Suzanne Wins First-EVER "Wear the Shirt" Award from "Take the Lead"

Read the full article at Take the Lead /Photo by Karianne Munstedt

Suzanne Lerner, co-founder of Michael Stars, was awarded the first-ever Wear The Shirt Award at Take The Lead’s 2022 Power Up Concert & Conference, the Big RE: Rethink, Rewire and Recreate held recently virtually and in person in Phoenix, AZ.

Alyson Palmer, a member of the band BETTY, that opened the Power Up Concert with a multi-media version of the song, “Rise,” introduced Lerner to the hybrid audience.  

Lerner earns the award for more than 35 years of “standing by your convictions and standing up proudly making a difference,” Palmer said. Lerner has a “commitment to equality and the assurance of fair wages,” and is “the first in a long line of women and companies honored for wearing the shirt.”  

“Wear the shirt,” is one of the 9 Leadership Power Tools introduced by Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead. It signifies standing by your convictions with intention, integrity and action.

“I wear my values on my sleeve,” said Lerner. “It is not easy to live your values in business. But they are not values if you only practice them when they are convenient. You have to do it when it’s tough.”