Kelle Schulz, former CEO of Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, addresses members at its September 2024 luncheon.

Heather Collins Montgomery, Family Nurse Practitioner, recounts her long journey from a fraught childhood and unique medical crises to working in a general practice clinic that serves patients from birth to death. She spearheaded an initiative to provide no-charge sanitary materials to girls in schools.

Jill Bergeron, actress, director, novelist, professor, describes her life as a peripatetic creative at our June 2024 luncheon.

Windy Clayton, liaison for The 865 Academies, addresses KAWE members at their May 2024 luncheon.

Click here for more information.

Betsy Cunningham, Human Resources Consultant for the Municipal Technical Advisory Service, an agency in the Institute of Public Service at UT, speaker at the April 2024 speaker

Carol Eimers, East Region Vice President of TVA, March 2024 speaker

Carol described her professional journey at TVA, recounting how a woman mentor and advocate helped her advance. Click here for notes on her talk.

Ragan Schriver, January 2024 speaker

Ragan provided a quick primer on how organizations can be trauma sensitive. Click here for notes on his talk.

Holiday party 2023

Charme Allen, Knox County District Attorney General of the 6th Judicial District, the first female elected to this position and reelected in 2022, addresses KAWE members at our September 2023 luncheon.

Dr. Dasha Lundy, Knox County Commissioner for the 1st District, addresses KAWE at the August 2023 luncheon.

Christine Cloninger, Executive Director of Knox Heritage, addresses KAWE at the July 2023 luncheon.

Michelle Eimers introduces Amy Hensley, Knoxville Chapter Director of Special Places at the KAWE June 2023 luncheon

Courtney Hendricks and Laurie Kay representing Maker City, The Makers, describe Knoxville's new initiative as a city of makers.

Our April speaker, Sandy Rees, Founder & Chief Encouragement Officer of Get Fully Funded recounts her journey of creating and managing an entity that helps others get the funding they need to meet their mission.

KAWE shoes say "spring."

Melissa Mijares and Angie Sledge stepped out in spring style for the April 2023 luncheon.

Jackie Turner discusses Parkinson’s with speaker Isabell Senft-Daniel, the Founder and Executive Director of PJ’s Parkinson’s Support, at the KAWE March luncheon.

Phyllis Robinette Burns, Owner and CEO of Burns Mailing & Printing, told her story of how she and her husband built a printing business from a garage operation to a full-service operation, which offers promotional products, graphic design, digital printing, offset printing, list acquisition, direct mail advertising, graphic design, high-speed smart inserting, laser personalization, geo-coding, and personalized postcards.

Tanika Harper, Founder and CEO, Shora Foundation, Roots Collective, our 2021 Lucy Webb Gibson Notable Woman Awardee, describes the strength and perseverance required to achieve success

Member Cara Knapp, principal architect at oysk3 architects, working with the Loudon County Habitat for Humanity in Women Build Days, helping to lead the crew

President-elect Jackie Bichsel and Membership Chair Rose Conway-Cox welcome new members Bing Cao, Alexia Georghiou, and Teresa Matherly.

Founding member Pat Crumley tells the KAWE origins story and provides the historical perspective for drawing together professional women for support, development, and networking when the world of work was primarily for men.

Mayor Madeline Rogero, a Lucy Gibson Notable Woman recipient and honorary member of KAWE, first female mayor of Knoxville,addresses members at our November luncheon.

Honoring the memory of our Lucy Gibson and her contributions to KAWE and the community

“Son, do the right thing.”–Febb Ensminger Burn (1873-1945)

“The debt that each generation owes to the past, it must pay to the future.”
– Abigail Scott Dunaway

Member Beth Foister, business analyst and owner of Foister Business Solutions, is a semi-pro frisbee golfer and founder of a local women’s league, Ladies of Knoxville Disc Golf. Beth is pictured here at the Peak One disc golf course in Frisco, Colorado. She also co-founded Planet Rock, a rock-climbing club and gym, in Michigan.

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About Us

Our mission: Locally founded in 1982, the Knoxville Association of Women Executives (KAWE) is dedicated to advancing its members professionally and personally through networking, mentoring, and leadership opportunities. The group meets on the second Thursday of each month. 

The Marcia Katz Scholarship

​To meet our commitment to support women in the business world, the association awards an annual scholarship every fall. Applications are available in the summer. The chosen applicants are those the association feels have the best potential to succeed as professionals.

Scholarship committee members Susan Fowlkes, Rader Hayes, and Stacy Palado recognize our 2022 Marcia Katz Scholarship winner,  Kelli Determan, with a check for $2,500. Kelli is in Electrical Engineering with an Honors Concentration and a minor in Leadership Studies at the Tickle College of Engineering. 

Knoxville Association of Women Executives - The Marcia Katz Scholarship

The Lucy Gibson Notable Woman Award

KAWE named the Notable Woman award after one of its own, Lucy Webb Gibson, to honor her legacy, grace and courage. Lucy had proposed and helped initiate the award.

Patricia Robledo, winner of the Knoxville Association of Women Executives Lucy Gibson Notable Woman Award

Martha Boggs, Owner and Chef of The Bistro at the Bijou

Contact us to learn how you can nominate someone for the Lucy Gibson Notable Woman Award.

 

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