2019 Women Making Waves Announced
AMD Creative launched its inaugural Women Making Waves award this month, and we are excited to announce our first 10 leading ladies.
This annual award is meant to honor 10 incredible women who have impacted Birmingham and the surrounding area. From small business owners to attorneys to nonprofit employees to brokers, these women have shown strength, confidence, and dedication while simultaneously supporting their businesses and uplifting Birmingham.
Day in and day out, they may feel like their sacrifice and hard work goes unnoticed. This award is intended to stand as a reminder that they are seen and celebrated! We hope that these 2019 winners continue to inspire and empower as fierce women in this community.
2019 Women Making Waves Winners
Tiffanie Agee
Tiffanie Agee is a practicing lawyer in downtown Birmingham who owns her own practice, Agee Law, LLC.
The nominator said of Attorney Agee: “Making a living while being unencumbered by constraints of a job or of funders is both difficult and liberating. Tiffanie has succeeded in both. She has built a practice that focuses on fighting for individuals scorned by most of society.
More than that, she serves her community in other ways as well. She continues to tutor young kids through her church and teaches at Miles College Law School. She finds time, to do pro bono work as well. She was an integral part of the team representing the protesters with the Poor People's Campaign in Alabama. She was a critical member of the coalition that brought Angela Davis to Birmingham after the Civil Rights Institute's disgraceful act of rescinding Dr. Davis's well-deserved Shuttlesworth award.”
About Tiffanie: Formally, Attorney Agee received her Bachelors of Science in Sociology from Texas A&M University in 2009. After receiving her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2013 and obtaining her LL.M. in Business Transactions in 2016, Attorney Agee decided to open her own law firm. In her estimation, there was a need for a small law firm who could provide big results with a local, hometown feel.
For fighting for justice, not being afraid to chase after her dreams, and graciously giving back to her community, we name Attorney Tiffanie Agee as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Afsheen Ali
Afsheen Ali is a franchise partner at Blo Blowdry Bar who successfully franchised and continues to operate her business.
Afsheen was on a trip to Los Angeles when she could not find a place nearby to get her hair and makeup done. She began researching, and she recognized a need for something like this in her own backyard– so she went for it. Her ability to courageously leap without looking back is one reason that we are so excited to name her one of our winners.
Now, she spends her days making sure that everything is running smoothly so that women can look and feel their best. Empowering women is important to Afsheen, and we cannot help but recognize her strength and dedication to that cause.
Afsheen uses her success to partner with local organizations like Smile-A-Mile and Junior League of Birmingham. And, she says her hours were crafted with busy schedules in mind.
“There are moms who get tired, there are working women who need to be out of the house by 7 in the morning and they get home late,” Ali said. “We’re really just here to accommodate everyone.”
If you have ever experienced Blo Blowdry Bar in Homewood in person or interacted with them on social media, it is clear that Afsheen cares deeply about her customers as well as her employees and the overall operation of her business.
For empowering women, caring about accessibility, and making Birmingham more beautiful, we are thrilled to have Afsheen Ali as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Ashlee Ammons
We are tipping our hats to the lovely Ashlee Ammons, co-founder and president of Miztroz meeting and event planning platform. She takes the tech scene by storm here in Birmingham, AL (and nationwide!), and we cannot get enough of her passion, commitment, courage, and humility amidst all of her accomplishments!
She is a fierce female leader who would not let the doubting of others discourage her from her dream.
“We constantly kept hearing, ‘Good idea, but you’re a black woman in the South; it’s not going to happen for you in tech,'” Ammons said.
Fast forward about five years, and the success of Mixtroz shut down all the haters with over $1 million in investor funding backing the dream. Mixtroz is a certified woman-owned business and attracting big-name investors such as Steve Case, Jeff Bezos and Sarah Blakley.
About Ashlee: Ashlee holds a BA in Mass Communications and Public Relations from Baldwin Wallace University. She is the 38th Black Female to raise over $1 million in pre-seed funding.
Ashlee serves on the boards of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and TechBirmingham, is a 2019 Birmingham Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient as well as Birmingham 40 Under 40 of the decade and Business Journals National Rising Star. In addition, Ashlee is a proud member of Delta Zeta Sorority where she was named to their first-ever 35 Under 35 in 2018.
For sticking it to the doubters, navigating a male-dominated industry, and showing courage and humility, we are overjoyed to name Ashlee Ammons as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Amber Hooks
When we think of supporters of the Birmingham community, the very first woman to come to mind is Amber Hooks.
Amber Hooks and her husband, Russell Hooks, founded Happenin’s in the Ham in 2015, which came from their deep desire to share and promote about the city that they were so intertwined in.
For Amber and Russell Hooks, it’s about having faith in the city of Birmingham and being a part of enriching community events and promoting great causes on their platform.
In addition to lifting up other causes, events, and people through her platform, Amber is a staff accountant at Hoar Construction.
As if two jobs were not enough, Amber still finds time to give back to the community around her. She serves at Junior League Bham and on the junior board of Impact Family Counseling. We’re inspired by her involvement and her dedication to giving back to those around her!
The nominator of Amber says: “She does so much via Happenin's, Junior League Bham, and Impact Family Counseling Junior Board that I think she'd be perfect for this!”
For her incredible community involvement, willingness to lift others up around her, and multi-tasking like a queen, we are elated to dub Amber Hooks as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Ginny Leavens
An attorney at Balch and Bingham, LLC., a small business co-owner, and a mother of four, Ginny Leavens is the shining example of a strong female leader in the Birmingham community.
During the day, Ginny and her husband Joe are practicing lawyers, but they also have a bagel super power. This year, the Leavens decided to take their business, Homewood Bagel Co. (HBC), to the next level with a brick and mortar location after receiving overwhelming community support and encouragement. Their bagels are out-of-this- world (and no, we’re not exaggerating, they’re amazing).
Ginny is kind to every person that she encounters, no matter how busy or crazy things get. We’re amazed at her ability to unwaveringly keep her eyes on the prize while opening the permanent location for Homewood Bagel Co. Her dedication and attention to detail during this project is evident in the ever-growing following that HBC is amassing along the way.
For her courage to leap into a new venture, her strength in motherhood, and her kindness towards others, we are so happy to name Ginny Leavens as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Ashlyn McClellan
Ashlyn McClellan has served as the PR and marketing manager at Alabama Ballet for almost three years now.
As PR and marketing manager, Ashlyn oversees community relations (which means you’ve probably seen her at Birmingham events), coordinates partnerships, creates and oversees content, and acts as the media contact for Alabama Ballet. Basically, she’s incredible.
Outside of her 9-5, Ashlyn offers public relations support to the central Alabama chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Plus, she volunteers at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Ashlyn is wickedly organized in any project that she works on. She works meticulously toward timelines and is the woman that you want on your team. She’s a collaboration star, and we love working with her. Alabama Ballet is lucky to have a communications champion like Ashlyn.
For her dedication to the Birmingham community, promoting positive collaboration across industries, and shining light wherever she goes, we are elated to name Ashlyn McClellan as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Tracy Bennett Smith
Tracy Bennett Smith serves as CEO and president of Make-a-Wish Alabama, overseeing 12 staff members and over 250 volunteers. Tracy has more than 19 years experience as a non-profit executive under her belt.
This year, Tracy and her team granted over 150 wishes (157 to be exact!) to children across the state of Alabama. That means, 157 children with serious illnesses had their wishes come true– whether that be a trip to Disney, a rockin’ party with their closest pals, or even a cruise.
Tracy has lived in Birmingham for almost 30 years. Since graduating the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Tracy has spent her entire working career working right here in the Magic City.
With her skill set and knack for leading incredible teams, Tracy could go anywhere, but she chooses to stay in Alabama to be a part of lifting up the community around her.
In 2017, the Birmingham Business Journal named her a Woman to Watch. It’s easy to see why: Tracy chooses to lead her career and her life with purpose.
For her positive leadership, her ability to inspire those around her, and her active choice to be a part of the solution in the state of Alabama, we are so excited to name Tracy Bennett Smith as a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Andrea Snyder
Andrea Snyder is the co-founder of Urban Cookhouse and Farm Bowl + Juice Co.
Andrea has been a driving force and leader behind creating two dining concepts and opening six restaurants across the state of Alabama over the past several years. She was able to take her vision and pursue it until it became a reality– tangible, successful eateries for people to gather and celebrate community.
One of her concepts, Urban Cookhouse, is all about supporting local farmers and growers. Several of their ingredients and products (looking at you, orange rolls!), are from Birmingham and the surrounding communities.
Andrea is also a part of a community group of female leaders who lift up and empower one another, and she actively voices her support for other women in the Birmingham area. In May (for Mother’s Day), she published an article on Al.com titled: Women Inspire Me Every Day.
For her leadership across the state, her support of other local businesses, and her dedication to empowering other women around her, we are thrilled to name Andrea Snyder a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Whitney Strauss
Whitney Strauss is a residential real estate agent, commercial real estate consultant, and works in sales for Aviate Brand.
At Aviate, Whitney finds ways to use their products and brand to connect people, whether it’s through our corporate gifting and co-branded headwear division, personal shopping, or jumping behind a booth to replay her retail sales days. Basically, if you need something done, she’s is your gal.
Whitney has over 10 years of local and national sales experience, but she has also held other titles like regional account manager. We know that this lady could be successful at anything she puts her mind to, so we’re thankful that she chose to put down roots right here in the lovely community of Birmingham.
Whitney was born and raised in Birmingham, AL. Her father, a corporate executive most of her life, surrounded Whitney with strong, creative, and caring business women who helped shape her vision of what she could be.
Whitney- a wife and mother- is proud to do the same for her daughter. She strives everyday to show her daughter the value of hard work and doing the right thing.
Whitney is passionate about Ovarian Cancer research and genetic cancer screening (she has the BRCA1 genetic mutation). She is also active in local youth initiatives, feline spay and neuter programs, and a proud supporter of Unless U.
For her dedication to taking the time to do it right, inclusivity across the Birmingham community, and strong dependability, we’re so excited to dub Whitney Strauss a 2019 Woman Making Waves.
Anita Turner
Anita Turner is the managing director at Corporate Realty Associates and is truly a force to be reckoned with.
If you look at the definition of “strong” in the dictionary you will undoubtedly see this lovely lady’s name. Anita pursues justice with passion, but she also shows compassion and empathy to everyone she comes into contact with.
Anita actively looks out for the women of her community, helping and mentoring in every possible way. From real estate to personal growth to professional development, she is pretty much an expert in just about everything.
Anita holds a J.D. from Pepperdine Law as well as an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of management. She has worked as an attorney, senior vice president, principal, and managing director during her incredibly successful career.
At home, she actively betters herself daily to set a great example for her two kiddos. For example, Anita gets up every day at 5 a.m. to work out with one of her children…every day…we’re not kidding.
For her active pursuits of justice, raw intelligence and strength, and courageously moving into male-dominated industries, we’re through-the-roof to name Anita Turner a 2019 Woman Making Waves.