HPU names new members to women's council

The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·3 min read

Jun. 4—HIGH POINT — High Point University's Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women's Leadership Council has inducted four new members and appointed a new chairwoman, Laurna Godwin, owner and president of Vector Communications Corp., and a new vice chairwoman, Sue Downes, CEO and co-founder of MyEyeDr.

The council was established in August 2020 as a part of Elizabeth Miller Strickland's $12 million gift to HPU. The council focuses on empowering women to be strong, independent leaders as an important life skill through seminars and programs by successful women who are leaders within their own communities and industries.

The new officers are:

—Laurna Godwin, chair. Godwin a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia University, is the owner and president of Vector Communications Corp., a communications and engagement consulting firm that she co-founded in 1998. During her career, she was recognized with an Emmy Award for her broadcast journalism on three different occasions, in addition to numerous other awards.

—Sue Downes, vice chair. An inaugural member of the council, Downes has been active with the group since January 2021. She is the CEO and co-founder of MyEyeDr., which has more than 600 locations across 25 states and the District of Columbia. She had an extensive career in the eye care industry prior to starting the company, and has worked in almost every area of the eye care field for more than 30 years.

The new members are:

—Joy Atkinson, president and CEO of Presperse, a cosmetic ingredient company. Based in New Jersey, Presperse is the only United States-based company run by a female CEO. She graduated from Georgia State University in 1983 with a bachelor of business administration and joined the JCPenney Management Training program, where she was first exposed to the cosmetic and fragrance industry. Over the years, she held corporate positions with several international cosmetic and fragrance companies including Tsumura International, Firmenich and Symrise before she took her current role with Presperse.

—Shonn Brown, vice president and deputy general counsel at Kimberly-Clark Corp., a $19 billion consumer packaged goods company, where she advises on matters of public policy. She is an established corporate and community leader, known for her strategic planning, risk management, governance and advocacy skills. Brown earned bachelor of science and law degrees from Southern Methodist University.

—Dr. Carli Loss, a dentist who is part of the team at Epic Orthodontics in Knoxville, Tennessee, which has been voted one of the best orthodontists and the best place to work (under 50 employees) in the 2021 Cityview Best of Contest. Loss is a High Point University alumna, graduating in 2012. In 2017, she graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a doctor of dental surgery, and from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with a degree and certificate in orthodontics.

—Martha Yarborough, a lifelong educator who after graduating from Greensboro College in 1966 went on to teach in Guilford County Schools, including a stint at Ferndale Middle School. She spent much of her career working with at-risk and special-needs students. In retirement, she became a founding member of Women in Motion, a women's initiative for the High Point, Jamestown, Archdale and Trinity, North Carolina areas that focuses on supporting and encouraging women in the workplace.

Other women currently serving on the council include Elizabeth Miller Strickland, Cynthia Strickland Graham, Christine B. Cottrell, Heidi E. Hatfield, Deborah Kennedy Kennard, Lindsay D. Scott and Betsy L. Turner.