Past, Present and Future Celebrated at Silver Anniversary of YWCA’s Salute to Women of Achievement

On May 14, 2008, the YWCA celebrated 25 years of honoring women of distinction at its Salute to Women of Achievement event at the Georgia World Congress Center. This signature event, created by the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, salutes a distinct group of accomplished women who are trailblazers in business and philanthropy, and inducts these women into the Academy of Women Achievers. This year’s event moved away from the tradition of one woman being designated as the Woman of Achievement. Rather, 10 women were inducted into the Academy and the eleventh space was left to honor and magnify the event itself for being a pioneer in Atlanta of celebrating women in this unique way.

“Extending our mission means that we must provide underserved women and children with female role models who they can look to for inspiration and who will serve as examples of what is possible in life when opportunity meets preparation,” said Justine Boyd, CEO of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta. “Salute is the right platform for us to do this while celebrating the life’s works of others.”

Under a tunnel of roses held by past honorees, the 2008 Academy of Women Achievers were inducted as 25 years of excellence were celebrated by close to 1,000 attendees: Pinney Allen, J.D., former Co-Chair of the Tax Practice Group at Alston and Bird LLP, and the Head of School for The Atlanta Girls’ School; Lisa Borders, President of the Atlanta City Council; Susana Maria Chavez, Vice President and Southeast Regional Manager of Parking Company of America, Inc.; LaJean Waller Gould, President and Founder of The Women in Golf Foundation, Inc.; Lisa M. Hamilton, J.D., President of The UPS Foundation; Cecilia Houston-Torrence, Community Involvement Banking Officer at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta; Candace Kaspers, Ph.D., President of Gender Plus; Penelope McPhee, President and Trustee of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation; Rhonda Mims, J.D., President of ING Foundation and Senior Vice President of The Office of Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility at ING; and Louise Sams, J.D., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., and President of Turner Broadcasting System International, Inc.

The group was welcomed by Honorary Chair Tad Hutcheson, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at AirTran Airways, presented by event Chair Karen Elaine Webster Parks, Interim CEO of The Atlanta Women’s Foundation, and serenaded by the Spelman College Glee Club. Additionally, YWCA Board President, Brenda Reid, Media and Community Relations Manager at Publix Super Markets, presented the Carol Reiser College Woman of Achievement Award to high school senior Jazmine Girten of Mundy’s Mill High School for her work to eliminate racism and empower women through the YWCA’s Empowered Youth Entertainment group.

Other features of the luncheon included a theatrical combination of prose and storytelling to highlight “25 Years of Progress: Then and Now” that featured past Academy members Reverend Joanna Adams, Judy Anderson, Stephanie Blank, Mayor Shirley Franklin and Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, comments from the first graduates of the YWCA’s Teen Girls in Technology program, and words from a mother who has benefited from the services of the YWCA. The entire Atlanta Dream WNBA team also made a celebratory appearance to rally around the 10 new inductees.

“As we celebrate Salute’s silver anniversary, it is a privilege to induct 10 empowered women into our Academy of Achievers,” said Boyd. “Each serves as a paradigm of distinction whose laurels make us believers in our ability to overcome racism and sexism, live out our dreams and continue to spread hope throughout our city and beyond.”

Highlights from the 2008 Salute event

View academy members from previous years >>

25th Annual Salute Sponsors

ANGEL Sponsor
AirTran Airways

CHAMPION Sponsor
UPS

MEDIA Sponsor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ADVOCATE Sponsor
AGL Resources
Bank of America
The Coca-Cola Company
Georgia Power Company
ING
Kaiser Permanente

BENEFACTOR Sponsor
Alston & Bird LLP

MENTOR Sponsor
Stephanie and Arthur Blank
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
Kilpatrick Stockton LLP
Publix Supermarket Charities

MOTIVATOR Sponsor
AT&T
Dorothy Fuqua
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
The Kroger Company
Macy's South
Northside Hospital
Rollins, Inc.

PATRON Sponsor
AMC, Inc.
Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc.
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Atlanta Housing Authority
ChoicePoint
Coca-Cola Enterprises
Crowe Chizek and Company LLC
Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson LLP
KMPG LLP
Montgomery Watson
PBS&J
Suntrust Bank
Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
The Turner Foundation