Barbara Bass claps at a previous Women in Tyler Luncheon at the Tyler Rose Garden Center in Tyler on March 22, 2018. Each year, six women are honored for their work in Tyler, and this year Bass is among the honorees as the 2025 recipient of the Judith K. Guthrie Legacy of Service Award. (Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

At the historic McClendon House, the Women in Tyler Committee recently announced this year’s honorees of ‘Women Who Empower.’

“(Monday) was our honorary reception where we introduced our honorees to the community and to give them the opportunity to tell us about the impact they’ve had on the community and the motivation for their chosen careers,” Committee Chair Maxine Caldwell said at the announcement held Jan. 6.

The five honorees include Kay Pleasant, Suzy Shepherd, Yvonne Atkins, Kimberly Lewis, and Lisa Ellis. Hon. Barbara Bass, former mayor of Tyler, is the 2025 recipient of the Judith K. Guthrie Legacy of Service Award. They will all be recognized and celebrated at the group’s luncheon in March.

“The evening also gives the community an opportunity to see the women who aspire to greatness and hopefully they’re inspiring young women and young girls that they can be anything they aspire to be in life,” Caldwell said. “They just need to walk through the door that someone has already opened for them, laid the pavement for them and laid the groundwork for them.”

Since its start in 1999, the Women In Tyler Committee has been going the extra mile to celebrate Women’s History Month each March by recognizing and honoring local women who have made significant contributions to the community.

A portion of the proceeds from the luncheon is donated to the Women’s Fund of Smith County and other impactful nonprofits. While Women in Tyler Day is not a fundraiser, any excess funds will be directed to these organizations.

The committee announced in August they were seeking nominations of women. After receiving several nominations in August, the committee decided on the list of women to be honored.

“The nomination process goes through our board,” Caldwell said. “And we narrow it down based on what our theme is and how well the nominees fit our theme this year.”

This year’s theme, Women Who Empower, celebrates those who uplift, inspire and support others through leadership, advocacy, mentorship or by fostering opportunities that enable growth and success. It emphasizes creating positive change by empowering others.

“It’s overwhelming but it’s exhilarating to know that you’re not doing things by yourself,” said honoree Yvonne Atkins. “Sometimes it’s like I’m all alone or I’m doing things on my own or by myself, but knowing that people are out there engaged and doing things for the community and loving on other women and setting up foundations and giving money and giving guidance, it just makes you know that your work is not in vain, that you are not alone. You just keep on, if not you then who?”

Atkins is a retired educator from Tyler ISD, where she taught for 38 years. Following the tragic death of her daughter in 1995, she started a daycare and outreach center to honor her memory.

“I’ve been mentoring a lot of women who lost a child unexpectedly,” Adkins said. “It’s kind of challenging so I work with them to try and uplift them and walk through the steps of that grief.”

Atkins coordinates local and national workshops to empower women in the church, mentor educators, and tutor underprivileged children.

During her career, she taught at Boulter Middle School, TJ Austin Elementary, Clarkston Elementary, Rice Elementary, and Three Lakes Middle School, and held administrative roles in Tyler ISD. She is dedicated to helping students who are struggling and encourages community involvement in schools to promote success for all students, especially those who are underrepresented or underserved.

Atkins currently serves as vice president of the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees, representing District 3.

Kay Pleasant is a retired computer science professor from UT Tyler. In 2017, her husband took his life, and through that loss, she has been inspired to join local efforts aimed at eliminating the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. She organizes the annual Out of the Darkness walk in Tyler, which raises funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention North Texas chapter.

“I feel like there’s a whole lot of people who should be standing with me because… Out of the Darkness walk, it’s a community that has walked along beside me and in front of me,” Pleasant said. “But I am glad that this might bring some attention to the walk in Tyler and that we can get people to know that this is an event that we have every fall. But I feel very blessed to be among this group of women, they all sound amazing. And I’m so grateful to be among them.”

Pleasant serves on the Board of Directors as Chair of the Healing and Loss Committee for the North Texas AFSP. Additionally, she attends County Commissioners meetings to advocate for increased mental health services in the community.

Suzy Shepherd is the founder of the nonprofit organizations Shine and Warrior Women. After unexpectedly becoming a single mom, she recognized the need for a supportive community for single mothers.

“We also help with counseling and all kinds of different ways to support single moms, specifically as they lead their families,” Shepherd said. “Shine was really created first of all to help women experience community and then get the resources they need because they’re part of that community.”

The idea for Shine began with a spaghetti dinner at her townhouse, attended by a few other single moms and their children. This experience ignited Shepherd’s passion to help women feel seen, known, and loved. Shine was created to empower single moms to grow in faith, strengthen their families, and build financial stability, while connecting and supporting one another.

“I see a lot of women who do so many things in the community and to have it noticed is very meaningful,” Shepherd said. “I appreciate the way that Women in Tyler really tells the stories of many different women and how they are serving the people around them so well… I’m both surprised and grateful to be honored with them. It’s such a delight.”

Kimberly Lewis is the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of East Texas and the owner of Motivational Muses, LLC. She is a best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and a regular contributor to Forbes magazine as a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and chair of the Forbes DEI Council. Lewis is a respected professional; her articles have appeared in Advancing Philanthropy, Workability International, AFPICON, Kahoots!, Retail Operations Network, The Global Good Fund, and more.

She has authored the historical novel ‘The Fourth Generation’ and the book ‘A Seat at the Table or Part of the Meal: Creating a Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,’ which was nominated for the Terry McAdam Book Award in 2020. Her third book, ‘Biases,’ serves as a guide to uncovering one’s own unconscious biases. She recently released her fourth book, a collaboration with international speaker Lisa Nichols, titled ‘Against All Odds.’

Lisa Ellis is the 2024 Campus Teacher of the Year at Early College High School. She is passionate about providing opportunities for students to discover their gifts and talents and use those strengths to find their pathways in life.

In addition to her teaching role at ECHS, Ellis volunteers and helps coordinate the G.I.V.E. (Girls Invested in Volunteer Efforts) program, which is an initiative of The Women’s Fund of Smith County. This program allows high school girls in grades 9-12 to experience the joy of collective giving and grant-making. Since her involvement, G.I.V.E. has grown from a handful of participants to 160 this year, representing a diverse group of high school girls from all schools in Smith County.

Hon. Barbara Bass is the first and only female mayor of Tyler. She served as mayor for six years until term limits prevented her from continuing. Alongside her responsibilities as a partner at a high-volume CPA firm, Bass has contributed to the development of Tyler and the East Texas region. Apart from her role as mayor, she has also served as Chairman of the Tyler Economic Development Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas. Her influence can be seen in nearly every key economic decision in the region over the past 20 years.

Furthermore, Bass has personally mentored many young women in the community, helping to strengthen their leadership skills.

“I am just excited and inspired myself because as one of our nominees said ‘There’s always more to do, the Lord has more for us to do,’” Caldwell said. “So they inspire me to be more, to do more, and to want more.”

Women in Tyler will hold its annual luncheon program on March 20th at The Grove, located at 3500 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler. For more information on how to attend or contribute, contact womenintyler@gmail.com.