Kim Reese

I've been in the insurance field for 36 years, starting with a summer job right after high school. After working at a bank for about a year and being laid off, I went back to insurance because it was what was available, and I never pursued anything else once I got my foot back in the door. But my real passion is my women's empowerment work. I've always led women's groups in my church, and then I branched out and created my own Women's Empowerment initiative. We host an annual luncheon that has grown to about 400 ladies, and the growth is still growing. Each year we have a different speaker come in, and we give away a lot to women that might be in need - gift cards for groceries, gift cards to CVS to help with prescriptions. We also recognize senior women and present a Leading Lady Award during the luncheon. Event planning is one of my areas of expertise, and I'm passionate about decorating, planning events, and bringing women together. My most notable professional achievement is being an encouragement to others - that's so big for me.