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Writer's pictureNAACP Des Moines

Mary Chapman named Sue M. Brown Woman of the Year


On Saturday, December 3, Dr. Mary Sconiers-Chapman received the inaugural Sue M. Brown Woman of the Year Award during the Des Moines Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet.


Sue M. Wilson-Brown was a clubwoman, civil rights activist and suffragist in Iowa. She was also cofounder of the Des Moines NAACP, serving as it's first woman president from1926-1929. Believing in the importance of uplifting the name of black women, President Henderson Weber believed it was important to recognize the many historic achievements of Brown and those who walk in her footsteps with the creation of this award.


A history maker herself, Dr. Chapman joined Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in 1990 where she was the first woman to serve as an executive dean, going on to become the vice president of community and workforce partnerships. Through her work at DMACC, Chapman created programs for women and at-risk youth, including the establishment of face-to-face college credit programs for the inmates at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville; engineered strategic partnerships to support Des Moines Public Schools’ Teacher Quality Program; and worked to develop the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families in Des Moines, a first-of-its-kind, community-based, integrated service delivery partnership between education, business and community that connects families and individuals with education, support services, career pathways and employment.


Dr. Chapman currently serves on various community and civic Boards including Bankers Trust Advisory Board, Iowa Corrections Board, Des Moines Branch NAACP Executive Committee (Women in NAACP Chair), Des Moines Public Arts Foundation, Des Moines Art Festival, Hoyt Sherman Foundation, and Urban Dreams Board. She also is a member of Des Moines Chapter of The Links, Inc. and a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Over the past few years, Dr. Chapman has reinvigorated the WIN committee by bringing together talented women across from the community to uplift the issues of Foster Care for black children, woman's entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. She is the epitome of empowerment and servant leadership helping to uplift emerging leaders across the community.


Contact: Victoria Henderson Weber

Des Moines Branch, President


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