Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An event this weekend will celebrate the accomplishments of local women.

The public is invited to join in celebrating the Class of 2024's induction into the Brighton Area Women's History Roll of Honor during a 2pm ceremony on Saturday at the Brighton District Library.

The accomplishments and community contributions of the honorees will be recognized in the Library's Main Reading Room and the public is encouraged to join in the celebration.

The newest members include Kate Lowry, Tara Patrick McCrackin, Darlene McManus, Toni Reese, Lynn Strong, and Sara Walker. Also honored with Outstanding Historical Accomplishments by Young Women are the 2022 and 2023 Brighton Varsity Girls Lacrosse Teams, and the 2024 Brighton Varsity Pom Team.

The ceremony will last about an hour, is free, and open to all friends, family, and community members.


2024 Honorees

Kate Lowry is a lifelong resident of Brighton and a 1975 BHS graduate. Kate has been a member of LACASA’s Board of Directors since 1999 serving on the resource and community relations committee, was Honorary Chair of the 2000 “Raise the Roof” Capital Campaign to build a new facility, was one of the first Mission Partner’s founded 15 years ago, and has chaired several successful fundraising events requiring months of planning and committee direction. In 2016, LACASA awarded Kate the “Mission Possible” award for fundraising. A founding member of the Brighton Area Schools Alumni Association Board, Kate planned numerous events and helped fund raise for the Alumni Room. Kate played an integral role in fundraising for the 1994 Imagination Station build. Active with the Arc of Livingston, Kate was awarded the 2013 ARC Angel Award for her years of dedication to people with disabilities. Kate has shared her talents and time to Love INC, Livingston County United Way, Work Skills Foundation, and VINA Dental Center.

Tara (Patrick) McCrackin, M.Ed, NCIDQ, IIDA is a 1988 Brighton High School graduate and was named Interim President of Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) of Ferris State University in July, 2019, and officially accepted the position of President in 2021. She concurrently holds the office of Vice President of Ferris State University. President McCrackin began her design career in 1997 and was the lead designer on the initial WorkSpring in Chicago, IL (a co-working space focusing on hospitality in a corporate environment incorporating state-of-the-art technologies). Pursuing a passion for sustainability, she worked on the Rackspace Headquarters of San Antonio, TX, that earned a LEED Gold Certification. A recent project is the interior for the Kids’ Food Basket building in Grand Rapids. Tara has been a longtime volunteer and supporter of Kids’ Food Basket, an organization that serves sack suppers to kids in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, and Allegan counties. Tara began teaching in the Interior Design program at KCAD in 2002 and has served as a program advisor and program chair. Integral in developing agreements with Grand Rapids Community College and Ivy Tech Community College, she served on the Grand Rapids Community College Interior Design Advisory Board from 2016-2019. Active as a board member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Michigan Chapter, she served as Michigan Chapter President from 2017-2019. An active member of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) Champion program, Tara has also served as one of ten North American Course Reviewers and Course Auditors for the Interior Design continuing Education Council, Inc. (IDCEC). Tara serves on the Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize Steering Committee,the Rosa Parks Conservancy Board, GRPS Museum School Advisory Board, and the Chamber Grand Rapids Athena Leadership Council. She has volunteered for the Mel Trotter Art and Experience planning committee, and as a Jim Crow Museum expansion project endorser. She is a member of the Leadership Grand Rapids 2022 cohort and a 2022 Athena Finalist. As a Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore Troop Leader from 2006-2012, Tara recently served as a mentor at the Girl Scout Leadership Conference in October, 2023. Tara was a Brownie and then Girl Scout with the troop at Lindbom Elementary in the mid to late 1970s. Underscoring her dedication to advocating for women and leadership for change, Tara was awarded the 2023 Michigan ACE Network’s Distinguished Woman in High Education Leadership Award as well as the 2023 Helen Gillespie Ferris Distinguished Woman Leader Award.

Darlene McManus graduated from Brighton High School in 1987 and joined the family business, Micro Works Computing, in 1993 as Technical Support Lead and part of the Management Team and continues to excel in this role. Darlene graduated from Livingston Leadership in 1995, served on the Women’s Resource Center Board of Directors from 2005-2011, and on the Livingston County United Way Board from 2015-2021. She is a third generation Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow and has led the Brighton High School Interact Club as Rotary Advisor since 2016 to develop team, innovation, and leadership skills. Since 2016 she has served as Chair of the Rotary Satellite Club of Brighton Sunset leading projects of providing hygiene kits for LACASA, Ann Reinick House, Livingston County Gleaner’s Food Bank, Bountiful Harvest, and Community Connect. Her team created 19 Little Free Libraries in Livingston County, and through her leadership was the first Rotary Club in Livingston County approved in 2023 by the Dolly Parton Imagination Literacy Library. Darlene has chaired many local fund-raiser events, including Euchre Tournaments for the hygiene kits and Little Free Libraries, the 3 Men and A Tenor Concert, and applied and received approval for the three Rotary District 6380 grants to support those efforts. Darlene volunteers computer support time to the Livingston County United Way, Livingston County Catholic Charities, and the Livingston Family Center/Youth Connection. Darlene earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Journalism from Central Michigan University.

Toni Reese moved to Brighton in 2004 to care for her aging grandparents and began working as a server at Outback Restaurant. Within three years, she rose to Regional Training, overseeing 12 stores, before promoted again to overseeing 200+ restaurants in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Toni began running in 2011 and has completed 5Ks to 100-milers. She began working for Running Lab in Brighton as General Manager in 2015 and became part owner in 2022. Toni revitalized and grew the Tuesday night running group from 20 people up to 100+ each week and has initiated Saturday morning runs and free half- and full- marathon training programs. Toni received the Brooks Run Happy Award in 2019 from Brooks Running. Toni is CPR certified and is a 2023 Certified Tourism Ambassador. From 2020-2023, Running Lab was recognized as one of the Top 50 Running Stores in the United States, and in 2023 was a Top 4 Running Store. Through Running Lab, Toni has initiated and contributed to many community programs to promote healthy living and charitable giving, including Ainsley’s Angels of Michigan, footwear and sock donations, Earth Day trash cleanup, ALS Bull Runs, Hope Water Project, Gleaners, Torch 180, and Fund a Life.

Lynn A. Strong and her family have deep roots in the Brighton area: her great-grandmother Haidee Brady was one of the first two women to vote in Michigan in 1919, her grandfather owned the Main Street grocery store JA Brady’s in the 1930, and her father, Charles Brady, was a 1941 Brighton High School graduate and Director of the Milford GM Proving Grounds. Lynn has served on the Board of the Brighton Area Historical Society (BAHS) since 2014 and her contributions have significantly affected its success, including managing the PastPerfect inventory program of BAHS archival materials, coordinating programs and archival for Lyons School, organizing the Fourth of July parade entries, constructing historical costumes for events, and key leader with the City of Brighton’s 150th Anniversary Celebration. Serving as a Scout leader for nine years at Lindbom Elementary, Lynn volunteered and was active with Authors’ Day, the Carnival, and many activities at the school. A strong supporter of the BHS girls sport teams with scoring, marking fields, and providing beverages, Lynn helped whenever needed, including at two graduating senior all-night parties. Lynn was instrumental in locating information about Haidee Brady and Charlotte Mellus (two of the first women to vote in Livingston County) when the Roll of Honor and the BAHS celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote in 2019 that culminated in a large display and three months of activities. Lynn is a member of the Pleasant Valley Women’s Social Club. As the 2024 City of Brighton Arts, Culture, and History Center (CoBACH) Chair, Lynn coordinates events between the City, BAHS, and the Art Guild after volunteering and serving as Greeter for several years.

Sara Walker, MD, MS, is a 2008 BHS valedictorian and an All-State golfer. Sara is currently the only Utah physician specializing in outpatient eating disorder care and a frequent state/national lecturer on eating disorders and Health at Every Size. She created and owns an eating disorders/sports medicine clinic called The Performing, Endurance, and Artistic Athlete Clinic, PLLC (ThePEAAC.com) in Salt Lake City, UT. She provides telehealth care in more than 15 states,is the course director of Intermountain Health’s Project ECHO: Eating Disorders, and serves as the sole physician on the MyClearStep Advisory Board (which developed a numberless scale for eating disorder patients). Sara is the founder of Sarabelle Lee, LLC, which offers an online personal finance course for medical trainees and individualized physician burnout coaching. As a Certified Life Coach, she has mentored countless doctors who now provide care across the US. She is a recurring speaker in the University of Utah family medicine residency and physician assistant curricula. Sara earned a BS in Honors Mathematics, a BSE in Biomedical Engineering, a minor in French & Francophone Studies, an MS in Bioinformatics, and an MD from The University of Michigan. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Utah, serving as Chief Resident her final year. Her Sports Medicine Fellowship was completed at Boston Children’s (a Harvard-affiliated hospital), and she is board-certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. Sara has worked with numerous elite/professional athletes and artists, including those from The Skating Club of Boston, The Boston Ballet, The Boston Conservatory at The Berklee College of Music, and the University of Utah women’s gymnastics team. Sara was the head local physician for the USA Gymnastics 2022 US Classic and the Medical Director for the 2021 USA Archery Olympic Trials. She was an athlete village physician for the FISU 2023 University Games (Winter) in Lake Placid, NY. She serves as a Team USA Physician for US Figure Skating in multiple national and international competitions, including the 2024 Bavarian Open, the 2023 National Championships, and the 2023 ISU Four Continents Championship.

Outstanding Historical Accomplishments by Young Women

2022 and 2023 Brighton Varsity Girls Lacrosse Teams won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I State Championships, defeating 2022 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 12-11 in Overtime after three consecutive state championship appearances. In June 2023, the Team again faced Grand Rapids and won 8-6 to win back-to-back titles.

2024 Brighton Varsity Pom Team won the 2024 Dance Team Union National Championship on February 11, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. Brighton won first place with 88.66 points in the Large Varsity-Team Performance Division over 12 other teams from across the country.