Laura Kilby Rogers - #WhyAlphaChi #WomenCrushWednesday

Our sister Laura Rogers (Beta Eta, FSU) has done almost everything! She shines as an example of our #AlphaChiOmega brand:  #RealStrongWomen.

Laura served on the #AXO - Beta ETa House Corporation, #Leon High School and Cobb Middle School #PTO president, #JuniorLeague of Tallahasse president; and serves as Best and Brightest Awards coordinator, Board of the Friends of the Library, Trinity United Methodist church member, member of the Leon High Foundation ... and so many more ... don't forget, chosen as a "Twenty Five Women You Need to Know"

Amanda Thompson - #COCA - #WCW - #WhyAlphaChi

What a treat to celebrate the #FineArts with our sister Amanda K. Thompson, initiate of Alpha Upsilon!
Thank you Tallahassee Democrat for this portrait of our sister!

25 women you need to know: Amanda Karioth Thompson

(Photo: Kira Derryberry)

If you believe that art is important, that a community prospers when it is surrounded by beautiful things, and that artists need the occasional helping hand to grow and create for all of us — then you probably have Amanda Karioth Thompson to thank.

For the last 10 years, as a smiling face of COCA, the Council on Culture & Arts, Thompson, its Education and Exhibitions Director, has curated public art shows from the State Capitol to the airport. She has served as liaison to schools and arts organizations and she has been a leader in bringing large scale art pieces to public spaces.

Additionally, Thompson serves on dozens of committees pertaining to music, art, and learning and her list of classroom volunteerism, arts mentorships and service organizations’ leadership stretch from local schools to the Junior League and Senior Centers.

So how did this Woman (we) Need to Know get that way?

Brimming with enthusiasm and intelligence, Thompson says that creativity is in her DNA. With grandparents who valued music and fine craft, visual expression and performing seemed to come naturally. “I had an epiphany in the third grade that I would become an art teacher,” she says. And in a way, that is her role at COCA. Thompson says that she is thrilled by the curiosity and bravery of working artists — and she strives to provide support and make spaces for that work to be brought to the public.

Thompson, who has two Bachelor’s degrees in art and a Master’s in Art Education from Florida State University, says that when she was hired at COCA a decade ago, she had a steep climb ahead of her. “All of COCA’s educational initiatives were built from scratch based on the expressed needs of this community.  As fulfilling as that has been, I have found myself, more than once, lamenting the absence of some kind of roadmap. I’ve learned so much from other educators and leaders in the arts and I try to take the best bits from each of them.”

She has grown from professional challenges and acknowledges her mentors. “We all have someone who has shown a demonstrated interest in our success. I have a list a mile long of people who have lifted me up and believed in me, even when I didn’t deserve it. Leaders need good models and I’ve had more than my fair share.”

Just as important as her job, Thompson feels strongly about volunteerism. As a child, she remembers Thanksgivings helping with dinners for the homeless, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, and making care packages for grieving families. “Volunteering gives you empathy and teaches you how to motivate others, work towards a common goal, and celebrate the unique talents of each individual.”

About empathy, Thompson says that both curiosity and empathy have helped her most in leadership roles. “It’s so important to be sensitive to someone’s talents as well as their insecurities. An artist’s work is essentially an extension of themselves and, very often, I’m putting it on public display. That can be scary. I spend a lot of time reassuring, validating and cheering people on.”

As a native Tallahasseean, she is fiercely loyal to this town. “This community raised me. It has nurtured my gifts, strengthened my weaknesses, and continues to show me love in unexpected and beautiful ways."

And though Amanda Thompson seems everywhere, all the time, in the arts community, it’s the support of loved ones that keeps her energized. “I have an amazing husband and incredible parents who instilled in me a deep sense of compassion for others and respect for creativity.  I’ve got some of the smartest and most generous friends imaginable and they’ve saved my tail a time or two. Being surrounded by people who celebrate my triumphs and steady me when I stumble is one of the greatest gifts I could have ever asked for.”

She coordinates and curates one of our favorites:  "Art in Public Places" program.

Who are our other stellar AXO sisters in this category?
Tracey Cohen (Epsilon Chi, UNC Chapel Hill)
Laura Rogers (Beta Eta, FSU)

Keenan Fishburne (Gamma Chi, Stetson)

Laura Rogers: One of Tallahassee's 25 Women You Should Know 2013

WOW!

Another Alpha Chi Omega was chosen as One of the 25 Women You Need to Know!

(see our post about Caryn Beck-Dudley (Beta Xi - Utah State), Dean of FSU's School of Business, http://axoete.blogspot.com/2010/03/caryn-beck-dudley-one-of-tallahassees.html)

Laura K. Rogers (Beta Eta, FSU) continues to support our local collegiate and alumnae (Epsilon Tau Epsilon) chapter. She is smart, savy, humorous and friendly. She exemplifies the Real.Strong.Women of Alpha Chi Omega.

Caryn Beck-Dudley: One of Tallahassee's 25 Women You Should Know 2010

ETE rejoiced to see Caryn Beck-Dudley (Beta Xi - Utah State), Dean of FSU's School of Business, honored by the Tallahassee community. Caryn exemplifies AXΩ's Real. Strong. Woman. An additional fun fact: Caryn's daughter is a current BH collegian.


Dean sees vital community role for College of Business
By Dave Hodges • DEMOCRAT BUSINESS EDITOR • March 7, 2010

An attorney primed for a law career, Caryn Beck-Dudley found the attraction of the classroom too much to resist.Husband Lynn Dudley, a soil chemist, got a job at Utah State University, and the couple settled nearby. An individual who taught business law at Utah State abruptly resigned, and a Realtor who saw the classified ad in the newspaper for a temporary instructor phoned to ask Beck-Dudley if she might like to teach.

The decision she made put her on a whole new career track. "I loved it. I was passionate about it. It was tons of fun," she said of the experience. She taught business law, finance law and real estate law. "I got a permanent position and never looked back."

It was four years ago this month that Beck-Dudley arrived at Florida State University to become the dean of the College of Business. Since then, she has worked with the faculty to craft a strategic plan for the college and raise its stature among institutions of its type in the U.S.
"We decided that we really wanted to be a preeminent business school, among the top business schools in the world and that requires a variety of types of things," said Beck-Dudley, one of the 25 Women You Need to Know, the Democrat's annual celebration of women and their contributions to the community.

The effort got its share of notice. "The college is currently ranked No. 35 among public institutions in the nation by U.S. News & World Report (2010), and each of its five departments holds special distinctions of their own," communications manager Lindsay Potvin wrote in her nomination.

The plan set important goals for the college and the steps necessary to achieve them. One in particular is the addition of new programs for students.

"To me, the most gratifying is just the number of student-oriented activities that we have added to the college in the past four years," she said. "We have added a whole new internship program. We have added a student-run investment fund. We've added a brand new entrepreneurship certificate and entrepreneurship program where students are actually starting businesses."
She also stresses the college's need to be involved in Tallahassee's business community, and she leads by example, staying active with the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, and helping with projects of the Knight Creative Communities Initiative.

"I firmly believe that colleges of business should be part of the business community in which they sit, and actually in the broader community. We try to expand our activities throughout the state of Florida with different programs, and actually even up to Atlanta with some," she said.

ETE is blessed with great women!

Kenan Fishburne - One of Tallahassee's 25 Women You Should Know 2009

ETE celebrated another alumna achiever when Kenan Fishburne (Gamma Chi) was listed as one of Tallahassee's 25 Women You Should Know in 2009. Read more about how this Real. Strong. Woman. exemplifies Alpha Chi's ideals:

Fishburne inspires, encourages others

By Will Brown, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • March 10, 2010

Kenan Fishburne came to Tallahassee in search of another degree. What separates the Quincy-based interior designer from her neighbors is she found it pertinent to share that knowledge with others.Maybe it was her exposure to the world as the daughter of an Air Force officer. Or the value of education instilled by parents Charles and Dot. But Fishburne has always sought to help others.

"A lot of the things I've been able to do have been because of my talent," Fishburne said of her good fortune to work on projects such as the Florida House of Representatives chamber throughout her 30-year career. "Design is about reaching into someone's environment and impacting them."

Fishburne, owner of Main Street Design Inc., was flattered to be considered one of the 25 Women You Need to Know, especially because so many of the women profiled are successful in business and in volunteering. She joked that her staff must really like her, since longtime employee Beverly White nominated her.

"(Kenan) has made such a difference in the lives of all who know her as she so unselfishly gives of her time and talents," White wrote in her nomination. "She is truly a woman that inspires and encourages those around her with her indomitable spirit and kind heart."

That was exemplified when Fishburne's close friend, Bill Sigmon, died from a brain-related injury following a bicycle accident. As the president of the Pilot Club of Tallahassee — a service organization that promotes brain safety — Fishburne's chapter provided thousands of helmets for young cyclists with the help of Pilot International.

It was while attending Stetson University that Fishburne realized she wanted to become an interior designer. It was also during those years that she knew giving back to her community would be a priority, as she and others were trying to tackle the social problems of the day.

These days, her son Ethan Treacy is the college student and Fishburne is the parent with the worldly knowledge to provide guidance in navigating problems that arise.

Fishburne said her only suggestions are to remember that every action matters to someone and one's life will be enriched by realizing the impact they may have on others.

"I have never let my gender interfere with my idea of what I can do," Fishburne said. "It's just not important. I am a person first, and I have things to offer."

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more about Fishburne's design firm from the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce

Main Street Design, Inc., located at 9 West King Street in Quincy, is a full service licensed interior design firm that has been serving Quincy, Tallahassee, and the surrounding area for nineteen years.

They have enjoyed assisting area businesses, schools, libraries, government facilities, and residents in making their design decisions, whether it be remodeling, additions, space planning or decorating new or existing structures.

In addition to their many residential projects, some of their notable commercial projects include the Water Street Hotel and Marina in Apalachicola, the Governor’s Mansion Legacy Library, the Gadsden County Library, and the Legislative Chamber for the House of Representatives.Past pro-bono work includes Big Bend Hospice, Refuge House, Ronald McDonald House, the Dezell House, and the Quincy Music Theatre.

Kenan Fishburne, the owner and head interior designer, has thirty years experience and a Master’s degree in Interior Design from Florida State University. Kim Newell, with a Master’s degree in Architecture, Mary Radcliffe, a full-time interior designer, and Beverly White, the office manager, complete their design team. For information, contact them at (850) 627-2662.