Accomplished woman spoke at the Women In The Workforce luncheon

“What a blessing it is to spend this time with other working women in our community. We laughed and cried as the women shared their hearts. We at First National Bank are honored to be able to sponsor this event and are looking forward to continuing it for years to come,” said FNB director of marketing and retail Lorenda Smith.

This year’s luncheon featured a Grady County native as guest speaker.

Teresa Maxwell MacCartney, executive vice chancellor of operations with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, was the keynote speaker Tuesday.

MacCartney has worked with the Board of Regents since January. Prior to that, she served as the state chief financial officer and director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, 2012-2019. In January, a new building of the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta was co-named in her honor. The Shaffer MacCartney Building is named for Michael Shaffer and Teresa MacCartney, who both played central roles in establishing the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta. MacCartney is a 1995 graduate of Cairo High School and daughter of Juanita and Larry Maxwell of Cairo. She and her husband, Andrew, have two children and reside in Marietta.

“Teresa was a phenomenal speaker and has a great story to share. It was our pleasure to showcase one of our very own local ladies who has done very well in her life and career,” Smith said.

A panel of local women including Grady General Hospital administrator Crystal Wells, Home Slice Pizza owner Karen Holder, Pastor Annette Higdon, owner of Grace & Mercy Counseling Center, and Grady County assistant school superintendent Tilda Brimm were also highlights of the program Tuesday.

“Our panel was awesome. I appreciate each of these ladies so very much and thank them for their participation. They helped make this year’s event one to remember,” Smith said.

First National Bank also spotlighted the Cairo High School College and Career Academy’s Culinary Arts program. The bank hired the CHS students, under the leadership of Culinary Arts instructor Whitney Brown, to cater the luncheon Tuesday.

“The Culinary Arts class from CHS did a fabulous job and the participants raved about the wonderful lunch they prepared. First National Bank is a strong supporter of our Grady County Schools and it was a privilege to be able to use the students as the caterers for our event. They really are all to be commended for a job well done,” Smith said.

“Our goal was that participants leave inspired, motivated and hopefully encouraged by these women who shared stories of their own struggles with succeeding in the workplace while maintaining a positive balance at home. I believe we achieved our goal and we are looking forward to next year’s event,” Smith said.