlier in the ceremony, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said one of the public servants nominated for an Inspire Award initially deleted the email she received informing her she was a nominee because she didn’t believe it would be directed to her. Later, when people congratulated her, she had to look for the email in her deleted folder. Gaylor Baird said it was a reminder to women who don’t recognize the value of their interactions with others. “If you don’t see yourself as an inspiration, others here in Lincoln often do,” she said. Dr. Farrah Plate, the owner of Align Dental who won the award for Excellence in Healthcare, said education opened doors and allowed her to find her voice in advocacy. Align Dental provides mobile dental care to people with special needs. Plate and other winners thanked those who helped or mentored them. “With the finalists that were just up here, I know if we work together, we can make Lincoln a place where everyone can smile more brightly,” Plate said. In addition to Woman of the Year, the Inspire Awards recognized women in 11 other categories, celebrating accomplishments in different fields including health care, government service and education. Union Bank and Trust also awarded a $5,000 scholarship to Vittoria Quaranta. The other women honored Wednesday were: Erin Hart, Duncan Aviation, Excellence in Business (large)Amy Green, Ivanna Cone, Excellence in Business (small/medium)Dr. Abla Hasan, University of Nebraska, Excellence in EducationBrenda Kasaty, Rose Cat Coffee, Excellence in EntrepreneurshipPolice Chief Michon Morrow, Lincoln Police Department, Excellence in Government ServiceDr. Farrah Plate, Align Dental, Excellence in HealthcareSandra Rojo, Lincoln Literacy, Excellence in NonprofitKayla Abel, Family Service Lincoln, Excellence in PhilanthropyDr. Heather Kiefer, University of Nebraska Athletics, Excellence in Women’s AthleticsAnne Burkholder, The Burkholder Project, Founders AwardRafa Ahmed, Lincoln North Star High School, Young Leaders Award To learn more about the Inspire Awards and the businesses that help sponsor them, go to inspirelincoln.com.
