The Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry (CCCBI) is revealing the two women it will honor as 2022 Female Business Leader of the Year as well as 2022 Rising Star. Sandra L. Knapp, a partner at Gawthrop Greenwood, has been named the 2022 Female Business Leader of the Year by CCCBI. The award honors the accomplishments of a female executive who has made a positive impact in her business and the region, been a champion for women in business and worked to make her community a better place. Daisy Lara, MD, of LCH Health and Community Services and Resilio Mental Health Solutions, has been named the 2022 Rising Star.
Both women will be honored at CCCBI’s Women Influencing Business Dinner to be held June 1, 2022 at White Manor County Club.
2022 Female Business Leader of the Year:
Sandra L. Knapp, Partner, Gawthrop Greenwood, Attorneys at Law
Just two years after joining Gawthrop Greenwood, PC, Sandra L. Knapp became the first woman in Chester County to be elected to manage a mid- to large-sized law firm, a position to which she was re-elected in January 2018 and completed in January 2021. A nationally recognized leader in transportation law, Knapp is also a highly respected practitioner in business law, commercial transactions, finance, banking and real estate law.
Under Knapp’s leadership, Gawthrop Greenwood navigated the onset of COVID-19 while maintaining the entirety of its valued workforce. The pandemic began just as Knapp completed management of a complete remodel of the firm’s West Chester headquarters to accommodate the flexible work and meeting spaces required in a modern office environment. Knapp was also instrumental in opening the firm’s Wilmington office and was responsible for the relocation of that office to expanded headquarters to accommodate client demand and growth in the region. She has also focused on the firm’s mentorship program for young lawyers, including for young women in the law. At Gawthrop Greenwood, women comprise 40 percent of partners with projected growth.
Knapp serves on the Chester County Economic Development Council’s Global Business Advisors group, which helps companies grow internationally and provides assistance to foreign companies looking to locate or expand in Chester County. She serves on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and is a driving force behind Gawthrop Greenwood’s support of YMCA initiatives. She has also championed Gawthrop Greenwood’s Community Service Leave policy, which provides flexibility in work schedules as well as a single paid workday toward a community service project of an employee’s choice.
