The American Association of University Women – Bradford Branch has announced the recipients of two awards.
The recipient of the AAUW Woman of the Year Award is Rebecca Ryan, and Dr. Tammy Haley was named the recipient of the Gateway to Equity Award.
The AAUW Woman of the Year Award is given to an AAUW member who has served the organization and community with distinction.
Ryan is a lifelong resident of the Bradford area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Mansfield State University and her master’s degree at St. Bonaventure University.
She was an exceptional educator in the Bradford Area Schools and mentor to numerous student teachers during her 30 year career. Ryan also served as an adjunct professor in the education program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
She has been an active member of AAUW for the past 50 years. Her interests include gardening, knitting, piano, literature and collecting antique china. A master gardener through Penn State, Ryan contributes gardening articles to the Warren Times Observer. Active in the community, Ryan is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, a volunteer at the Bradford Landmark Society, and a leader and moderator of Presbyterian Women at First Presbyterian Church.
Ryan and her husband, John, have been married for 49 years. They have two children, Ann and Matthew, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Mitchell.
Meanwhile, the Gateway to Equity Award is given to an individual, group or organization that has shown by action and philosophy the promotion of the AAUW mission of equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Historically education attainment has served as a significant gateway to equity for girls and women.
Award recipient Haley currently serves as an associate professor and coordinator of the nursing program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. She is a professor, researcher, administrator and scholar who has helped strengthen educational opportunities for students.
During the summers of 2011 and 2016, Haley traveled to the West African country of Cameroon to work at the Good Samaritan Clinic in Ekona. While there, the medical mission team saw patients, offered vaccinations clinics and provided medical outreach to nearby villages.
Haley earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in nursing, and in public health from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2017, Haley was given the Distinguished Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Haley received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Service in 2016.
She is also active in the community and is a member of Zonta International.
