40th Women of Achievement Awards Ceremony

Women of Achievement 2026 celebrates 40 years of women’s stories, cheers new honorees

Medical warriors, truth-tellers and storytellers will stride the stage on March 29 at the 40th Women of Achievement awards and celebration of National Women’s History month.

Set at Playhouse on the Stage, the 3 pm reception will include a booksigning for the fourth volume of Women of Achievement essays. Awards will be presented on stage at 4:30 p.m.

Joining 292 individuals and three groups saluted since 1985, the seven new Women of Achievement honorees are:

Courage: Wendi Thomas, journalist, founder of MLK50

Determination: Dr. Patricia Adams-Graves, sickle cell disease researcher and advocate

Heritage: Dr. Evelyn Bassi Ogle, EEG pioneer

Heroism: LaDeia Joyce McNeal, HIV/AIDS activist

Initiative: Dr. Audrey Elion, mental health proponent

Steadfastness: Linn Sitler, Memphis & Shelby County Film Commissioner

Vision: Dr. Gail Murray, professor, historian, author

“This year’s honorees celebrate women who stand up and speak out – to write the truth, to secure health care for marginalized groups, to preserve women’s history and to promote filmmaking,” said co-founder Deborah Clubb, executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council. “They exhibit the integrity and tenacity, creativity and passion that make change and make history.”

Nominations for awards come from across the community; finalists are selected by WA members. Essays and photos including the group awards for the Yellow Fever martyrs, local suffragists and the women who saved Overton Park are at womenofachievement.org, comprising a unique archive of local history.

Three earlier volumes of WA essays and the new fourth volume will be for sale at the March 29 book signing.

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