Four local leaders are celebrated for their community impact work and professional success.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Storm today announced the 2024 honorees for its annual Believe in Women Night, presented by Symetra. Believe in Women Night is a Force4Change initiative, and a time to celebrate leaders in the Pacific Northwest region while amplifying the contributions of Black women, leaders of color, and organizations serving Black communities.
The four leaders selected by Storm ownership and players are Faisa Farole, Ollie Garrett, Virla Spencer, and Reverend Kiti Ward. Each honoree was chosen because of their years of service in the local community, specifically the aid and opportunities these women created for the Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
“Believe in Women continues to be a night to honor women that are creating positive change in the community,” said Crystal Langhorne, Storm’s Director of Force4Change. “These four women are beacons of light in our region, and we are proud to highlight them and their nonprofit work.”
The four women will be celebrated during a halftime ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena on July 14 during the matchup against the Atlanta Dream at 3 p.m. Storm owners, alongside Alisha Valavanis, Storm President and CEO, Crystal Langhorne, and Symetra Vice President of Public Affairs and Social Impact, Sharmila Swenson, will present the honorees with gifts to celebrate their contributions.
“Symetra proudly joins the Storm in honoring these extraordinary Black women leaders. Faisa Farole, Ollie Garrett, Virla Spencer, and Reverend Kiti Ward inspire all of us. Their professional accomplishments speak for themselves, as does their civic leadership, their focus on building community, and their commitment to equity, inclusion and social justice,” said Trinity Parker, Symetra’s Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer. “They are all powerful examples of women leading forward and creating positive, high-impact change.”
Get to know the honorees:
Faisa Farole is the owner of Global Perinatal Services, a nonprofit that offers doula services free of charge to low-income, Black, refugee, and immigrant communities. She also runs Federal Way Birth Center, the state’s only Black-owned birth center. Faisa has her master’s degree in Maternal Child Health Systems and her licensure as a midwife in Washington State. She’s also a doula trainer and certified lactation counselor, where she supports mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
Ollie Garrett is the President and CEO of PMT Solutions, a Bellevue-based collection company that provides comprehensive check collection and receivable management services for businesses. Garrett serves as the president for Tabor 100, an association that works to further economic power, educational excellence and social equity for African Americans and the community at large. She is also an appointee of the Washington State Liquor Cannabis Board, the Employment Security Advisory Board, and the Washington Economic Development Finance Authority.
Virla Spencer is the co-founder and CEO of The Way to Justice, a community-centered nonprofit law firm dedicated to eliminating racism and removing barriers to justice within the legal system. She guides service delivery to the low-income and BIPOC communities, including post-conviction relief, re-entry support, driver’s relicensing, youth empowerment, and community outreach.
Kiti Ward is an ordained minister with Breakthrough Ministries. Her role as the Visionary, Founder, and Executive Director of the Agape House provides young women, ages 17 to 27 who have aged out of foster care or who are homeless or about to be homeless, opportunities for housing, education, employment, training, and social services. Reverend Ward’s was appointed as the first Black Area Board President of the Christian women’s group, Women’s Aglow, where she worked to promote diversity, inclusivity, and the empowerment of women. She also served as a National Delegate for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Reverend Ward’s dedication to education is reflected in her career as an elementary school teacher in Washington and Oregon.
Check out the full list of past Believe in Women honorees.
Season Tickets, Storm Mini Plans, and Group Experiences are available for the 2024 season while single game tickets will go on sale in the spring. For more info, visit http://stormbasketball.com, or call 206-217-WNBA (9622).
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