Business Professional Women Announce “Boss of the Year” and “Woman of the Year” for 2026

Centralia Business Professional Women (BPW) announced the winners of “Boss of the Year” and “Woman of the Year” during their business after hours with The Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce and co-hosted by Heritage Woods of Centralia.

Presenting the awards was Becca Deomes and Ellie McClelland, BPW week committee members.

Congratuations to this year’s Boss of the Year: Diane Cole of Bradford National Bank.

“She has spent her livelihood investing in their company and their staff. They recognize the potential of everyone she meets. She encourages her staff to follow their dreams wherever they may lead them. Her care for her team does not end when she clocks out. Her employees say she treats them like family and knows that they can always count on her to answer their calls, regardless of time or place,” said McClelland. “Her care and dedication to Centralia reigns throughout everything she does. She is an active member of this Centralia Chamber of Commerce. She is very involved with a Centralia balloon Fest, from sponsoring a pilot to helping work the event. You can see her company throughout Centralia supporting nonprofits or sponsoring kids’ sports teams.”

“Our boss of the year is no stranger in our community. She has spent much of her life in Centralia and strives every day to improve our city. She is a selfless woman who has spent many hours helping strangers achieve their dreams. She is very involved with helping small businesses start up and secure their funding to do so,” said McClelland. “Our boss of the year is someone who believes in the greater good of hard work. She is quite literally the definition of if there is a will, there is a way.”

Congratulations to this year’s Woman of the Year: Sandy Mecum.

“This nominee has spent countless hours providing Christmas presents for families, clothing for children, and simply offering a hug or word of encouragement to a child. She has spent her days volunteering with several groups, such as the Central City Lioness Club, Lady Elks, St Mary’s Hospital and the Calumet Street Christian Church. While she is not one to brag about her accomplishments, her friends and family were proud to share what she has done for her community. Each letter of recommendation provided more insight into what this Woman of the Year has accomplished and her dedication to the greater Centralia area remains strong!” said Deomes.

“She worked for Centralia City Schools for 3 decades. One letter listed her as a “Jackie of all trades”: individual aide, classroom aide, lunchroom supervisor, bus monitor, playground chief, time out supervisor, etc!” said Deomes. ”Before she worked for the City Schools, our woman of the year worked at Murray Center and would volunteer on her off days to take the children home with her during designated sign out times so she could bring some extra joy in their lives. Our woman of the year has quietly spent decades making a difference in the lives our local children, raising money for scholarships with the Lionesses, working for the Rec Center, providing thanksgiving baskets with the Elks, being a pink lady at the hospital, and countless other projects.”

During the presentation it was noted that the Woman of the Year award has been an annual tradition since 1971 to recognize the accomplishments of women in our community. The Boss of the Year award was started in 1991.

Nominations took place from August through September. Winners were selected by a committee. The winners are kept a secret until announced during the event. In attendance were BPW members, Centralia Chamber members, plus friends and family of the awardees. Some of those in attendance were hidden in a side room until the announcement to keep it a secret.

BPW Week is the third week in October, proclaimed by the City of Centralia on the October 13 city council meeting. The week is full of celebrations of members and community accomplishments.

“BPW is much more than a club for business professionals. We are a diverse group of women who look for unique ways to impact our community, from cleaning trash to leading Equal Pay Day rallies, to donating money for the bathroom mural at Laura Leake Park, there is no act of service beneath us,” said Deomes.

For more information on Centralia BPW visit https://centraliabpw.org/.