Editor’s View: Women Rising

By Katrice L. Mines, Editor 
kmines@atlantatribune.com

[Pictured: Dr. Joy Jackson Guilford]

I have many, many mentors; some that I know personally and some that I’ve followed from afar … mentors in my head, if you will. When I say many, I mean that literally as I have amassed a rich mental catalog of insights on being a woman executive from the vast number of women we’ve covered over my nearly 10 years on staff as well as women I’ve never even spoken to but admired greatly. Think Oprah.

Like ministers who say the message impacts them first, the same is true for me as I am so often inspired by what I have heard and drawn in further to find a bit of myself in their stories as I am pouring over the words in my notes or transcribing interviews. More often than not, what I hear is that the road up has not been easy or direct; I can relate.

Superwoman Mary Leftridge Byrd speaks candidly this month about her unlikely rise up the ranks of the criminal justice industry and a moment early in her career that could have stunted her both professionally and emotionally. And I was immediately reminded of the day my freshman year in college when an English professor told me to consider pursuing a career other than writing of any form because I “just simply wasn’t good at it.” It nearly stuck. But, something inside me would not let me let it go. The same clearly applied to Leftridge Byrd, federal security director, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Office of Security Operations, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. And what I’ll take from her story: “Begin with the end in mind.”

If we’re twitter friends, you’ve seen me post more than once that nobody can encourage me better than I can encourage myself. And I say that as humbly as I know how because it didn’t happen overnight. It took practice and a great deal of success indoctrination by gleaning from those who were making it around me.

The 2016 Superwomen – Dr. Joy Jackson-Guilford, Stacy Cole-Bell, Quinnie Jenkins and Leftridge Byrd’s stories are not so different from each other’s or the women we’ve recognized in years past. A theme of being driven to make a difference and reaching back weaves them together. And for my part, the gleaning never stops. Each story offers some sort of nuance about what it takes to not only stand out but leave an imprint, and how to keep on keeping on. AT

IN THIS ISSUE:

2016 Superwomen
Joy Jackson-Guilford, Mary Leftridge Byrd, Stacy Cole-Bell and Quinnie Jenkins on peak success.

Women to Watch
Excellence rising.

The Habits of Successful Women
Patterns to live by.

Wellness Tips 
for Women

Your health tune-up.

Mentor, Coach, Sponsor

Know the differences.

Read the issue online here.