From left, Lillian Mashburn, Pat Ball, Ginny Morrow, Renda Burkhart and Sharon Miller Pryse were among the earliest members of the Executive Women’s Association and still are active in the group today. Mashburn is retired from the University of Tennessee, where she was director of federal relations; Ball is a senior vice president at TeamHealth; Morrow is retired as senior vice president of Covenant Health; Burkhart is president of Burkhart & Company, a downtown CPA firm; Pryse is president of The Trust Company of Knoxville.
Thirty-five years ago, I hate to say, women were almost invisible in the power structure of Knoxville. That’s when a handful of local professional women got together and formed a support group, of sorts, to share information and brainstorm ideas. They called the group the Executive Women’s Association (EWA), and it included fewer than 20 members.
Susan Richardson Williams, left, and Carol Evans enjoying the incomparable Blackberry Farm appetizers.
Today, EWA has more than 170 members. Ninety of those members got together this week to treat themselves to dinner at Blackberry Farm and to celebrate the group’s 35th anniversary.
“We felt there needed to be a forum for women leaders and executives to come together to support each other and network,” said Pat Ball, senior vice president of TeamHealth, talking about the days when EWA was founded.
“For the most part, it was a good networking group who didn’t carry grudges against men,” Pryse agreed. “It wasn’t a bitch session, but was really a way to network in a positive way.”
Ellen Adcock, left, and Lucille Griffo.
Today, EWA meets monthly and serves basically the same purposes. The luncheon meetings generally feature a guest speaker. During the year, there also are several evening social activities. I have been a member of EWA for more than 20 years, and I like it because it really is just about networking and friendship. We don’t have service projects (we have our churches and service clubs for that), and we don’t raise money (we all are on numerous nonprofit boards where we have to do that.) It truly has stayed true to its mission.
Every now and then someone asks if EWA still is needed today when women have ascended to leadership roles throughout our community. Pryse says yes. “I think it is just as relevant today,” she said. “It is the only ‘women’s only’ thing I do. There are women in EWA I would never meet otherwise. It is a nice cross-section of our community by age, race, occupation and other attributes.”
And Ball says that, although women definitely have made strides, there still is room for advocacy on their behalf. “You only have to look at what is going on with the Lady Vols to see that, sadly, there are still some areas in our community that are going backwards as far as women’s issues,” she noted.
EWA admits only 10 new members every year. The nomination process is from November through January. New members must be nominated by current members in good standing.
Now, here’s a look at that celebration.
Click here for a look at issues discussed upon EWA’s 30th anniversary in 2010. Click here for a quiz about women’s leadership in Knoxville.
Cocktails were on the lawn outside the main house at Blackberry Farm.
Kreis Beall, the founder and design director at Blackberry Farm, welcomed her EWA colleagues.
Beth Hamil, left, and Jeannie Dulaney helped distribute name tags.
From left, EWA President Celeste Herbert, Kim Bumpas, Lisa New, Christi Branscom and Cheryl Light.
From left, Ruth Ellis, Regina Dean, Gwen Brown, Katie Bell Kline and Phyllis Nichols.
From left, Dr. Margo Uri Simmons, Sheena McCall, Susan Brown, Ellen Fowler, Mary Bogert and Jennie Hitchcock.
From left, Annette Winston, Maureen Dunn McBride, Judge Pam Reeves and Pat Conry Taylor.
From left, Monique Anderson, Dr. Laura Barnes and new EWA member Beth Ford.
Dane Ratliff was passing out some of the best pimento cheese on the planet.
From left, Dr. Jan Henley, Karen Swander, Dr. Linda Green and Sheila Webster.
From left, Michelle Henry, the executive director of EWA, Pat Medley, Renda Burkhart and Katharine Pearson Criss.
Jordana Nelson, left, with new EWA member Tracey Axtell.
My all-time favorite Blackberry bite: homemade potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar.
Another one of Blackberry’s most popular appetizers, tiny pork belly biscuits with homemade pickles.
MacKenzie Hagy had no trouble at all giving those away!
From left, Pat Beasley, Dr. Margo Uri Simmons and Jennifer Holder.
Janet Hickman, left, and Avice Reid grabbed a spot to relax.
As did Tasha Blakney.
You should have heard the noise level!
From left, Linda Davidson, Andrea White, Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Lee and Ruth Ellis.
From left, Sara Hedstrom Pinnell, Kathy Hamilton and Beth Hamil.
Beautiful touch on an outdoor table.
From left, Sara Fortune Rose, Dr. Martha Buchanan and Rosa Mar.
Pat Ball, left, with Pat Medley.
It was hard to get everyone to move inside!
But when they did come into the dining room, they were bowled over by the first course. Blackberry’s take on chicken and dumplings, it was guinea hen confit, potato gnocchi and oyster mushrooms. And it was delicious.
The inside setting was as lovely as the outdoor one.
It’s a close-knit and fun group of women.
Second course was brown butter basted Atlantic turbot with cauliflower, forest mushrooms, sauteed greens and ramp Bearnaise sauce.
Pat Conry Taylor, left, with Jenny Hines.
From left, Renda Burkhart, LInda Underwood, Celeste Herbert, Avice Reid and Janet Hickman.
From left, Dr. Martha Buchanan, Susan Brown, Katie Bell Kline and Sara Fortune Rose.
From left, Tommie Rush, Missy Wallen, Gwen Brown, Mary Ellen Brewington and Janet Testerman Creswell.
From left, Amy Nolan, Tammy White, Rhonda Rice, Annette Winston, Carol Evans and Susan Richardson Williams.
OMG! Milk chocolate hazelnut crunch with vanilla caramel and candied cocoa nibs.
I think we should make this an annual outing! All in favor?
Wonderful post reflecting on a wonderful evening! Thanks, Cynthia!
P.S. Glad you didn’t take any pictures of me trying to serve wine on a moving bus.
Aye, aye to Michelle’s suggestion! And Michelle was a trouper with the wine on the bus, and Cynthia and I “hailped”!
Thanks so much, Cynthia, for capturing the essence of such a great evening.
Celeste, Madame Prez, thanks for the great idea to go to Blackberry Farm!
Michelle and Jennifer: I guess it takes a village to do everything! Especially to serve wine on a moving bus!
Delightful evening at Blackberry farms, enjoyed being with everyone. Thanks Cynthia for the evening highlights!
Margo: So much fun.
Love, love, love, love, love – did I mention love? – reading about powerful women who support each other.
I am truly grateful to be a part of this group of strong, passionate leaders. A diverse bunch for sure but these are the women who get things done! A special thank you to Kreis and the Blackberry Farm team who wined and dined us. A perfect evening.
Thanks for a great post Cynthia!
Cynthia, what a great evening and your post captured the spirt and fun! I am so happy to be back in Knoxville and to reconnect with my friends in EWA. Knoxville is much better off due to the good women in EWA and their good works for the last 35 years.
It was a lovely night and everyone looked gorgeous! You captured it well!
As someone who often struggles with the idea of gender-specific groups, I am pleased to see so many faces I recognize in these pictures. Community is such an important aspect of leadership, and this seems to be evidence to that. (Also, that food looks delish!)
Cynthia,
I agree with Celeste — you captured the event and the celebration perfectly. As a member yourself, I hope you also had fun while you worked. It was one of the most fun evenings I’ve had in awhile and I think it’s amazing that 95 women out of 150 dues-paying attended. Thanks, too, to Michelle Henry — we could not do this without her organization and enthusiasm!
Great pictures, Cynthia! You did a terrific job of getting as many people as possible in those. Thanks for taking a picture of that incredible and memorable dessert. I ate mine before I remembered to do that. What a lovely evening. The weather could not have been better for a trip to Blackberry Farm.
Seeing pictures of my many EWA friends and reading about the celebration at Blackberry Farm was a great joy for me. I wish I could have been there, but I also love living inTexas.
What a terrific evening! The fun and fellowship of this group never ceases to amaze me. Thanks to all who pulled the event together. With that big black cloud gathering during dinner, I still can’t believe we didn’t see a drop of rain!
This past year has been the most fun year ever with EWA. The Clarence Brown plays, the great programming, especially the ambassador, but Monday night was unbelievably fun and hands down the best event I’ve attended with EWA. Thank you so much, Chris Beall, for hosting us in one of the most beautiful spots in the country. And thank you, Celeste and Michelle, for pulling all of the logistics together. It isn’t as if the two of you have had an easy year, but you have made ours memorable. And thank you, Jeannie Dulaney, for making those Bota boxes work so efficiently. My only regret is that I didn’t have an opportunity to talk with more of my fellow members. There are so many wonderful women in this group that I rarely get to see. Thank you, thank you. And thank you, Cynthia, for making the memory permanent. I still don’t have a clue how I got in but somehow I think Martha Weaver had something to do with this because she was one of the only familiar faces I knew when I showed up at the first meeting. So Martha, if you are out there, thank you, too.
Your welcome and thank you, Jenny. I hope to speak with you soon.
Thanks for your comments, everybody!
Martha Weaver: Loved hearing from you. Glad you like Texas, but I could use your counsel about now. Just took over (on Monday) as prez of Knoxville Symphony Board. We have finished in the black for 8 years running, but I am a nervous wreck. Don’t want to be the one to ruin it!
Contrary to ruining the Knoxville Symphony’s history of success, Cynthia, you will be a great asset, as you always have been. As you know, the KSO was founded by a woman, and many capable, strong women leaders have been instrumental in sustaining it for the benefit of the entire region. Congratulation!!!
Thanks for helping me relive the great evening and chocolate through your photos!
Greetings, Susan! It was a blast, wasn’t it?
This was a wonderful event celebrating outstanding Knoxville women! Thank you!
Hate that we were on vacation and had to miss. Looks like all had wonderful time and great food!
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