Memphis Lambuth hosts "Lunch with a Leader" to connect women with women leaders in Jackson

JACKSON, TENN (WNBJ)-

Students, staff and faculty attended “Lunch with a Leader” today at the University of Memphis Lambuth.

The guest on the panel were University of Memphis alumna Trunetta Atwater who is the founder of Soul Collective,

Lisa Deaton, a Lambuth University alumna who is the COO of Palm Development, and Lauren Kirk, a University of Memphis alumna, who is director of performance management for the city of Jackson.

Kirk said, “I love giving back to my community and loved giving back, especially to my alma mater, University of Memphis. And it was a great opportunity to just represent what graduates of Memphis can do and open the doors for students to think about their possibilities for the future.”

The three women spoke about their experiences in the workplace and the challenges and discrimination they have faced.

“I always leave really inspired and challenged by these kinds of conversations. You know, it's hard to talk about some of these things and the challenges that women face in leadership. But i think if we don't talk about it, we'll be kind of alone when we face it," Kirk said.

Kirk was grateful to be able to pour into women at her alma mater, “I wouldn't be where I'm at in my career today if it wasn't for the mentorship of other women and the support of other women. And just really grateful to be able to give that back to future leaders and students that are in the room today.”