by Sheryl Marlar
Richards College of Business recently hosted the Women Empowering Women panel discussion at the Burson Center in Carrollton. The theme this year was Connect. Inspire. Lead. Approximately 135 women attended the event, which was sponsored by Walmart.
Left to right: Kim Bergonzi, Kimberly Flowers, Christa Pitts, Gail Evans
Panelists included Kim Bergonzi, owner and operator of Studio Lotus; Kimberly Flowers, vice president for engineering for Southern Company; Christa Pitts, owner of Creatively Classic Activities and Books, LLC; and Gail Evans, former CNN executive vice president, best selling author, diversity expert and keynote speaker. Each spoke on the topic of women’s empowerment, as it relates to their own personal careers. Moderating the discussion was Dr. Faye McIntyre, Dean of the Richards College of Business and Sewell Chair of Private Enterprise.
She said, “We are grateful to our local partners at Walmart and the Burson Center for making the Women Empowering Women event possible.”
Dr. Jane Marrero, first lady of the University of West Georgia, welcomed guests to the sold out event. As part of her powerful welcome, she spoke on the importance of individualism and collaboration.
“When I read about these ladies’ successes, I recognized a shared value or trait which is encouraged in artistic collaborations, and that trait is individuality,” she said. “I am certain that each of these ladies blazed their successful career paths by being fiercely themselves.”
Quoting Judy Garland, she added, “Be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of somebody else.”
In closing, she said, “When we remain true to our individuality, then we can do something truly unique and innovative. But just as in artistic circles, individualism is important, equally is the ability to collaborate.
Be true to yourself, and remember together women are capable of empowering other women.”
She then turned the program over to Brandon Tandy, Walmart’s Southeast divisional vice president of supply chain. He recognized the importance of women by saying, “It’s imperative that we have women in place throughout our organization so we can connect with our customers. It’s imperative that we’re represented well.”
He thanked the university and commended it for the work it’s doing to empower and encourage women. “The role of women is something that we talk about regularly and the opportunities that are available to them. The work you’re doing and the work Walmart is doing is allowing women to work toward any career path they choose, and I appreciate that,” he added.
The first panelist, Kim Bergonzi, spoke on passion. With a degree in accounting, she spent 20+ years honing her business skills. Long hours and stress drove her to begin Pilates classes. Loving what it did for her physical and mental health, she eventually became a certified Pilates instructor. That passion, combined with her business skills, led her to the opening of her own studio, Studio Lotus, in Forsyth County, Georgia, which has been rated the “Best in Atlanta.”
“I’m not about making people look like a model in a magazine; I’m about giving people functional fitness,” she said. “You find your passion through random people who come across your life. You listen to them and let them guide you. I can see in my little world the positive impact on people’s lives. It’s what gets me going every day.”
Kimberly Flowers then spoke on the glass ceiling. As vice president of engineering for Southern Company’s engineering and construction services, she leads an organization of approximately 450 employees, providing engineering and design services in support of major new generation, environmental and retrofit projects.
Joining a traditionally male workforce was not without its challenges. “I was the first female engineer at the power plant. They didn’t know what to do with me. I disrupted their conversations and their jokes,” she said.
Whatever they gave her to do, she went after it with all her heart and soul to prove to them that she was there to make a difference. She added, “ We have to dive into the glass ceiling issue and look to see what we can understand and most importantly, what we can do about it.”
As an entrepreneur, Christa Pitts talked about her career in her family owned and operated company that is responsible for the wildly popular The Elf on the Shelf children’s book. “If you’re starting a business, remember that you are your brand. No one will be more passionate about it than you will be,” she said.
Although The Elf on the Shelf wasn’t an immediate hit, to date it has sold over 6 million copies in North America. “Figure out what makes your idea special and unique and use that to stand out and do something different,” she said.
And finally, Gail Evans covered the topic of life balance. Her career has covered everything from being a best selling author to being an executive vice president of CNN and to developing three of CNN’s most popular programs. “The way I got around feeling overwhelmed was to do something; instead of sitting there and thinking about all the things I had to do, I would start with the very simplest thing, and I would do it. All of a sudden you get from being overwhelmed to a place where things seem manageable,” she said.
Gail certainly seems to have made some right choices along the way to have managed such a full career. She went on to say, “Think about making the choices you want to make, not the choices somebody else told you to make.”
“We had four amazing speakers and a very engaged audience,” Dr. McIntyre concluded. “The fact that the event sold out a week early demonstrates women in the west Georgia area are inspired to become better leaders and more connected with the community. This will benefit us all – men and women alike.”
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