International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate women’s achievements and recognize the challenges they have overcome to get where they are today. It’s about celebrating the wins while knowing how much further we have to go to truly embrace equity—the key tenet of this year’s event.
At Motion, one of the ways we celebrate International Women’s Day is through the Chicago Women of Impact award. As the largest woman-owned agency in Chicago—and with more than 60% of the leadership being women—Motion believes in commemorating amazing women in the industry and shining a spotlight on their achievements.
That’s why we founded the Chicago Women of Impact award in 2020: to celebrate women in marketing, advertising, PR and communications who step up each day for their organizations, clients and communities to deliver real impact.
This year, Motion is pleased to recognize Kate Meyer, vice president of global communications at the Alzheimer’s Association, as the 2023 Chicago Women of Impact award winner.
Meyer has worked at the Alzheimer’s Association for more than 18 years and is responsible for the association’s global communications across public relations, social media and entertainment engagement to further care and support, research, policy and advocacy for people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Over the past two years alone, Kate has navigated the Alzheimer’s Association’s communications through two accelerated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals, a CEO transition, news of Tony Bennett’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and an awareness collaboration with Lady Gaga. She leads the team that disseminates news across the 75 local chapters of the association, as well as communicates the association’s leadership in science through a research investment of more than $320 million in more than 1,000 research projects in 54 countries that span six continents.
Outside of work, Meyer has also served on the board of directors for Resilience, a nonprofit dedicated to the healing and empowerment of sexual assault survivors and creating positive, effective changes to policies and public attitudes toward sexual assault, since 2018.
“It is an especially humbling honor to be recognized by colleagues for both my volunteer service with local organizations, as well as my work in advancing global research, care and support on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Association,” Meyer says. “I’m sincerely grateful for my career mentors who have always encouraged me to take on new challenges in the workplace and be an active volunteer in the community. I encourage all women, in every stage of their career, to seek opportunities that fuel their personal and professional passions, creating a win-win, as an individual for our local and global communities.”
Motion owner Kimberly Eberl hopes that the Chicago Women of Impact Award is one way to inspire future generations. “When girls see women who are leaders, innovators and change-makers, they are more likely to believe they can achieve great things too,” she says. “By drawing attention to women like Kate, we can play a role in helping show young girls that they can dream big, work hard and make a difference in the world.”
