Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld is no stranger to the Great Women of Texas Award. It was previously given to her grandmother, Rosalyn “Roz” Rosenthal, and to her mother, Rozanne Rosenthal.
And Wednesday night, April 2 at the Fort Worth Club, it became Ashli’s turn to be honored as the award reached a third generation in the family. In fact, it was Rozanne who introduced her daughter before Ashli took the stage to accept the award.
“Ashli’s journey reminds us that greatness is not just achieved, it is inherited, nurtured and passed on,” Rozanne said.
The presentation of the award was the highlight of the evening at The Business Press’ Class of 2025 Great Women of Texas event. A total of 23 women from all walks of business and philanthropy were celebrated.
Ashli and her brother Ben are co-presidents of Standard Meat Company. They were honored as Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Southwest and US Family Business Award winners.
“Ben and I like to say put us together and we make one really great human,” she said, drawing a laugh from the crowd and explaining their co-leadership skills.
“A strong woman leads the way – and I really don’t know a stronger woman than Ashli,” Rozanne said.
Tarrant County College Chancellor Dr. Elva Concha LeBlanc received the Legacy Award. Born and raised in El Paso, her life was influenced by the story of her parents moving to the United States with little more than faith and determination.
Now, she has made a career out of inspiring young people to forge their own path through life, calling community colleges “an American concept” for shaping lives.
“This year we cheer six decades of TCC changing lives and connecting with employers,” she said as she accepted her award.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was philanthropist Sheila Broderick Johnson. She has dedicated her life to child welfare and community service.
Her daughter, Carter Johnson, one of The Business Press Top 100 Small Entrepreneur honorees in recent years, introduced her mother.
“She’s in it for the long run. She’s not afraid to address the most difficult of issues,” Carter said.
As she reached the stage after her daughter’s long list of accolades about her, Sheila said with a smile, “That’s a tough act to follow – and most of it was true.”
Then, reinforcing her love of children and protecting them, she said, “If you dare abuse a child, I will hunt you and I will find you. Be careful where you step in life, someone like me might show up.”
J.R. Labbe, professional journalist, owner of The Writing Lab, LLC and co-founder of CSE Leadership – also an award recipient at this event a few years – was the master of ceremonies for the evening.
“Class of 2017? Bueller?” she said as she began, adding that “Each woman’s story is worthy of its own book.”
As each Woman of Influence took the stage to receive their award, J.R. would ask each a short question. Some of the answers drew a range of laughs, from chuckles to guffaws, from the crowd.
“This is why they hate journalists, we do research,” she said with a smile to one recipient.
“That’s the fewest words a lawyer has ever uttered,” she said after another answered a question about her career with the single word, “Pursuit.”
She asked recipient Casey Dyer Oliver, “Has anyone ever told you you look like Princess Diana?” To which Casey replied in hamming it up fashion, “Yes, multiple times. It’s like, here they come again.”
After asking Dr. Cristina E. Jaramillo about her most challenging patient as a veterinarian and receiving the answer, J.R. followed with, “Who brings a crocodile to a vet?”
The evening of fun also had numerous serious moments, including three-time cancer survivor Alicia Dean and comments such as Dr. Tonya Stafford saying, “I live to serve and I serve to live” after the story of her being sold into human trafficking by her own mother as a child was told.
Kris Canfield, a dual sport athlete in college, noted that experiencing taught her “Time management, commitment and personal drive to reach goals most people thought I couldn’t do.”
When she took the podium to receive the evening’s top honor, Ashli summed it all up, saying, “It is one heck of a list of women.”
The complete list of Women of Influence included:
*Judi Lynn Archer, VP of Communications, Marketing, Business Development and Production at Higginbotham.
*Demetra Bradley, detective with Fort Worth Police Department and owner/CEO of Foxy Defense and Protection, LLC.
*Renee Higginbotham Brooks, attorney/CEO of the law offices of Renee Higginbotham Brooks/RHB & Associates.
*Kris Canfield, Chief Development Officer, United Way of Tarrant County.
*Lauren Kwedar Cockerell, founder and President of Kwedar & Co.
*Alicia Deane, Director of Aesthetics, Fort Worth Concierge Plus.
*Crystal Gayden, owner, Managing Attorney, law office of PLLC Crystal L. Gayden.
*Shay Gipson, Vice President of Community Engagement, Goodwill North Central Texas.
*Katherine Godby, Co-Founder and current Board Chair of Justice Network of Tarrant County.
*Dr. Cristina E. Jaramillo, DVM, owner and President of St. Francis Veterinary Clinic.
*Alyce Adair Jones, CEO of Adair Eyewear.
*Christy R. Jones, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer for YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth.
*Carol Klocek, CEO, Center For Transforming Lives.
*Courtney Garner Lewis, Senior Managing Director of Business Development for Cadence Bank.
*Casey Dyer Oliver, Director of Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships, Texas A&M University.
*Jessica Paris, photographer and founder, Saga Media Photography.
*Becky Ramirez, owner of iRef Big Balls Up, Inc.
*Dr. Tonya Stafford, Executive Director of It’s Going to be Okay, Inc.
*LaTasha Williams, founder/CEO of Cheryl’s Voice.
*Natalie Young Williams, CEO of Tarrant To and Through (T3) Partnership.
Nominations are already being accepted for the 2026 GWOT honors.
Click this link to view the special Great Women of Texas is: https://fortworthbusiness.com/e-editions/
