VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, November 20, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Emily Harkins Filer has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Filer has served as a lector and Eucharistic minister of the Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church since 2013. Additionally, she is a resident of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, where she has worked as a hospice caregiver since 2015 and a member of the food committee since 2016. She began her service with the organization in 1995 as a board director, secretary, and executive committee member. During this time, she was also a member, vice chair, and chair of the Mayor's Commission on Aging in Virginia Beach beginning in 1996.
Motivated by her strong faith, Ms. Filer has been involved with various religious organizations, such as the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. In 2003, she served as a chair of the pastoral care council for the Church of the Good Shepherd. In 2006, she became the secretary and chair of the Tidewater Pastoral Counseling Service Board. While a mentor at Tidewater Community College, she was a member of a networking program for empowering female students from 2010 until 2013.
Ms. Filer began her career as a student of Villa Julie, now Stevenson University, graduating in 1955. She then joined Johns Hopkins Hospital as a registrar, and in 1957 she was promoted to secretary of the hearing and speech center. She later served as the president of the Distaff Wives in Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA from 1958 until 1963. In 1969, she became board member and vice president of The Planning Council's board of directors, holding this position until 1978. During this period, she also served as the president of the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach from 1972 until 1974.
Using her experience, Ms. Filer founded Lee's Friends in 1978, serving as its coordinator until 1986 and as the executive director until 2001. In 2001, she joined Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (now Sentara Healthcare) as a member of the adjunct clinical pastoral education faculty, a position she held until 2016. She has held a number of roles with Sentara, including as associate chaplain from 2006 to 2008, clinical pastoral education resident in 2008 and 2009, associate chaplain from 2009 to 2014, and as member of the practice council in 2013 and 2014. Additionally, she served as the PRN chaplain at Bon Secours Maryview & DePaul Hospitals (now Bon Secours Health System, Inc.) from 2009 to 2011 and as a director of development at the YWCA South Hampton Roads from 2006 to 2008. She received an honorary LHD from Providence Bible College and Theological Seminary.
In recognition of her contributions, Ms. Filer has appeared in various Marquis Who's Who publications, including Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Finance, Who's Who in Medicine, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, and Who's Who in American Women. While working for the Junior League, she was recognized with the First Outstanding Sustainer Award in 1981 and 1981, as well as the First President's Volunteer Action Award for LEE'S FRIENDS in 1982. In 1989, she was the recipient of the Women in Transition Award, the special award from the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, as well as the Outstanding Professional Women of Hampton Roads. In 1992, the International Association for Volunteer Administration Virginia Affiliates acknowledged her achievements with the Virginia Volunteer Administrator of the Year award. She was the recipient of the Outstanding Community Service Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1997, as well as the Public Citizen of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers in 1999. She has been featured in publications such as Inside Business, appearing as a recipient of the 2003 First Woman in Business Award. In 2011, Stan Shur included her in the book, "Successful Women Speak Out: A Collection of Personal Experience and Wisdom from Successful American Women." She received the Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2014, and earlier this year, she received the Inside Business Healthcare Hero Award.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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