Michigan Women Forward (MWF), a CMF member, hosted its 2021 Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame ceremony last week honoring a slate of exceptional leaders. 

Diana Sieger, president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation (GRCF), is one of the inductees to the 2021 Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. 

During the virtual ceremony, Sieger was celebrated for her more than 30 years of dedicated service to GRCF, where she has grown the community foundation’s assets from $35 million to over $400 million dollars. 

"She has led GRCF in the creation of several initiatives including the LGBTQ Fund, Black Legacy Fund and the Challenge Scholars program. Sieger is recognized for her prioritization of racial justice within GRCF and her leadership in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic where she created partnerships to leverage funding to support those most adversely impacted by the pandemic," presenters shared during the ceremony. 

Sieger’s dedication to advocacy and transformative change was highlighted during the virtual ceremony. Early in her career she worked in former Governor William Milliken’s office and then the Michigan Department of Labor where she helped to create the Office of Women at Work and advocated for equitable laws and practices around employment.

“Being inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame is the highest honor I have ever received,” Sieger shared in her remarks during the induction ceremony. 

Sieger also reflected on her career and honored four women leaders in her life who have impacted and inspired her work, including Dottie Johnson, president-emeritus of CMF.

“We will get through these challenging times and never slide back to the way things were before the COVID pandemic, and those practices and policies that held us back as women,” Sieger said. “Our voices are strong; our voices are meaningful, and our voices are shaping a promising future where justice will prevail.” 

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Learn more about the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.