The Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University has selected three women as the winners of the inaugural Ivy Women in Business Awards. 

The awards celebrate women in business and their champions, and serve as an opportunity to inspire young women in college as they prepare for a bright future in business. The event is sponsored by the Ivy College of Business and the Collegiate Women in Business student organization. The winners were chosen from 18 nominations for the first-year award. 

The winners are: 

• Luann Rickert, vice president, internal audit, John Deere: Champion Award — to honor individuals, businesses or organizations serving as champions to inspire, lead and encourage women.  

• Christina Spalding Moffatt, owner, Crème Cupcake: Inspiration Award — to recognize women who have made a significant impact in their career. Through their work, they have inspired other women in business to become leaders and reach their full potential. Moffatt, a 2011 Forty Under 40 alumnae, also works for the Greater Des Moines Partnership as director of small-business resources.

• Kelli Schmidt, managing director, KPMG: Young Alumna Award — to honor alumnae age 35 or younger who have distinguished themselves early in their career for their remarkable achievements.

“Highlighting and honoring the great work being done by women in business is intertwined with our goals to encourage more women to enroll at the Ivy College of Business and celebrating the achievements of women in business,” said David Spalding, Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the business school. “We cannot think of a better way to do that than to host an annual event to recognize their great work. We look forward to this special evening with them.”

The public is invited to a recognition ceremony on March 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the ISU Alumni Center. The event is free and open to the public; for more information, click here.