By Allison Flexner

A bevy of women and a few men came together to hear the President & CEO of Metro Atlanta Chamber Katie Kirkpatrick discuss ‘Women Leading Through Philanthropy.’  Who better to moderate that conversation than Amara Walker, CNN Correspondent and co-anchor of CNN This Morning Weekend and CNN Newsroom on CNN Max and CNN International?

These two highly successful women shared their journeys to where they are today, how they broke barriers, overcame challenges and inspired others, giving the audience plenty of takeaways. Both were raised with a strong work ethic and acknowledge that women tend to ‘carry the load’ at a time when society is challenged to overcome divisive fear and increased economic disparity, especially in Atlanta. Kirkpatrick said women bring something different to the table, “One hundred percent. We have to be in the room where decisions are being made.” Women, she said, were the first iteration of diversity.

The Women’s Leadership Breakfast was organized by the Tiffany Circle of the Red Cross of Georgia and hosted by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP. The Tiffany Circle is a community of women leaders who advance the Red Cross mission through a focused investment of time, talent and treasure by engaging women locally, nationally and internationally.

Kirkpatrick, an Auburn University graduate, followed in the footsteps of other family members when she earned a degree in civil engineering as one of four women in a class of more than 240 students. She said she learned critical thinking and how to solve problems, skills which helped her when she found herself doing a lot of what she calls ‘social engineering’ to affect decisions. She started working at Gold Kist, a large farm cooperative and agricultural company based in the Atlanta area with operations throughout the southeast.  Kirkpatrick would travel to farm stores in small towns doing environmental audits. She described herself as a young, blond little thing, right out of college and said, “I learned very quickly to adapt and think about my audience.”

Tip #1: If you want to lead, don’t wait for permission.
Kirkpatrick said the company was 90% men at the time. “There were no women leaders in the company. I was so blessed because the men there were really good mentors.” She credits one of them, her boss at the time, for giving her license to be assertive. “He said to me you have value, you have something to say. You need to speak up…I started that day and never looked back.” She added that she learned to be an active listener later in her career. Fun fact: Kirkpatrick says over 60% of the Chamber’s employees are women.

Walker grew up in southern California, wanting to be a television journalist. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in journalism and political science yet didn’t see a lot of Asian American women on the screen. In her early career days in Palm Springs, California, and Miami, she faced stereotypes and derogatory comments, but she said it, “was par for the course for me, I never really carried it on my back.” Then in 2021, a man shot eight people dead at three Atlanta area spas, six of whom were of Asian descent. As one of a few Asian American anchors at CNN, she was asked to commentate on the rise in Asian hate and speak for the Asian American community. “That’s when I realized, oh my gosh, Amara. You could have slapped me in the face. You’re carrying the weight of all your people and you realize the responsibility,” Walker said. Yet being Asian American, “has been an asset in many ways because I’ve been able to give voice to a group.”

Tip #2: Build relationships around trust, authenticity and inclusivity.
When Kirkpatrick started going to these farm stores she realized she needed to focus on “Who am I talking to? What do they care about? What motivates them?” She would ask the men running the stores to tell her their stories to build a trusting relationship. “I just kind of flipped it to where they had a little more ownership instead of me, validating them as a person. They may be doing the wrong things but in order to get them to do the right things, they have to see you as a partner, not someone who is an adversary,” said Kirkpatrick. She continues to make herself a partner in business and in the community by getting to know people and by being authentic.

Tip #3: Celebrate the small wins, hard work moves the needle.
When it comes to leading through philanthropy and strengthening our communities, Kirkpatrick likes to remind leaders to focus on the possible, not the perfect. “We tend to say that ‘only once we achieve this, have we succeeded.’” She learned this advice from Sam Williams, a former president at the Chamber. “You have to celebrate the small wins  –  I don’t think we do that enough…I mean we’re really good at talking about what’s not going well. So, I’m not saying we need to be all sunshine, flowers and balloons, because we have to call out authentically what the challenges are. But then we talk about how we're gonna solve them, and maybe share that we took one big step forward on this issue,” said Kirkpatrick.

Tip #4: Pay attention to how you show up and present yourself.
A roomful of men can be a lot of grey and navy when it comes to their clothing choices, notes Kirkpatrick, who was wearing a yellow and purple blouse. “The reality is I made a conscious decision probably 20 years ago that I needed to stand out in a room. I didn't need to be just the lone woman sitting down with ten other men...I need to stand out. And so I really thought that the way I present myself was very important,” said Kirkpatrick.

After complimenting Walker on her magenta-pink suit, Kirkpatrick added, “I don't mean that we need to look beautiful. I just think that confidence comes through, and you can authentically present yourself when you walk into a room.”

Walker’s parents are Korean immigrants. She says she was taught to keep her head down and work hard. She explained in her culture, “You know we’re not the loudest. We’re the ones that may wear a darker color and blend into the background.” While she realized it came from the right place, she said, “I’m the one who is going to wear the bright colors. I’m going to be the one standing in the middle of the room because I deserve to be here as much as everyone else.”

To learn more about the Red Cross Tiffany Circle, its members and their impact, please visit: redcross.org/tiffanycircle