04 Nov 2025 Women’s Foundation of Arkansas celebrates women at Power of the Purse
The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) celebrated Arkansas women making an impact in public service, business and philanthropy at the 27th annual Power of the Purse luncheon on Oct. 1. The sold-out event at the Statehouse Convention Center raised $260,000 to advance WFA’s mission of building economic security and opportunity for women and girls statewide.
This year’s luncheon, held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, honored three extraordinary women for their leadership and lasting contributions to Arkansas:
Woman of the Year
in Business: Elizabeth Burns Anderson, senior vice president of Farmers Bank & Trust and executive director of the Farmers Bank Foundation. A fifth-generation banker and Magnolia native, Anderson is known for her advocacy for rural development, education and civic leadership.
Woman of the Year
in Public Service: Gayatri Agnew, senior director and head of the Walmart Accessibility Center of Excellence. A Bentonville City Council member and cross-sector leader, Agnew is recognized for her work building inclusive communities and expanding access to opportunity.
Woman of the Year
in Public Service: Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, president and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. A lifelong advocate for equity and justice, West-Scantlebury has spent her career leading transformative philanthropic work to build a stronger, more equitable Arkansas.
Cori Keller, physician liaison at Baptist Health and Miss Arkansas 2023, and Ebony Mitchell, director of external affairs at the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and Miss Arkansas 2022, served as event co-chairs, bringing their shared commitment to public service, advocacy and empowerment to the stage.
“We are incredibly proud to recognize this year’s honorees, who each lead with vision, compassion and purpose,” said Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. “They, along with our co-chairs, embody this year’s theme, ‘First, But Not Last,’ showing what’s possible when women claim their seat at the table and pave the way for others to follow.”
This year’s program featured several new highlights, including an opening spoken-word performance, “Give a Woman a Dollar,” by Bailey Nicole Gibson, Miss Ouachita River 2026. The “Circle of Impact” roundtable brought honorees together with WFA program alumnae to discuss improving access and opportunity across Arkansas.
Proceeds from the WFA’s largest annual event benefit programming designed to advance economic security for Arkansas women and girls, such as the Girls of Promise Conference, the Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program and the Women’s Economic Mobility (WEM) Hub — all initiatives that embody the “First, But Not Last” commitment by expanding pathways to education, careers and entrepreneurship.
Founded in 1998, the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is the only statewide foundation focused solely on ensuring economic security for women and girls in Arkansas. Through grantmaking, partnerships and programs, WFA seeks to address the most pressing challenges facing women in the state today. For more information, visit womensfoundationarkansas.org.
