Girl Scout Dinner Friday Honoring Monmouth County Teen

FARMINGDALE, NJ -- A Monmouth County teenager will be among those honored Friday night by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore during its annual Women of Distinction & Community Partners Gala, at Eagle Oaks Country Club.

Kathy Ann Drake of Millstone is being honored as the Junior Woman of Distinction. She has been a Girl Scout for 10 years as a part of Troop 1767, she received her Bronze and Silver awards and learned what it meant to “be a sister to every Girl Scout,” according to her biography for the gala.

After Drake's troop dissolved in 2012, she became an Independent Girl Scout, better known as an iGirl, with her focus shifting from growing herself to helping educate and enrich the experience of younger Girl Scouts.

Drake began serving as a girl representative on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore in Fall 2012. Her term will end later this year. She brings a fresh perspective, showing what Girl Scouts means to a maturing girl.

Drake’s Gold Award concentrated on raising awareness of the importance of classical music in the contemporary music we listen to today, and its relevance to a younger generation. Her sister, Alexandra, is a Girl Scout Cadette earning her Silver Award while her youngest sister, Sarah, is a Girl Scout Brownie in the third grade. Next year, Drake will further her education at Barnard College of Columbia University.

The gala is sponsored by Investors Bank. Tickets can be purchased by calling Lori Pepenella at (732) 349-4499, ext. 240, or email.

In addition to honoring Drake, there are five women, a community partner and, for the first time, the Man Enough to be a Girl Scout member of the year.

The 2016 honorees are as follows:

Women of Distinction

o Lillian Burry, Monmouth County Freeholder: For more than 30 years, Freeholder Lillian Burry has been a fixture in central Monmouth County as the owner and broker-of-record for Colts Neck Realty. She served as a councilwoman in Matawan and then later moved to Colts Neck, where she served as a committeewoman and later deputy mayor and mayor. She was elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2005 and has been reelected three times and has served as the board’s first woman director. She and her husband Donald have a daughter and two grandchildren.

o Valerie Montecalvo, Bayshore Recycling: Valerie Montecalvo is an advocate for environmentalism. She conceived and built Bayshore Recycling, which has become model for recycling companies across the country. Her company operates a 10,000-panel rooftop solar array that generates 40 percent of its needed energy. Montecalvo’s vision is to add other forms of renewal energy – including wind, additional solar, tidal and biomass – to convert her company to a 100 percent green organization. She and her business partner and husband Frank have two grown children and rescue large dogs, sharing their home with four mastiffs.

o Betty White, Civic Volunteer: Betty White, who was born in England, learned her love of charitable work from her mother who was dedicated to various groups in her community. She became active in the Young Wives Club and Mothers Union before coming to the United States. Betty served as president of the Cosmopolitan Association for Foreign Women and the MS Committee of Monmouth County. She’s also spent years active with ARC of Monmouth. Her legacy of giving continues with her donation of the George C. White Auxiliary Gift Shop at Riverview Medical Center, as well as the George C. White room in the MS Department at CentraState Medical Center, in honor of her husband. White has two sons and her grandson, Joshua, is a veteran of the Iraq War. She also has a great-grandchild.

o Bertha Williams-Pullen, Neptune Township School District: Bertha L. Williams-Pullen is assistant superintendent of the Neptune public schools after growing up as a student in them. Upon graduating from Neptune High School, Williams-Pullen received a full scholarship to Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. She returned to Neptune and began her career as a sixth-grade teacher at the same school she attended as a child. She has two master’s degrees. Williams-Pullen was appointed principal of Gables Elementary School and served as principal until she was named assistant superintendent, the first time a woman and a graduate of the school system has served in that role. She has two children and a grandson.

o Maria Tanzola, UBS: A lifetime Girl Scout, Maria Tanzola of Toms River has more than 30 years specializing in private banking. She also has a passion for volunteering, and joined her first nonprofit board of directors as a teenager with the Girl Scouts; she also served as a delegate to GSUSA’s national convention. In addition to serving as a member of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s board of directors, she’s also on the board for The Monmouth Park Charity Fund and The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. She and her husband, Vince, have a dog, Ginger.

Community Partner

o Dr. Lisa Knight, The Faith and James Knight Foundation

The Faith and James Knight Foundation is a strong advocate for many issues that closely relate to the Girl Scout mission to help girls become women of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

Since its creation in May 1999, the foundation has supported smaller nonprofit organizations, including the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. Its primary areas of support include academic scholarships and education, women’s issues, hospital and health care, animal rights and environmental concerns.

Led by its president, Dr. Lisa F. Knight, the Faith and James Knight Foundation has made a significant impact in the lives of countless Girl Scouts in Monmouth and Ocean counties thanks to its generous support.

Man Enough to be a Girl Scout Member of the Year

o Jim DeAngelis, Lakewood BlueClaws: Jim DeAngelis of Seaside Park has been the face of the Lakewood BlueClaws in the business community for more than 15 years and has been a fierce advocate for the organizations that he serves, including the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. He serves on the organization’s board and also is responsible for the BlueClaws’ sponsorship of the Girl Scouts’ Man Enough to Be A Girl Scout program. Prior to joining the Lakewood BlueClaws before the start of the team’s inaugural season, DeAngelis worked as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Event tickets cost $225 each. If you are interested in attending the Gala or adding a last-minute sponsorship, please contact Lori Pepenella at (732) 349-4499, ext. 240, or email.

Proceeds benefit the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore and are used locally to support important Girl Scout activities such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, environmental awareness activities and travel opportunities.