Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce Empowering Women 2022 luncheon

Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Suzanne Gordon welcomes the audience to the sold out 2022 Empowering Women luncheon held at 1620 Winery on Friday May, 13.

Empowering Women moderator, director of Elder Affairs and the Center for Active Living, the not shy Michelle Bratti makes a grand entrance and to everyone’s surprise rips of her outer cape to reveal her Super Woman empowering red cape!

Moderator Michelle Bratti asks everyone in the room to open the envelope in front of them to reveal “the amazing women we have researched and selected to embody women of substance and vibrancy who make a difference our world.” Everyone found a picture of themselves!

The first Empowering Woman on stage to be interviewed is former Massachusetts Senate President and President & CEO of Massignite Therese Murray. She told the audience about her life in politics, beginning at the age of 14 answering phones for Ted Kennedy’s first Senate race.

Empowering Women Moderator Michelle Bratti welcomes the president and CEO of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Jen Andruzzi to the stage.

Jen Andruzzi tells the story of how the Joe Andruzzi Foundation got started when her husband, former NE Patriot Joe Andruzzi, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma in 2007. After he became cancer free one year later, they co-founded JAF, which dedicates itself to removing the financial barriers that cancer patients and families face.

A charismatic and humorous Julie Hemingway has the audience captivated and, several times, laughing, as she told her inspiring story of following her grandfather and father as a third generation pipefitter. After finishing her apprenticeship she became a member of the Pipefitters Local 537 headquartered in Dorchester.

Julie Hemingway receives a standing ovation at the end of her interview.

Plymouth’s Julie Brewster is an all around success story in progress. She tells her story of how she has been able to navigate being a single mother of three, “girl boss” owner of 4 small businesses and breast cancer survivor.

The Empowering Women panel takes questions from the audience.

PACC Executive Director Amy Naples is totally taken by surprise when she was awarded the first, and unbeknownst to her, Annual Inspiring Leader Award.

Meet the 2022 Empowering Women honorees. From left, Julie Brewster, Therese Murray, Moderator Michelle Bratti, Jen Andruzzi, Julie Hemingway.