Paris, Tenn.–Two women from Paris have been named among the 20 Most Influential Women in West Tennessee by the Jackson Area Business and Professional Women. Dr. Kimberly Martin
Winner of the 2023 Sue Shelton White Award is Henry County Juvenile Court Judge Vicki Snyder for her work to create change and her advocacy for children, especially children in need. The award is named in honor of Sue Shelton White, JABPW president from 1927 to 1931, who led the way in Tennessee’s ratification vote on August 18, 1920.
Sterling Awards 2023 will be televised Thursday, March 16, on EPlusTV 6 in Jackson.
Dr. Kimberly Martin is vice president for Development and Marketing at Bethel University is named to the Most Influential list. She resides in Paris, formerly in McKenzie, and works on the campus of Bethel University, McKenzie.
Judge Snyder’s contributions to West Tennessee include: Judge Snyder has served for 32 years as an assistant district attorney and assistant district public defender for the 24th Judicial District as well as the General Sessions and Juvenile Court judge for Henry County since May 2006. In addition, she has served West Tennessee as a representative on the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, as president and currently on the Executive Committee, and she has served as the West Tennessee judge on the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council for many years. Judge Snyder is a member of Howell Edmunds Jackson Inns of Court, Henry County Literacy Board, REAL Hope Youth Center Board (as a founding board member) and Paris Henry County Kiwanis Club Board; she was named Kiwanian of the Year in 2009. She also is a member of the Anne Schneider Chapter of the Lawyer’s Association for Women, the Henry County Chamber of Commerce and the 2022 Henry County Leadership class.
Judge Snyder was awarded the McCain-Abernathy Memorial Award by the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. This award is bestowed on a Juvenile Court judge every year for outstanding service and dedication to the children of Tennessee. She also received the Leon Ruben Award from the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference; this award is given in recognition of outstanding service and devotion to the state of Tennessee in the pursuit of justice for all. The Jackson Area Business and Professional Women named Judge Snyder a Sterling Award winner as one of the 20 most influential women in West Tennessee in 2020. In 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Leadership Award by the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Dr. Martin holds a B.S. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville; M.B.A. from Bethel; and a doctorate in Higher Education leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.
Among many contributions to West Tennessee: Martin spent 17 years working at various institutions of higher education where she sought creative ways to bring access to higher education to individuals who may not otherwise have access to those opportunities.
She served as president of the Tennessee Association of Institutional Research, as a commissioner for the American Association for Community Colleges Commission on Global Education and as a board member for the Tennessee Higher Education in Prison Initiative. Martin was named a fellow of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association Executive Leadership Institute and served on the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Excellence in Philanthropy Recognition Committee. Martin’s research has been published in Community College Review; Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice; Current Issues in Education; and Journal of Developmental Education.
Martin serves on the board of directors for Henry County CASA, the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce and the Little Pantries of Henry County. She is a member of the Paris Rotary Club and serves on the Member Care Committee and the Community Life Committee at her church. Martin is a graduate of WestStar, Dyer County Leadership and Carroll County Leadership.
She enjoys spending time outdoors including hiking, kayaking and camping. She is on a quest to visit all 57 of the state parks in Tennessee with her 8-year-old son, Calvin.