Here's to the woman who finds her niche.

        You know the one I mean. She's the waitress who remembers your name. The juvenile probation officer who doubles as a Girl Scout leader. The single mom of four who gets her law degree and serves 19 years on the city council.

        OK, maybe you didn't know. That's the thing about women in niches: They often fit so well and excel with such humility that we take them for granted.

        Thank goodness for Leading Women Inc..

Sallie Coaston

        Every year, this coalition of 47 women's groups in Greater Cincinnati honors exceptional women in 20 categories. Many are the kind who would never seek attention for themselves.

        This year's winners include Sima Salmasi, a waitress at the Bankers Club of Cincinnati, who never forgets a customer's name or coffee preference. “She makes every single person feel like they're the center of the universe,” customer Kim Post says.

        Then there's Pamela G. King, the Girl Scout leader, whose volunteerism helped balance 19 years as a probation officer in juvenile court. And Betty Davis, long-time Mason city councilwoman, who attended night school while raising four children and helping a mentally disabled sister.

WOMEN HONOREES

Here are the women honored March 7 by Leading Women Inc., which will make a $100 donation to the charity of each winner's choice.     Arts: Bonnie Maples, coordinator, Creative Cottage Quilt Outreach.     Community Service: J.J. Johnson-JioDucci, assistant vice president, community reinvestment officer, KeyBank; and Marcia H. Simmons, MSN, Executive Director, Dominican Community Services.     Education: Velta Kelly-Foster, associate dean, College of Evening and Continuing Education, University of Cincinnati.     Entrepreneurship: Cassandra Cantrell Robinson, president and CEO, CassCan Enterprises Inc.     Finance/Banking: Patrice Gosse, Gosse Enterprise LLC d.b.a. Money Concepts.     Health Care: Elizabeth J. Bragg, Ph.D, RN, University of Cincinnati Medical Center.     Law/Law Enforcement: Pamela G. King, senior community development analyst, city of Cincinnati. Management: Katherine K. Strauss, vice president, business development, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.     Manufacturing: Diana L. Murrer, COO, Modern Machinery Company Inc.     Media: Tracie Marie Hunter, general manager, WCVG/1320 AM Radio.     Ministry: Sallie Coaston, director of evangelization outreach, St. Anthony Catholic Church.     Office Support: Dorothea Schrader, former staff member, Kelly Services.     Government: Betty Davis, former councilwoman, Mason.     Sales/Marketing: Jill Kinduell, president, Impact Display & Design Inc.     Service Industries: Christie Bryant, assistant director, III Square Music Foundation.     Skilled Trades: Sima Salmasi, server, Bankers Club of Cincinnati.     Sports: Meridy Glenn, women's soccer coach, University of Cincinnati.     Science/Research: Sue Byrnes, executive director, the LAM Foundation.     Women Against All Odds: Brenda Brown, co-founder and secretary/treasurer, Patterns Inc.     Women's Advocacy: Kim Post, past president, Greater Cincinnati Women's Network, and partner, Global Lead Management Consulting

       

No back seats

        As if that's not enough, let me tell you about one more.

        Fifty years ago, Sallie Coaston and her family were among the first African-Americans to attend St. Anthony Church in Madisonville.

        Mrs. Coaston stuck with the church even when she didn't feel very welcome; and, eventually, attitudes changed. St. Anthony is now one of the warmest Catholic churches in Greater Cincinnati, with a congregation that's 20 percent African-American and represents 40 ZIP codes.

        “When I started coming here, I had no idea of sitting in the back seat. I hate the back seat of anything,” says Mrs. Coaston, who is in her 70s. “I just walked right up to the front of church, and every eye was on me.

        “They didn't know who I was or what I was doing in that church. But I was determined.”

        And she stayed determined despite the obstacles. Early on, her athletic daughter was inexplicably denied a spot on the volleyball team at St. Anthony School. Mrs. Coaston spoke to the parish priest, who told the school to make it right.

        Then there was the time a white woman invited Mrs. Coaston to join the prayer league — but told her not to tell the other members who had extended the invitation.

        “There were times I felt I could walk away,” Mrs. Coaston says. “But there was something within me saying, "Don't.'”

        It's a good thing. Since 1989, Mrs. Coaston has been on St. Anthony's staff, reaching out to the sick, the bereaved, the fallen-away and the newly converted.

        She ministers to all, regardless of color, and her wisdom has been an invaluable resource to the Rev. Leonard Wenke, St. Anthony's priest.

        “She's the kind of person who can challenge you to change who you are with the simplest words,” Father Wenke says.

        A Leading Woman, indeed.

       Karen Samples can be reached at (859) 578-5584 or at ksamples@enquirer.com.
       
       

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