Since 1983, the Women of Distinction committee has celebrated the achievements of a select few women each year, honoring those who exemplify excellence in their diverse fields and selflessly serve the community. National Park Partners of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Moccasin Bend (NPPCHA) announced its executive director, Tricia King Mims, was selected as a 2025 Women of Distinction honoree.
NPPCHA is the non-profit philanthropic partner of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, including Moccasin Bend National Archeological District.
Under Mims's leadership, the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park combined to form National Park Partners in 2018 after operating for decades as two distinct entities. Her skillful management of that transition and the significant growth of the organization's preservation, education, and community engagement programs in the years since caught the attention of the selection committee. Ms. Mims recently led NPPCHA’s charge to “Save the Bend" by bringing together diverse stakeholders, from grassroots advocates to local, state, national, and Tribal officials, in a successful effort to protect the cultural integrity of Moccasin Bend National Archeological District from an immediate threat of non-federal development.
Ms. Mims graduated from the Friends Leadership Institute of the National Park Foundation in 2020, and was selected by her peers across the country to serve on the inaugural National Park Friends Alliance Board of Directors in 2024. In addition to her professional achievements, the selection committee also took note of her extensive record of board and volunteer service to several Chattanooga nonprofits, as well as her long-time dedication to growing the local food movement and preserving area farmland.
Becky Browder, National Park Partners board chair, said, “In her family, community, and professional life, Tricia embodies the properties of a Woman of Distinction,” continuing, “her passion and commitment mirrors that of the iconic Chattanooga women recognized for their contributions as she joins previous honorees like Jeannine Alday, Ruth Obear, Mai Bell Hurley, and Ruth Holmberg.”
For more than 40 years, Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga has paid tribute to women who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a lasting impact—locally and beyond. Proceeds from the annual awards luncheon benefit Signal Centers and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program that provides free books to 14,000 Chattanooga area children each month. This year’s event will be hosted at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. Visit https://www.womenofdistinctiongc.com/ for more information and to secure tickets.