Rome Reporter

"I keep reliving the moments" is how one woman described her mindset after attending the Women's EmPOWERment Summit held last Thursday, March 2, by the Chamber's Women's Leadership Council. I can relate as i continue to replay several head-turning moments that stood out for me. Like when the sound team dialed up "This Girl is On Fire," after Kaiser Permanente (KP) Vice President of Marketing, Charmaine Ward, introduced her boss saying this Alecia Keys anthem best describes her. Then it played...as opening keynote Pamela Shipley, KP Regional President, Georgia, stepped to the stage to resounding applause. 

Pamela made plain our theme - "Purpose. Release. Triumph." - made it authentically hers and gave us what we came for. "Find your purpose and align with it," she said. Many of the attendees had the opportunity to talk with her one-on-one as she lingered and engaged until her time ran out.

Thank you to our 2023 Keynote Sponsors Kaiser Permanente and Ameris Bank. 

Let's pause right here and state that the day ran so smoothly because the Women's Leadership Council (WLC) is a 'baaddd' group of women. When I say they owned this event, it's true. Serving in her first year as WLC chair and as a 2023 chamber board appointee, Shay Lynn Dixon, CEO of Scale Logistics, led and inspired the team to perform as a unit. There was inspiration in unity and leadership.

Pam Shipley wasn't done. In her finale, she awarded the Chamber $10,000 for the development of its Small Business Resource Center. Drop. The. Mic!

With expectations firmly set at a very high bar, the schedule ahead did not disappoint. Thanks to oversight by Shatequa Hamilton, CEO of Aviation Discoveries, the EmPOWER her EXPO got off to a robust start in the breakfast hour. And picked right back up during the morning break. The EXPO magnet gave way to Brenda of Brenda B. Smith, L.Ac., on stage in the main conference room. Brenda dropped some healthcare nuggets and introduced cool positive affirmation cards donated by Body by Renea to give away door prizes donated by generous merchants from throughout Henry County.

The much anticipated POWER Panel featured women of accomplishment and top leadership in various industries. These women were transparent and shared insider information about how they navigated and moved their careers forward in risky and challenging situations. They fielded additional questions from the audience which addressed solutions for individuals seeking advice for specific challenges. Comments on social media delivered the highest engagement for any segment of the day.

The after lunch keynote speaker Anna Roach, Executive Director and CEO of the Atlanta Regional Commission, put her job into perspective. It includes the management of a $93.6 billion investment in transportation infrastructure through 2040 to improve mobility in the region and provide commuting alternatives, among other huge responsibilities. Ms. Roach expounded on the acronym FOCUS which stands for Find your Purpose, Own the Opportunity...check back later for the full list...but really you had to be there to receive the full impact of her dynamic presentation.

To close out the day, the Chamber, with support from the Women's Leadership Council, awarded two $500 Scholarships for Young Women. The recipients, Ashley Ball, a senior at Dutchtown High School, and Violet Riggle, a senior at Strong Rock Christian School, shared their goals and aspirations through videos produced by SCB Video TV Marketing. 

Violet Riggle, a senior at Strong Rock Christian School, received one of the two 'Scholarship for Young Women' awards presented by the Chamber during the Women's EmPOWERment Summit. The second of the two scholarships was awarded to Ashley Ball, a senior at Dutchtown High School.

Behind the scenes, the Women's Leadership Council includes women business leaders and entrepreneurs who support each other and other women in business. Thanks to all of them for all that they do. 

There were many who contributed in ways large and small. We are grateful to those who gave of their time and energy throughout the planning process to ensure that the 2023 Women's EmPOWERment Summit would be successful. Leave a comment below and help us say thank you to the leading ladies of the 2023 Women's EmPOWERment Summit:

 

Contact Name	Company Name
Alethia Barnes	Alethia Barnes
Kena Ceasar, 2023 Chamber board chair	Ameris Bank
Shatequa Hamilton	Aviation Discoveries Inc
Sharon Ponder	Bennett International Group, LLC  Xtreme Fun on Wheels, LLC
Renea Jones-Hudson	Body By Renea
Brenda Smith	Brenda B. Smith, L. AC
Montina Young Fraiser	CIA Media Group LLC
Susan Poloski	Elizabeth Poloski Design, LLC
Susan Howington	Henry County Cooperative Extension
Jamie Brown	Mercer University - Regional Academic Center
Joyce Boyette	Nestle Distribution Company
Shanna Hill-Amoah	Party-By-Design
Shay Lynn Dixon, WLC chair	Scale Logistics
Tracy Thompson	Tracy Thompson Agency
Yvonne Abraham	Triniti IT Security Services LLC

Special mention for their support: 

Dodie Cason, Heritage Bank

Michelle Amarra, SCB Video TV Marketing 

Original source can be found here