Adrienne Cole, Wake County Economic Development’s Executive Director, was awarded the Triangle Business Journal 2016 Women in Business Award. 

According to the Triangle Business Journal, The Women in Business Awards program recognizes Triangle women who have proven to be dynamic and outstanding leaders with established track records of significant accomplishments in business and/or community service. The judges, a mixture of Triangle business leaders and TBJ editorial leadership, pored through nearly 100 entries to come up with this year’s crop of winners.

“This year’s class of female leaders represents a vast array of knowledge and influence that spans across the entire Triangle and beyond,” says TBJPublisher Jason Christie. “We are extremely excited to be able to honor these successful women.”

Cole was listed among a high caliber of women in the region, who also received the award, several of whose companies are strong WCED supporters. Here is the full list of awardees: 

• Jesica Averhart, American Underground
• Amaris Balkus, Blue Water Spa
• Kayla Beavers, Hill, Chesson & Woody
• Jessica Brock, Longfellow Real Estate Partners
• Nimasheena Burns, N.C. Dept. of Justice 
  
• Deirdre Clarke, Bandwidth
• Adrienne Cole, Wake County Economic Development
• Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, miraclefeet
• Jamie DeMent, Coon Rock Farm & Bella Bean Organics
• Elizabeth Easley, Clintrax Global
• Patti Fralix, The Fralix Group
• Alice Garland, North Carolina Education Lottery
• Chasta Hamilton-Calhoun, Stage Door Dance Productions
• Dr. Myla Lai-Goldman, GeneCentric Diagnostics
• April LaMar, MetLife
• Jennifer Martin, Greater Raleigh Merchants Association & Shop Local Raleigh
• Danielle McNeillie, ChannelAdvisor
• Kelly Shiley, Mary Square
• Becca Smith, Smith & Smith CPA
• Camille Stell, Lawyers Mutual
• Pamela Townsend, Dewberry
• Leslie Walden, Fidelity Investments
• Melissa Waller, N.C. Dept. of the State Treasurer
• Mallory Wojciechowski, Better Business Bureau – Eastern N.C.
• Lisa Zannoni, Syngenta