Women of Achievement 2026

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2026 HONOREES

Presenting the 2026 Women of Achievement Honorees!

  • Youth of Achievement

    Cedar has been a committed youth volunteer at YWCA Olympia for several years. They have been involved in many different events and activities at the YW as both a volunteer and a participant. Cedar has also taken their commitment to the YWCA out into the community. Last year when the YW was facing a financial crisis they decided to organize a fundraiser. Through working with their High School Feminism Student Club, Cedar organized a bake sale to benefit the YW by developing a partnership with Rainy Day Records in Downtown Olympia. The Bake sale was held on the sidewalk in front of Rainy Day Records. Cedar and the group not only raised financial support for the YW but they also helped raise the community’s awareness about the YW and its mission.

  • Woman of Achievement

    Vanessa Hurst consistently advocates with the strategic vision, clarity, and tenacity of a leader who does not simply recognize inequity; she takes action to change the systems that create it. Her career is a testament to what is possible when advocacy is paired with courage, compassion, and commitment to ensuring that every young person can thrive. For these reasons, Vanessa is exceptionally deserving of recognition as a 2026 YWCA of Olympia Woman of Achievement.

    Long before her leadership at TOGETHER!, Vanessa dedicated her career to removing barriers for children and families. While working with the Department of Defense, she developed and oversaw special education family liaison services, identifying military families whose children with disabilities needed additional advocacy, and helping families understand their rights and responsibilities under applicable laws and policies. Through this work, Vanessa helped families navigate complex systems, improving equitable access to educational opportunities and protections.

  • Woman of Achievement

    Kyrian brings just the right amount of boldness to the table of our local Democratic Party, never hesitating to call out racism. She is on the Campaign Services Committee for the Thurston CountyDemocrats. She has been a Presinct Committee Officer for her Legislative District in Lacey for over 8 years. She has served on the Lacey Planning Commission for 6 years. Kyrian also serves on WEA-PAC is the Washington Education Association political action committee as well as on the board for the Olympia Education Association. She is advocating at the local and State level politically and amplifying the voices of women of color who are in leadership from all over. She is also on the education Committee for NAACP Thurston County. Although she is extremely busy serving in our community, like so many others she makes time for extended trips with her two teenagers. Kyrian finds peace when she and her children emerse themselves in other cultures. Kyrians advocacy and support of candidates or color and women (especially Black women) truly exemplify the YWCA mission. Our current political climate is scary and the work to get quality candidates is exhausting and harder than it has ever been. We need people like Kyrian in these spaces.

  • Business of Achievement

    LISO is a nonprofit dedicated to providing FREE, high-quality legal services to immigrants in detention, over 80% of who have NO representation and little possibility of it. In conjunction with an amazing collaborative community effort she has directed LISO, and spends 100% of her time serving individuals held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma—one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the country.

  • Woman of Achievement

    Tonia embodies the mission and vision of YWCA Oly in her daily life. She works at the Washington State Office of Public Defense Parent Representation Program as a Parent Voice Advocacy Manager. She has lived experience as a parent whose child was placed in foster care and she success navigated a court case about that called a dependency. Since reunifying she has gone on be volunteer mentoring parents in Thurston County to then being employed to do this as a parent mentor, later and Parents Rep Contracted social services professional and now she supports the statewide program. She does this from an intersectional lens understanding that parenting is typically judged from a mainstream white middle class able bodied cis heterosexual mind set. She also is an active participant at her agency’s Racial Justice Team to address racism within the agency support the agencies work on equity and inclusiveness. Tonia believes in due process, human centered, anti racist public defense and actively works to support this at an agency level, a parent representation program level, a trial level representation level and an individual level.

  • Woman of Achievement

    Susan was described as her nominee as a Master weaver who has been in cultural artist and research for the past 30 years plus.

    They said, “She has inspired me to reach my goals as a student and has mentored me as an individual and I wouldn’t be where I am without her guidance".”

What is Women of Achievement?

A group of Women of Achievement honorees from prior years gathers for a photo at the 2024 Women of Achievement event hosted at ASHHO Cultural Community Center.

Established in 1994, the YWCA of Olympia Women of Achievement Award is one of the most prestigious honors for women in the South Sound. The award honors folks who embody outstanding leadership qualities, are exceptionally committed to their community or profession, and align with the YWCA of Olympia's mission to eliminate racism and empower those most impacted by oppression in order to actualize our vision of a world where all people are valued, live free from oppression and thrive in a just society. 

During these critical times, we are grateful for volunteer support from the community including former Women of Achievement honorees themselves to host our

Annual Women of Achievement Award on Saturday, October 10, 2026!

Please join us in celebrating the wonderful members of our community with delicious food and delightful company, right here in the YWCA Olympia’s home of 80 years, the Kearnery House at 220 Union Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501. Tickets will go fast, purchase yours today to join what promises to be a night to remember.

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting Women of Achievement 2025!

Interested in sponsoring this year’s Women of Achievement? Your financial support will make an incredible impact. For information about our sponsorship partnerships, contact us.