NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2018) – YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee hosted its 27^th annual Academy for Women of Achievement celebration and induction dinner at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville last night. More than 500 people, including Mayor David Briley and leaders from Nashville’s music, business, government, and philanthropic sectors attended.The 2018 honorees are Kasar Abdulla, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Valor Collegiate Academies; Nicky Weaver Cheek, Philanthropist; Sara Finley, Principal, Threshold Corporate Consulting; Thelma Harper, State Senator of Tennessee; Latrisha Jemison, Regional Community Affairs Manager at Regions Bank; Sarah Trahern, Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Association; and Beverly Watts, Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is the 2018 corporate honoree.“The 2018 AWA recipients are fearless leaders, passionate advocates, and inspiring role models,” said YWCA President and CEO Sharon K. Roberson. “They have paved the way for future generations of women in advancement and equality, and their service is making true and lasting impact in our community and beyond.”Proceeds from the AWA recognition dinner help fund the programs of the YWCA, including the Weaver Domestic Violence Center, the largest emergency domestic violence shelter in Tennessee. For 120 years, the YWCA has helped women, girls and families in Nashville and Middle Tennessee build safer, more self-sufficient lives. In addition to its extensive domestic violence services, the YWCA operates a Family Literacy Center to help women and men earn their high school equivalency diploma. Dress for Success Nashville provides professional clothing for women who are entering the workforce. Girls Inc. inspires hundreds of Nashville-area schoolgirls each year to be strong, smart and bold. The AMEND Together program seeks to reduce all violence against women and girls by challenging a culture that supports violence and cultivating healthy masculinity.The Academy for Women of Achievement was launched locally in 1992 by YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, and it is being presented for the 13th consecutive year by First Tennessee. This year’s recipients join 158 other women who hold this distinctive honor.For more information, please contact: Michelle Mowery Johnson, YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, Michelle.MoweryJohnson@ywcanashville.com | (615) 983-5125Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, MP&F Strategic Communications, SHunt-Blackwell@mpf.com | (615) 259-4000###