Among the many hats worn by Juanita Baranco are membership on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, a trustee of Clark Atlanta University, member of the board of directors for Georgia Power, John Harland Co., the Woodruff Arts Center, and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia. Her awards include the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers and many prestigious honors for entrepreneurial excellence. A life-long learner, a sought-after keynote speaker, a frequent mentor, and a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Juanita is the very essence of a modern woman.

It was another strong African American woman from the South, Barbara Jordan, former Congresswoman from Texas, now deceased, who first inspired Juanita when she was only a girl growing up in Shreveport, LA. Juanita admired Ms. Jordan because she was a lawyer, an extremely articulate speaker and orator, and because she was very committed to important causes of her time. Ms. Baranco, too, became a lawyer and her admiration for the Congresswoman grew even more – for the power she had and the respect she commanded among so many people and leaders across the nation. Ms. Jordan stood tall and strong in a male world and yet was equally comfortable with her femininity. "Barbara Jordan’s legislative legacy and her accomplishments are great," says Juanita, "but equally great was her dignity in her illness and her death."

A contemporary leader, an Atlanta icon for leadership – Bill Dahlberg, CEO of the Southern Company – is the male role model Juanita selected. Known for thinking "outside the box" and for his influence and power in the business world and the community at large, Bill Dahlberg is admired most for using this power for the "greater good" – not for himself. Juanita sees him as a stellar inspiration to everyone who knows that he started as a meter reader and worked his way / led his way to the top. She also is quick to point out that "Bill married well – to a very bright and supportive woman without whom he just may not be the Bill Dahlberg we know today."

About the author: Susan B. Hitchcock, vice president – development for the Turknett Leadership Group in Atlanta, is also founder / creator of The Age of SHEroes – a research initiative and information resource dedicated to female role models and women of achievement of the new Millennium. Susan is currently researching a book, which will include compelling profiles and perspectives from females of all ages in fields from aerospace to zoology across the 50 states. For additional information about this initiative or to contribute ideas for the research, please contact Susan at 843-363-2568.