Women's Image Awards Honors Legendary Artist Melissa Ethridge and So Many others at the Beverly Hills Hotel!
Rachel Sivaperagas, a 32-year-old of Indian descent, was born and raised in the vibrant city-state of Singapore before making her home in the United States in 2002. Her life journey has been shaped by a unique blend of Eastern traditions and Western modernity, giving her a fresh and global perspective on the world.
Currently serving as the Chief of Staff at the Georgia School of Orthodontics, Rachel has been with the organization for seven years, bringing passion, creativity, and leadership to her role. She has also been a key member of the executive team throughout her corporate career and wants to inspire other women in the corporate world, showing them that balance is possible and that the life they dream of can be made a reality.
Rachel is a lover of art, music, and luxurious living. She draws a deep appreciation for a life of refinement from her upbringing in Singapore—a city often referred to as the “Dubai of Asia.” Known for its futuristic architecture, advanced infrastructure, and economic innovation, Singapore’s forward-thinking culture has had a profound impact on Rachel’s worldview.
Recently relocating from Jacksonville to Atlanta, Rachel feels that moving to Atlanta was the perfect decision. The city, a major cultural hub, offers her a reminder of home—Singapore. A city girl at heart, Rachel has already felt Atlanta’s warm embrace, from its vibrant food scene to its art, music, and stunning architecture, all of which ultimately drew her to settle here.
Rachel’s passion extends far beyond the personal. She is deeply committed to helping those around her, particularly the youth in her community, with a specific focus on young women in underserved areas. She believes in doing what she can to change the world and positively impact the lives of those she encounters. Her desire to foster growth and empowerment in others is central to her vision of making a difference.
Growing up in Singapore’s multicultural environment has given Rachel a deep love for culture and diversity. Her Indian heritage, paired with her international upbringing, fuels her curiosity about different cultures, and her love for travel allows her to explore life across the globe, discovering new inspirations and experiences wherever she goes.
To celebrate outstanding film and television that also promotes the value of women and girls at The Beverly Hills Hotel on October 23rd The Women's Image Network (WIN) presented its annual Women's Image Awards. The brilliant evening was hosted by Loni Love who was also a winning nominee. Both activist honorees received standing ovations as they arrived onstage. Filmmaker Maria Cuomo Cole picked up the Humanitarian Honor while rockstar Melissa Etheridge accepted The Living Legend tribute. Melissa also won a WIN award for her Paramount+ feature documentary film I’M NOT BROKEN.
The show presenters included: Roy Orbison, Jr. Adrienne Maloof, Peggy Lu, Emily Tosta, Malynda Hale, Asa Orbison, Lucy Walsh, Dana Goldberg, Saint Heart and Caren Spruch. After two singer presenters, Lucy Walsh and Malynda Halle, broke into acapella singing lines from Melissa Etheridge songs, when Living Legend honoree Melissa Etheridge arrived onstage, she spontaneously also sang acapella, and the crowd went wild. The Nashville-based musical guest Bekka Bramlett performed two songs with her band.
The 26th Annual Women's Image Awards Film & Television Winners:
Made For Television Movie / Limited Series Lessons in Chemistry
Actress Made For Television Movie / Limited Series Loni Love Binged To Death
Drama Series Fallout “The End”
Actress Drama Series Carrie Preston Elsbeth “Pilot”
Comedy Series Shining Vale “Smile”
Actress Comedy Series Leslie Bibb Palm Royale “Pilot”
Documentary Film (Feature Length) I’m Not Broken
Documentary Film (Short) Last Song From Kabul
Film / Show Producers Suzy Beck, Hannah Beir, Adrienne Gallagher, Caroline Cannon, Erin Leyden, Lucy Sexton, Jalaine Edwards, Kati Fernandez Full Court Press “Down to Business”
Film / Show Writer Joanna Johnson Good Trouble “What Now?”
Film Director (Feature Length) Joie Jacoby Candace Parker: Unapologetic
Film Director (Short) Nazenet Habtezghi Birthing A Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney
Series Director Nancy Schwartzman Sasha Reid and the Midnight Order “I Think My Ex-Husband Is a Serial Killer”
Reality Series Caught In The Act: Unfaithful
Actress Reality Series (tie) Jessica Alba, Lizzy Mathis Honest Renovations
& Tami Roman Caught In The Act: Unfaithful
Animation Series Harley Quinn “Gotham’s Hottest Hotties”
Actress Animation Series Kaley Cuoco Harley Quinn “Gotham’s Hottest Hotties”
HUMANITARIAN HONOREE Maria Cuomo Cole
LIVING LEGEND HONOREE Melissa Etheridge.
About Living Legend Honoree Melissa Etheridge:
Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, which led to an appearance on the 1989 Grammy Awards show. For several years, her popularity grew around such memorable originals as "Bring Me Some Water," "No Souvenirs" and "Ain't It Heavy," for which she won a Grammy® in 1992. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am (1993).
The collection featured the massive hits, "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window," a searing song of longing that brought Etheridge her second Grammy® Award for Best Female Rock Performance. In 1995, Etheridge issued her highest charting album, Your Little Secret, which was distinguished by the hit single, "I Want to Come Over." Her astounding success that year led to Etheridge receiving the Songwriter of the Year honor at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 1996.
Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America’s favorite female singers for more than two decades. In February 2007, Melissa Etheridge celebrated a career milestone with a victory in the “Best Song” category at the Academy® Awards for “I Need to Wake Up,” written for the Al Gore documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. As a performer and songwriter, Etheridge has shown herself to be an artist who has never allowed “inconvenient truths” to keep her down. Earlier in her recording career, Etheridge acknowledged her sexual orientation when it was considered less than prudent to do so.
In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, a health battle that, with her typical tenacity, she won. Despite losing her hair from chemotherapy, Etheridge appeared on the 2005 Grammy® telecast to sing “Piece of My Heart” in tribute to Janis Joplin. By doing so she gave hope to many women afflicted with the disease.
On October 7, 2016 Melissa Etheridge released Memphis Rock & Soul, her first album since 2014’s critically lauded This Is M.E. Recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, the album received stellar reviews from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and more. She followed that up with the release of The Medicine Show in April, 2019. For The Medicine Show, Melissa reunited with celebrated producer John Shanks and sounds as rousing as ever, bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording.
In June of 2020, Etheridge launched The Etheridge Foundation to support groundbreaking scientific research into effective new treatments for opioid use disorder. The Foundation works towards advancing treatment approaches that address the root causes of opioid abuse and make available better, more effective solutions for people to truly heal their opioid use disorder. October 2022 saw Melissa’s return to the theatre with her one woman show, My Window – A Journey Through Life.
The critically acclaimed, sold-out run premiered at New World Stages on October 13 and opened at Circle In the Square Theatre on Broadway in September 2023. This year, Melissa release Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken, a two-part docuseries (Paramount+) and accompanying live album. Recorded live within the grounds of the Topeka Correctional Facility the album and two-part docuseries follows her journey both penning and performing an original song inspired by her correspondence with TCF featuring raw and rousing versions of specially curated fan favorites and original songs.
About Humanitarian Honoree Maria Cuomo Cole Maria Cuomo Cole is a Peabody and Emmy award-winning documentary film producer recognized for making social impact on highly relevant issues with compelling artful storytelling. Throughout her career, Cuomo Cole has served marginalized populations and helped them gain empowerment by documenting and giving voice to their stories.
Before making professional documentaries, Cuomo Cole led HELP USA, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations providing homes and services for the unhoused including families, veterans, survivors of violence, and people living with HIV/ AIDS. Under her stewardship, the organization grew from its NY roots to building and operating seventy-five residences nationwide, serving over 600,000 people.
A firm believer in the power of art to influence hearts and minds, her role as a professional producer began with her 2009 short documentary, Living for 32, about the tragic gun shooting on the Virginia Tech University Campus. The film which was short listed for an Academy Award®, aired on Showtime and was distributed by BBC Worldwide, launched The National College Campaign to End Gun Violence and achieved national social impact.
A long-time activist for safer gun laws and board member of The Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence, she continued to make films on the subject of gun violence, which she describes as “a public health epidemic in the United States.” Together with director Kim Snyder, she most recently produced the short documentary, Death By Numbers, a moving story of trauma and resilience, written and narrated by Samantha Fuentes, a survivor of the tragic 2018 shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In 2019, the film team released Us Kids, about the young advocates that emerged from the devastating school shooting in Parkland, preceded by Lessons of a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane, and Newtown in 2016.
After broadcast on PBS, Newtown was theatrically distributed across the country and streamed by Netflix International. Inspired by her work with families and veterans fleeing domestic and sexual violence, she supported filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering as an executive producer of the highly acclaimed feature The Hunting Ground in 2015 and the Oscar®- nominated The Invisible War in 2013. Both films were recognized for ground-breaking investigations into the epidemic of sexual assault and rape on college campuses, and in the military, and served as a catalyst for state and federal policy reforms.
Ms. Cuomo Cole has been recognized for her civic efforts by esteemed organizations including, The American Red Cross, The Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honor, The Brady Campaign, John Jay College Criminal Justice Award, The New York Women’s Forum, the Women in Communications MATRIX Award and The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.
Ms. Cuomo Cole is a Democratic National Committee member and holds leadership roles on the boards of national organizations devoted to equity and empowerment.
She lives in New York with her husband, designer Kenneth Cole where they raised their three daughters. Emily, Amanda, and Catherine.
About Women’s Image Network
Founded in 1993 by filmmaker, Phyllis Stuart, Women’s Image Network creates, applauds and shares stories because powerful and excellent media builds inclusive and tolerant communities. For more information, please visit www.thewinawards.com.
For Press contact cathy@cathycardenas.com 208-713-3573
