About Us

History

Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) began in 1998 instilled with its seven founders' belief that women bring a broad range of talents and perspectives to our community, which can contribute to its growth and stability. Since then, WLI has instituted a wide range of outreach programs for women in all walks of life, in order to cultivate fertile ground for:

  • Identifying women leaders who would assist in the development of other potential leaders
  • Providing women with skills and appropriate opportunities to assume leadership roles
  • Increasing the number of women in leadership roles within the community

WLI has grown into a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c) (3) organization actively pursuing quality programs, educational opportunities and leadership development in areas of politics, community service, business, entrepreneurship and the arts, to a broad spectrum of women in the greater Chattanooga area. Now, more than ever, WLI can attest to the value of developing strategies to position capable women to assume positions of leadership where they contribute fully to shaping Chattanooga's future.
 

Mission and Goals

The mission of WLI is to increase the number of women in positions of civic and business leadership in the greater Chattanooga community. It carries with it the underlying belief that women have valuable and significant contributions to make as leaders and that Chattanooga will benefit from a growing number of women in corporate, elective, business and civic leadership roles. The goals of WLI are to identify local women leaders and potential leaders; provide women with the skills and opportunities which give them quality preparation to assume leadership roles; promote women in leadership positions by maintaining data banks of qualified women available for corporate boards, non-profit boards, civic organizations and other opportunities for significant decision making.
 

Board of Directors

The WLI is governed by a Board of Directors. The members of the current board are as follows:

Cara Alday, Jeannine Alday, Becky Barnes, Stephanie Bellar, Sheila Boyington, Julie Brandao, Beverly Cosley, Ann Coulter, Eva Dillard, JoAnne Favors, Marj Flemming, Sharon Gilley, Vicky Gregg, Shawn Kurrelmeier-Lee, Ladell McCullough, Mary Sullivan Moore, Carol Newton, Jennifer Nicely, Rickie Pierce, Chantelle Roberson, Christie Sell, Virginia Anne Sharber, Mary Tanner