SCI honors WISTA International with Silver Bell Award

(NEW YORK) — The Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) honored Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA International) with the 2019 Silver Bell Award at the 42nd Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner on June 6 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou accepted the award on behalf of the organization's global membership.

"This honor recognizes the advancement of women in leadership roles within the maritime industry and represents the 45 years of work WISTA members have done on behalf of integration and diversity," said Theodosiou.

The Silver Bell Award Dinner is Seamen's Church Institute's largest annual fundraiser, which draws support from all segments of the maritime industry. Proceeds from the event support SCI's programs serving mariners. Rear Adm. Philip H. Greene, Jr. was honored with SCI's Lifetime Achievement Award. A special Lifesaving Award was posthumously awarded to Kendall G. Chen for his work to rescue over 2,000 refugees in the 1980s.

WISTA International is an international networking organization for female managers in the shipping industry. WISTA International is comprised of 46 National WISTA Associations (NWA) around the world and nearly 3,000 members. WISTA was approved for consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2018, providing the organization with a formal voice for supporting IMO work in a variety of areas. WISTA works with a wide variety of global maritime and governmental bodies to support professional development, opportunities and networking for female executives in the maritime industry. WISTA has expanded significantly in the last few years. In 2018 WISTA welcomed several new National WISTA Associations in 2018: WISTA Portugal, WISTA Panama, WISTA Peru, WISTA Venezuela, WISTA Uruguay and WISTA Japan.

For more information, visit www.wistainternational.com.

By Professional Mariner Staff