The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its November WomanUP Celebration & Awards Ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville. WomanUP is an initiative designed to meet the needs of professional women and strives to build a platform of connecting that enables the dynamic female entrepreneurs and professionals in our region to empower, inspire, and support one another.

The list of recipients includes:

• Women Entrepreneur, Best in Business — Laura Wagenknecht, CEO of Mosaic Business Consulting
• Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit Leadership — Teresa Stephens, Vice President of Affordable Communities, Givens Communities
• Woman Executive of the Year — Carol Steen, Vice President of Talent and HR, Biltmore Farms, LLC
• Impact Award — Heather Johnson, Principal and Brand Strategist at Kudzu Brands
• Rising Star Award — Gwendolyn Dare Hageman, Founer/CEO of Darë Vegan Cheese
• Suzanne DeFerie Lifetime Achievement Award — Janet R. Cone, Director of Athletics and University Enterprises, UNC Asheville

Clark Duncan, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, began with a warm welcome to all participants and attendees.

Victoria Dunkle with AdventHealth discussed how the company aligns with WomanUP as the initiative encourages feeling whole regarding both personal and business life as AdventHealth strives to offer whole-person care. Dunkle also mentioned recognition by The Leapfrog Group as a recipient of an Emerald Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Health Care System. Dunkle shared a thank you to the community and mentioned a new hospital in Buncombe County on the horizon.

Laura Webb with Webb Investment Services shared her advocacy for women in business. She also mentioned her podcast titled Her Two Cents which empowers women about money and having the conversations regarding that topic. She also talked about what it means to be an entrepreneur and a risk-taker, and announced the Women Entrepreneur, Best in Business award recipient Laura Wagenknecht, CEO of Mosaic Business Consulting. Wagenknecht accepted the award thanking her many supporters and saying that you never know who may end up supporting you in your own business.

Charles Frederick of TD Bank discussed how significantly the WomanUP Celebration has grown over the years, stating that he was one of only three men in attendance at an earlier event of the same. He mentioned TD Bank’s dedication to the success of nonprofits in the area through volunteer time as well as financial gifts. He announced the recipient of the Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit Leadership Teresa Stephens, Vice President of Affordable Communities, Givens Communities, saying that Stephens is a “pioneer of senior affordable housing.” He said that she is working to develop more affordable housing for seniors as well as consistently providing guidance to others within that sector. Stephens accepted the award stating that it is a privilege to work with Givens Communities and that she is genuinely following her passion of serving seniors of all income levels with this work.

Whitney Whitson of Wells Fargo Bank stated that 42 percent of all businesses in America are women-owned, employing approximately 9 million staff combined. Whitson shared Wells Fargo Bank’s dedication to working toward increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Bill Hathaway and Anne McClintic of MAHEC said that they are proud to operate with a staff of about 75 percent women and that they are working hard to make sure that their healthcare organization is women-led. McClintic announced the recipient of the Woman Executive of the Year award Carol Steen, Vice President of Talent and HR, Biltmore Farms, LLC, stating that Steen is a connector of people and is addressing barriers for women and BIPOC. McClintic said that Steen is an active volunteer in the nonprofit sector, is highly engaged with the community, and strives to create fulfilling spaces for employees. Steen accepted her award with gratitude for her supporters as well as her immigrant parents. She said that her parents were an inspiration for her to support others and discussed the importance of taking advantage of time, uplifting others in the community, and breaking down barriers for the underrepresented in the community.

Laura Sullivan of ID.ology Interiors and Design was the recipient of last year’s Impact Award and shared the importance of recognizing the significant impact that women make in business and in life. Sullivan announced this year’s recipient, Heather Johnson, Principal and Brand Strategist at Kudzu Brands, grew her business by 30 percent in 2022 and has served as a mentor in supporting other women in business. Johnson accepted the award stating that she felt humble to receive it. Johnson said, “All I am doing is serving others.” She said that she believes empowering, supporting, and encouraging others allows them to succeed, and that she is challenged and inspired by her own team at Kudzu.

Michelle Walker said that the support and celebration of strong women leaders depends on women having a seat at the table. She said that this year’s award recipients are examples of the audacious nature that Caroline Wanga believes is important.

Dr. A J Grube of Western Carolina University reminded the audience that it is the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a law passed in 1972 prohibiting discrimination based on gender in education programs and activities that receive financial assistance. She shared an anecdotal story of her own experience with that law. She also stated that over half of the leadership at WCU is female. Announcing the winner of the Rising Star Award Gwendolyn Dare Hageman, Founer/CEO of Darë Vegan Cheese, Grube said that Hageman has taken the opportunity to collaborate with the community by attending round-table discussions and conference. She said Hageman cares deeply for those around her by mentoring others and sharing space for others in her facility. Hageman accepted stating that starting her business was the best personal decision she’s ever made and that she is greatly inspired by the many women entrepreneurs in the Asheville area.

Jessica Juergens mentions her passion for fostering personal development. She said the Suzann DeFerie Lifetime Achievement Award’s namesake reflects a lifetime commitment to quality and community, characteristics also exhibited by the recipient Janet R. Cone, Director of Athletics and University Enterprises at UNC Asheville. Juergens said that Cone has “elevated the Bulldogs in every way possible.” She said that Cone was one of the first women to lead in collegiate athletics, and that Cone’s expertise is often sought after within the sector. Juergens said that Cone is improving gender and racial equity and that this passion is a hallmark of Cone’s personal and business success, noting that her mentorship and support of women’s growth is invaluable to many. Cone accepted this award with gratitude and humility stating that she was honored to have been invited by UNCA to be a female leader of athletics 19 years ago. Cone said that she loves the people of Asheville and that she is honored to have worked for three female chancellors of the university over the years. She said that her mission is to “inspire people to dream more, to do more, and most importantly to be more.”

Chancellor Nancy Cable of UNC Asheville encouraged attendees to notice the energy in the room and to keep that encouraging momentum going. Cable introduced keynote speaker Caroline Wanga by saying that she is a self-proclaimed cultural architect restructuring corporate construction.

Caroline Wanga began by silently sharing a series of slides on the event center’s large monitors that describe a variety of her character traits. She then asked attendees to speak a descriptive word regarding these slides, all of which were positively toned. Wanga then asked attendees to describe how they may feel sharing of their own character traits with their boss, and conversely the attendees’ responses became negatively toned. 

Wanga’s speech discussed her personal journey toward accepting her own authenticity as a person. She shared how experiences from her upbringing, her personal life, and her career had led her to mimic the personality styles of the successful people that she was surrounded by, which did help her reach a level of success. She shared that when her job became encouraging authenticity, she knew she had to bring her authentic self to work. She also said that she believes it is an obligation to find your gift and use it. “The journey is scary,” said Wanga, “but it is scarier to not progress yourself. It does not serve you nor the people coming behind you. You have to ‘advance the baton’.” Wanga also said, “It is a privilege to have the problems you are encountering. It means that the people before you solved other problems that led to where you are today.” 

She concluded her speech by asking employers in the room to encourage their staff to be their authentic selves. Wanga said, “Be the place to help others grow instead of to be. Be a safe place for others to find their purpose, and when they do, celebrate sending them out to do their next remarkable thing.”

The celebration closed with a Q&A session with several attendees sharing thoughts and questions with Wanga.

Photo Credit for images of recipients: Julieta Fumberg