For 15 years, the Terry College Professional Women’s Conference has brought together women from across metro Atlanta to share the triumphs and struggles that come with thriving in the workplace and at home.
“There is a ripple effect of what we learn in this room,” Ellie May (BBA ’01), controller and chief accounting officer at The Coca-Cola Company, told hundreds of women gathered at Coca-Cola headquarters for the 2025 Professional Women’s Conference.
May, who has attended the conference since its first years, shared that it was advice she received from an early Professional Women’s Conference that helped buoy her as she’s grown in her career and as a mother.
“I took home an important lesson from my first conference that I’ve carried for the rest of my career,” May said. “And that was that it takes a village to raise children and have a successful career. While that doesn’t seem like the most revolutionary thing, it was super important to me to hear it from someone on stage who had achieved success. It gave me permission and absolved me of a little guilt over the years when I had to lean into that village, whether it was professional or personal.”
Authenticity and vulnerability are what make the Terry’s Professional Women’s Conference a must-attend event for so many women in Atlanta. Each event is a mix of successful women sharing stories of problem-solving and overcoming obstacles, along with workshops on leadership and confidence.
This year’s conference featured a presentation on EY’s POWER Up — the company’s women’s leadership development initiative. Lauren Hebbel, a team effectiveness consultant with EY, conducts POWER Up training across EY — building teams of women from different teams to support each other through their leadership journeys.
She told a personal story about her mother and aunt, who achieved high levels of education only to be stymied by gender norms before they could enter the workforce.
“Flashforward, I think about future generations,” she said. “I have a 3-year-old daughter at home. I want her to believe and know she can be anything … It’s so important to me that we make the best of everything for ourselves so that it has this amazing ripple effect.
“I love creating a world where we’re all unstoppable and we can accomplish more than we thought was possible,” she added.
This year’s conference participants also heard from executive recruiter Mary Elizabeth Sadd (BBA ’87), who spoke about the importance of giving back and how focusing on future philanthropy can motivate women to achieve more in the workplace.
Conference attendees each received a copy of Mary Elizabeth’s new book, Living a Generous Life.
Atlanta-based mother-and-daughter entrepreneurs Lou Childs and Katy Mallory (ABJ ’05) discussed the risk-taking and confidence involved with starting their baby brand, SlumberPod. And leadership coach Alyssa Gallagher guided participants through a Multipliers leadership assessment.
In addition to professional development, the main purpose of the annual women’s conference is to recognize the Terry College students benefiting from the Mary Virginia Terry Student Support Fund.
This year’s honorees include MIS and marketing double major Eniola Badejo, finance major DeAnna Cunningham, finance major Aashna Raj and economics and political science major Anna Rachwalski.
Proceeds from this year’s Professional Women’s Conference benefited the Terry Edge Network (TEN), which helps students from all backgrounds to grow, build connections, and make a lasting impact within Terry and beyond. TEN is guided by five pillars—confidence and leadership, alumni network, student community, service, and health and wellness.