(l to r) Toni Carbo, Bibiana Boerio, and Charisse R. Lillie

Three eminent women with Pitt connections were honored as Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania by Governor Edward G. Rendell and Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of the Commonwealth, in an Oct. 20 ceremony at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. The women are:

• Toni Carbo, professor of information sciences and public and international affairs at Pitt;

• Bibiana Boerio, a Pitt alumna and member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and

• Charisse R. Lillie, chair of the Litigation Department of Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll LLP, and the daughter of Vernell Lillie, founder and director of Pitt’s Kuntu Repertory Theatre and associate professor of Africana studies. (Vernell Lillie was herself named a Distinguished Daughter in 1998.)

The Pitt-affiliated women’s achievements and those of this year’s four other honorees were highlighted at the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania’s 57th Annual Presentation Luncheon.
“The Governor and I are pleased to host these distinguished women and commend them for their leadership and contribution to the Commonwealth,” said Judge Rendell. “These seven women are committed to issues of importance in Pennsylvania, and their accomplishments and awareness will shape the future of our state.”

Carbo was dean of Pitt’s School of Information Sciences from 1986 to 2002. She has served as executive director of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences during the Reagan Administration, as executive director of the National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Services in Philadelphia, as a consultant to the Institution of Electrical Engineers in London, England, and in several other positions in the library and information sciences field. She was also a Madison Council Fellow in Library and Information Science of the Library of Congress.

Carbo has served on the jury of the Heinz Awards for Technology, Economy, and Employment, and is currently on the boards of Three Rivers Connect and of the Center for Democracy and Technology. She was appointed by the Clinton Administration to the U.S. National Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee. She is on the American Library Association Honor Roll and has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association and the 100 Most Distinguished Alumni Award from Drexel University, where she earned the master’s degree in library and information science and the Ph.D. degree in management of information resources. Her undergraduate degree in English literature is from Brown University, and she is a fellow of several organizations.

Boerio (KGSB ’76), of Leamington Spa, England, is managing director of Jaguar Cars Ltd., is managing director of Jaguar Cars Ltd., Ford Motor Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, and one of the highest-ranking women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Boerio was named a Pitt Distinguished Alumna in 2000 and a Legacy Laureate in 2002. She is a member of Pitt’s Board of Trustees and also serves on the board of Seton Hill University.

Lillie, of Philadelphia, has served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She is also the former president of the Juvenile Law Center Board and the Federal Bar Association and has served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award from the Urban League of Philadelphia. Lillie received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in 1973, the J.D. degree from Temple University Law School in 1976, and the LL.M. degree from Yale University in 1982.

To be considered for Distinguished Daughter selection, women must be nominated by organizations within the Commonwealth for accomplishments of statewide or national importance. The Distinguished Daughters are honored with medals and citations at the Governor’s Residence. This year, the First Lady, herself a Distinguished Daughter in 1999, presented the awards. Joanne W. Boyle, president of the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania, presided over two days of activities in Harrisburg.

In 1948, Governor John H. Duff was approached by a group of influential women suggesting that outstanding women throughout Pennsylvania be recognized for their leadership and contributions to the state. Plans were soon undertaken to honor those Pennsylvania women who have given distinguished service through their professional careers and/or volunteer service. The Commonwealth began honoring these women as Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania in 1949.