The ninth annual Women of Distinction Awards celebrated Women’s History Month by honoring six female leaders for their gender equity advocacy work on campus.

The Women of Distinction Awards honor leaders who serve as a model or mentors to those who have faced gender or sex discrimination.

“We are honored to present this award as a testament to the impactful work our BGSU students, faculty and staff are doing to challenge the status quo and make a difference in our community,” said Kendra Lutes, assistant director of the C. Raymond Marvin Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. 

These are the recipients of the awards:

Madison Baltimore, BGSU senior majoring in public health

Referred to by some as their “on-campus mother,” BGSU Senior Madison Baltimore is recognized on campus as both a leader and mentor, due to her devotion to assisting students in need.

She was recognized with a Women of Distinction Award through her role as a team leader in the Multicultural Student Link program. In this role, Baltimore works to ensure the retention and success of students of color on campus, especially women of color.

“I don’t do the work on campus for recognition but seeing that it’s made enough of an impact for me to receive this award as an undergraduate student is really special,” Baltimore said.

Libby Farren, research assistant in the Psychotherapy Research or Study of Connection, Intimacy and Loneliness

BGSU Alumni Libby Farren works as a researcher and advocates for those who have been discriminated against and those in marginalized communities. 

Farren has presented at the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Symposium in 2021 on the violent victimization of Native American women and, in 2022, on queer theory and disability studies.

“She evaluates how society has been constructed in a way that has been beneficial to herself while exploring how to dismantle systems to be more inclusive of those who are marginalized,” her nominator said.

Farren graduated from BGSU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s, gender and sexuality studies. This Fall she says she will begin her doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Eastern Michigan University.

At EMU, she will study gender-based violence and integrate activism into her work by centering the needs of survivors and their communities.

“It is an incredible honor to be connected to this extensive group of distinguished women who are working to achieve equality, social justice and liberation for individuals across all identities,” said Farren.

Lt. Col. Amy Grant, professor of aerospace studies and commander, Air Force Reserve Office Training Corps Detachment 620 at BGSU

Lt. Col. Amy Grant has served over 20 years in the Air Force and is the first female commander of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 620 at BGSU, where she has committed to increasing female numbers and officers from diverse backgrounds.

Grant focuses her initiative through intentional recruitment activities and thoughtful discussions to gain female representation in a historically male-dominated profession.

“There has been a shift over the last 20 years of more females in significant leadership positions, which influenced my decision to stay in the military,” she said. “I’m just hoping to offer that same kind of opportunity to this new generation of women.”

The current enrollment of females in the detachment is 35%, which Grant noted is higher than the Air Force’s national representation of 23% active duty female officers.

Grant also works as a professor of aerospace studies.

“To me, this award is validation that I’m doing the right thing and making a difference in my specific detachment and the University as a whole,” Grant said. “I am very humbled to have been nominated, and it’s an absolute honor to have been chosen.”

Monique Rosati, director of women’s basketball operations

Monique Rosati has worked in the background role of director of operations for 16 seasons of BGSU women’s basketball, ensuring that the program continues to run smoothly

Her role encompasses varying responsibilities, from ensuring academic success to traveling, but she declares her role as a mentor to student-athletes as being one of her most treasured.

“I took this role because it is behind the scenes, but I value that I’ve become a person the players trust and can talk to about anything, whether it’s related to basketball, academics or life. It’s a heavy responsibility and one I take very seriously,” she said.

Rosati, originally from Brooklyn, New York has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Spanish from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in business administration with an accounting specialization from BGSU.

Rosati provides support for the students in athletics, academics and beyond, prioritizing attending events recognizing these students, including some former players’ weddings.

“I just think of myself as a good person hoping to teach and inspire the students to be good people,” Rosati said. “I don’t like the spotlight, but it is a very humbling honor to know my hard work and the impact I’ve made is deserving of this recognition.”

Dr. Meg Vostal, adjunct assistant teaching professor in the School of Counseling and Special Education

Meg Vostal thinks of herself as a leader through collaboration, due to her advocacy work in tandem with students in the School of Counseling and Special Education.

As a professor in the School of Counseling and Special Education, Vostal has taught her students of the importance of advocacy in special education.

Five former students of Vostal spearheaded a campaign called “All Means All” to educate special education majors and leaders in the College of Education and Human Development on Ohio House Bill 616.

“Meg has always brought attention to and educated her students at BGSU on equity. She taught me what it meant to advocate for my students and for myself,” her nominator said.

The “All Means All” campaign brought changes to the curriculum of the Introduction to the Profession course, which Vostal taught for the first time this past fall. The course now also implements a semester-long advocacy project of the student’s choice.

“There’s a special appreciation for an award like this that honors the way you want to contribute and that it doesn’t look like just one type of leadership. I’m grateful to the committee that they would be expansive enough to appreciate alternative types of leadership.”

Dr. Jessica Birch, Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies

As the advisor of Find Your Voice in the Social Justice Learning Community, Jessica Birch has found herself acting as a mentor, supporting students in both research and advocacy.

She is a BGSU professor in ethnic studies and women’s, gender and sexuality studies and was awarded for her support of vulnerable students and those with marginalized identities.

Birch is a leading figure as an area chair for Race and Ethnicity, as well as for Popular Culture and Pedagogy in the Midwest Popular Culture Association. She frequently presents and is a member of the National Women’s Studies Association and the Conference on College Composition.

“One of the things I admire about Jess is her commitment to education. Not only is she an advocate to produce equitable outcomes around her, she has committed herself to teaching others to do the same,” her nominator said. 

She focuses on discourse and the impacts of dominant narratives that maintain inequalities in society. This focus is established through reliance on cultural studies, feminist theory and critical theories.