The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce just recognized its 2026 Women Who EmpowHERS honoree.
The event is part of the chamber’s monthly Women in Business luncheon series.
This year’s honoree is Shana Reid (Above Center) with SRP Federal Credit Union.
“Shana is chief development officer for SRP Federal Credit Union,” said chamber president Terra Carroll (Above Left) as she introduces the nominee. “She is recognized for a leadership style rooted in compassion, humility, and a genuine investment in people. She intentionally gets to know those she leads, recognizes potential others may not yet see in themselves, and creates opportunities for them to grow into that position.”
Reid was selected from a group of nine accomplished women nominated for this year’s recognition. The others were:
- Heather Johnson, Southpaw Roofing
- Becky Dearden, Community Foundation for the CSRA
- Monica Simpson, Dream Built Life and LaPeach Life Investments LLC
- Liz Ponder, SRP Federal Credit Union
- Anna Freeman, Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University
- Roxanne Hyer, Hyer-Education.com
- Megan Pruitt, Aiken Corporation
- Amy Lawson, Via Cognitive Health
“The 2026 Women Who EmpowHERs Award recognizes a woman whose leadership, accomplishment, service, and influence are lived by the spirit of women in business,” explained Carroll. “These women represent different professions and different paths to leadership, but each was nominated because of the way she uses her talents, experience, and influence to empower others.”
This year’s keynote speaker was TeKay Brown, president of Brownstone Mediation Services, LLC. Her theme was “The Power of the Ask.”
“In all of the amazing opportunities I have had, whether I got them because of some degree, because I asked for the opportunity, I’ve asked people to take a chance on me. I’ve asked for introductions. I’ve asked for seats at a table. I wasn’t even sure I always belonged there,” she told her audience.
Brown said the chamber asked her to identify the individual most responsible for opening doors for her throughout her career. It was a question she thought she could answer easily, but it wasn’t.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have amazing women touch my life, women who have referred me, who have recommended my work, encouraged me, connected me to people, celebrated me, and even given me opportunities,” said Brown. “But when I really stopped to think about one woman who had opened the door to me, I struggled, and that bothered me just a little.”
Looking around the room, Brown named several women who have encouraged her as she began her business. However, she said it was at the beginning of her 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force when she met the woman most responsible for opening a door for her future.
“Master Sergeant Michelle Hodges, who first saw me early in my career,” she explained. “Michelle was one of the first leaders I ever had. She was a senior listed leader, and I was 20 years old. And suddenly, here I am working on multi-million-dollar materials. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was willing to learn.”
As she ended her comments, Brown urged her audience to take the next 30 days and look around. From colleagues at work or a woman just starting to build her business, ask yourself how you can open a door to move someone a step closer to their goal.
“Is it an introduction? Is it information? Is it an opportunity? Is it a recommendation? Is it a connection? Is it a seat at the table? Is it just a word of encouragement? We all have something that someone in this room needs. Influence isn’t just about the doors you walk through. It’s about the doors that you open for someone else,” she concluded.
