MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN

Business trailblazer named 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman

Judy Christie
Shreveport Times


Local business leader, volunteer and philanthropist Markey Pierre has been named the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman.

Markey Pierre is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

The surprise announcement was made Friday by Nell Shehee, daughter of Virginia K. Shehee, at a luncheon ceremony at East Ridge Country Club. 

Pierre is the president and managing partner of Southern Strategy Group of North Louisiana, a lobbying and government relations firm, and knew from the second grade at Platt Elementary in Bossier Parish that she wanted to own a business. 

That dream continued at Haughton High School in the 1980s, when she said she wanted to be “a successful business owner that makes at least $150,000 a year and living in Washington, D.C.”

Nell Shehee, Virginia Shehee's daughter, speaks at the 2018 Most Influential Woman Awards luncheon Friday.

She achieved her business ownership goal but chose to make her home in Shreveport, making frequent trips to D.C. and consulting around the country. 

Six finalists for the award were celebrated for their service, leadership and commitment to a variety of causes in North Louisiana. The other finalists are: Cassie Hammett, founder of The Hub urban ministries; Verni Howard, executive director of Providence House; Margaret Olmedo, M.D., associate professor and program director, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, LSU Health, Shreveport; Mary Smith, owner of IMA Louisiana and Access Health; and Angie White, senior vice president, North Louisiana Economic Partnership. 

The 2018 Most Influential Woman Awards luncheon was Friday at East Ridge Country Club.

Like each of the six finalists for the award, Pierre is a busy woman who travels often and missed the awards ceremony, returning from a 50th birthday trip to Dubai with a dozen women friends. Upon being named a finalist, she was interviewed both from her Shreveport office and on a business trip to New York and videoed before a recent trip to San Francisco.

Cassie Hammett is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

She is recognized for her breadth of relationships and her ability to bring leaders together from all corners of Louisiana. “She has been a pioneer and trailblazer in many non-traditional roles for African-Americans and women alike,” a nominator said.

Pierre has a doctorate in business administration from Walden University and focuses on helping people develop their potential.

Verni Howard is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

Her volunteer work touches organizations as diverse as the Pearls for Humanity Foundation and the Association for Louisiana Lobbyists.  She served as the first African-American chairman of the board for the Independence Bowl and as the first African-American female chairman of the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. 

 The award is particularly special, she said in an interview, because she knew Shehee personally and appreciated the lessons Shehee taught through stories.

Shehee was one of the first people Pierre turned to for guidance when she opened her firm. “She was so passionate about giving back to our community,” Pierre said, “and making sure in our discussions that I understood the weight that came with that responsibility.” 

Dr. Margaret Olmedo is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

A volunteer throughout her life, Pierre credits her upbringing by her grandparents in the Bossier Parish town of Princeton for her commitment to service.  

“My grandparents were always helping someone, and I just mimicked what I saw them do,” she says. “I have an amazing family, and I could not do what I do without them. I love that Winfield family.”

She depends upon her faith to guide all of her decisions. “Every morning I wake up, and I pray and ask God to make me the best woman I can be,” she says. “Every aspect of my life is guided by the word of God.”

The 2018 Most Influential Woman Awards luncheon was Friday at East Ridge Country Club.

The president of the Mission Project Foundation for her church, Union Mission Baptist Church No. 1, she is helping start a program to increase social competency, leadership skills and positive racial identity for students ages 7 to 17.

“We’ve got to do a much better job with our young people to make sure they’re well-rounded,” she said.

Mary Smith is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

A board member of the Bossier Parish Community College Foundation, she funds the Essie Mae Winfield Pursuit of Excellence scholarship in honor of her grandmother.  She also funds a scholarship at the University of Louisiana in Monroe in memory of her late husband, Louis Tramell Pierre, who tragically died of colon cancer in 1991 at only age 23.

The scholarships allow students from traditionally underserved populations to attend college.

“I want to see all children succeed. I want single mothers to gain their independence through thoughtful and deliberate learned skills,” she said. “I want to help empower those whose strength was stolen from them.” 

This is the fourth year for the presentation of the award, created by Red River Bank and The Times. All honorees received engraved crystal awards bearing the image of Virginia K. Shehee, longtime civic leader, businesswoman and philanthropist.

“This is one of our favorite days of the year,” Times Executive Editor Jeff Gauger said at the luncheon.

The work of each of the six was highlighted in videos and in remarks from Master of Ceremonies Peggy W. Murphy, PhD, recipient of the 2017 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman Award. 

Angie White is a finalist for the 2018 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman award.

“You are being recognized for an award named for a phenomenal woman,” Murphy said, “and are included in a group of amazing women who give their best for our community.”

Chosen by a panel of area leaders, the six women exemplify the leadership, philanthropy and volunteerism shown by Virginia K. Shehee, who died in 2015. 

Like each of the finalists, Pierre believes that involvement is important for both volunteers and North Louisiana. “I believe that our community is only as good as its people,” she said, “and we all have a responsibility to help those in need.”

She stressed that no effort is too small. “We can all make a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “I would encourage an individual to look at their passion and find an organization that addresses or serves that purpose.”

Nell Shehee

In addition to the etched crystal award given to each finalist, Pierre received a traveling piece of crystal that rotates among winners, with names of top recipients engraved on it. 
Main sponsors for the award are Red River Bank and The Shreveport Times.

Cornerstone sponsors are Sid Potts and Gumbeaux Productions. Nominating sponsor is Holly Roca, Keller Williams real estate agent. Supporting sponsors are BRF, Sloan’s Formals and Professional Tax & Accounting Services.