Portland Business Alliance to honor executive and company for support of women in the workplace


Vanessa Sturgeon and Miller Nash LLP were selected as leaders in encouraging female advancement.

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The Portland Business Alliance has selected the winners for its 2014 A Place With No Ceiling awards and will honor Vanessa Sturgeon of TMT Development and Miller Nash LLP for their dedication to supporting and mentoring women in the workplace and fostering the advancement of women in their organizations. The Alliance will award the winners at its third annual A Place With No Ceiling event on September 18 at the Oregon Historical Society.

A Place With No Ceiling is an event that connects and inspires women in the business community through a celebration of a female executive who supports and mentors women in the business community and of a company that fosters the advancement of women.

“A Place With No Ceiling honors those that are making our region a better place for women in the workforce,” said Tracie Murphy, A Place With No Ceiling committee chair and senior vice president of Moda Health. “Vanessa Sturgeon and Miller Nash LLP are excellent examples of how an individual and a company can serve as mentors and foster the advancement of women in the business community.”

Award winners were selected based on a specific set of judging criteria determined by a committee of Portland Business Alliance members. For the individual award, the committee’s analysis was based on mentorship of women in the business community, level of community engagement and public perception of the individual as a female icon. The committee’s analysis for the company award was based on programs and activities in place that foster the advancement of women, how this is demonstrated in the organization chart and/or board of directors, and how the company is seen as a corporate culture changer in the community.


The Portland Business Alliance is Greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce. With more than 1,700 members, the Alliance strives to promote and foster an environment in the Portland region that attracts, supports and retains private-sector jobs, spurs economic vitality and enables quality educational opportunities for the region’s residents. Learn more here.