‘Lead with grit’ 

Some women want others to “fail forward” and not be afraid to take chances. Others want people to have a “quiet influence” and positive impact on the community. And others asked people to “lead with grit” to accomplish great things. Those were some of the pieces of advice and words of wisdom shared Thursday night, […]

Some women want others to “fail forward” and not be afraid to take chances. Others want people to have a "quiet influence” and positive impact on the community. And others asked people to “lead with grit” to accomplish great things. Those were some of the pieces of advice and words of wisdom shared Thursday night, May 29, during the second annual Women of Influence Banquet at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf.  The Quad Cities Regional Business Journal event, which was attended by nearly 250 people, was sponsored by American Bank & Trust and Delta Dental.

1 of 11

The QCBJ annual awards program puts the spotlight on 10 Women of Influence honorees and one Emerging Woman of Influence. (Profiles of all the honored appeared in the May 12 QCBJ edition and can be found at quadcitiesbusiness.com).  The awards, a long tradition of the QCBJ’s sister publication Corridor Business Journal (CBJ), honors women making a positive difference as role models and leaders in their respective fields, their communities and their circles of influence. Nominated by their colleagues, friends and family, this year’s honorees were selected from many nominees by a committee of some of the 2024 QCBJ Women of Influence honorees. John Lohman, CEO and president of Corridor Media Group, based in North Liberty, Iowa, which publishes the QCBJ and CBJ, said some of the top goals of the Thursday celebration were to honor the area women, and hear about their passions and journeys in life. He added that the Corridor Media Group presents many awards and business education events, but the Women of Influence gala is his favorite event of the year. “They help the quality of life in the Quad Cities … and are leaders in the community,” said Rebecca Skafidas, American Bank & Trust Quad Cities market president and chief credit officer, who helped present the honorees’ awards at the celebration. During Thursday’s gala, each Woman of Influence was presented an award and given a chance to share stories about their lives, experiences and roles as leaders. They also got to hear from their family members, co-workers and colleagues who were featured in short videos shown during the ceremony. Their nominators and other people in their lives shared with the crowd how the women have inspired others and have helped the community. Here are the 2025 Women of Influence honored Thursday night:

• Melissa Church, Digi-Buzz founder and CEO. Ms. Church was presented with the Emerging Woman of Influence award. During her presentation, she joked that getting the award was the community’s way of saying: “We are expecting even bigger things from you.” She also told the crowd that some of her tips for success are to show up for people when they need you, and “surround yourself with people who believe in your vision.”
• Sherri Behr DeVrieze, UnityPoint Health-Trinity Military Program coordinator. During the video before her award presentation, her son Dillon Behr spoke of how his mother has been a trailblazer her entire life, including being  a “bad-ass undercover drug agent” when she worked as a Bettendorf police officer. Ms. DeVrieze said her life as a trailblazer started when she was 10 years old and went to church camp. During that event, she was told to start a campfire and had trouble getting a fire started. A boy pushed his way forward and told her he would start the fire. She was humiliated by the event, but said she learned this lesson: “I would not let boys be better than me.” She added that her work of helping vets became a passion 17 years ago when her son Dillon was seriously wounded while serving as a Green Beret on a mission in Afghanistan.
• Nicole Cisne Durbin, Family Resources president and CEO. Ms. Durbin asked the crowd to take chances in life and “fail forward.” That is, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, take risks, and don’t let a failure in life be your last chapter. Keep moving forward. She added that she has taken many risks in life, has suffered some failures, but those experiences have all made her a better leader. Her journey at the Davenport-based Family Resources began nearly 20 years ago when she was hired as therapist to help survivors of sexual assault, domestic abuse and human trafficking. One of her colleagues recently called her a “champion for the Quad Cities” for her work of helping others.
• Allison Haskill, Augustana College co-chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. Ms. Haskill told the crowd of how a professor in her early life was a big and positive influence on her. That influence has led her to mentor many students and colleagues over her many years at Augie. She called mentoring others a “life well lived.”  Ms. Haskill also praised and thanked the other women who were honored on Thursday. That’s because: “People of influence are busy because good work is often rewarded with more work,” she added.
• Angie Kendall, Hand in Hand CEO. During the video presentation, Ms. Kendall was praised by a colleague for having a great and “quiet influence” on many people. That is, she does many helpful acts – sometimes unseen – that help the people around her. Ms. Kendall told the crowd that  some of those quiet acts are when Hand in Hand workers whisper encouraging words to a child who needs to hear praise and encouragement. “It is not loud. It is not flashy. … but it connects us,” she added.
• Marcy Mendenhall, SAL Community Services president and CEO. Ms. Mendenhall told the audience about two parts of leadership – the “front stage” and “back stage.” The front stage is the part many people see, when you are the face of an agency and inspiring others to do good work. The back stage part is that unseen part that is filled with anxiety, worrisome and sleepless nights. The way to successfully blend these two parts together is to surround yourself with good, hard-working people who believe in your vision. She added that the goal is not to be perfect, as she has made mistakes in her life, but she has always moved forward. “Now, I’m a freaking CEO. … I did that. I’ve screwed up a lot,” but many people have helped in this journey, she said.
• Amy Novak, St. Ambrose University president. Ms. Novak told the audience that: “Being a leader is not about the title. It’s about our experiences. It’s about our actions.” She added that when she was young, her grandmothers would always tell her to “lead with grit” in your actions to get positive things done in the community. She added that much of her work has centered on helping students in need – and that work has also taught her lessons. The top lesson is: “The most powerful leaders are those willing to be led.” She told the crowd to be led by love and purpose.
• Rachel Pitchford, Life Advisors owner, consultant. Ms. Pitchford shared this story about leadership. A few years ago, she was in a hallway and needed a hand towel. That hallway had a towel dispenser, but the machine was broken. So, she took a butter knife and made the needed repairs to get a towel. The lesson she took away from that incident is: “Leadership is whoever solves the problem first.” She added that being a good leader has little to do with the number of people who are following you, but about being trusted.
• Caroline Ruhl, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors CEO and co-owner. Ms. Ruhl praised the other honorees on the night for giving back to the community and making the region a better place to live. She added that leaders often have two traits: They are appreciative and they have a positive mindset. That mindset can be helped by training your mind to see the positive in life, and it will let leaders see opportunities where others only see obstacles.
• Tracy Schwind, Northwest Investment Corp. senior vice president, chief experience officer. Ms. Schwind said the community leaders gathered Thursday all have three traits in common: courage, confidence and character. She added that she was filled with gratitude, and grateful to all of her co-workers, friends and family members. In addition to receiving the award, Thursday was a special and emotional time for Ms. Schwind whose husband Matt Schwind had his final day at work before retiring, and Thursday was her late father’s birthday.
• Dora Villarreal, Rock Island County State’s Attorney. Ms. Villarreal told the audience not to live in fear and be an inspiration to others. She added that the past few months have been a “challenging time” for her as her job has put her in the midst of several controversial and polarizing issues. Those issues have led to several death threats made against her and her family, Ms. Villarreal said. She added that while it is important to listen to advice from the people around you, don’t get bogged down by the negative. She told the crowd that a big lesson she has learned from the challenging times is: What others think of you, is not important. What is important is to be a person who helps others. “We must stop and ask for help and we must stop and help other women along the way,” she added.