WDAS-Philly’s Sixth Annual Women of Excellence Luncheon

105.3 WDAS FM, Philly’s Best R&B and Throwbacks station, will honor phenomenal women during the 6th annual WDAS-FM Women of Excellence Luncheon, taking place on April 9th from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. at Live! Hotel & Casino (900 Packer Avenue, Philadelphia). Award-winning actress, singer, author, and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph will receive the inaugural “WDAS-FM 2022 Women of Excellence Legend Award.” In addition, Dr. Ala Stanford, Founder of The Black Doctor’s COVID-19 Consortium and The Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, will receive the “WDAS-FM Trailblazing Woman of Excellence Award” for her groundbreaking work addressing health disparities in communities of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets will go on sale at www.wdasfm.com on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 10 a.m. and will include lunch and discounted parking, with no hidden fees.

The luncheon will also honor local heroes Bumi Fernandez West, CEO of The Odunde Festival; Tracy Davidson, Anchor for NBC 10 News Today and NBC 10 Philadelphia; Anita T. Connor, Managing Partner; Anita T. Conner & Associates and Founder of Praise is the Cure; Tiffany Tavarez, Senior Vice President of Technology Diverse Segments, Representation, and Inclusion for Wells Fargo; and Catherine Hicks, President of the Philadelphia NAACP and Publisher of the Philadelphia Sunday Sun Newspaper. 105.3 WDAS-FM’s on-air personalities Patty Jackson, Frankie Darcell, Mimi Brown, Adimu Colon and Loraine Ballard Morrill will host the event.

In addition, 105.3 WDAS FM will honor four remarkable women nominated by 105.3 WDAS-FM listeners, one of which will receive the “Mary J. Blige Award” for perseverance and courage.

“It’s a pleasure to bring back one of WDAS’s signature events and one that the city anticipates taking place yearly,” said Derrick Corbett, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Philadelphia. “We look forward to honoring these talented women in person in front of our listening audience once again this April 9th!”

Ralph is an accomplished actress, singer, author, and producer, first known for her breakout Tony nominated role as Deena Smith in “Dream Girls.” Ralph also received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her part in the film to “Sleep with Anger.” She has appeared in numerous popular television shows including “It’s a Living,” “Moesha” and “Ray Donovan” among others and is currently featured on the hit ABC series “Abbott Elementary.” In addition, Ralph is well known for her AIDS activism and founded the “DIVAS Simply Singing” AIDS fund-raiser, which raises money and awareness for the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Stanford is internationally recognized for her work addressing health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, Dr. Stanford and her team created a groundbreaking program to provide testing and vaccinations to people of color. In 2021, Dr. Stanford opened The Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, providing a one-stop shop for preventive care, behavioral health, and social services in North Philadelphia.

WDAS Women of Excellence has been recognizing women in the Philadelphia community since 2015. Previous honorees include Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, Susan Taylor, Queen Latifah and Eve. Listeners can go follow 105.3 WDAS FM on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @wdasfm.