The annual Women Impacting the Community event was held on May 17, at the Lakewood Golf and Country Club. Hosted by the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC), the event celebrated the success and accomplishments of women, in four categories that included business, education, community service, and lifetime achievement. Over 140 were in attendance, that included members of the community along with this year’s nominees and past recipients.
After Chamber President Elizabeth Banks spoke, TACC Executive Director Hope Nunley took the podium and spoke about the tremendous response the event had from the community.
“We had a record number of nominations. Forty-four nominations came in. We are here to honor and celebrate everyone,” she said.
James Fuller with SmartBank, the event’s sponsor, also spoke of his admiration for the females in his life that included his mother and wife.
Tullahoma City Schools superintendent, Dr. Catherine Stephens, served as the keynote speaker and spoke about the “impact” each person can have on themselves and the community.
Each of the 12 finalists were announced, with Nunley reading excerpts from each finalist’s submitted nomination.
Finalists included Beverly Lee, Charlotte Elliott, Cindy Watson, Coleen Saunders, Jenny Anthony, Joanna Reynolds, Kathryn Hopkins, Lori Welch, Mary Mealer, Monica Blank-Beasley, Rosie Graham, and Tina Rose.
The recipient for the business category was Mary Mealer. Mealer has worked for the Tullahoma Utilities Authority (TUA) for the last 42 years where she serves as vice president of administration and chief financial officer of TUA.
In the category of community service, Coleen Saunders was chosen as the recipient. Saunders has been involved with the arts movement at South Jackson Civic Center for over 40 years, where she currently serves as the operations president. Aside from South Jackson, Saunders has also been actively involved in the General Federation of Women’s Club, Centennial Woman’s Club, Shady Grove Garden Club, Tullahoma Fine Arts Center, and the Arts Council of Tullahoma.
Receiving this year’s award for impact in education was Gina Bumbalough.
Bumbalough is the coordinated school health director for Tullahoma City Schools. She has devoted her heart, mind, and valuable skills to students, teachers, and entire school community. She has worked to integrate physical, emotional and social health into the schools. She became instrumental in writing medical curriculum for the schools and has prepared a countless number of students for careers in the healthcare field.
Finally, honor of lifetime achievement was awarded to Rosie Graham.
Graham has worked as a teacher in Tullahoma for decades while also serving on the Tullahoma City School Board. Before moving to Tullahoma, she worked with the technological corporation, IBM, in the late 1960s, where she worked with the Apollo mission programs. She has also been a staple to the art’s community as an active member of the Community Playhouse that is housed in the South Jackson Civic Center.
Additional 2022 nominees included Anna DeLucenay, Ariel Kehoe, Cassie Hester, Dr. Catherine Stephens, Elaine Posanka, Elena Cawley, Holli Avans, Jennifer Moody, Jenny Anthony, Kelleye Watts, Kristin Luna, Michelle Carmack, Misty Damron, Rebecca Winton, Rupa Blackwell, Tabitha Sehorn, Tori Counts, and Valerie Russell. GN
