Celebrating 40 years, Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga has honored women annually who give of themselves through their time, energy and talents to make a difference in the community and beyond.
"A Woman of Distinction is one who volunteers her time to help improve the quality of life for others," officials said. "She establishes standards that inspire and encourage other women to achieve their full potential, provides leadership and influences decisions that shape and define our city and community."
Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga announces the following 2023 Honorees:
Katherine Roberts Burger
Boutique By K
Cynthia Inglis Dale
Silverdale Baptist School
Suzanne Noblit Forlidas
Attorney
Trish Foy
Anna Ball White
Rosemarie Hill
Attorney
Donna Davis Johnson
Johnson Grisham Agency
Caroline Rogers
Chattanooga State
Nancy Underwood
Retired
Kristina Wick
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Pinky Young
First Horizon
“We are thrilled to continue this tradition of honoring remarkable women in our community.
This year’s exceptional honorees have set themselves apart through their civic, cultural, philanthropic and environmental commitments. We are looking forward to celebrating them at our benefit luncheon on Oct. 18," said Steering Committee Member Lynda Minks Hood.
Since 1993, a Tennessee Woman of Distinction recipient has been honored for her years of distinguished leadership, volunteer activities, philanthropic work or professional accomplishments that have contributed to improving the quality of life in Tennessee.
"We are honored and excited to announce this year's Tennessee Woman of the Year is Chrissy Haslem, former First Lady of the State of Tennessee," officials said. "Crissy’s priorities as First Lady focused on encouraging parent engagement in education and reading proficiency for children. She delivered this message through the First Lady’s READ20 Book Club, encouraging families to read together for 20 minutes each day. Crissy also created the READ20 Book Patrol, a partnership with law enforcement across the state to provide books to children in low-income communities. She also frequently traveled the state with the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation in support of Tennessee’s Imagination Library.
"In addition, Crissy was a champion of several other children’s causes in the state, including the TNFosters campaign and Building Strong Brains: The Tennessee ACEs Initiative. She co-chaired the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. Crissy has been recognized by numerous organizations for her work on children’s issues and other public service.
"Since returning to Knoxville, Crissy has remained engaged in local and statewide initiatives and currently serves on the board of directors for The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville Education Foundation, Tennessee Kids Belong, Leadership Tennessee and Redeemer City to City.
"Crissy was raised in Memphis and attended Emory University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for graduate school. Crissy and her husband, former governor Bill Haslam, have been married for 40 years and are blessed with three children and ten grandchildren."
Since 1983, more than 340 local women have been honored as Women of Distinction. This year's proceeds will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five. In Hamilton County more than 12,000 children receive books each month, regardless of family income, and each child registered from birth receives 60 books.
For more information about the annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 18, with registration beginning at 11 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m., and the procedure for purchasing tickets, visit
WomenOfDistinctiongc.com. Tickets are $75 per person. All Reservations must be made by Thursday, Oct. 12.