MIDLAND The Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest will honor four women from the Permian Basin in this year’s Women of Distinction “Maskerade” Gala.
This year will be the 29th annual Women of Distinction celebration and will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 22 at Midland Country Club.
The honorees for this year include executive director for West Texas Food Bank Libby Campbell, former Midland City Councilwoman Sharla Hotchkiss, KOSA-TV news co-anchor Shelby Landgraf and former vice president of Permian Affairs for Pioneer Natural Resources Susan Spratlen.
“We select women who have made a difference in the community,” CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Patty Craven said. “Women who have gone above and beyond what a normal person would do. We are recognizing women who are the leaders of the area. They are pioneers or they are stepping up and giving other women an opportunity to grow in different fields. We love all four of our candidates. They are amazing women who have done so much in the Permian Basin. If anyone looks them up, they will be amazed.”
Campbell has been the executive director of the West Texas Food Bank since 2012 and completed the organization’s successful $13.3 million capital campaign to build new facilities.
Under her leadership, the West Texas Food Bank has grown to distribute over 10 million pounds of food through collaborative partnerships with 80-plus agencies.
“What they do over at the West Texas Food Bank is amazing,” Craven said. “They are helping the community give back. They also have kids programs that she set up and that is right up the Girl Scouts alley. We love it when people want to educate girls and give them that opportunity to learn more about their communities and anything like that. Libby, with her biodome, they do amazing educational programs that bring students in and teach them about growing and how food goes from a seed to the table.”
Campbell said she is honored to be named among this year’s Women of Distinction.
“I’m extremely humbled to be honored in such a way by the Girl Scouts,” Campbell said. “They do such an amazing thing for young women in our communities to give them a voice and have them make true leaders of themselves as they become young women and adults. To think I would be in a group that those young ladies would look up to is a true honor.”
Hotchkiss is a nonprofit consultant, conducting training on topics related to organizational development.
She also served as executive director of Keep Midland Beautiful.
Spratlen has served on many boards including United Way of Midland, Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, UTPB Business School Advisory Board, Permian Strategic Partnership and Priority Midland.
“Susan is retired but she’s a longtime Girl Scout and does things for her community, but she also used to be the former vice president for Permian Affairs and made a difference in her community and has served on different community organizations,” Craven said. “She also established the Susan Spratlen scholarship.”
Landgraf is the evening anchor and interim news director at CBS7.
With more than a decade of experience in broadcast journalism, Landgraf has been an active leader in the Odessa-Midland area.
She serves on several nonprofit boards including the John Ben Shepperd Leadership Institute, the Junior League of Odessa and the West Texas Food Bank.
Craven says that tickets for this year’s gala are still available and going for $75.
If you go
- What: Women of Distinction “Maskerade” Gala.
- When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 22.
- Where: Midland Country Club (6101 North St. Highway 349, Midland).
- Price: $75 per ticket.
