Davidson: Seven 'sharp cookies' honored at Girl Scouts' Thin Mint Dinner in Denver

Women of Distinction Peg Bradley-Doppes, left; Dr. Jandel Allen Davis; Melba Johnston, Maren Stewart, Juanita Chacon and, seated, Tricia Downing. (Photos by Wendy Kent, Special to The Denver Post)

It's probably politically incorrect to call them "sharp cookies," but we're going to do it anyway.

The seven exceptional Women of Distinction honored by Girl Scouts of Colorado at the 2012 Thin Mint Dinner are just that.

Dr. Jandel Allen Davis, Peg Bradley-Doppes, Juanita Chacon, Tricia Downing, Melba Johnston, Denise O'Leary and Maren Stewart all have used their smarts to succeed in fields ranging from medicine to athletics and to pave the way for others to do the same.

Or, as former Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter pointed out: The honorees, like the

Davis practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 25 years before becoming vice president of government and external relations for Kaiser Permanente Colorado; Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor of athletics and recreation at the University of Denver, is one of the few women in a senior leadership role for athletics at a top-rated university; and Chacon, a member of the RE/MAX Realty Hall of Fame, has volunteered on behalf of 27 nonprofit organizations that focus on children, education and women.

Downing is an elite wheelchair athlete and the first paraplegic woman to compete in an Ironman triathlon; Johnston has been a Girl Scouts volunteer since the 1970s; O'Leary serves on three corporate boards, is a former Stanford University trustee and was recently elected to the board of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation; and Stewart, chair of the Aurora Economic Development Council board, is president/CEO of LiveWell Colorado.

Susan Knox and Katherine Peck chaired the Thin Mint Dinner, which also had the unusual twist of a menu based on Girl Scout cookies. Scott Skomal, executive chef at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, used Savannah Smiles in the parmesan tuille that was part of the salad course; Tagalongs in the mole sauce for the breast of chicken entree and Samoas in the layered ice cream-and-cookie dessert.

The record 550 guests were welcomed by Stephanie Foote, the chief executive at Girl Scouts of Colorado; emcees were Cheryl Preheim of 9News and Marcelo Balboa of the Colorado Rapids.

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/getitwrite

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Davidson: Seven 'sharp cookies' honored at Girl Scouts' Thin Mint Dinner in Denver