Women in Philanthropy Symposium
The Women and Philanthropy Symposium, the Alliance of Women Philanthropists’ signature event focusing on philanthropy, volunteerism, and leadership is presented each year to thank Alliance members for their support of the University of Tennessee’s campuses and programs. Each year focuses on a theme and the event features university women speaking on that theme.
Alliance of Women Philanthropist Annual Symposium
The 2025 “Tennessee Trailblazers” Guest Speakers
Chief Wellness Officer, UT System & Associate Professor, UTHSC Dept. of Psychiatry
Professor & Chair, UTHSC Dept. of Audiology & Speech Pathology & Director, UTHSC Human Auditory Physiology Laboratory
Dean, UT Knoxville Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy & Professor, Economics & Public Policy
The University of Tennessee boasts many alumni and faculty who are solving problems and changing the future through their research and innovation. The 2025 Symposium will feature three outstanding female speakers who are creating positive change on their campus, in their communities and beyond. Click the speakers below to learn more.
Jessi Gold, MD, MS is the Chief Wellness Officer of the University of Tennessee System and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. This inaugural leadership position encompasses all five University of Tennessee campuses, UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga, UT Southern, UT Martin, and UT Health Science Center, and includes over 62,200 students and 19,0000 faculty and staff. In her clinical practice, she sees healthcare workers, trainees and young adults in college.
Dr. Gold is also a fierce mental health advocate and highly sought-after expert in the media on everything from burnout to celebrity self-disclosure. She has written widely for the popular press, including for The New York Times, The Atlantic, InStyle, Slate, and Self. Her first book, HOW DO YOU FEEL? One Doctor’s Search for Humanity in Medicine came out in October 2024 from Simon Element and is a national bestseller. Dr. Gold is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. and M.S in Anthropology, the Yale School of Medicine, and Stanford University Department of Psychiatry, where she served as Chief Resident.
Ashley Whicker Harkrider is Professor and Chair of the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Director of the Human Auditory Physiology Laboratory at University of Tennessee (UT) Health Science Center in Knoxville. She has been with UT for 25 years, after earning her BA from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, her MA from UT Knoxville, and her PhD from University of Texas-Austin. Dr. Harkrider’s research focuses on differences in brain wave patterns while typical and neurodiverse individuals listen to and produce speech. She is committed to improving health outcomes for all patients and reducing health disparities in rural East Tennessee via interprofessional education and clinical practice outreach. Her collaborative work has been funded by external and internal grantors like the National Institutes of Health, UT Grand Challenges Grants, and UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists Giving Circle.
Dr. Harkrider is published in numerous national and international high-impact scientific journals and has received several editorial awards. Her most recent national leadership position is as Treasurer of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She graduated from the UT Executive Leadership Institute in 2023 and was honored with the UT Alumni Association Distinguished Service Professor award in 2016. Dr. Harkrider is married to her husband of 27 years, Robert, with whom she is raising three children. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running, reading, and traveling.
Marianne Wanamaker is the dean of the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and a professor of economics and public policy. Dr. Wanamaker’s expertise is in labor economics, education, and workforce development. Her work has been widely referenced in the popular press, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post and supported by multiple federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
She holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and her master’s degree and PhD from Northwestern University. She is a native of Martin, Tennessee and she has been at UT since 2009, first at the Haslam College of Business and then at the Baker School starting in 2021. From 2017 to 2018, she took a leave of absence from UT to serve as the senior labor economist and chief domestic economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors.
2025 Brenda G. Lawson
Legacy of Leadership Award Honoree
Ann Holt Skadberg (UTK ’62)
Since earning her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee in 1962, Ann Holt Skadberg has been a passionate and dedicated alumna, continuously giving back to the university. A proud Lady Vols fan, she has championed key initiatives, including Neyland Stadium improvements, Lady Vols athletic scholarships and the Pat Summitt statue.
Skadberg has played a vital leadership role at UT, co-chairing the Campaign for Tennessee for the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences and serving on the board of the UT Women’s Council. She currently serves on the CEHHS Board of Advisors. Committed to fostering student success, Ann and her husband, Dean, have hosted eight Student Alumni Associates annual meetings, welcoming high school seniors into their home to inspire their UT journey.
Honoring her father, former UT President Andy Holt, the Skadbergs have endowed multiple scholarships and a professorship in College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Their generosity extends to major gifts supporting the Haslam College of Business, CEHHS, Athletics, the College of Nursing and the UT Alumni Association.
With a lifelong passion for UT, Ann Holt Skadberg continues to shape the university’s future through her leadership, generosity and unwavering Volunteer spirit.
About the Brenda G. Lawson Legacy of Leadership Award
The Alliance of Women Philanthropists was created to acknowledge the capacity of women to be influential donors to UT and to recognize them in more meaningful and personal ways. The Alliance takes pride in celebrating the remarkable accomplishments of women leaders and their philanthropic efforts, community service and volunteerism.
In 2011, the Alliance created the Brenda G. Lawson Legacy of Leadership Award to recognize women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in these areas. This award is bestowed upon an exceptional woman who embodies the highest level of excellence in her work as a community leader and has devoted considerable time and energy to improve the quality of life for others at UT. The award is named for Brenda Lawson, its first recipient, and presented during the Symposium each year.
“It is difficult to think of anyone who has done more for women and philanthropy at the University of Tennessee than Brenda Lawson. She has not only given generously of her resources; she has been an enthusiastic volunteer. In her role as co-chair of the Campaign for Tennessee, she has provided vital donor leadership and played a critical role in the campaign’s success. She was a founding member of the UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists and is largely responsible for the programming endowment established to support its programs. Another example of her support of women is the endowment she created to fund the UTC Women’s Success Program, designed to strengthen leadership opportunities for female students.” – 2011 Alliance Executive Board
Award Criteria
- Committed to furthering the goals of the Alliance of Women Philanthropists
- Supports the University of Tennessee through contributions of talent, time, and financial means
- Dedicated to supporting UT in its instructional, research, outreach and fundraising initiatives
- Educates, empowers, and inspires women to be philanthropic leaders at the University of Tennessee
- Encompasses a variety of ideals including volunteerism, generosity, sacrifice, compassion, sensitivity, and humility
Brenda G. Lawson Legacy of Leadership Award Winners
Since earning her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee in 1962, Ann Holt Skadberg has been a passionate and dedicated alumna, continuously giving back to the university. A proud Lady Vols fan, she has championed key initiatives, including Neyland Stadium improvements, Lady Vols athletic scholarships, and the Pat Summitt statue.
Skadberg has played a vital leadership role at UT, co-chairing the Campaign for Tennessee for the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and serving on the board of the UT Women’s Council. She currently serves on the CEHHS Board of Advisors. Committed to fostering student success, Ann and her husband, Dean, have hosted eight Student Alumni Associates annual meetings, welcoming high school seniors into their home to inspire their UT journey.
Honoring her father, former UT President Andy Holt, the Skadbergs have endowed multiple scholarships and a professorship in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Their generosity extends to major gifts supporting the Haslam College of Business, CEHHS, Athletics, the College of Nursing and the UT Alumni Association.
With a lifelong passion for UT, Ann Holt Skadberg continues to shape the university’s future through her leadership, generosity and unwavering Volunteer spirit.
Judith a
nd her late husband Jim have a long history of philanthropic support at the University of Tennessee and in their community. Judith graduated from UT Knoxville in 1963 with a degree in English and in 2017 the Herbert’s established an endowment to support interdisciplinary writing services and student support. The following year the couple established the Herbert College of Agriculture Strategic Endowment that marks one of the largest gifts to in UT history. The Herbert’s local community giving in Michigan culminated in the Herbert-Herman Cancer Center at the Sparrow Health System, which is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic. The couple also made a record-breaking gift to the Sparrow Foundation in 2022 to establish The Genomics Endowment for Diagnosis & Treatment of Cancer to fund advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through genomics and precision medicine at Sparrow Herbert-Herman Cancer Center.
Betty Ann Tanner is an interior decorator and owner of Betty Ann Tanner Accessories. Her Washington, DC non-profit boards include Ford’s Theatre Society, The Congressional Club and International Student House.
She served on the Board of Meridian International Center from 2005-2010 and co-chaired the Meridian Ball in 2007. She also previously chaired the First Lady’s Luncheon and Prevent Cancer Foundation Gala. She is a trustee with the University of Tennessee and serves on the board of Discovery Park of America in Tennessee where she resides with her husband former Congressman John Tanner, when she is not in Washington.
(1944-2021) In Memoria — Jodie McTeer Johnson (UTK ’66) was a dedicated supporter of her alma mater. From her start on the Panhellenic Council to her lifelong sisterhood in Kappa Delta, Jodie loved the University of Tennessee. Along with her husband, Johnny, the Johnsons have been long-time philanthropists supporting Tennessee Athletics, McClung Museum, the UT Gardens, the AWP Giving Circle Grants program and many other community organizations. Jodie’s philanthropy and friendship influenced the lives of many, and the UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists were honored to have Jodie serve on the Alliance of Women Philanthropists Executive Board for the past ten and to share in her leadership as Board Chair for two consecutive terms.
A native Knoxvillian, Natalie Haslam graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1952. She has been an active volunteer and philanthropist in Knoxville. Natalie was the first woman to be president of the Knoxville Symphony Society and has been president of the East Tennessee Foundation and the East Tennessee Historical Society. She was a founding board member of the Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has served on the boards of the Tennessee Arts Commission, Child and Family Services, Knoxville Zoo, Maryville College, Webb School of Knoxville, Wellness Community and Junior League. A graduate of the Leadership Knoxville Class of ’86, she also has been president of the Knoxville Garden Club and the Arts Council for Greater Knoxville.
She was the recipient of the National Conference for Community and Justice Award in 1996. In 2003, she received the Governor’s Award from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Knoxville Award from the Senior Citizens Home Assistance Services.
The University of Tennessee’s music school, the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, was named after her in recognition of the support she and her family have given to the school over many years.
Andrea Loughry is a dedicated supporter of her alma mater, having served as vice-chair of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees and as the first female chair of the UT Foundation Board. Andrea was appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2014, by then Governor Bill Haslam, where she has served in leadership roles as vice-chair, and audit and allocations chair. She served as the first female chair of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and has been selected as one of their Business Legends.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Andrea taught for ten years at MTSU and then opened an independent insurance agency. She later became the founding chair of the Mind2Marketplace, an organization dedicated to bringing the best and brightest ideas in Middle Tennessee to reality. After a career in business, she now serves as President Emeritus of Miller-Loughry-Beach Insurance Services, Inc.
Anne Holt Blackburn, Nashville’s most veteran TV news anchor, was one of thirteen children born to a family of sharecroppers in West Tennessee. She graduated from UT in 1973 with a BS in broadcasting and retired in January 2017 from her duties as TV news anchor at WKRN-TV in Nashville, where she worked for forty years.
She has received many awards and honors, including eight Emmys, the George Foster Peabody Award for the investigative documentary Under the Influence, and the 2007 Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement—the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ highest honor. The Nashville Conference on Community and Justice awarded her the Jerry Thompson Communicator’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, when she was also the first recipient of the College of Communication and Information’s Donald G. Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award. The first woman, the first African American, and the first news anchor to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Blackburn was inducted into the first class of the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame in 2013.
Blackburn is a community servant, generously giving back to UT, Nashville, and Tennessee. She served on the College of Communication and Information Board of Visitors (1990–2007) and on the UT Board of Trustees (2007–2013). She has led News 2’s twenty-eight-year partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and served on many charitable boards, including Book ’em, Leadership Nashville, Cumberland Valley Girl Scouts, the Middle Tennessee March of Dimes, Inroads/Nashville, and the United Way of Middle Tennessee.
Margaret Perry has always been a trailblazer with the determination to get things done. She was the first female dean for graduate studies at UT Knoxville, then first female associate vice president for academic affairs at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, and in 1986 she was appointed to serve as the sixth chancellor of UT Martin. She was the first UT Martin alumna to serve as the institution’s chancellor and the first woman to be appointed chancellor or president of any university in Tennessee. During her eleven years as chancellor, UT Martin flourished, transformed by major building expansions, unprecedented enrollment growth, the accreditation of all campus programs, the surpassing of funding goals for the University system’s 21st Century Campaign, and the school’s athletic standing being increased to a Division 1 athletics program.
First Lady of Tennessee, Ann Furrow was the pioneer of Lady Vols Golf playing on the men’s team at UT in 1964 and 1965. Not only was she the first woman to play a men’s varsity sport at the University of Tennessee, she was also on a full men’s scholarship during her collegiate career.
In addition to being the first woman golfer at Tennessee, she was the first woman ever appointed to the UT Board of Trustees and served for 18 years. At the age of 26, she was also the youngest person ever to be selected as a member of the board.
Furrow put together an accomplished career as an amateur golfer, winning various tournaments and receiving high national rankings. She was a five-time Tennessee Women’s Amateur Champion, with victories in the event spanning nearly 20 years. After winning the Western Junior Golf Association Championships in 1961 and placing second at the USGA National Amateur in 1962, she became the top-ranked junior golfer and the 10th-ranked female golfer overall in the United States.
Not only has Furrow endowed a full scholarship at UT Knoxville, she has also worked closely with the Lady Vol development office in raising more than $2 million toward fully endowing the UT women’s golf team. She is also a pillar of the community holding positions on numerous boards, including the Covenant Health Board, the Fort Sanders Foundation, the National Board of AnGeL Ministries, the International Board of Joni and Friends, the Spiritual Heritage Knoxville Board and the Spiritual Heritage Nantucket Board.