POWER of Professional Women’s 2025 Advocate Awards was a moving and meaningful event to celebrate leaders who advocate for women in the workplace. Hundreds of attendees joined together to listen to inspiring stories and learn important tips about how we can all make a difference.

The event reflected the energy, growth, and heart behind POWER. It was a joy to honor the incredible advocates and spirit that make this community so special. 

Despite the headwinds and challenges we face today, the nominators, winners, speakers, and POWER members and sponsors conveyed crucial themes worth celebrating.

Some important takeaways:

• Every act of advocacy can make a difference. Help others to be seen, heard and valued.
• Lead with empathy. Strong, nurturing women create space and open doors.
• Challenge the status quo. Do something to create the change you want to see.
• Proven fact: Diverse communities and organizations are the most effective.
• Diversity is Win-Win. There are no losers. Just choose the best person for the job.
• Leadership is about lifting others up, creating pathways and fostering a sense of belonging. You don’t have to wait until you are in a position of authority to speak up and enact change.
• Strive for diverse seats at the table. Literally, always think about your meeting invites.
• Never let anything hard get in the way of doing the right thing. Support is not always easy, but it is always worth the effort.
• Be heartened by positive stories. Actions have strong ripple effects far beyond the surface.
• Recognize the power of community and storytelling. A collective uprising of voices has exponential power.
• Make every day count (we have 365 days and infinite ways to make a difference). And don’t forget to sign up early to celebrate the 2026 POWER Advocate Awards!

Congratulations again to all of POWER’s 2025 Advocate Award winners!

WINNERS:

Male Advocate:  Mike Innocenzo, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Exelon

Mike Innocenzo is responsible for governance and operations of Exelon’s six utilities: Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO, and Pepco. He serves as chairman of the board of directors for each operating company. Additionally, he oversees Cyber & Information Security Services, Corporate Physical Security, IT, Safety, Supply, Training, and Transmission Strategy & Compliance organizations at Exelon.

Innocenzo previously served as president and CEO of PECO. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president and chief operating officer, where he was responsible for leadership of PECO’s overall performance associated with operations, safety, service reliability, customer satisfaction, and financial management.

In his earlier roles, Innocenzo served as a regional director in Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties, as well as a regional engineering manager for Chester and Delaware counties. He was also the emergency services supervisor in Philadelphia and a project engineer in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties.

Nominator Highlights:

• Believes diversity of thought is essential to a successful business.
• Supports a workplace culture encouraging female employees to step into leadership roles.
• Ensures women have the tools to thrive.
• Actively creates space at the table for women’s voices to be heard, valued, and acted upon.
• Half of his executive leadership team was made up of women before transitioning to his new role at Exelon.
• Started as an intern at the company.
• Has been an incredible mentor and friend, helping personally and setting a standard for other women.
• Intentionally builds an inclusive culture.
• Supported new opportunities, leading to breaking barriers by appointing PECO’s first female Chief Operating Officer.

Female Advocate:  Melissa Ludwig, Chair of the NACD and active Board member

Melissa Ludwig, a Philadelphia native, has built a career defined by leadership, strategic growth, and a deep commitment to people. Her leadership in M&A integrations and growth strategies at Macy’s earned her awards, and she became the first woman in over a century to lead the iconic Herald Square location. She later oversaw regional operations in the Mid-Atlantic, managing P&L responsibilities of $380M to $600M and leading teams of 1,300 to 3,000 employees.

Throughout her career, Melissa championed You Count, a core value that fostered inclusion, employee engagement, and community impact. She strengthened partnerships with the Phillies, Susan G. Komen, ALS, the Kimmel Center, and the Barnes Foundation.

Melissa remains deeply connected to her community, playing a role in Fearless Restaurants, which includes White Dog Café, Rosalie, and the Triple Crown event space in Radnor, where she fosters brand awareness and strategic partnerships. Above all, her greatest pride is her children, Griffin and JR, both Villanova graduates, whom she admires for their accomplishments, support and character.

Today, she co-leads a company supporting women’s career transitions, serves as NACD Philadelphia’s Board Chair, educates future leaders at Villanova, and is a Trustee at Moravian University and Drexel’s Governance Institute Board Advisory.

Nominator Highlights: 

• Invested personal time in identifying female talent and developing a game plan for their career advancement.
• Promoted hundreds of women into larger roles within the company.
• Actively served as a Board member of the Forum for Executive Women, mentoring many women regionally.
• Helped numerous women launch their entrepreneurial careers.
• As Chair of the NACD Philadelphia Chapter, continues to advocate for more women getting on Boards.
• Spent an incredible lifetime helping women achieve success.

Male Champion of Change: Steve Tremblay, Director, Sales of Independence Blue Cross

Steve started his Independence career in 2002 as an intern in the eBusiness department contributing to many projects that are used today such as the Employer Portal and eBill system. Steve joined as a full-time associate after graduating from LaSalle University in 2003. He continued his work within various operational departments over the course of 13 years.

In 2015, He started his sales career in which he held management positions within the Broker Individual Sales team and New Business Group sales. In 2023, he was promoted to Director of Sales responsible for all account management of clients with employees’ size of 100 to 1,000 fully insured and self-funded IBX business, and also 300 to 1,000 new business reporting to the Vice President of Sales, Amy Gallo.

Steve resides in Medford Lakes, NJ with his wife Andria and two sons, Louis, and Benjamin. Steve is also a board member of the Greater Philadelphia Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation as well a board member of the Medford Lakes Youth Sports Association.

Nominator Highlights: 

• Hired me as a Broker Sales Executive, focusing on my skillset rather than my insurance knowledge.
• Changed hiring practices to bring me on board and pushed for my pay requirements.
• Regularly invited me to important meetings for face time with key people.
• Mentored me on problem-solving and building relationships.
• Hired another woman on the team and took the same steps in coaching and mentoring her.
• Encouraged me to coach team members as I became more experienced.
• Pushed boundaries to get the female employee a deserved promotion.
• Encouraging, fair, and a champion for empowering women.
• Provides guidance and support without diminishing autonomy, creating an empowering environment.
• Made himself available for weekly touchpoints to coach and mentor a colleague who became a manager.

Female Champion of Change:  Ashley Lunkenheimer, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of AmeriHealth Caritas

Ashley Lunkenheimer is an experienced health care attorney and former federal prosecutor with over 20 years in private practice and the federal government. In private practice, she currently manages litigation and human resources-related legal activities for a national leader in Medicaid managed care, including bid protests related to multi-billion-dollar government contracts. Previously, at a leading national law firm, Ashley represented a professional sports league on various matters and investigated employment practices, corporate fraud, and environmental insurance claims.

As a federal prosecutor in the Philadelphia region, Ashley managed and prosecuted complex cases ranging from large-scale violent drug trafficking organizations to health care, white-collar fraud, money laundering, and tax crimes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, a Master of Social Work from Columbia University, and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ashley prioritizes giving back to her community. Recently, it was announced that Ashley and her wife Starla are collaborating with Emmy® winning actress/comedian Wanda Sykes, her wife Alex, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Comcast to bring a women’s WNBA team to Philadelphia. Ashley also serves as Chair of the Delaware County Election Board (PA), overseeing the non-partisan administration of federal, Commonwealth, and local elections.

Ashley and Starla live in Delco, where they are raising their three children. Ashley is happiest when coaching her children in sports, helping friends and mentees be their best selves, and relaxing with her family’s many furry friends.

Nominator Highlights: 

• Lifelong advocate for women's rights, coaching and mentoring women in the workplace and community.
• Promoter of women in sports; All-American NCAA Division 1 ranked Rugby player and Captain of the Under 23 US Rugby Team.
• Working to bring a professional women's sports team to the region, which currently has 14 men's teams.
• Left her job to run for Congress due to dissatisfaction with the current Congressman’s support for women.
• Encourages women to take risks and step up when the time is right.
• Known for her kindness, empathy, and listening skills; spends many hours helping others.
• Advocated for women's promotions and recognition in the legal department and company.
• Well-known in the community for her Congressional run, raising more money than any other candidate and finishing second in a field of 10.
• Continues to encourage women to participate in the political process.

Entrepreneur Champion of Change:  Ximena Valle, Founding Principal of FIFTEEN Architecture + Design

Ximena is an accomplished architect and design leader disrupting the architecture industry in Philadelphia. As Founding Principal of the award-winning firm FIFTEEN Architecture + Design, Ximena believes architecture and design have the power to create positive impact. She challenges traditional practices to bring diverse perspectives to the design process, making architecture more relevant and accessible. Her work culture shifts to empower young leaders, especially female voices in a historically male-dominated profession.

Her avant-garde approach has led to successful outcomes for prominent projects in the region. Ximena creates spaces that uplift communities, revitalize blighted structures, and provide public zones for health and wellness accessible to those who need them most.

Ximena grew up in Chile and moved to the United States at age 12, an experience that shaped her resilience and ability to navigate challenging situations. She studied Architecture and Business Administration at the University of Florida and earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

As an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s School of Architecture, Ximena taught both Graduate and Undergraduate Design Studios and developed a course focused on professional development and career preparedness. She also serves on Philadelphia’s Planning Commission and PIDC’s Navy Yard Advisory Committee.

Nominator Highlights: 

• Intentionally hires and collaborates to bring diverse voices to the firm and project teams.
• Works to remove barriers for women in the workplace.
• Built her practice to address the historic underrepresentation of women in leadership and decision-making roles.
• Supports women-run organizations through pro bono design exercises.
• Teams up with Women Business Enterprises (WBE) and Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) for projects.
• Focuses on recruiting and nurturing women, minorities, and immigrants.
• Amplifies her vision by serving as a professor, lecturing, and creating internship pathways for those without exposure to the practice.
• Engages with students from nursing, emphasizing their role in shaping healthcare facilities and health design discussions.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The guest speaker was Philadelphia’s very own David L. Cohen. He was also the 2019 winner of POWER’s first ever Advocate Award, and most recently the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. David previously served as Executive Vice President at Comcast and as counsel to the CEO. He has been named amongst the most influential figures in Pennsylvania and is a powerful advocate for women and advancing women in their careers. 

FIRESIDE CHAT 

Susan Phillips, award winning WHYY senior reporter and editor, joined David L. Cohen for an engaging and enlightening fireside chat. 

“Advocacy for women’s leadership is not only essential to equity, but to the integrity and vibrancy of our institutions and our democracy. Women bring perspectives that challenge convention, drive innovation, and build more inclusive and representative organizations. We are proud to support and celebrate those who champion women's leadership, because when women rise, communities thrive.” - WHYY

EMCEE

In yet another exciting new addition this year, the awards show featured a special host and emcee, Devan Kaney. Devan is Sideline Reporter for the Philadelphia Eagles, In Arena Host for the Philadelphia Flyers, On Air Personality at SportsRadio 94WIP and Sports Anchor for Fox 29 Philadelphia. 

Thank you to Lindsay Johnston, Stephanie Laplante, David L. Cohen, Devan Kaney, Susan Phillips, Pictures by Todd and all of our sponsors and wonderful friends who contributed to this event and continue to make a difference.

Remember to register early for POWER of Professional Women’s 2026 Advocate Awards next spring! We also offer engaging events and programs for mentoring and learning all year long. BECOME A MEMBER