Ms. InterPReted

In the category of female mentorship and the servant-leader model, there could be no more compelling a duo than these two guests, who’ve advised countless organizations and mentored hundreds of colleagues in their careers . . .

Sharon Hannum and Joy Bishop are two East Tennessee powerhouses in the business and philanthropic communities, each with careers spanning decades – including Sharon’s 30 years with Alcoa Inc. (now Arconic) and Joy’s 30 years with the U.S. Air Force civil service.

Both Athena Award winners, Joy’s and Sharon’s careers as trailblazing women include numerous “firsts” in several of the organizations they served, as either the first women to hold certain posts, or, in Sharon’s case, the first African American as well.


Their wisdom and insights for women and men alike to realize career success are informed by the realities of the cultures they encountered when first starting their careers, as well as modern-day evolutions of workforce, employer and employee expectations.

Show Notes

Show Notes:

In Episode 17, Kelly and Mary Beth interview two women whose wit, grit and wisdom on the subjects of career and community success make for one of the most compelling episodes yet of #MsInterPReted.
  • Sharon Hannum and Joy Bishop share:
  • Their personal stories of entering their respective careers in male-dominated work environments (heavy manufacturing and military, respectively) and in an era when the women’s movement was only just beginning (the 1970s) and racial equality ethics were not widely discussed – much less implemented – in many workforce environments;  
  •  How both dealt with overt incidents of discrimination in their careers while forging positive careers forward;
  • How the strategies and techniques of getting a career foothold have changed over the years… and what aspects have stayed the same; 
  • Why it’s so important that woman-to-woman support systems are positive ones and not of a negative scarcity-mentality that play into common stereotypes;
  • What companies often do wrong in the area of community involvement … and what changes they should make to get things right.

 Links:

What is Ms. InterPReted?

Public Relations stands as one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted areas of business and organizational management. With Fletcher Marketing PR Founder and CEO Kelly Fletcher and Senior Strategist Mary Beth West, we’re here to turn around PR’s own bad PRess, cut through the nomenclature, and demystify public relations as the best pathway to create, grow and amplify the roots of positive management, communications, culture and careers -- for success that matters.