Seven dedicated and hardworking Nashville women have been selected as inductees into the 2014 Academy for Women of Achievement. They will be honored at the 23nd annual Academy for Women of Achievement celebration and induction dinner on Thursday, Oct. 2. The event is presented by the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee and First Tennessee.

The 2014 honorees are Janet Ayers, president, The Ayers Foundation; Rosetta Miller-Perry, publisher and CEO, The Tennessee Tribune; Rita Mitchell, executive vice president, First Tennessee; Phyllis Qualls-Brooks, executive director, Tennessee Economic Council on Women; Abby Rubenfeld, attorney and partner, The Rubenfeld Law Office; and Laura Smith Tidwell, general counsel and vice president of corporate affairs, Nashville Electric Service.

Seigenthaler Public Relations is the 2014 corporate honoree. Corporate honorees are chosen based on their commitment to helping women enter the workforce and advance in their careers, and for providing a positive work environment for female employees.

“These individuals and our corporate honoree have impacted our community in such wonderful ways and truly serve as leaders and role models,” said AWA co-chairwoman Kathy Cloninger. “We look forward to honoring and recognizing their achievements in October.”

Event co-chairwoman Susan Short Jones said of this year’s Academy, “These established women deserve recognition for all they’ve done. The Nashville and Middle Tennessee community is a better place because of their inspiring work.”

The Academy for Women of Achievement was launched locally in 1992 by the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee. The AWA honors women who, through excellence and leadership in their chosen fields, serve as role models for other women. This year’s recipients join 131 other women who hold this distinctive honor.

The Academy judging committee, composed of business and community leaders, chose the honorees from an exceptional list of nominees.

The awards celebration will be held Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Tickets are $200 ($130 tax-deductible). Tickets and tables can be purchased before Oct. 11 at (615) 983-5110. For more information about the YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement, please visit www.ywcanashville.com.

Proceeds from the AWA recognition dinner help fund the programs of the YWCA, including the Weaver Domestic Violence Center, which helps families leave abusive households and start new lives. The YWCA also offers a Family Literacy Center, providing free GED® and HiSET preparation to individuals and families. Girls Inc. at the YWCA mentors middle and elementary school girls in numerous Nashville schools, and Dress for Success Nashville will be opening in the summer of 2014 to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women in Middle Tennessee by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

The YWCA exists to educate and encourage women and to help break down barriers that perpetuate racism, violence and hopelessness.