Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa and the Glow Up Leadership and Mentoring Nonprofit Organization are celebrating Women’s History Month by honoring the Phenomenal Women of West Alabama.

92.9 WTUG, Praise 93.3, 95.3 The Bear, ME-TV 97.5, Catfish 100.1, Tide 100.9, ALT 101.7, 105.1 The Block and our free digital news outlet the Tuscaloosa Thread is excited to recognize the empowered women of  Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties.

Susie Harris is a Phenomenal Woman of West Alabama

“It is so important that we celebrate women and their significant contributions throughout history during this month. This month is also an opportunity to celebrate what women are doing now to improve their communities. Whether the contribution is big or small, it is indeed making a difference in the lives of others.”  - Susie Harris

Susie Harris is the community relations manager for Alabama Power serving Hale, Greene, and Pickens counties. In her role, she is responsible for ensuring economic and community development growth in her area by identifying and implementing strategic initiatives that improve the overall quality of life for the Black Belt communities.

Being community-minded, Harris has been successful in leading change in her area by offering her leadership, resources, and expertise to the organizations she is a part of. Most recently, she worked with the City of Greensboro to secure a $15,000 grant from the Tombigbee Resource Conservation and Development Council to make significant improvements to Smith Park for children and families to enjoy. Due to the rise in COVID-19 at the time, children had limited access to safe activities outside of their homes. Harris organized the construction of a new pavilion and installation of picnic tables, as well as partnered with Auburn Rural Studio to clean up debris from previous tornado damage and update the basketball court.

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Additionally, she led an effort to restore the Lions Park Community Baseball program by bringing together local leaders and organizations, securing funding, and restoring the ball fields. Her contributions helped relaunch the baseball program and resulted in more than 100 children registering for the upcoming season.

Harris serves in several leadership roles in Hale, Greene, and Pickens counties. She is chairwoman of the Hale County Industrial Development Board, president of the City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Board, and vice president of the Greensboro Lions Club. Additionally, she serves on the boards for Project Horseshoe Farm, Shelton State Community College Foundation, Pickens County Industrial Development Authority, the Aliceville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Hale County College and Career Academy Advisory Board.

She also serves as president of the Western Division Chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization – an employee-led volunteer organization. This past year, Harris was integral in implementing several projects and fundraisers. One of note was the chapter’s annual game day parking fundraiser which members contributed 122 volunteer hours and raised more than $32,000 to support seven area non-profit organizations – Arts ‘n Autism, Baseball Country, Five Horizons, Civil Air Patrol, Eagles’ Wings of Tuscaloosa, Bridge Builder Friendship Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama.

Harris began her career at Alabama Power in 1997 and has several years of experience in the company’s business operations and customer service. She began her role as a community relations manager in 2020. Harris’ passion for serving others extends beyond her role at Alabama Power and she is dedicated to being a part of enhancing the West Alabama region by ensuring it is a great place for its residents to call home.

West Alabama is a thriving area of the Yellowhammer State with women creating history at every step. If you know of a woman that deserved to be highlighted for her accomplishments please email maryk@townsquaremedia.com

LOOK: Milestones in women's history from the year you were born

Women have left marks on everything from entertainment and music to space exploration, athletics, and technology. Each passing year and new milestone makes it clear both how recent this history-making is in relation to the rest of the country, as well as how far we still need to go. The resulting timeline shows that women are constantly making history worthy of best-selling biographies and classroom textbooks; someone just needs to write about them.

Scroll through to find out when women in the U.S. and around the world won rights, the names of women who shattered the glass ceiling, and which country's women banded together to end a civil war.

KEEP READING: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories

Every person has their own story to tell. Here's a collection of some of The Tuscaloosa Thread's original features spotlighting individuals in and around West Alabama for their unique stories.

Top Stories From The Tuscaloosa Thread (1/10-1/14)

 

 

 

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