Pearl Bassett, Dr. Sue Ellsperman, and Judy O’Bannon

​

On November 8, 2018 the May Wright Sewall Leadership Award will be given to three women who exude the spirit of the award’s namesake.  Sewall set the bar for civic engagement and leadership in Indianapolis. Her accomplishments include starting the Girls Classical School and introducing physical education for girls; founding the Indianapolis Propylaeum Club and the Indianapolis Woman’s Club, as well as the Indianapolis Art Association which would become the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The award is presented in conjunction with our Marilyn K. Glick Women’s Enrichment Series. The MWS Leadership Award Event will be Thursday, November 8, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Tickets are $125 for Sewall Supports and $100 general and may be purchased at www.thepropylaeum.org/upcomingevents. Sponsorships for this event are available. Please call LaurieAnne Wickens at 317.638.7881 x3 for more information.

​

Pearl Bassett

Pearl Bassett was born on April 28, 1911, and is a lifelong resident of Marion, Indiana.

Bassett helped establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Urban League in Marion as she fought the injustices that people of color had to endure. Bassett  also formed and served as president of the local chapter of Women in the NAACP. Pearl and six other women filed suit to desegregate the Matter Park Pool in 1955, and she marched with 350 people to the Grant County Courthouse advocating civil rights in 1969. She was the first Democratic Precinct Chairwoman in Grant County, Indiana, and served as the first Black Secretary of the Grant County Democratic Central Committee.

Bassett is the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Heroin Award; the Francis Hook Award, and the Centurion Award, presented by Governor Mike Pence in 2003. These awards are in response to her ground-shaking activism and devotion to the social and civil rights of African Americans.

​

Dr. Sue Ellspermann

Dr. Sue Ellspermann has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, economic and workforce development, and public service. In May 2016, she was selected to serve as the first female President of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

​

In 2010 Ellsperman was elected as a State Representative and then elected Lieutenant Governor in 2012, serving from 2013-2016. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Louisville in Industrial Engineering. From 2006 to 2012 she served as the founding Director of the Center of Applied Research and Economic Development at the University of Southern Indiana.

​

Ellsperman is highly engaged in the community and serves on many boards including OneAmerica board of directors, Indiana Honorary Chair of the Million Women Mentors, Advisory Board of the Indiana Conference for Women, Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) Women’s Fund, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, and Indiana Conference for Women.

​

Judy O’Bannon

Judy O’Bannon has spent much of her life supporting and promoting efforts to strengthen communities in Indiana and around the world. She hosts and produces the WFYI public television series Communities Building Community. The series has won three Emmy awards for public affairs programming. She is currently producing programs that reveal the diversity among Hoosiers citizens and the positive actions they are taking to create a healthy and sustainable environment.

As First Lady of Indiana (1997-2003), O’Bannon used her role to promote civic engagement across Indiana. She created and led the Hoosier Millennium and Indiana 2016 , encouraging Hoosiers to use the Millennium year and the state’s bicentennial as opportunities to spur community involvement to strengthen Indiana.

As chairperson of the Indiana Main Street Council, she emphasized the revitalization of downtown districts through community development and historic preservation. She served on the Community Revitalization Committee as a Trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is a trustee of the Indiana State Museum. Judy co-founded Partners in Politics, a support and information group for family members of public officeholders.