Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce presented Sheila Dunne with its 3rd Annual Greater Rochester Chamber IGNITE Award on August 11, 2021 during a ceremony at Genesee Valley Club. The IGNITE Award recognizes a young professional, 21 to 40 years old, who strives toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, excels in their chosen field, devotes time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and forges a path of leadership for others to follow.
Dunne is the co-founder and president of Dunne Goodwin, a digital marketing firm based in Rochester with a portfolio of clients including Fortune 500 companies.
Dunne gives back to the Greater Rochester community and beyond, donating her time and talent to fostering other young leaders through mentoring programs, as well as working on projects such as Nested Savings, which benefits impoverished families in Uganda, and Chandini, which donates to survivors of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse. For her outstanding work, this individual was honored as one of 250 entrepreneurs in the inaugural Forbes Next 1000 recognizing entrepreneurs redefining the American dream.
Dunne is also the co-host of Claw Convos, a progressive media company producing weekly podcasts and newsletters interviewing top business minds across the globe. As a young entrepreneur and Asian-American woman in business, Sheila is passionate about making a difference in the local community and beyond.
The full list of 2021 IGNITE Award finalists includes:
Jamie Bucci, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Project Architect/Associate, SWBR
Amanda Burns, Partner, Ward Greenberg Heller & Reidy
Emily R.L. Cohen, Senior Associate, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Chelsea Conway, CEO and President, Conway Beam Truck Group
Veronica Dasher, Regional Manager - Government and Community Relations, RG&E
Sheila Dunne, Co-Founder and President, Dunne Goodwin
Jeremiah Gryczka, Founder & CEO, Mountain House Media
Jennifer Hungate, Vice President, Robert F. Hyland and Sons, LLC
Justin F. Marcus, Quality Improvement Business Partner, Wegmans Food Markets
Megan Rinaudo, Financial Advisor, Thorley Wealth Management, Inc.
Jessica Wade, AIA, Project Architect/Associate, SWBR
Karen Webber, Founder/President of Webber CPA LLC and Founder/CEO of FraudFindrTM
Ryan Zegarelli, AIA, Project Architect/Associate, SWBR
A selection committee consisting of a diverse group of professional leaders from the Rochester and Finger Lakes business community determined the finalists and recipient based upon submitted nominations.