Schacht named a 2015 YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement honoree

Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 | 10/15/2015

Lipscomb University’s Linda Peek Schacht, founding director of the Nelson & Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership housed in the university’s College of Leadership & Public Service, has been named a 2015 inductee into the Academy for Women of Achievement. She was recognized at an Oct. 15 induction ceremony and dinner, sponsored by the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee and First Tennessee.

?Schacht, who has advised government, business, and nonprofit leaders on communication and strategy over a four-decade career, is one of six Nashville women who have been selected as inductee into this group, which is one of the highest honors for women in the city.

Schacht has held top communications positions at The Coca-Cola Company, for the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, for USA Today, and for the 1980 campaign for President Jimmy Carter, in whose White House she served.

“Linda is and has been a leader of and for women throughout her incredible career,” said Patricia Glaser Shea, CEO of the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee. “Starting with her extremely successful time in the political arena, to her seamless transition into the corporate world, most people would be completely satisfied with achieving so much. But Linda had the desire to do more and give more back. It’s no wonder she is the founding director of Lipscomb University’s Nelson & Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership. She is a firebrand and is most deserving of her inclusion into the 2015 Academy for Women of Achievement. Linda is a true role model for women who seek to change the world.”

“Nashville has an amazing number of women who have had an impact on the city,” said Schacht. “I’ve never lived in a city that has so much support for women who are leaders in the community and are focused on key societal issues and supporting organizations that encourage the development of girls and women as leaders. Nashville is a hub for leadership development, and the fact that the community has worked so hard to develop women leaders and engage them in civic life is unique.”

In addition to Schacht, other 2015 honorees are Judy Cummings, senior pastor, New Covenant Christian Church; Charlene Dewey, assistant dean for educator development, chairwoman of the Faculty and Physician Wellness Committee, co-director of the Center for Professional Health, and director of the Educator Development Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Margaret Dolan, president and CEO, Saint Thomas Health Foundations, and executive vice president of institutional advancement, Saint Thomas Health; Paula Lovell, founder, Lovell Communications; and Leigh Walton, member, Bass, Berry & Sims.

“This class of honorees represents those who are trailblazers in so many ways, in social justice community development and civil rights among many other issues,” said Schacht. “I’m honored to be a part of this group. The honor also means a great deal to me because of those who have received it in past years as well. To be in their company is humbling.”

Schacht said this honor also reflects the commitment by Lipscomb University to develop leaders on campus and in the community.

“This honor is also a reflection on Lipscomb University’s president Randy Lowry and his vision for the university’s role in the community. He also has supported professional development for all employees, and has significantly increased the number of women in leadership roles,” said Schacht.

“I’m fortunate that my career has allowed me to contribute to social change from government, corporate and nonprofit roles. I’m grateful to President Lowry for the opportunity to help create and lead the Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership. We celebrate our fifth anniversary in October, and the civic leaders and civic change we have launched make this work the most fulfilling of my career. I’m thrilled that the work of all the Institutes at Lipscomb will now form the foundation for a unique College of Leadership and Public Service.” 

This fall, Schacht became leader-in-residence, associate professor of practice and strategic advisor to the dean in the new college, splitting her time between its launch and personal ventures, including advancing the art of her late husband, Mike Schacht, with a summer exhibit at the Nashville Public Library.

Although she has been influenced by many leaders and professional experiences in her life, Schacht said the person who had the greatest impact on her were her parents.

“Many people are influenced by their parents,” said Schacht. “I am definitely one of those people. My dad thought a girl could do anything, which helped me believe that I could do whatever I set my mind to. And my mom was the first superwoman I ever knew. She was a great example for me, and she deserves a lot of the honor.”

For more than a decade, Schacht was an executive with The Coca-Cola Company in New York and Atlanta, serving three CEO’s. She was a board-elected vice president of the company, responsible for global public affairs and communication strategy. She represented the company for six years at the World Economic Forum, helping shape the modern corporate social responsibility movement.

A senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government 2002-2006, she has been a long time board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation, bringing leadership programs to women journalists in the US, Europe and Africa.

Schacht began her professional career registering voters for the Urban League in Ohio before joining the 1976 Carter Presidential campaign.  She has been a Woodrow Wilson teaching fellow and is a graduate of Lipscomb University and the Ohio State University. She is an associate professor in the communication and political science departments of Lipscomb University. Schacht has devoted time to develop and advance women in their professions and community throughout her political and governmental career in Washington, D.C., in her corporate career at USA Today and The Coca-Cola Company in New York and Atlanta, and in higher education at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Emerson College and Lipscomb University.

She is Nashville’s 2014 Athena Award recipient and a member of the International Women’s Forum Tennessee chapter.  Her support of women’s issues includes the board of Rock the Street Wall Street, a financial literacy initiative for girls, adviser to the women’s leadership cluster of Cable, and the steering committee for Cable’s Women on Corporate Boards Committee. She was awarded the NBJ Women of Influence Trailblazer Award in 2012 and is a member of the Leadership Nashville class of 2012.  In conjunction with the NCAA Nashville Organizing Committee for the Women’s Final Four, she launched Music City Girls Lead! a leadership academy for young women. She is a long time board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation, bringing leadership programs to women journalists in the US, Europe and Africa.

Schacht is a member of Nashville Downtown Rotary, advisory committee for CNM’s Nashville Nonprofit Review, and on the boards of Centerstone Military Services and Fifty Forward.

“All of our honorees are leaders and innovators in our community. They represent the best Nashville has to offer,” said AWA co-chairwoman Stacey A. Garrett. “We look forward to honoring them in October.”

Event co-chairwoman Mendy Mazzo said of this year’s Academy, “These honorees selflessly work toward the improvement of Nashville and deserve recognition for all they’ve done. Their professional and personal contributions inspire others to succeed, and they are incredible community role models.”

The Academy for Women of Achievement was launched locally in 1992 by the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee, and it is being presented for the 10th year by First 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 137 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 was held Oct. 15, at the Omni Nashville Hotel. 

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. For 117 years, the YWCA has helped women, girls and families in Nashville and Middle Tennessee build safer, more self-sufficient lives. In addition to operating the largest domestic violence shelter in Tennessee and a 24-hour-a-day crisis and information line, the YWCA operates a Family Literacy Center to help women and men earn their high school equivalency diploma. Dress for Success Nashville provides professional clothing for women who are entering the workforce. Girls Inc. inspires hundreds of Nashville area schoolgirls each year to be strong, smart, and bold. The MEND initiative seeks to reduce all violence against women and girls by elevating the issue, engaging men, and educating boys.