Webster Alumna Named Woman of the Year
July 25, 2022
Webster University alumna Valerie Nicholson-Watson was honored July 20 as a Woman
of the Year by the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation (GMLF).
The Alumna Leader Award, which Nicholson-Watson was presented with at the event, honors former participants of GMLF’s Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge – a highly competitive program for prominent Missouri women who seek to advance their knowledge of policy initiatives and further hone their leadership skills throughout the state.
The foundation, which has presented the award annually since 2006, seeks to foster, empower and recognize prominent women throughout the state who exemplify what they call, “The Greater Missouri Woman,” or someone who is especially accomplished in their field and regularly demonstrates leadership, civic contributions and the ability to inspire and support others.
Nicholson-Watson was chosen as a recipient, in part, because of her distinguished work with Harvesters - The Community Food Network, where she has served as CEO since 2013. Credited with the growth of distribution, finances and innovation at Harvesters, her leadership has been especially impactful throughout the pandemic as food insecurity has continued to be a pressing concern.
Devoted to various efforts that combine business and leadership with service for more than two decades, Nicholson-Watson serves on the boards of multiple organizations, including but not limited to, Feeding America, Feeding Missouri and the U.S. Bank Community Advisory Board. She also regularly serves as a mentor for peers in both business and nonprofit spheres in Missouri and beyond.
Nicholson-Watson holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from Webster University.
Past honorees of GMLF’s Woman of the Year award include former Sen. Claire McCaskill, former Vice President of Monsanto Global Communications and Employee Engagement Deborah Patterson, and founder and former CEO of the Build-A-Bear Workshop, Maxine Clark.