Inspiring. Creative. Compassionate. Ambitious.

The Women Making a Mark program celebrates the contributions and successes of women in metro Atlanta who have made a significant impact in our community. These honorees are committed to their profession, their community, and to helping Atlanta and its citizens. They exhibit tireless dedication, strong leadership, and impassioned goodwill. Past honorees make up a diverse group of business executives and owners, entrepreneurs, Supreme Court judges, doctors, lawyers, philanthropists, mayors, senatorial candidates, nonprofit leaders, and community volunteers.

2024 HONOREES

Han Pham

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In a time of ever-decreasing civic engagement, Han Pham is a tonic. As the executive director of Her Term, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women run for seats in the Georgia legislature, she strives to make politics less daunting—and more inclusive.
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Ebony Austin

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Ebony Austin developed a love for hospitality at an early age, helping out with her mother’s takeout space while growing up in Chicago. Though she took a detour—first to a corporate career at Godiva and then on to found her own real estate company—serving others has always been on her mind.
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Anne Dennington

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Since 2010, Anne Dennington has managed Flux, taking it from one-day installations called Flux Nights to projects executed over the course of years. But every project has the same goal: to make art more accessible and reflective of Atlanta while ensuring that everyone sees it for free.
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Rising Star: Akanksha Manna

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In the early days of the pandemic, Akanksha Manna moved to India to help take care of her grandfather after his cancer diagnosis. While the pair got to bond during his treatment, Manna knew many senior citizens were much lonelier, so when she returned to Atlanta, she started leading activities at senior living centers.
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Dr. Anna Moore

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The Howard School, which has been open since 1950 and was founded by an Agnes Scott College graduate who had cerebral palsy, provides education and resources for children with language-based learning differences. Dr. Anna Moore serves as only the fifth head of the school.
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Christine Whitaker

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Christine Whitaker has made it her mission at Comcast to increase Atlanta’s reputation as a booming technological hub, specifically serving at-need communities with more widespread broadband access and providing free internet services to millions of low-income individuals.
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Jesslyn Rollins

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“Several years ago, my mom had breast cancer, and when she was going through chemotherapy treatments, she was so sick and so dehydrated that she needed IVs, but the nurses kept blowing out her veins,” Jesslyn Rollins recalls.
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Cookie Smoak

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People love working with Cookie Smoak. She’s worked for Delta Air Lines twice, the Orlando CVB twice, and the Atlanta CVB twice. Now, the ATL Airport District Convention and Visitors Bureau has the lucky distinction of having her serve as president, a position she’s held for the last 11 years.
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Marci Overstreet

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Years ago, when Marci Overstreet’s children were graduating high school, she realized she needed to find somewhere to grow old. As a lifelong southwest Atlanta resident, she knew she wanted to stay, but the community would need some improvements so it could age with her. So, she ran for city council.
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Karla Harris

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“My parents had a great stack of very eclectic albums, and I would listen to them on Saturdays after doing my chores, sometimes putting on shows for imaginary audiences,” says Karla Harris. Her favorites? Jazz greats such as Nancy Wilson and Billie Holiday.
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Dr. Melissa Wikoff

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When Melissa Wikoff was nine years old, she sat on her grandfather’s lap and whispered a secret in his ear. He looked at her and said, “what?” She repeated herself, but his hearing loss made it impossible for him to catch what she had said.
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Terry Hord

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Terry Hord defines herself as a twin and as someone living with multiple sclerosis, but her life has been dedicated to a bigger mission that encompasses both realities. In addition to her work with the Georgia Multiple Sclerosis Society, Terry and her identical twin, Tamara, started the website TwinsCoast2Coast, providing a personal spin to their health journey.
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Chloe Barzey

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Responsible for Accenture's business development, employee engagement, inclusion and diversity, and other efforts across Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, Chloe Barzey wants to ensure people like her continue to have the same opportunities.
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Women Making A Mark 2024 Recap

Women Making A Mark 2024 Photos

meet our past honorees

Women Making a Mark: Mini’imah Shaheed

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In 2012, Mini’imah Shaheed had the unique opportunity to design a school for which she would serve as founding principal.
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Women Making a Mark: Lauren Spanjer Bricks

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On April 1, 2020, Lauren Spanjer Bricks’s world changed in an instant. That day, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization for a COVID-19 PCR test developed by Ipsum Diagnostics, a Sandy Springs–based company that Bricks co-founded in 2016.
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Women Making a Mark: Angelica Hairston

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From Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” to Beyoncé’s “Black Parade,” music has long served as an outlet for those advocating for social justice.
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> VIEW ALL PAST HONOREES HERE

about women making a mark

We are pleased to continue a program we began many years ago, Women Making a Mark, to spotlight exceptional women each year who have left—and continue to leave—their mark on so many. These honorees are committed to their professions and their community. They exhibit tireless dedication, strong leadership, and impassioned goodwill. The objective of Women Making a Mark is to celebrate the contributions and successes of metro-Atlanta women and to recognize the impact they are having on those around them. Click here to view a list of every Women Making a Mark honoree, past and present.

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