Meet the 2020 Smart Honorees

The 2020 Smart Honorees are a prestigious group of 12 women who lead in their field, create change in their communities, and believe it’s smart to invest in women.

Join us as we celebrate each of these women at our virtual Smart Party on Thursday, October 8, and raise funds to build opportunities and dismantle barriers so more women and their families can thrive.

• Click here for tickets and event information.
• For information on how to donate in honor of an honoree, click here.

Meet the Smart Honorees 

Miller Beale Girvin
CEO, Alabama Capital Network
Miller is the CEO of the Alabama Capital Network (ACN), a group of businesses and individuals supporting the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our state. She also serves on Governor Kay Ivey’s Innovate Alabama Commission and the EDPA Strategic Pillar task force.

Brenda Hackney
President, The Hackney Foundation
Brenda is the President of The Hackney Foundation and the owner of Jefferson Giles, Investments, LLC. An active community member, she currently serves on the corporate board for the Alys Stephens Center, Mitchell’s Place, and the YWCA Central Alabama. Brenda is also a past board member of The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham.

Elizabeth Hamlin
Vice President, Associate Services, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama
As Vice President, Associate Services, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, Elizabeth leads a team of dedicated and talented human resources professionals in supporting the workforce of the largest provider of healthcare benefits in Alabama. She is the current Chair of the Girls Inc. of Central Alabama Board and a past board member for Childcare Resources and Children’s Village.

Leigh Haver
Senior Vice President, Retail Market Manager, IBERIABANK
Leigh is the Retail Market Manager at IBERIABANK providing the strategic direction and leadership for the Birmingham branch network. She currently serves on the boards of One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center, The Exceptional Foundation, and is a member of the 2020 United Way of Central Alabama campaign cabinet.

Kendra Key
Senior Vice President of Community and Economic Development, HOPE Credit Union
In Kendra’s role with HOPE Credit Union, she leads the New Markets Tax Credit program and co-leads the Opportunity Zone program. She sources, manages and structures transactions making use of community and economic development programs and builds and maintains relationships that support all HOPE lines of business throughout the State of Alabama.

T. Marie King
Head of Local Voices Network Birmingham, Cortico
Marie King is an activist, speaker, trainer, community consultant, and author. In her role with Cortico, she fosters constructive public conversation in communities and in the media to improve our understanding of one another. King is also a trained facilitator on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and a faculty member with the Satyagraha Institute.

Bobbie Knight
President, Miles College
Bobbie Knight is the fifteenth president, and first woman to serve at the helm of Miles College. A Birmingham native, she retired in 2016 after a successful 37-year career with Alabama Power Company where she held various executive and leadership positions, including Vice President of the Birmingham Division (Alabama Power’s largest division), Vice President of Public Relations, and General Manager of Supply Chain. Bobbie also serves as Chair of the Board of Managers for the Birmingham Times Media Group and Vice Chair of the Birmingham Airport Authority (BAA).

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo
Director, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
Dr. Marrazzo is internationally recognized for her research and education efforts in the field of sexually transmitted infections, especially as they affect women’s health and in the setting of HIV. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and was elected to the IDSA Board of Directors in 2018. Recently, she has appeared in the media sharing COVID updates for UAB.

Angela D. McKenzie
Senior Vice President, Corporate Accounting Operations, Regions Bank
A first-generation college graduate, Angela has risen through the ranks of Regions Bank from staff auditor to Senior Vice President of Corporate Accounting Operations. As a member of the steering committee for Regions’ Women in Finance initiative, she helps design and implement efforts to support internal and external recruiting. Angela serves on numerous boards and is an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Carolyn Sloss Ratliff
Community Leader
Carolyn is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, and wellness guru. She opened Birmingham’s first Pilates studio, Pilates Place, before her current practice Pilates South at Birmingham Physical Therapy. Carolyn currently serves on numerous boards, including the McWane Science Center and the Cahaba River Society. She is a member of the Women’s Committee of 100, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Birmingham Historical Society.

Dr. Adrienne Starks
Founder and CEO, STREAM Innovations
As founder and CEO of Birmingham nonprofit STREAM Innovations, Dr. Starks leads the mission to help students develop and explore their passion in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM) by providing exposure, experiences, and engagement with high expectations for their success. She is an Ambassador for AAAS IF/THEN, a national initiative to increase STEM exposure for girls, and serves on the evaluation panel for the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge which will award $40 million for bold ideas to address equality for women in the U.S.

Mashonda S. Taylor
Executive Director, Woodlawn Foundation
Mashonda is the Executive Director for the Woodlawn Foundation, a holistic neighborhood revitalization organization committed to the elimination of generational poverty in the Woodlawn Community in Birmingham, Alabama. Her extensive community involvement includes serving as the Commissioner for the Birmingham Planning Commission, Chair of the 2019 – 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for the Junior League of Birmingham, and Executive Board Member for Jones Valley Teaching Farm.