Top Influencers announced
Thirty-six extraordinary women will be honored as Top Influencers — leaders who raise the bar by their example and transformative work in their communities — at the SUCCESS Women’s Conference, set from Sept. 19-21.
One of them will be named the Coast’s Most Influential Woman, honoring lifetime achievement. A young up-and-coming power leader will be recognized as a One-to-Watch Influencer.
This year’s honorees are:
Alexis L. Williams: Group non-commissioned officer in charge, Training Resources Flight, 81st Training Support
Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base; co-founder, The Melanin Village; owner, Aloha Glamour
Angel Middleton: Owner, Angel’s Auto Sales; supervisor, Harrison County, District 2
Angela Juzang: Director of Marketing and Business Development, Garden Park Medical Center, Gulfport
Becky Farrell: Solo practitioner and founding attorney at Law Office of Becky Farrell PLLC
Becky Ginn: Director of development, Gulf of Mexico Alliance
Brenda Blount: Director of development, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art; founder, A Better You Image Transformation
Carlene Alfonso: CEO, Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty
Christy Bjork Elias: Gulf Coast Moms Blog, co-founder and co-owner
Connie Rocko: Serving fifth term as supervisor District 5, Harrison County Board of Supervisors (has served three terms as board president)
Courtney Jacobs: Insurance agent, owner, IDR Agency; member, of the Florida Air National Guard, Tyndall unit.
Cynthia Chauvin: Executive director of the Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program of Hancock County
Cynthia Lamb: Manager of client relations, Pickering Firm Inc.
Dixie Newman: Biloxi city councilwoman; owner, Jacked Up Coffee Bar
Ellis Anderson: Owner, Ellis Anderson Media LLC (publishes The Shoofly Magazine)
Heather Sudduth: Occupational therapist, Singing River Health System, southern regional coordinator, Mississippi Healthcare Alliance.
Jona Burton: Assistant director of Career Services, Gulf Park Campus, The University of Southern Mississippi
Karol Brandt: Executive casino host, Scarlett Pearl Casino Resort; author and motivational speaker
Kathy Rogers: Owner and vice president, Marston Rogers Group
Katherine Pizzetta Springer: CEO, United Way of South Mississippi
Tina Seymour Demoran: Founder and managing attorney, Seymour Law Firm PLLC
Lynn Frisby: Marketing specialist, Boomtown Casino
Mary Cracchiolo Spain: Communications director, MGM Resorts International
Mary S. Graham: President, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Melissa Pearson: School counselor and cheer coach, Gulfport Central Middle School
Misty Stevenson: Registered nurse, Memorial Hospital of Gulfport
Nancy Depreo: Diamondhead city councilwoman; project manager, Seymour Engineering
Nickie Harris-Ray: Instructor/curriculum developer, Tulane University; author; founder, NHR Blueprint Foundation
Pam Moeller: Director of external relations, The University of Southern Mississippi, School of Ocean Science and Technology
Peggy Spraberry: Arts advocate
Rebeca Gonzales: Co-owner, Fitlife Studio, personal trainer, fitness camp instructor
Robin Killeen: Founder of WOW (Women of Wisdom)
Sherri Carr Bevis: Assistant secretary of state for external marketing
Shundral Cole: Assistant attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi
Sonya Ashley: Assistant vice president, commercial loan portfolio manager, Hancock Whitney
Starr Chapman: Partner, Rum Kitchen and Bellame Beauty
Tashia McGinn: Broker/owner, EXIT Prestige Luxury Realty
To be chosen as a Top Influencer, nominees had to meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrate leadership and commitment to improving the community’s well-being
- Have a sustained record of accomplishments and contributions
- Act as mentors or trusted advisors to colleagues, as well as the next generation
- Think outside the box to design and implement effective solutions
- Have clout within their organization/community and demonstrate professional excellence
Influencers will be recognized at SUCCESS on the conference’s second day, Friday, Sept. 19, at an Awards Breakfast. Tickets are $49 for the Top Influencers Awards Breakfast at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention Center, Biloxi. Tickets to other sessions begin at $79 for a one-day access to workshops and the expo.
The event has been ranked as a Top 10 conferences for professional women, offering a unique opportunity for attendees to be inspired, empowered, connected and recharged.
The conference is being expanded to three days this year and will feature internationally renown speakers like Iyanla Vanzant, host and executive producer of the award-winning breakout hit “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” the No.1 reality show on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; Gloria Mayfield Banks, entrepreneur, speaker, author and independent elite executive national sales director with Mary Kay; swimming champion turned author and competitive performance expert Deborah Gardner; business success coach, speaker and author Loren Fogelman; master business coach, strategic profit catalyst Aprille Franks-Hunt; and international empowerment speaker Cheryl Wood.
To purchase tickets to SUCCESS 2019, visit successconference.info/tickets.
