YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee hosted its 30th annual Academy for Women of Achievement celebration with a cocktail reception and pinning ceremony at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel on Feb. 22. To ensure the health and safety of the community, the honorees and small number of guests were socially distanced and wore masks for the duration of the event.
The 2021 AWA honorees include: Dr. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University; Diane Lance, department head of Metro Nashville’s Office of Family Safety; Wanda Lyle, community leader and past managing director and president of UBS Business Solutions US LLC; Zulfat Suara, council member-at-large for Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County; and DarKenya Waller, executive director for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. MP&F Strategic Communications is this year’s corporate honoree.
“The six honorees for this year’s event have made large strides for women in the community, creating pathways to success in the Nashville community,” said YWCA President/CEO Sharon K. Roberson. “We’re honored to induct these incredible women and outstanding organization into the academy.”
This year’s event theme is ‘The Evolution of a Revolution,’ which honors the founding of the Academy for Women of Achievement 30 years ago. Those inducted into the AWA have broken down barriers in the community for women to succeed and thrive, fighting for racial, gender and religious equality.
The Academy for Women of Achievement is thankful for all of the program sponsors, including longtime AWA supporters: Dollar General; Mary Wester Foundation; PNC Bank; Amazon; Deloitte; First Horizon Foundation; Pinnacle Financial Partners; Bank of Tennessee; HCA Healthcare; Kroger; Nashville Electric Service; Publix Super Markets Charities; Fifth Third Bank; Bridgestone; The Wilson Group; The Enchiridion Foundation; DVL Seigenthaler Finn Partners; MP&F Strategic Communications; Hatcher & Fell Photography; FW Publishing; and The Tennessean. Proceeds from the AWA program help fund the programs of the YWCA, including the Weaver Domestic Violence Center, the largest emergency domestic violence shelter in Tennessee.
YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The Academy for Women of Achievement was launched locally in 1992 by YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. This year’s recipients join 179 other women and 32 organizations that hold this distinctive honor.
