Leading Ladies Awards

June 24, 2021 - 10am-12pm

Wynlakes Country Club

The Leading Ladies Awards Brunch serves as a forum for recognizing outstanding women and organizations in southern Alabama and is an important fundraising event and promotion for Girl Scouting in the southern Alabama service area.

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The Leading Ladies Award celebrates individuals who are making a positive impact in their professional lives and in their communities, especially when they are directing those efforts to support the advancement of girls and women.

Submit Leading Lady Nomination

The Leading Workplace for Women Award recognizes an organization that supports girl and women's leadership and success. Equal opportunity in the workplace helps women reach their potential and allows the community to fully benefit.

Submit Leading Workplace Nomination

All nominations are due May 14, 2021

Consider making a donation in honor of a Leading Lady or the event.

2020 Leading Lady Nominees

Tonya Allen, Administrator, Eastdale Estates			Danielle Allison, Executive Director, Ms. J.D
LaShandra Warren-Barnes, Court Administrator, 15^th Judicial Circuit			Senitha Barnett, Teacher, Lanier High School Leading Lady
Kynesha Brown, Director of Public Relations, Alabama Education Association			Amanda Davis, CFO, Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood, Inc
Susan Gaines, Interim Head of School, Eastwood Christian School			Aigner Kolom, Attorney, Beasley Allen Law Firm
Ashley Jernigan, Owner, JDB Hospitality, LLC			Greta Lambert, Associate Artistic Director, Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Anetta “Lisa” Minney, Human Resources Officer, Alabama National Guard			Ashley Taylor, Senior Manager, Jackson Thorton
Suzanna Wasserman, Director of Marketing, The Shoppes at Eastchase			Patty Hackett, Marion Helton, Rhonda Thompson “Smart Girls”: The Nehemiah Center, Chisholm Boys & Girls Club, Highland Gardens

2020 Leading Workplace for Women Nominees

Alabama State Bar

Leadership Montgomery

2019 Leading Lady and Workplace for Women

2019 Leading Lady

Major General Gordon assumed her duties as the Adjutant General of Alabama, August 1, 2017. As Adjutant General, she advises the Governor on military affairs and commands the Alabama Army and Air National Guard and its more than 12,300 citizen Soldiers and Airmen. During her many years of service, MG Gordon has been decorated with many awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters and other various federal and state awards. MG Gordon made history in 2009 when she became the Alabama National Guard’s first female general officer. She was promoted to Major General in 2011. MG Gordon’s priority is ensuring that soldiers and airmen are prepared with the proper training and equipment to be ready for anything. She is also a proponent of young women entering the National Guard, encouraging them to always behave in a professional manner.

2019 Leading Workplace for Women

River Region Dermatology was founded by Dr. Porcia Bradford Love in 2016. The practice employs fifteen medical professionals, all of whom are women. Due to a shortage of dermatologists in the area, Dr. Love decided to start her practice here in her hometown. Inspired by a true servant’s heart, Dr. Love infused this leadership component into the practice and encourages all her employees to give back on a regular basis. The practice works with many other non-profits in the community by providing free medical services to those without insurance. In addition, Dr. Love and her staff are serving as mentors and training medical students and resident physicians. When the women of the practice aren’t busy seeing patients, you will see them in the community involved in Junior League, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and serving on various non-profit boards.

2019 Leading Lady Nominees

Whitney Califf, Development Director, Central Alabama Community Foundation	Shawn Cole, Shareholder, Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole and Black, P.C.
Christy Crow, Partner, Jinks, Crow, Dickson, P.C.	Helena Duncan, Regional President, Liberty Bank & Trust
Allison Garrett, Lead Engineer, Project and Development Controls, SABIC	Major General Sheryl Gordon , Adjutant General, Alabama National Guard
Lora McClendon, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce	Ann Sikes, President, Montgomery Education Foundation
Julie Wriston, Homeschool Educator, Wiregrass Homeschool Junior Civitan Club

2019 Leading Workplace for Women Nominees

AmeriFirst Bank	EduWerx
Inspirien	River Region Dermatology and Laser, P.C.

2018 Leading Lady and Workplace

2018 Leading Lady

Jannah is the Executive Director of Child Protect, an organization whose mission is to interview, counsel, and be an advocate for children where there are allegations of abuse. For 17 years, Jannah has left a handprint on thousands of child in our community through Child Protect. In addition, she has worked tirelessly over the past few years to expand Child Protect’s services to ensure even more children are helped. Jannah has overcome great obstacles throughout her life with strength, dignity and grace, setting an example for every girl, young and old. Jannah is a graduate of Leadership Alabama Class 25. She, alongside her staff, was named the River Region’s Citizen of the Year in 2017. Jannah currently serves as the secretary for the Montgomery Sunrise Rotary Club. Jannah lives the Rotary motto of “service above self” by most recently accepting the calling to become a candidate for the Montgomery Public School System Board in District 5. As a graduate of Lanier High School, she is passionate about children having equal access to quality public education. Jannah and her husband, Bob, have two sons, two daughters-in-law and four precious grandchildren. Jannah is a Girl Scout alumna.

2018 Leading Workplace for Women

USAmeriBank was founded in 2007 under the concept of building a bank that succeeds through local decision making, driven by bankers with deep roots in the local community. Earlier this year, a merger was announced with Valley National Bank. Valley believes that success can be measured through their actions in the local community. Valley is committed to supporting women in business, and they achieve that through their Women Entrepreneurs program. Valley’s mission is to become the “bank of choice” for women professionals by enriching both their personal and professional lives through personalized banking solutions, networking and educational opportunities. Valley values their female employees, promoting women throughout the company to executive levels.

2018 Leading Lady Nominees

Jannah Bailey, Executive Director, Child Protect	Tiffany Bell, Owner & Manager, Pure Barre Montgomery & East Montgomery
Amanda Curran, Meteorologist, WSFA-TV	Joyce Loyd-Davis, Nurse Practioner, Alabama State University
Ali Hawthorne, Principal, Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.	Felicia A. Long, Shareholder, Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole & Black, P.C.
Katie Lowder, Owner, Pure Barre Montgomery	Jennifer Nichols, Founder & President, Hand Up Enterprise
Pamela Schisler, Volunteer, Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama	Charisse Stokes, President, Tidal IT Solutions
Ronda Walker, Vice-Chairman, Montgomery County Commision	Christina Steiner-Wilcoxson, Head Softball Coach, Alabama State University

2018 Leading Workplace for Women Nominees

Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole & Black, P.C.	Jackson Thornton
Nona Maria, Inc. DBA Tomatinos and Café Louisa	Valley National Bank (formerly USAmeriBank)

2017 Leading Lady and Workplace

2017 Leading Lady

Leading Lady and Girl Scout Alumna Danielle Ward Mason was named Principal at Beasley Allen Law Firm in 2015. She is the first African American woman to achieve this status with the firm. She joined Beasley Allen as an Associate in 2009. Continue >

2017 Leading Workplace

2017 Leading Lady Nominees

Twyanna P. Frazier, Senior Research Analyst, Southern Poverty Law Center	Leslie Sanders, Vice President Southern Division, Alabama Power Company
Angela James, Senior Manager, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC	Danielle Ward Mason, Principal, Beasley Allen Law Firm
Rosalind R. James, Agent, AL Cooperative Extension System	Carrie G. Shaw, Assistant District Attorney, Montgomery County District Attorney's Office
Nancy Karrick, Beta State President, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International	Claire Well, Owner, UPS Stores
Cami Lawson, Director, GovDeals	Kelli Wise, Associate Justice, Alabama Supreme Court
Linda Lund, Associate Justice, Alabama Supreme Court	Temisha M. Young, Director, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce

2017 Leading Workplace for Women Nominees

Baptist Health	Beasley Allen Law Firm
Family Sunshine Center	Junior League of Montgomery

2020 Leading Ladies

Senitha Barnett is a teacher at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery where she serves as the Work-Based Learning Coordinator and Career and Technical Education Department Chair. She was named the 2018-2019 Lanier Teacher of the Year. Senitha also facilitates a girl’s advisory class, that meets bi-weekly at Lanier, where she mentors young women by teaching them leadership skills and encourages them to be involved in their community.

Amanda Davis is the first female to serve as Chief Financial Officer at Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood (GMC), where is responsible for managing and leading the firm’s financial operations and is a trusted advisor of the firm’s leadership team. Amanda began her career at GMC over 20 years ago, when she a participant in her high school’s co-op program. Under her tenure, the finance department has grown to include seven employees, five of whom are women. Amanda also directs GMC’s charitable endeavors and is an active member of the Pike Road PTA and Pike Road Ladies Auxiliary.

2020 Leading Workplace for Women

Leadership Montgomery seeks to develop and engage diverse leaders to effect positive community transformation while advancing servant leaders who will contribute to the community through unified influence and continuous service. Leadership Montgomery provides the opportunity for only its female staff to grow and succeed but also equips women throughout Montgomery to lead and impact positive growth and change. This organization connects female leaders with other leaders within the city thus empowering them to gain new insight, expand their network and perspective, and generate genuine change for the betterment of their business, their city, and ultimately themselves

For more information on the Leading Ladies Brunch, how to sponsor, or how to nominate a Leading Lady, contact Chief Development Officer, Alicia Schneider.