Source:  Tampa Bay Business Journal 

Fifty-two Tampa Bay area businesswomen were honored Friday evening at the 2009 Tampa Bay Business Journal BusinessWoman of the Year Awards. Finalists in eight categories were honored and a winner was named for each category, in addition to the overall BusinessWoman of the Year.

Jeanne Tate, managing partner of Jeanne T. Tate PA, was named the 2009 overall BusinessWoman of the Year. She was the winner in the Business Services category.

Other category winners:
• Education: Julie M. Janssen, superintendent of Pinellas County Schools
• Entrepreneur: Jane Strong, chief executive officer of Happy Feet Plus
• Financial Services: Christine B. Cooper, president of Cooper Financial Services
• Media: Joyce Cotton, director of marketing and community partnerships for WEDU
• Nonprofit: Susan Jacobs, founder and chief executive officer of Wheels of Success
• Young: Allison Renee Raver, chief executive officer of Raver Medical LLC

• Technology: Charlotte Baker, chief executive officer and co-founder of Digital Hands
(CEO Member Ilene Rosoff, The Launch Pad, was a Finalist in the Technology Category.)

Judges’ Choice awards were presented to Cynthia Gandee, executive director of Henry B. Plant Museum, and Melanie Lenz, VP of development for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The BusinessWoman of the Year awards were judged by an independent panel of judges that included Steve Bernstein, partner with Fisher & Phillips LLP; Rita J. Lowman, market president and chief executive officer of American Momentum Bank; and Meredith Zdon, chief operating officer of Power Design Inc. About 560 people attended the event held at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. Presenting sponsors were BlueCross BlueShield of Florida and the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance.