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2023 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Award Winners

August 27, 2023 by Mike

The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce announced seven winners and recognized more than one hundred finalists at the 2023 Moxie Awards, presented by Northeast Georgia Health System. Established to honor women professionals, the Moxie Awards program welcomed more than 500 hundred attendees to the Gas South District for this year’s celebration.

“The Moxie Awards recognize women who are going above and beyond to make an impact in their places of work and in their communities,” said Dean Collins, Gwinnett Chamber Board Chair and Founder & President of Axis Companies. “Gwinnett is fortunate to have such dynamic and driven women leaders investing in its future and we would like to congratulate all of this year’s finalists and winners.”

Now in its sixth year, the Moxie Awards program hosts business leaders from across the metro Atlanta region. Seven winners were selected from 134 finalists, all within key categories that focused on everything from employers who champion women in business to individuals who have exceled as leaders, innovators, up- and-comers, and community engagers.

This year’s winners included:

Enlightened Employer Award
Robin Mauck, Executive Director
Obria Medical Clinics
Greater Good Award
Muriam Nafees, Volunteer Gwinnett & Collaboration Manager
Gwinnett County Government
Influence Award
Lisamarie Bristol, Solicitor General
Gwinnett County Government
On the Rise Award
Logan Serrano, Marketing & Communications Director
Leadership Gwinnett
Outstanding Organization Award
Valencia Giles, Director & Owner
Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music
Pay It Forward Award
Dr. Audrey Arona, CEO and District Health Director
GNR Health Department
Moxie Award
Kim Hartsock, Managing Partner – Atlanta Office
Warren Averett
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (Presenting Organization of Moxie Awards)
Nick Masino, President & CEO
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

The event included an insightful keynote address from Cheryl Mills Knight, SVP of Branding and Culture for Kendra Scott. Knight shared how her company built its billion-dollar brand through a focus on values and company culture.

The Moxie Awards is produced by the Gwinnett Chamber with the support of several community partners including Northeast Georgia Health System, Northside Hospital, Georgia Power, Piedmont Eastside, Walton Gas, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Gas South, Jackson EMC, Mighty 8th Media, Primerica, Renasant Bank, Andersen Tate & Carr, Kendra Scott, ATL Search Group, E2E Benefits Services, Greater Women’s Business Council, Level Seven Commercial Cleaning, Rock Paper Scissors Branding & Marketing, Celebrating Power House Women Podcast Series on Business RadioX, The Water Tower, Helping Mamas, Mitsubishi Electric Classic, Obria Medical Clinics Gwinnett, and Rainbow Village.

“We would like to sincerely thank all sponsors of this year’s MOXIE Awards,” shared Nick Masino, President & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett. “Their support enables us to curate relevant programming that meets the growing needs of businesses in our community, and we appreciate their partnership.”

For more information on the Moxie Awards or upcoming events at the Gwinnett Chamber, please visit GwinnettChamber.org/Events.

2023 Moxie Award Winners: Dr. Audrey Arona, Lisamarie Bristol, Robin Mauck (Obria Medical Clinics), Kim Hartsock, Valencia Giles (Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music), Muriam Nafees, Logan Serrano

2022 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Award Winners

September 1, 2022 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

2022 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Award Winners

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2022 Moxie Award Winners: Carol Burrell, Lisa Anders, Melissa Meeker, Jennifer Fennell, Jasmine Billings, Hilda Abbott, and Jennifer Hibbard

The Gwinnett Chamber announced seven winners and recognized more than one hundred finalists at the 2022 Moxie Awards, presented by Northside Hospital. Established to honor women professionals, the Moxie Awards program welcomed its largest crowd in program history with nearly six hundred attendees.

“The Moxie Awards seek to highlight innovative and driven women leaders who are making an impact in their places of work, their communities, and their families,” said Nick Masino, President and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett. “Gwinnett is fortunate to have such exceptional female leaders in our community and we congratulate the winners and finalists recognized and celebrated, here, today.”

Now in its fifth year, the Moxie Awards program hosts business leaders from across the metro Atlanta region. Seven winners were selected from 100 finalists, all within key categories that focused on everything from employers who champion women in business to individuals who have exceled as leaders, innovators, up-and-comers, and community engagers. This year’s winners included:

Enlightened Employer Award – RudHil Companies (Hilda Abbott, Founder & CEO)
Greater Good Award – Carol Burrell, President & CEO, Northeast Georgia Health Systems
Influence Award – Melissa Meeker, CEO, The Water Tower
On the Rise Award – Jasmine Billings, Community Development Manager, City of Lawrenceville
Outstanding Organization Award – Explore Gwinnett Tourism & Film (Lisa Anders, Executive Director)
Pay It Forward Award – Jennifer Hibbard, CEO, View Point Health
Moxie Award – Jennifer Fennell, District Manager, Jackson EMC

The event included an insightful keynote address on the five traits that great leaders will exhibit in the future, delivered by renowned public speaker, executive coach, and CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, Sarah Hathorn. Hathorn invited attendees to contact her directly for insights on her address and donated three executive coaching sessions to winners drawn from a basket at the end of the program.

The Moxie Awards is produced by the Gwinnett Chamber with the support of several community partners including Northside Hospital, Bank of America, Walton Gas, ATL Search Group, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Gas South, Jackson EMC, Northeast Georgia Health System, Primerica, Suwanee Towne Florist, Andersen Tate and Carr, Arlington Capital, CAB Incorporated, Duke Realty, E2E Resources, GBC, Georgia Power, Hathorn Consulting Group, Integrity Staffing Solutions, Mighty 8^th Media, Mitsubishi Electric Classic, StarPixs PhotoBooth, Awtrey Media Group, Business RadioX, New York Life, Level Seven, Luckie, MST, and Rock Paper Scissors.

For more information on the Moxie Awards or upcoming events at the Gwinnett Chamber, please visit GwinnettChamber.org/Events.

About the Gwinnett Chamber
The Gwinnett Chamber serves as the voice for businesses, facilitating quality job growth opportunities while enhancing the community’s vitality and quality of life. The Chamber offers the metro Atlanta business community a wealth of growth opportunity by collaborating with regional partners to drive economic and community development initiatives throughout Georgia. Through its fundamental objectives to help create quality jobs and wealth, strengthen the community, and grow business, the Chamber serves more than 2,000+ member companies in metro Atlanta while delivering innovative programs to connect businesses locally, regionally, and globally. www.gwinnettchamber.org.

PREVIEW: 2022 Moxie Awards Keynote Speaker Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group

August 17, 2022 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

PREVIEW: 2022 Moxie Awards Keynote Speaker Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group

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The Gwinnett Chamber’s annual Moxie Awards recognize women who are making it happen. The awards luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at the Gas South District in Duluth, GA. This two-part program will begin with keynote speaker Sarah Hathorn and will conclude with the presentation of the Moxie Awards.

Sarah Hathorn/CEO, Hathorn Consulting Group

Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. Over the past 30 years, she has developed her own unique “Creating Successful Corporate DNA™” approach. Sarah focuses on ensuring that organizations have the right DNA permeating their leadership deck, workplace culture, business strategy, talent pipeline, and departmental teams. She optimizes teams and individuals to reach their highest potential and boost their productivity and level of engagement. The conscientious alignment of those strands of essential value helps to measurably improve and accelerate multiple levels of company productivity, performance, and profitability.

As a former senior-level executive in a Fortune 100 company, Sarah has an uncommon depth and breadth of experience. Her vantage point of understanding – and adaptation to the real-world challenges of competitive business – gives her full-spectrum knowledge and insight. Working with individuals, teams, or throughout the entire organization, she provides a targeted focus on maximizing Corporate DNA. Sarah has worked as a consultant in over 40 different industries and collaborates with large and medium-sized organizations. She helps to measurably and quickly increase performance, productivity, and profitability while creating sustainably successful corporate DNA. Many of her former protégés now occupy the highest positions within Fortune 500 companies, and her client list is a virtual “Who’s Who” of elite companies and top executives.

Sarah is also an internationally sought-after thought leader and has worked with leaders in over 39 countries. Her leadership tips, insights, and advice have been published by the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes.com as well as many other major publications and media outlets. She has been involved in numerous philanthropic organizations and is a graduate of the Leadership Gwinnett class of 2009.

2020 Moxie Award Winners – Top row: Melanie Conner, Joy Mitchell, Amanda Sutt, Gale Higginbotham Bottom row: Linnea Miller, Dr. Jann Joseph, Claire Gordon

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Maria Uribe, Leadership Gwinnett and Georgia United Credit Union

September 21, 2021 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Maria Uribe, Leadership Gwinnett and Georgia United Credit Union

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Lisa Zaken/Leadership Gwinnett (Outstanding Organization Award)

Leadership Gwinnett is an award-winning community impact organization that has been a part of the fabric of the Gwinnett community for 36 years. Their mission is to educate, equip, and engage diverse leaders and inspire civic involvement. They do this through innovative programming including the signature nine-month Leadership Gwinnett cohort, Glance Gwinnett, a two-and-a-half-day snapshot event, and a robust Alumni network comprised of over 2,000 program graduates.

Maria Uribe/Junior Achievement of Georgia (On the Rise Award)

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is transforming the student experience by bringing relevance, authenticity, and application into everyday learning to energize students around academics and their future possibilities. In partnership with the education and business communities, JA of Georgia’s dynamic learning solutions bring career readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy to the students of Georgia, empowering them with the knowledge, capacity and motivation to thrive. Through programs, such as 3DE, JA BizTown®, JA Finance Park® and JA Finance Park Virtual, JA of Georgia impacts more than 170,000 students in an average school year, with concentration in the Atlanta, Dalton, Gainesville and Savannah markets.

Leigh Gant/Georgia United Credit Union (Enlightened Employer Award)

Georgia United Credit Union is full-service financial institution open to anyone who lives or works in Gwinnett County. Since 1958, Georgia United’s mission has been to improve the lives of our members and the communities they serve. As a member-owned not for profit organization, they keep their member/owners at the center of everything they do. From great rates on mortgage and vehicle purchase and refinance loans; to free checking with the ability to earn 1% interest; to their Money Masters youth accounts which Pay for A’s; as well as community service. Their branch network includes a convenient location on Satellite Blvd. and 100,000 surcharge-free ATMs across the globe.

About the Moxie Awards:

Built for women who are bold in business, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce honored more than 90 finalists and seven winners at the 2021 Moxie Awards on Friday, Aug. 27. The Moxie Awards recognize women and organizations that are making it happen. Organizational awards highlighted companies that support the advancement of women, as well as those that are women-led. Individual awards honored those who are trailblazers in a male-dominated field, Gwinnett County champions, emerging leaders, professionals who are at the peak of their career and those who are generous with their time, talent, or resources.

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Michelle Anglin, Jill Edwards and Lorri Christopher

September 21, 2021 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Michelle Anglin, Jill Edwards and Lorri Christopher

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Major Michelle Anglin/Gwinnett County Police Department (Influence Award)

The Gwinnett County Police Department is the second largest police agency in Georgia with an authorized strength of 905 sworn officers, supported by 289 civilian employees, and is an agency with a long history of excellence, integrity, and fairness. The department enjoys a strong relationship with the diverse community it serves and continues to build that reputation by constantly engaging and interacting with the residents.

Jill Edwards/United Community Bank (Pay It Forward Award)

United Community Bank (NASDAQ: UCBI) is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, GA, with executive offices in Greenville, SC. United is one of the largest full-service financial institutions in the Southeast, with $17.8 billion in assets, and 160 offices in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. United Community Bank, United’s wholly owned bank subsidiary, specializes in personalized community banking services for individuals, small businesses and companies throughout its geographic footprint, including Florida under the brand Seaside Bank and Trust. Services include a full range of consumer and commercial banking products, including mortgage, advisory, treasury management, and wealth management.

Lorri Christopher/City of Peachtree Corners (Greater Good Award)

The City of Peachtree Corners, Gwinnett County’s newest city, is 10 years old and has a diverse population of over 43,000 residents. The city encompasses 17 square miles and is the home of Curiosity Lab and the test bed road for autonomous vehicles.

About the Moxie Awards:

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Dr. Jann Joseph with Georgia Gwinnett College, Linnea Miller with Long Table and Gale Higginbotham with Gwinnett County Police Department

September 22, 2020 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Dr. Jann Joseph with Georgia Gwinnett College, Linnea Miller with Long Table and Gale Higginbotham with Gwinnett County Police Department

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Dr. Jann Joseph, Linnea Miller and Gale Higginbotham

This special episode of “The Voice of Business” features three of the 2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Award winners. The show is hosted by Lina Teitelbaum, the Programs & Events Manager with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Jann Joseph/Georgia Gwinnett College

Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is a public, four-year and accredited liberal arts college that provides access to baccalaureate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of Gwinnett County and the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region. GGC’s mission is to produce future leaders for Georgia and the nation whose graduates are inspired to contribute to their local, state, national and international communities and are prepared to engage in an ever-changing global environment. GGC currently serves nearly 13,000 students pursuing degrees in 19 majors and more than 45 concentrations.

Linnea Miller/Long Table

Long Table is a collaborative learning experience that builds healthy individuals and high performing teams who achieve greater alignment, expanded capacity, enhanced performance, effective communication and stronger relationships.

Gale Higginbotham/Gwinnett County Police Department

The Gwinnett County Police Department is an agency with a long history of excellence, integrity, and fairness. The department enjoys a strong relationship with the diverse community it serves and continues to build that reputation by constantly engaging and interacting with the residents. Due to their reputation, high standards, and commitment to excellence, they only recruit and hire the best and most qualified applicants.

The Gwinnett County Police Department is the second largest police agency in Georgia with an authorized strength of 877 sworn officers, supported by 276 civilian employees. The department is CALEA accredited, originally attaining that designation in 1993. Gwinnett is located in the northeast part of metro Atlanta, serving a population of more than 800,000 residents with an area of 437 square miles.

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Melanie Conner with Rainbow Village and Claire Gordon with BB&T now Truist

September 21, 2020 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

MOXIE AWARD WINNERS: Melanie Conner with Rainbow Village and Claire Gordon with BB&T now Truist

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Melanie Conner, Claire Gordon and Lina Teitelbaum

This special episode of “The Voice of Business” features two of the 2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Award winners. The show is hosted by Lina Teitelbaum, the Programs & Events Manager with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Melanie Conner/Rainbow Village

The mission of Rainbow Village is to transform the lives of homeless families with children by providing a stable community and services that instill initiative, self-development, and accountability for future generations. Rainbow Village has realized for over 29 years that it is this holistic approach to serving all family members in a safe community that allows their residents to truly break generational cycles of poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence. As their mission is fulfilled, they work towards their vision to be a national model of an educational and holistic approach to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty, and domestic violence.

Claire Gordon/BB&T now Truist

Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, NC. At Truist, the purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities. Every day, the pursuit of better drives them to empower clients with more choice, teammates with more fulfillment, and communities with more hope. They boldly believe in the power of what everyone can achieve together.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women at the 2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards

August 31, 2020 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Celebrating Powerhouse Women at the 2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards

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Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women was “on site” at the Gwinnett Chamber’s 2020 Moxie Awards at the Infinite Energy Forum. The Moxie Awards recognize women who make things happen. Built for women who are bold in business, the Gwinnett Chamber honored more than 80 finalists and seven winners at the 2020 Moxie Awards on Friday, August 28. The two-part program began with a powerhouse panel that spoke about finding the confidence within you, followed by the presentation of the Moxie Awards. Afterwards, Business RadioX spoke with the panelists.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by C-A-B Incorporated. Since 1982, CAB Incorporated has been a pre-eminent leader in manufacturing and global sourcing of precision machined iron and steel products serving infrastructure, hydraulics, automotive, rail, and a variety of other industries. As a woman-owned company, CAB is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the “Celebrating Powerhouse Women” series, bringing focus to the many incredible women in our community making things happen.

Juanita Velez/Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is the U.S. global airline leader in safety, innovation, reliability and customer experience. Powered by their employees around the world, Delta has for a decade led the airline industry in operational excellence while maintaining their reputation for award-winning customer service.

Elizabeth Dixon/Chick-fil-A

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,500 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

A leader in customer service satisfaction, Chick-fil-A was named top fast food restaurant in Newsweek’s 2019 America’s Best Customer Service report and received several honors in QSR’s 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards, including “The Most Respected Quick-Service Brand” and “Best Brand for Overall Experience”.

Official Presenting Sponsor of Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Also Brought To You In Part By

2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards: McCarthy Partnership for Women

August 29, 2020 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

2020 Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards: McCarthy Partnership for Women

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Justis Brogan, Damian Hamlin and Anna Griffin with McCarthy Building Companies

The McCarthy Partnership for Women is an employee resource group focused on supporting the recruitment, development and retention of women in the construction industry to broaden diversity of perspective. Ultimately, McCarthy’s goal is to develop and support a company culture where the industry’s top talent wants to join, stay and succeed for their careers.

In support of this investment in every partner’s success, McCarthy Building Companies recently participated in the Gwinnett Chamber’s Moxie Awards which recognize women who are making things happen. Business RadioX was on site at the Infinite Energy Forum and had the opportunity to interview Anna Griffin, Justis Brogan and Damian Hamlin with McCarthy Building Companies about their Partnership for Women program.

About McCarthy Building Companies:

Established in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies has a long history of building facilities that drive greater value. From exceptional levels of quality and safety – to ease of maintenance over time – they are firmly committed to helping clients and partners achieve the short-term and long-term strategic goals of every project they do.