Ericka Harney Honored by NAWBO Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 7, 2015) – Ericka Harney, executive director of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) and theFoundation of AFWA, is the recipient of the 2015 Tribute Award, presented by the Lexington, Kentucky, chapter of the National Association of Women BusinessOwners.
The NAWBO Tribute Award recognizes an outstanding woman who has dedicated her life to encouraging and enabling women to achieve their career goals.
“I am truly honored to be recognized by NAWBO. Working with and encouraging women to excel is my passion and I’m fortunate to work with such great women and girls through my work,” Harney said.
Harney has more than 15 years of experience in fundraising, grant development and strategic planning. Since February 2014, she has served as executive director for AFWA and the Foundation of AFWA. The AFWA is a national association that works to enable women inaccounting and finance to achieve their full personal and professionalpotential. AFWA is managed by Associations International.
Harney has worked with a variety of local and national nonprofit organizations. For two decades, she has been involvedwith the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, supporting Girl Scouts’growth and helping them toward their career goals. As president of the board for God’s Closet, she co-founded The Purple Lunchbox, a social enterprise providing skills training and employment in catering for women whose criminal histories kept them from gainful employment. During its three-year operation, The Purple Lunchbox provided job training for more than 200 women and employed more than 30 women at above minimum wage for 30-plus hours per week.
Additionally, Harney has assisted the Florence Crittenton Home; Step By Step; The Nest Center for Women, Children, and Families; the Professional Women’s Forum and the Lexington chapter of NAWBO.
Harney is a Certified Fund RaisingExecutive (CFRE), a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and a CertifiedVolunteer Administrator (CVA). She holds a master’s degree in communication and bachelor’s degrees in communication and business administration and marketing from the University of Kentucky. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in organizational leadership with a nonprofit leadership concentration from Eastern University.