Special Event
Leading Ladies
HONORING ‘LEADING LADIES’ OF TALLAHASSEE
March 24, 2025 — 8:30am to 10am
The Governors Club
On the global stage, the United Nations declared 1975 as International Women’s Year, and in Tallahassee, it was the time Tina Williams founded Young Actors Theatre (YAT). Since then, YAT has inspired generations of community members through the magic of performing arts, with alumni winning Emmy Awards and shooting for the stars at NASA.
In practicing skills at the heart of the performing arts, children use their imaginations to dream without limits. On March 24, 2025, YAT is honoring exceptional women who actualize big dreams for our community at the Leading Ladies Breakfast, presented by our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsor Prime Meridian Bank.
Held at The Governor’s Club, the event will shine a spotlight on Leading Ladies who exemplify qualities of the strong female characters that YAT presents on stage – resilient and optimistic innovators, collaborators, placemakers.
The event also serves as a fundraiser to invest in the next generation of talent, Young Actors students!
2025 Class of Leading Ladies:
Terrie Ard, Partner, President, and COO, The Moore Agency
Ashley Chaney, Owner, Hayward House
Carla Connors, PhD, President, The Artist Series of Tallahassee
Sandra Mortham, Former Secretary of State, Florida
Wanda Rivera-Ferri, 25 Year Teaching Artist, Young Actors Theatre
Emily Schrowang, Creative Producer, John Gandy Event Productions
Ava Van Valen, Anchor, WCTV
Mitzi Ward, Event Specialist, Vivid Sky Productions
2024 Class of Leading Ladies:
Berneice Cox, United Way of the Big Bend
Elizabeth Emmanuel, Bicentennial Steering Committee
Alison Grimes, Young Actors Theatre
Anna Johnson, WCTV
Valencia Matthews, PhD, FAMU Essential Theatre
Paula Smith, Philanthropist
Jai Vartikar, PhD, First Lady, Florida State University
2023 Class of Leading Ladies:
Alyssa Beaubien, Director, Tallahassee YoungLife
Avis Berry, Vocalist, LCS Educator
Kathryn Karrh Cashin, PhD, Resident Choreographer of The Tallahassee Ballet
Kira Derryberry, President, Professional Photographers of America
Martha Greunder, TLH Features Editor, The Tallahassee Democrat
Laura Rodgers, Program Director, Best & Brightest
The Honorable Allison Tant, Member, Florida House of Representatives
The Honorable Dianne Williams-Cox, Mayor Pro-Tem, City of Tallahassee
2022 Class of Leading Ladies:
Anjali Austin, Chairperson, Florida State University School of Dance
Sally Bradshaw, Founder, Midtown Reader
Virginia Glass, Founder, 100 Women Who Care
Lea Marshall, Drama Teacher, Leon High School
Dr. Michelle Mitcham, Publisher, Tallahassee Woman Magazine
Heather Mitchell, Executive Director, TCC Foundation
Julie Montanaro, Anchor, WCTV
Karen Moore, Founder & CEO, The Moore Agency
Elizabeth Ricci, Partner, Rambana & Ricci, P.L.L.C.
Judy Sheridan, Developer, The Sheridan Center for the Arts
Susan Payne Turner, Executive Vice President, Prime Meridian Bank
Tina Williams, Founder, Young Actors Theatre
Meet with our CEO
Sarah Doolin Roy
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah Roy comes to YAT from American Ballet Theatre (ABT), where she was Director of Marketing Communications & Strategic Partnerships. At ABT, Roy worked with Random House, American Express, LG, HBO, Lincoln Center, & more. In 2020, she was a Women in Power Fellow at the 92Y. Roy previously served as Communications Director at New American Economy, a bipartisan coalition of 500 CEOs and mayors for immigration reform. She was a Deputy Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a current term member of the Think Tank. In 2013, she acted as Communications Director for a negotiation process to maintain peace in Northern Ireland. Roy holds an MPA from New York University’s School of Public Service and graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College.