Women Of Influence

In any one day, Monica Walls-Butler might be setting up a tea for young girls, helping teenage boys learn to tie a tie, taking voting-age teens to the polls, helping facilitate peer-to-peer discussions or mentoring a student. As a family and community engagement liaison for Springfield Public School District 186 at Southeast High School, Walls-Butler […]

June Agamah lives a life of purpose, inspired by her deep faith. Even when witnessing incredible adversity, she finds joy. She also radiates joy – through her warm smile, friendly disposition, caring attitude and the colorful clothes she wears. June’s mantra comes from Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, […]

Vidya Sundareshan is a doctor, educator, clinician, mentor and public health advocate. She is not only a woman of influence in Springfield but also nationally and internationally due to her focus on combining the fields of medicine and public health in all she does. As a professor and chief of infectious diseases for Southern Illinois […]

Ava Carpenter-McPike is a force of nature and an inspiration. She has dedicated her adult life to working with at-risk youth who often don’t have a voice for themselves and have endured traumatic events. She puts her heart and soul into advocating for them and helping them change the course of their lives for the […]

Jennifer Bettis grew up in Quincy, where volunteering and giving back were staples in her family’s life. After graduating from Quincy University with a bachelor’s degree in business management, Bettis moved to Springfield to attend graduate school at University of Illinois Springfield. She was part of the Graduate Public Service Internship program and earned a […]

Kayla Edwards, managing partner at Express Employment Professionals, credits her parents for instilling in her the drive to succeed. “My parents had high expectations of what I did in school, sports and how I practiced. My mother emphasized academic excellence and my dad encouraged me in sports,” she said. Edwards now encourages other people to […]