Next month Pearl S. Buck International will honor Yvette Dapremont Bright, founder and president of Brighter Horizon Foundation, as the 2023 Woman of Influence at a dinner and award presentation on the grounds of the beautiful Pearl S. Buck Estate, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie.
Originally established in 1978 as the Woman of the Year Award, the Woman of Influence Award honors women who follow in the groundbreaking footsteps of Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, activist, and humanitarian, who used the spotlight on her to shine a light on the plight of vulnerable and marginalized people everywhere and to advocate for the civil rights movement in the U.S. Buck also founded Welcome House (the world’s first international biracial adoption agency) and established The Pearl S. Buck Foundation (now Pearl S. Buck International) to provide international humanitarian aid.
An inspirational leader in the health care industry, Bright brings a holistic perspective built on 35 years of experience in operations, marketing, IT, human resources and finance to inspire actions leading to winning results. She recently retired from the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer of Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross, where she was the first woman and business leader of color to have responsibility for the Commercial and Medicare P & Ls, with revenues exceeding $6 billion.
Bright is now president of Brighter Horizon Foundation, which she founded to assist first generation minority students from the Greater Philadelphia area to reach the goal of attaining a college degree or an associate degree in the trades – debt-free.
Throughout her entire career, Bright has mentored students and young professionals, providing invaluable guidance to develop their skills and unwavering support to facilitate success in their academic or professional careers. Bright’s work through Brighter Horizon exemplifies and puts into action Pearl Buck’s belief that education is the most important tool for individuals, families, and communities to lift themselves up and achieve a better future.
She joins a long line of distinguished and accomplished women who have received the Pearl S. Buck Woman of Influence Award, including former First Lady Laura Bush, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison, award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, TV personality Nydia Han, and former President of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino.
The always inspirational and uplifting Woman of Influence Dinner and Award Presentation will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 6-8 p.m. A chairman’s reception, requiring a separate ticket, will precede the main event.
Tickets are available now at: https://pearlsbuck.org/woman-of-influence/.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
