Betty Waddy, president of the Progressive Women’s Association  of Harrison County has announced that they have been able to secure Rhonda Holyfield Mangieri as the keynote speaker for the Women of Distinction Luncheon in honor of Black Heritage and Culture Month.

 

The luncheon will be held Friday, Feb. 24, at noon at the Uptown Event Center. Ten African American women will be honored for their volunteer contributions in our area. 

 

This event has become very popular in our area, and it is suggested that reservations be made as soon as possible. For reservations or information call 304-624-6881. Here is a little background on Holyfield-Mangieri.

 

Rhonda Holyfield-Mangieri is the daughter of the late Rev. Paul Holyfield and the late Mavis Jones-Holyfield, life-long residents of Clarksburg. Rhonda attended Towers Grade School and Central Junior High School. She graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1970; West Virginia Wesleyan in 1974 with a BA in Education; and from Slippery Rock University in 1977 with a MA in Education.

 

She is currently a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. As a community volunteer, she serves as Vice President of

The Cincinnatus Association, also serving as co-chair of the Spencer “Spirit of America” Awards, co-chair of the Arts Panel and a member of the Inclusion Panel, which has specifically focused on understanding and addressing housing insecurity in the Greater Cincinnati region since 2017. She is also a member of

the Age Friendly Cincinnati team.

 

Rhonda is a member of the Board of Directors of the FBI Cincinnati Citizens Academy Alumni

Association. She also volunteers for International Friendship Inc. and provides resume and career support for individuals and leadership development training to nonprofit organizations.

 

Over the years she has been recognized for her outstanding service. She received an Outstanding Pittsburgh Society of Association Executives Award and Slippery Rock University’s President Award for

Outstanding Service. In December 2021, she received AARP’s Ohio’s 2021 Andrus Award for Community Service. She has been an AARP volunteer since 2014 and has been featured in several AARP articles.

 

For the past 36 years, she has been active in her churches; teaching Sunday school, developing curriculum, serving as a youth and missions’ leader, and teaching adult Bible Studies.

 

As a student at Wesleyan, Rhonda held many leadership positions: Chairman, Campus Programming

Board; President, Association for Women Students; Community Council member; Student National

Education Association; and Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. She was recognized as an outstanding student leader in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.

 

In 1971, she was nominated by Governor Arch Moore and appointed by the President of the United

States to represent WVA at the White House Conference on Youth, which was held in Estes Park, Colorado.

 

After graduation from Wesleyan, she spent 10 years working in higher education. In 1984, Rhonda

transitioned to industry, working for several diversified manufacturing corporations. She spent over 30 years in Human Resources and retired from Avery Dennison Corporation in 2014 where she was a Global Human Resources leader.

 

She has kept true to her father’s guidance “Always find something constructive to do and help others achieve their goals.

 

Mangieri is sure to deliver a meaningful message to the group. This event is sponsored by Davis Funeral Home.

 

Take care stay healthy and until next week, “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”