Black Women

Tirza Howard was born and raised in Winchester, Kentucky. She currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her two children, Dayzhen Cooper and Taraji Cooper. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from Indiana University.

Tirza worked in Human Resources for 8 years at a local utility company. Doing that time, she assumed various roles in HR. She led company-wide initiatives, facilitated trainings, handled employee issues, and additional jobs as assigned. She obtained many certificates and certifications while working in Corporate America.

Today, Tirza is an entrepreneur working as a realtor for Diamond Key Realtors. She serves the Greater Louisville and Lexington Bluegrass areas. She is passionate about helping people understand the importance of homeownership. She delivers services and solutions that help build, preserve, and manage wealth.

Given that real estate is a great way to build generational wealth, her desire is to educate and help individuals, families, and businesses while sharing wealth-building strategies with as many people as possible. Tirza enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She loves watching her son play baseball and her daughter dance.

Tirza Howard

Faith Robinson Thompson is a believer and disciple of Christ Jesus. A Kentucky native, born in Winchester and reared in Lexington, many of her childhood summers were spent in Winchester with her now deceased grandparents Isaac and Mary Bruton and many other extended family members. Faith is the daughter of Elizabeth “Libby” Bruton (Robinson) Gay and the late Harvey Robinson Jr. (both of Winchester, KY). The youngest of four children: Brothers Harvey Robinson and Craig Robinson; Sister Regina (Robinson) Hampton. Faith is married to Darryl D. Thompson of Chattanooga, Tennessee. They have two children: Son Emory Thompson (25), and daughter, E’mori Thompson (15). Faith enjoys time spent communing with the Lord praying, reading, studying, and ministering God’s word, time spent with her husband, children, shopping, and the beach.

Faith Thompson is a 27-year veteran educator who currently serves as Chief of Elementary Schools for Fayette County Public School (FCPS) in Lexington, Kentucky. A graduate of Bryan Station High School (Lexington, KY), Faith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kentucky State University, a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Leadership Certifications in the Principalship and Superintendency from the University of Kentucky. Throughout her professional tenure she has served as a high school teacher/department chairperson (Bryan Station High School, FCPS), Branch Manager at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Middle School Associate Principal Leestown Middle School, (FCPS), Freshman Academy Principal (George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester, KY), and Director of Student Support Services (FCPS).

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) is an inspirational quote she prescribes to and often leave with her learners and readers as a word of encouragement.

Faith Robinson Thompson

Leighnia Nance is a Winchester native. She is the oldest daughter of Timothy and Arlene Nance. She joined Broadway Missionary Baptist Church at a very young age. After graduating from George Rogers Clark High school, she went on to attend Morehead State University. She obtained an associate degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Early on in her nursing career, she worked at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and she also worked part-time at Clark Regional Medical Hospital. She was born a leader and has taught pediatric nursing at several local colleges and universities. She also mentored new graduate nurses and first-year medical students.

In 2015, she graduated with Honors from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Master’s degree in nursing and is a nationally board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She currently works for Baptist Health Medical Group Internal Medicine. She has a passion for wellness and preventative screenings and also Women’s health. She also acts as a preceptor for Nurse practitioner programs, showing students how to practice as a primary care provider. One thing she always says and tells her patients, “God has called me to serve in this capacity. I will provide my patients with the same care I would give my family. Everyone has a past, and we all have a future. My job is to help you on your journey to wellness and advocate for you.

Leighnia T. Nance, MSN, APRN,
FNP-BC

Tammie Skinner is one to put God and family first. She is the daughter of the late Donald and Rosa Skinner, Sr. She is the youngest of 5 children. Tammie started her career at Lexmark international in 1997 as a manufacturing employee. During her time at Lexmark she also finished her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and graduated Cum Laude from Sullivan University in 2005.

Tammie managed to work full time throughout the process while also raising her daughter, Adaisha Skinner. Though school and work kept her plate full, she never missed moment or event for Adaisha. Tammie worked at Lexmark for 22 years and held several high-level positions. By the time she left she was the Worldwide Business Operations Key User which required her to travel out of the country.

Tammie left Lexmark in 2019 to pursue an opportunity at Lockheed Martin as a Senior Financial Analyst. Tammie also volunteered her time at homeless shelters and other organizations centered around doing for others. She's always managed to help others while working to achieve great success for herself. Prayer and faith have guided her journey and will continue to do so.

Tammie Skinner

Maisha Jack was born and raised in Winchester, Kentucky, the Bluegrass State. A mother, educator, entrepreneur, author, publisher, and owner of The Honey Butter Company, LLC, Maisha attended and graduated from Eastern Kentucky University where she earned a full basketball scholarship and academic honors.

Maisha majored in Early Childhood Development: Interdisciplinary with a minor in Special Education and taught two years in Lexington, Kentucky before moving to Georgia, where she has been an educator for 21 additional years. With a Master’s degree in Instruction in Education and a Specialist Degree in Leadership: K-12 from Central Michigan University, Maisha continues to be an advocate for children and an agent for change. Using her dual certification in General Education and in Special Education, Maisha has dedicated her life to ensuring equality and access for all students and their families.

Maisha considers her faith and family to be most important to her and if she is not spending time with her friends and family, you can almost always find her watching college and professional basketball and football.

Using her life’s experiences, creative talents, educational background, and determination to navigate through the struggles of her family, Maisha recently self-published, “A Day’s Journey To Jordan”, where she shares stories of pain, strife, stamina, healing, and forgiveness. Maisha hopes that as the reader walks through, “A Day’s Journey to Jordan”, that understanding, ownership, healing, and forgiveness can change not only the trajectory of those affected in her family, but those who may be able to relate and transform their own mindset on the decisions that people may make for survival.

Maisha Jack

Satessa Grimes was born and raised in Winchester, KY. A graduate of George Rogers Clark High she went on to pursue her undergraduate degree in Health Services Administration from Wilberforce University in Ohio. Post-graduation she completed her Master of Science degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. She has worked in healthcare for several years, most recently as the Clinical Research Director at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. With over ten years of training and experience, she is known for her organizational skills, project management and guiding teams through their high stress, constant changing environments. After only one year with the organization, she was awarded Employee of the Year. Satessa credits much of her success to having a servant leader mindset and building relationships through service to others.

When not working, Satessa is involved with her Sorors of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. with a variety of community service events. She currently serves as the Elections Chair for the chapter. She also serves as the Program Manager for her husband's travel basketball team. As a wife, mom, sister and friend she works to show that there are no limits to the goals you set, you just must put in the work to achieve the desired results.

Satessa Grimes

Lisa Embry is experienced in business, with an emphasis on contract management and cost estimating. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Her current position involves working with a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Government Contracting Office to provide estimates based on change orders to the current contract then she develops the cost and price analysis after receipt of the contractor’s proposal.

She has achieved several accolades for creating an estimating EXCEL model for the estimating that takes an hour on average depending on the size of the change order. Additionally, she is creating a model for completing the cost and price analysis for change proposals. The model takes about three days to complete basically due to the large set of documents including in the proposal not completing the model.

Lisa currently works at the National Aeronautical, Space, and Administration in Greenbelt, MD. The work she provides affects the low earth orbiting satellites that assist with predicting the weather.

Lisa Embry

Janet Beard

Homeownership is a wealth equalizer in the U.S., but there is a disparity between Blacks and whites owning homes. The Census Bureau reported in 2020 that 73% of white families own their home as compared to Black famillies at 44%. Janet Beard, mortgage loan officer at WesBanco, says she understands the barriers Black loan applicants face, and is committed to securing home financing solutions for each of her borrowers’ unique situations. “I am in a direct position to help change the trajectory and help close the homeownership and racial wealth gap for Black Americans.”

Beard spent 14 years as the vice-president/manager of community and economic development at Fifth Third Bank. She is the former co-chair of the Lexington Bluegrass Area Minority Business Expo.

The Winchester Black History & Heritage Committee is thrilled to see all that these young ladies have achieved and could not possibly be any prouder when we think about what they have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.

It is one thing to have dreams, but it is another to act and turn those dreams into reality. These young ladies are not only dreamers, but they are also doers. We congratulate each one on all their achievements! We will continue to be here watching and rooting for each of these phenomenal women and feel privileged to watch their journey.

WINCHESTER BLACK HISTORY
AND HERITAGE COMMITTEE

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