Ellen O’Neill & Sandra L. Vargas Receive Mary Lee Dayton Catalyst for Change Awards

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota announces Ellen O’Neill and Sandra L. Vargas will receive the 2025 Mary Lee Dayton Catalyst for Change award at our annual Leadership Celebration on October 9.

Established in 2009 in honor of Mary Lee Dayton, who made the first $1 million gift to any women’s fund in the world, WFM presents the Catalyst for Change award annually to Minnesotans who use their resources and leadership to advance gender and racial equity and justice in Minnesota. As Mary Lee Dayton said, “Women know what they’re doing.”

The leadership of Ellen O’Neill and Sandra L. Vargas has left a legacy on the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. Their generosity and unwavering belief in the power of women and girls is the foundation of how we catalyze change and build power with communities across the state.

About the Honorees

Ellen O’Neill is a trailblazer and activist, working collaboratively with disenfranchised populations to increase equity, justice, and self-determination. She was instrumental in starting the first domestic violence women’s shelter in the 1970s in the west Hennepin area. Communities were changed and lives were, and continue to be, saved. From the mid-1980s, Ellen’s work at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota included statewide efforts to raise a multi-million-dollar endowment, develop and deliver statewide programs and staffing. In 1995, with her leadership, WFM became an autonomous foundation. As the executive director of the Duluth YWCA from 2003-2014, Ellen increased its capacity and programs and received the St. Paul Foundation’s Facing Race Ambassador Award for her leadership in the Unfair Campaign Coalition. Her commitment to nonprofits included teaching in the University of Wisconsin’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Program and the MN Council of Nonprofit’s Mission Series. Working cross-culturally, Ellen continues her commitment to equity as a partner in the consulting firm Superior Design & Planning.

Sandra L. Vargas‘ leadership spans decades and exemplifies the importance of centering work led by and for women of color in the fight for justice. She has leveraged her intersecting identities as a woman and a Latina to create pathways for future leaders, break barriers, and improve the lives of countless Minnesotans. Sandra is a culture warrior in the Latino community where she has played a role in pioneering, mentoring and leading the way for other Latino/as to take their own place in the leadership ranks throughout our state. In public service, Sandra has made major contributions at the Minnesota Department of Economic Development, the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and finally, as Hennepin County Administrator, where she managed a budget of $2 billion and oversaw 12,000 employees. Then, as President and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation (TMF), Sandra oversaw the management of $700 million in assets and the distribution of more than $45 million in grants each year. She retired from TMF in 2017 and has remained active in the community, serving in the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, CFLeads, and on various boards of directors.

Research for Action: A 35-Year Legacy

The event will reflect on WFM’s 35 years of investing in research to understand the lives of women and girls within communities, identify assets and barriers, and fund solutions. Dr. Brittany Lewis, Founder & CEO of Research in Action will lead a conversation with community leaders Irma Márquez Trapero, CEO of LatinoLEAD; Nicole Matthews, CEO of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition; and Jennifer J. Polzin, CEO of Tubman, about using research to advance change, increase understanding, and gain investment for their organizations’ critical work.

Thomasina Petrus will perform an original song, “What Are You Waiting For?”

Best Buy is a sponsor of the event.