Women of Achievement celebrates seven women during National Women’s History Month
Seven local women will be celebrated on March 30 in a ceremony in the spacious sanctuary of First Congregational Church, 1000 Cooper, at the 39th Memphis Women of Achievement awards.
The Women of Achievement honorees for 2025 are:
Courage: Lauren Williams-Baptiste, organized successful neighborhood opposition to a proposed industrial sawmill
Determination: Kayla Gore, builds housing for trans people of color
Heritage: Joyce Blackmon, first female and African-American vice president at MLG&W
Heroism: Gwendolyn Turner, domestic violence survivor and advocate
Initiative: Maritza Dávila-Irizarry, Puerto-Rican born acclaimed printmaker, art educator
Steadfastness: Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, federal appeals judge and first woman appointed to a court of record in Tennessee
Vision: Dr. Nikia Grayson, midwife and chief clinical officer at city’s first birth center
Seven awards are given each year to women in our community who have shown courage, determination, heroism, initiative, steadfastness and vision. We honor a woman of generations past whose accomplishments still enrich our lives today, with the heritage award.
“This year’s honorees celebrate women who stand up, speak out and open doors for other women,” said Women of Achievement co-founder Deborah Clubb, executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council. “Our 2025 honorees blazed pathways to judicial, corporate and visual art careers and push daily for full access to healthcare, housing, safety and healthy neighborhoods. Each one exhibits the tenacity, creativity and passion that make change and make history.”
The stories of 285 individual women and three groups – the suffragists, martyrs of the yellow fever, and the women who saved Overton Park – have been honored and documented here on the Women of Achievement website. A three-volume book series captures biographical essays and photographs of WA honorees through 2004.
The ceremony will be on March 30, 2025 at First Congregational Church, 1000 Cooper. The spacious and bright sanctuary reflects the inspirational stories of our seven honorees. Each honoree is given a unique handmade plate by local potter Mimi Dann. The honoree’s story is read, and we will celebrate and be inspired by each of these remarkable women. Tickets available at the link below.
The Women of Achievement honorees for 2024 were:
Courage: Vanessa Rodley and Jennifer Murry-Rodley, Mid-South Pride leaders
Determination: Phillis Lewis, founder and CEO, Love Doesn’t Hurt
Heritage: Madame Florence Cole Tolbert McCleave, barrier-breaking opera singer and educator
Initiative: Ellen Rolfes, philanthropy strategist and innovator
Steadfastness: Joy Brown Wiener, concert violinist, teacher, 40-year Memphis Symphony
Orchestra concertmaster
Vision: Amy Moses and Sara Lynn Johnson Fultz, co-founders MOJO Pelvic Health
The Women of Achievement honorees for 2023 were:
Courage: Anne Stone Carriere – first female priest to serve the Episcopal Church as rector in the Diocese of West Tennessee
Determination: Barbara Boucher – organizer of multi-church food gleaning and feeding programs
Heritage: Elizabeth Fisher Johnson and Lillian Wyckoff Johnson, mother-daughter activists for women’s safety, education and paid work
Heroism: Jennifer Pepper – president, CEO, CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health
Initiative: Melanie Smith Taylor – Olympic gold medalist and equestrian sport commentator
Steadfastness: Beverly Robertson – former president of the National Civil Rights Museum and first African American chief executive of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce
Vision: Lori Spicer Robertson – Founder, Wundher experiential production company designed to connect women and mothers to their joy
The Women of Achievement honorees for 2020-2022 were:
Determination: Mahal Burr – BRIDGES community action coordinator, social change activist
Heritage: Citizens to Preserve Overton Park – women who sustained the historic campaign to stop Interstate 40 from cutting through the park
Heroism: Sandra Ferrell – Lisieux Community founder, survivor and advocate for women experiencing trauma, addiction and prostitution
Initiative: Ayilé Arnett – nonprofit entrepreneur and health care innovator
Steadfastness: Beverly Marrero – former state senator, women’s advocate and reproductive rights warrior
Vision: Judy Card – storyteller; co-founder of Women of Achievement, Women in the Community
Our 2019 Women of Achievement honorees were:
Courage – Mildred Richard-Edwards, HIV/AIDS advocate
Determination – Rachel Coats Greer, Binghamton community advocate, and Mary E. Mitchell, Orange Mound community advocate
Heritage – Estelle Axton, co-founder STAX recording studio, and Cornelia Crenshaw, civil rights activist
Heroism – Gabriela Salinas, cancer survivor, scientist, legislative candidate
Initiative – Maxine Starling Strawder, dancer
Steadfastness – Dr. Jane H. Hooker, women’s sports advocate
Vision – Dr. Carol Danehower, domestic violence researcher and educator
The new Memphis Women’s Legacy Trail was also unveiled – featuring a printed guide, and online historic content, all created by Women of Achievement historians and researchers.
The lobby of the Vasco A. Smith Jr. Shelby County Administration building downtown featured an Women of Achievement exhibit in March 2019
For Women’s ‘herstory’ month in 2019, the lobby of the Vasco A. Smith Jr. Shelby County Administration building allowed visitors to browse through the educational Women of Achievement exhibit.
The exhibit was developed by Women of Achievement with the help of Shelby County Historian Jimmy Ogle. Featuring stories of a few Women of Achievement honorees, a selection of the handcrafted award plates, as well as memories and newspaper clippings from past years, the exhibit was on display during February and March of 2019. A large banner showing all 247 recipients was housed in one of the cases.
A small reception was held on February 6, 2019 to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. Women of Achievement presented Mayor Lee Harris with the 3 volume collection of all the honorees and their essays. Jimmy Ogle and Deborah Clubb thanked the crowd, and several WA honorees attended.
And announced at the event — a printed and online brochure of a new women’s heritage trail in our community, which has now been released.
