The Pennsylvania Commission for Women sponsored an event at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building honoring five outstanding Mt. Lebanon women. Honored at the event were Mary Larsen, a two-term Mt. Lebanon commissioner, member of Mt. Lebanon’s Home Rule Charter Committee and volunteer with the Mt. Lebanon Civic League, League of Women Voters, Outreach Teen & Family Services; Carolyn Byham, also a two-term commissioner and longtime arts patron in Pittsburgh; Terri Greenberg, owner and CEO of HALCO, a sales, marketing and customer service firm, and a member of the National M.S. Society Government Relations Committee; Rania Harris, caterer, owner of Rania’s to Go and host of Cooking With Rania on KDKA-TV; and Susan Morgans, Mt. Lebanon’s Public Information Officer and former board member of Center for Theater Arts, FamilyLinks, Junior League of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony Association.

The event was arranged by Mt. Lebanon resident Michelle Zmijanac, who is a member of the commission, which advises the governor on policies and legislation that impact women, along with supporting economic and civic opportunities, and advocating for policies and legislation that serve women’s interests. The awards will be an annual event and Zmijanac is currently looking for those who’d like to help plan next year.

Tim Powers, a longtime resident of Mt. Lebanon, is a principal at the architecture firm of MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni. Powers, a 1980 graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture, began his career with MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, serving as project architect for Mercy Hospital, Sewickley Valley Hospital, DT Watson Rehabilitation Hospital and the 1995 renovation to Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. Following that project, Powers worked at LD Astorino & Associates, where he oversaw designs of hospitals, cancer centers, transplant centers, ambulatory and wellness centers and assisted living facilities in the US, India, China, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. Powers’ most notable local achievements include leading the planning and construction of Pittsburgh’s $625 million Children’s Hospital and the $210 million Veterans Hospitals in Oakland and Fox Chapel.