2025 Women of Distinction Honorees Announced

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas to Honor Inspirational Leaders Across Generations

The Women of Distinction Luncheon will celebrate honorees for contributions to community

August 14, 2025

CONTACT:
Kristin Arlyn
972-349-2433
karlyn@gsnetx.org

DALLAS, TX — The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) will honor exceptional leaders, ranging from accomplished high school Girl Scouts to influential executives, during the 21st annual Women of Distinction Luncheon (WDL). The event, led by esteemed co-chairs Ellyce Lindberg and Bridget Moreno Lopez, will take place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Friday, November 7.

This year’s honorees include Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County Commissioner for District 4, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award; community leader Sharon King, who will receive the Lifetime Champion award; Senior Counsel, Haynes Boone, Michael M. Boone, who will receive the Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout Award; and two Women of Distinction: Shonn Brown, Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, North America, Heidelberg Materials; and community leader Connie O’Neill.

High school Girl Scouts Clara Coppinger, Samantha Herrmann, and Prisha Thakur will be recognized as the Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction, a prestigious title awarded to Gold Award Girl Scouts whose projects made a sustainable impact on a local challenge linked to national or global issue. These young honorees hail from communities across Northeast Texas and their projects reflect the diversity of Girl Scout program areas, from disability awareness to ecosystem conservation to child labor.

“Every year, the Women of Distinction Luncheon reminds us of the incredible power of leadership at every stage of life,” said Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of GSNETX. “By celebrating these extraordinary honorees—from trailblazing community leaders to courageous young changemakers—we shine a light on the values of service, resilience, and vision that define Girl Scouts and inspire future generations to lead boldly.”

Funds raised during the luncheon help empower over 19,000 girls in Northeast Texas, providing them with leadership development, mental health support, STEM education, life skills, outdoor leadership activities, and more. Individuals, corporations, and community organizations are invited to learn more and purchase tickets by visiting www.gsnetx.org/WDL.

Honoree Biographies

Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Elba Garcia

Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County Commissioner for District 4, embodies a new breed of 21st-century professional women. A distinguished public service leader with two doctorate degrees, she is also a wife, mother and dentist who operated her own private practice for most of her 35-year career. She is a role model for girls and women of all walks of life.

Prior to becoming the first Latina elected to the Dallas County Commissioners Court in 2010, she served on the Dallas City Council from 2001 to 2009. During her tenure, council members unanimously selected her to serve as Dallas Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. Her love for the community — and the desire to establish the District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit — inspired her to run for commissioner.

Commissioner Garcia is known for problem solving, consistently advocating for government transparency, better services and a higher quality of life. This is reflected in her myriad public service responsibilities. At Dallas County, she chairs the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, DWI Task Force, Facilities Management Committee, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority and New Life Opportunities and is a board member of the Continuous Improvement Steering Committee and Public Employee Benefits Corporation. Within the community, she serves on the advisory board of Methodist Dallas Medical Center and the boards of Safer Dallas Better Dallas and Prairie View A&M’s College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology.

In her free time, Commissioner Garcia enjoys reading the news, traveling to new places and trying different foods — though Haribo gummy bears and homegrown chili peppers never get old. She recharges through daily exercise, time with her two dogs, and family nights and dinners.

Lifetime Champion: Sharon King

A staunch advocate for girls and women for more than six decades, Sharon King learned about community service through a work opportunity mentoring young girls at the Techwood Housing Project in Atlanta. This experience propelled her into volunteering with the city’s Girl’s Club and United Way.

Sharon built on this foundational experience when she moved to Dallas 50 years ago with her husband, Marvin, and engaged in the community as she raised their three girls – Jenny, Michele, and Brittany. She is passionate about a range of issues, starting with access to education, especially early childhood education; as well as hunger; homelessness; racial justice; social justice matters; substance abuse; and voting rights.

She has served in big and small ways as a program volunteer, board leader, and advocate, including in leadership roles for Girl’s Inc. in Atlanta, Dallas, and on the national board, and for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas; in fact, she was troop leader for each daughter. She is an early leader for the both the Dallas Women’s Foundation — now the Texas Women’s Foundation and the Dallas Summit.

Her volunteerism and/or board leadership extends to the Women’s Council of Dallas County; United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; League of Women Voters; Austin College; The Warren Center; Nexus Recovery Center; First Presbyterian Church Day School; The Stewpot; and Greater Dallas Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, to name but a few. Sharon is an accomplished fundraiser for these causes and organizations and remains committed to mentoring leaders who are similarly passionate about investing in and improving our community for all.

She lives by the Girl Scouts motto of the 3 Cs: courage, confidence, and character, and states that volunteers like her and those who support Girl Scouts lift up others, giving them a voice and a seat at the table.

Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout: Michael M. Boone

Mike Boone is a co-founder of Haynes Boone, established in Dallas in 1970. Since then, the firm has grown into a global organization with over 700 lawyers across 19 offices, including locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City, and Shanghai.

In 2011, The American Lawyer magazine honored Mr. Boone with the Distinguished Law Firm Leader Award, recognizing his leadership in the firm’s growth, professional excellence, collaborative culture, and public service. Most recently, he was named to the Texas Business Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Mr. Boone has more than 50 years of experience handling complex mergers and acquisitions, major corporate finance transactions, and board of director representations. In 2010, Texas Lawyer magazine named him one of the 25 greatest Texas lawyers of the past quarter century and the “Go-To Lawyer” in corporate law. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the SMU Dedman School of Law.

Widely respected for his civic engagement and philanthropy—especially in education and human services—Mr. Boone has served as President of the Highland Park School Board, chaired the Dallas Citizens Council and the SMU Board of Trustees, and served on the board of Abilene Christian University. He has also served as an elder at Preston Road Church of Christ.

In 2019, the Highland Park School District named an elementary school in his honor. He has also received the J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award from SMU, the Spirit of Generations Award from The Senior Source, the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award from Methodist Health System Foundation, and the Justinian Award for Community Service from the Dallas Lawyers Auxiliary.

Woman of Distinction: Shonn Brown

Shonn Brown is a strategic business leader known for her action-oriented, results-driven approach. In August 2024, she joined the North America Executive Team of Heidelberg Materials, a leading supplier of construction materials, where she leads legal and compliance across the U.S. and Canada. Within her first year, Shonn closed a $620 million acquisition expanding the company’s footprint in the Southeastern U.S. and New England. Her path to the C-suite is grounded in over two decades as a trial lawyer, where she developed a reputation for solving complex problems with clarity and precision.

Among other honors, Shonn has been named one of the 50 Women to Watch by 5050 Women on Boards and has continuously been named one of the top 500 Business Leaders in North Texas by D CEO.

A passionate advocate for equity, Shonn has served as Board Chair of The Hockaday School and the Texas Women’s Foundation, and co-chaired the 5050 Women on Boards Dallas Conversation. She has also served as a Trustee for The Dallas Museum of Art, The Lamplighter School and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Shonn co-founded The Village Giving Circle, supporting the African-American community in North Texas. Most recently, Shonn co-chaired the Women Who STEAM Luncheon for The Dallas (TX) Chapter of The Links, Inc., recognizing women making an impact in STEAM-careers and raising funds for the signature STEAM Academy program targeting girls in 7th – 12th grade.

Shonn was a Brownie Girl Scout; one of her daughters was a Girl Scout through fifth grade; another daughter is a rising senior and is currently working on her Gold Award. 

An alumna of Southern Methodist University, Shonn holds both her B.S. and J.D. from SMU and has been honored as a Distinguished Alumna. She enjoys running—having completed the NYC Marathon—and spending time with her three children: Evan, Ryan, and Lily.

Woman of Distinction: Connie O’Neill

Connie O’Neill graduated from SMU with a BBA in accounting and worked at Ernst and Whinney for eight years before retiring in the audit and tax departments.

Currently Connie’s civic activities comprise membership in various civic and charitable organizations including serving as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Communities Foundation of Texas and is a member of the SMU Board of Trustees where she serves as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Simmons School of Education Executive Committee. She also serves on the Southwestern Medical Foundation Board, the Highland Park Education Foundation Board, the Baylor Scott and White Foundation Board, the Crystal Charity Ball Investments Committee, and the Methodist Hospital Foundation Board.

Connie is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, is chair of the Junior League of Dallas Centennial Endowment Fund and is a member of the Executive Committee of Children’s Health System Foundation Board.

Connie is a past member of various boards including the Board of Directors of the Susan G. Komen Foundation where she also served as chair of the board, past president of the Highland Park Education Foundation, past president of the Junior League of Dallas and La Fiesta del as Seis Banderas and also served on the St. Mark’s School of Texas Board of Trustees. She has served as Chairman of the Crystal Chairity Ball.

Connie has four grown children and five grandchildren whom she adores spending time with.

Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction: Clara Coppinger

Clara Coppinger will graduate from Allen High School in 2026. She is on the student leadership team in band and is a PALs mentor for younger students at her school. She also serves as a "Buddy" for special needs children at her chuch. Music also plays a big role in Clara's life: She plays the French horn in both the top band and full orchestra. 

She has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, growing as a leader through earning her Bronze, Silver, and now Gold Award. For her Gold Award project, “Seeing: I to Eye,” Clara created a lesson plan taught to every 9th grader in Allen ISD to promote awareness, empathy, and inclusivity for people who are blind or visually impaired. She also developed a library display for Low Vision Awareness Month, provided white canes for low-income clients of Envision Dallas, and led interactive activities for younger Girl Scouts to experience and better understand vision loss. Through this project, Clara learned leadership, communication, and community-building skills while overcoming personal challenges and significant obstacles. Inspired by her experience, she plans to study special education or social work in college and pursue a career as an orientation and mobility specialist, continuing to make a positive impact on the world around her.

Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction: Samantha Herrmann

Samantha Herrmann will graduate from Greenhill School in 2026. She is active in theater and music. She’s a member of the Greenhill Fine Arts Board, competes in Junior Classical League events nationally, and is a varsity athlete in both softball and field hockey. She has a twin brother and participates in Latin competitions. 

She is a lifelong Girl Scout who has earned her Bronze, Silver, and now Gold Award. For her Gold Award project, “Pollinator Garden in Community Orchard,” she tackled the alarming decline of pollinators by creating a native Texas garden at the Farmers Branch Community Garden. Through this project, Samantha learned how to navigate organizational structures, fundraise, manage volunteers, and bring a large-scale vision to life. She collaborated with Texas Master Gardeners, city officials, and community volunteers to build a sustainable habitat that boosted food pantry donations by 23% and earned butterfly habitat certification. She also distributed 100 packets of Cowpen Daisy seeds and educated younger Girl Scouts on the importance of pollinators to global food security. Samantha credits Girl Scouts with teaching her to recognize what needs to be done, to work a plan to achieve results, and then to set out for that goal. She hopes to carry these skills and values into her future endeavors.

Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction: Prisha Thakur

Prisha Thakur will graduate from Coppell High School in 2026. She serves as Cadet Commander in the Civil Air Patrol, co-founded the Rise Up Heart Health Club to promote wellness education, and is the Education Officer for her school’s Health Occupations Students of America chapter. She is also active in dance and tennis.

She has embraced Girl Scouts as a space to explore her passion for justice and leadership. For her Gold Award project, “Use Mica-Free Makeup to Help Abolish Child Labor in the Mica Mines of India,” Prisha raised awareness about the hidden exploitation behind mica mining, which endangers children ages 4 to 12. She hosted workshops teaching younger girls how to apply makeup using mica-free alternatives, distributed over 100 informational flyers outside stores like Ulta, ran a booth at the Coppell Farmers Market, and created widely shared social media tutorials to promote ethical beauty choices. Prisha also traveled to India to meet children affected by mica mining and worked with local officials to understand policy challenges. Through this work, she developed public speaking, leadership, and organizational skills and discovered the courage to advocate even when the topic is difficult or unpopular. Inspired by her experience, Prisha plans to pursue a career blending science, advocacy, and human rights to fight for those without a platform of their own. 

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We Are Girl Scouts

Whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas serves girls and adult volunteers across 32 counties. To change the workforce pipeline in STEM and meet the urgent need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas opened the STEM Center of Excellence in 2018. The STEM Center is a 92-acre state-of-the-art camp just outside of Dallas where girls can experience programs in astronomy, robotics, coding, computer science, and more. Recently, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Board of Directors was recognized with Dallas Business Journal's Outstanding Directors Award and received the Luminary Award from SMU's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Learn more at www.gsnetx.org or call 972-349-2400.

August 14, 2025