IWF Georgia upcoming events

Fall Dine-Arounds: Various dates Sept 6-23, 2026 (September 06, 2026)

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

It's time for the Fall Dine Arounds

with 5 Great Options to Choose From

Dine Arounds are one of the most cherish IWF traditions, offering an opportunity to connect with fellow members in a more intimate setting, enjoy meaningful conversation, and strengthen the relationships that make our community so special.

This fall, we are grateful to the following members for opening their home:

OPTION A: Sunday, September 6th near Emory

Traditional dine around with great conversation hosted by Ellen Weaver Hartman - ONLY 4 SPOTS REMAINING!

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OPTION B: (SOLD OUT) Tuesday, September 8th in Buckhead

Casual, light bites and cocktails hosted by Jennifer Hightower - encouraging our newest members to attend. (Email Jennifer Langley to be added to a waiting list for Option B, jlangley@iwfgeorgia.org)

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OPTION C: (SOLD OUT) Thursday, Sept 10th Lavista Park (near Emory)

Enjoy a gathering of members for a traditional Dine Around with delicious dinner, wine and great conversation hosted by Virginia Hepner (Email Jennifer Langley to be added to a waiting list for Option C, jlangley@iwfgeorgia.org)

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OPTION D: (SOLD OUT) Sunday, September 13th in East Cobb

Enjoy a gathering of members for a traditional Dine Around with your host, Susan O'Farrell (Email Jennifer Langley to be added to a waiting list for Option D, jlangley@iwfgeorgia.org)

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OPTION E: (SOLD OUT) Wednesday, September 23rd in Ansley Park

A Porch Party Al Fresco - Dine on the porch overlooking a pond to discuss small and big ways each person can contribute to making our beautiful earth more sustainable. Hosted by Nancy Zintak. (Email Jennifer Langley to be added to a waiting list for Option E, jlangley@iwfgeorgia.org)

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IWF Members only - $65/member to offset the cost for each host.

October 20, 2026: Member Luncheon Program & Annual Meeting (October 20, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:30:00 GMT

IWF Georgia's Annual Meeting & Luncheon

Hosted by WABE Atlanta

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 11:30 am - 1 pm

AGM by Elizabeth Noe, President, IWF Georgia

Opening Remarks by Stephanie O'Keefe, CEO, IWF Global

Program: "Leadership Journeys: Women Shaping the Future of Sports"

Join us for the launch of a new IWF Georgia conversation series highlighting the remarkable personal and professional journeys of our members.

This inaugural forum features DeRetta Rhodes, Chief People, Culture & Brand Officer for the Atlanta Braves, and Morgan Shaw Parker, Chief Operating Officer of the Atlanta Dream. Together, they’ll share candid insights on their career paths, the leadership lessons that shaped them, challenges they’ve overcome, and the experiences that have led them to the highest levels of the sports industry. Moderated by Jennifer Dorian, President & CEO, WABE.

About Our Speakers:

Morgan Shaw Parker brings nearly 30 years of experience across all levels of sport business including the NFL, NBA/WNBA, NCAA and NIKE, Inc. She currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream overseeing day-to-day business operations and revenue growth, and working closely with ownership to set the direction of the organization and build the strategic vision including sponsorships, ticketing, retail, marketing, digital, in-game experience, human resources, community engagement and fan data/analytics.

Prior to joining the Atlanta Dream she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE) where she led marketing and communications initiatives for the Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. During her tenure, she helped increase the team’s revenue through content monetization and led her team to take home nine regional Emmy Awards, 19 regional Emmy nominations, three platinum and two gold AVA Digital Awards, two Webby Awards and one Hashtag Sports Award.

Shaw Parker also spent more than a decade at NIKE, Inc. working on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA and NCAA college football. Prior to that, she spent six years with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs working in marketing and communications.

The American Marketing Association honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Shaw Parker one of “2023’s Most Admired CEO’s,” AdWeek named her as one of its “2019 Most Powerful Women in Sports,” and Sports Business Journal recognized her as a “Game Changer” in the sports industry in 2020 – an award given to women who are making an impact in sports business. Shaw Parker sits on the board of the Atlanta Sports Council, serves on the Atlanta Rotary Club and Mayor Andre Dickens’ Women of Atlanta Advisory Council, is a proud member of Leadership Atlanta class of 2026, and plays an active role in schools and organizations that seek to empower women and create more diverse communities.

DeRetta Rhodes, Ph.D. is the Executive Vice President & Chief People & Culture Officer of the Atlanta Braves, overseeing people capital initiatives, communications and community affairs for the Braves, The Battery Atlanta and team’s Spring Training facility operations.

Prior to joining the Braves, Rhodes was the Executive Vice President/Chief Human Resources Officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Vice President of Human Resources at First Data, Vice President of Human Resources for Turner Broadcasting and held leadership positions at Ernst & Young, ADP, HomeGrocer.com and YUM Brand.

Rhodes received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, her master’s in business administration from Clark Atlanta University, and her Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Georgia. She is a qualified coach for the HOGAN Assessment and HOGAN 360.

Rhodes completed her Ted Talk (TEDxUGA) in 2018 and has been recognized as Georgia Titan 100 (2024), Women of Influence (2024) by Atlanta Business Chronicle, and 100 Women of Influence (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) by Atlanta Business League, to name a few.

She serves on several boards such as Executive Board Member of the Atlanta Braves Foundation, the International Women's Forum, Board Chair of 21st Century Leaders and Trustee Member, Governing Board Member and HR & Compensation Chair of the Woodruff Arts Center to name a few.

About Our Moderator:

Jennifer Dorian is doubling down on Atlanta! Proud to serve our metro-Atlanta community by leading the NPR and PBS stations DEDICATED to Atlanta - WABE (90.1) and ATL PBA. Rallying resources for a healthy free press, local news and programming for life-long learners. Leading our stations as catalysts to help with priority issues in our community - coverage, convening and collaborating around equitable development, global health, diverse arts and culture . . . just to name a few! True to Atlanta.

Jennifer Dorian is a long-time resident of Georgia with 30+ years of experience working in corporations and non-profit service in Atlanta.

In June of 2020, she and her friend Betsy Armentrout saw a vital need to support the next Georgia election cycle by engaging and convening Georgia businesses to rally resources, educate employees and encourage early voting. Jennifer and Betsy co-founded GaVotingWorks.org (from their homes as community volunteers) and convened over 20 companies to support early voting, election preparedness for a safe, smooth voting process.

Dorian has real-world operations, strategic planning and brand marketing experience from brands including Turner Classic Movies, Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, and the Atlanta Beltline Partnership. Dorian served as general manager of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) from 2014-2019, which capped off 20 years of growth at Turner. A graduate of Emory University (BA) and University of Texas at Austin (MBA), Dorian is mentor to many and a volunteer to numerous Atlanta non-profit organizations. She currently serves on the board of The Atlanta Music Project, Atlanta Beltline Partnership and the Path Foundation. She previously served on the marketing committee for US Fund for UNICEF and the board of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About Our Venue:

WABE is Atlanta’s original, independent, non-profit public media organization, serving as the metro area’s primary NPR (90.1 FM) and PBS (Channel 30) affiliate. Headquartered on Bismark Road in Atlanta, the 100% independent station delivers award-winning local journalism, cultural programming, and digital podcasts to millions across the region. [1, 2, 3]

November 17, 2026: Signature Event: New Member Orientation & Reception (November 17, 2026)

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 22:30:00 GMT

November 17, 2026: Annual Signature Event

The 10th Annual IWF Georgia Member Signature Event:

Reception & Dinner with Keynote Speaker

Featuring: Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin, Moderated by Valerie Jackson

Location: TBA!

Timeline:

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm New Member Orientation & Reception (Invitation only)
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Cocktail Reception
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Seated Dinner

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Program

About Our Speaker:

Shirley Franklin was elected the first African American woman mayor of a major southern city in 2002 and served two terms until 2009. During her eight years as mayor of Atlanta, she is best known for advocating for and tackling major government operations and ethics reform, launching the Atlanta Beltline, planning and executing over $5 billion in airport and water infrastructure improvement, leading the acquisition of the Morehouse College Collection of Martin Luther King Jr. Papers, launching the Regional Commission on Homelessness and developing successful business and public sector partnerships and alliances. Upon leaving office, she was appointed to the William and Camille Cosby Endowed Chair at Spelman College and served until June 2011.

She is currently the Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor in Ethics and Political Values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, a position she has held since 2013. She also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Purpose Built Communities and is President of Clarke-Franklin and Associates, Inc. Additionally, she co-chairs the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta’s Regional Commission on Homelessness and serves on the boards of the United Nations Institute For Training and Research (UNITAR), Mueller Water Products, Delta Air Lines, The Volcker Alliance, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Neighborhood Community Stabilization Fund.

Shirley Franklin is a frequent public speaker and subject matter expert on leadership, public policy and community engagement. She is passionate about her city and has engaged in Atlanta-based community service for over 39 years, including active participation in the arts, homelessness and higher education.

About our Moderator:

Valerie Richardson Jackson ’s life embodies an innovative spirit and a list of first for Black Americans. At 13, she and her two brothers integrated an all white high school in Richmond, Virginia suffering daily harassment and intimidation. At 16, she was among the first Blacks hired as a telephone operator at the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company. With a B.S. in Business Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, she established the first clerical training program for the Neighborhood Youth Corps in Richmond. In 1971 she was among the early Black students to earn an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School of Business. After working as Account Executive at Grey Advertising on General Foods products, she became an Eastern Region Marketing Supervisor at Trans World Airlines (now United) corporate headquarters in New York. She was the first Black person to hold those positions. For over 20 years, her voice was recognized as the award winning host of WABE's Between the Lines and Valerie Jackson in Conversation, talking with notable writers and thinkers, such as Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Dr. Maya Angelou, Wynton Marsalis, Alice Walker, Deepak Chopra and Neil deGrasse Tyson. She is a partner in Atlanta Restaurant Partners, owners of fine dining restaurants and a licensed franchisee of TGIFridays.

Serving as Atlanta ’s First Lady in three of her husband Maynard Jackson ’s terms, her direct efforts helped to bring the Democratic National Convention to Atlanta in 1988 and the Olympic Games in 1996. As Co-chair of the Children ’s Olympic Ticket Fund, over 20,000 tickets were given to underserved children in the Atlanta area.

A former and the first Black president of the International Women ’s Forum of Georgia, she is also a former board member of Atlanta Technical College, the Girl Scouts of Northwest Georgia, American Cancer Society, and numerous other organizations. Among her many awards, she was named one of the “ 100 Women of Influence” by the Atlanta Business League, inducted into the YWCA of Greater Atlanta ’s Academy of Women Achievers and named an “Atlanta Legend” by Atlanta Magazine.

Valerie Jackson shared over 25 devoted years of marriage with the late Mayor Maynard Jackson and was a major force in adding his name to the Atlanta airport, now Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. She is the proud mother of their two daughters, Valerie-Amanda and Alexandra.

History of IWF Georgia's Signature Event:

In 2017, we started our annual Signature Event to celebrate the 30th year of IWF Georgia - kicking off with one of IWF Georgia’s founding members, Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, Former 1st Lady of the United States; followed in 2018 with Keisha Lance Bottoms, the 60th Mayor of Atlanta; 2019 with Stacey Abrams, Former Member of the Georgia House of Representatives; our virtual keynote in 2020 with Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS and fellow IWF Georgia member; 2021 with Head of Science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Cori Bargmann; in 2022 we heard from Civil Rights Activist, and Founder, President and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Ms. Xernona Clayton, and in 2023 Sally Yates, Former United States Deputy Attorney General was our featured speaker. We continued our annual tradition each November and again in 2024 for the 8^th annual Signature Event we hosted an exciting speaker, Roz Brewer, former COO of Starbucks and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance who was moderated by Virginia Hepner. The 9th Signature Event featured Rev. Naomi Tutu moderated by Natosha Reid Rice.

December 6, 2026: Holiday Party (December 06, 2026)

Sun, 06 Dec 2026 22:00:00 GMT

IWF Georgia Annual Holiday Party, Sunday, Dec 6, 2026

Hosted by Nelson Mullins

Details Coming Soon1