SUMMER ISSUE 2026
TAKING CENTER STAGE
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featured in
CONTENTS 5. CELEBRATING THE JOURNEY OF TWM 8. LETTER FROM PUBLISHER 10. GUEST EDITOR DR. MICHELLE KAZMER
CULTURE & CUISINE
12. THE 4 SUMMER BEAUTY SWAPS I RECOMMEND MOST 14. BEAUTY TREND: QUIET LUXURY 18. MIDTOWN READS
BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP
34. WOMEN WHO MEAN BUSINESS AWARDS FINALISTS & WINNERS 42. THE IMPACT FACTOR: DR. GWENDOLYN SINGLETON 44. THE PILLARS AMONG US BY KELLY OTTE 47. TREASURES IN CLAY JARS BY PATRICIA PROCTOR
10
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LIVING LOCAL
20. AROUND TOWN: TWM 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EVENTS 23. I MEAN I CAN BE VERY, VERY UNATTRACTIVE 24.DISCOVER THE HEART OF HAVANA
ON THE COVER
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26. TAKING CENTER STAGE SARAH DOOLIN ROY
42 30. ABOUT THE COVER: | PHOTOGRAPHY: KIRA DERRYBERRY | MUA: IMAGE BY LISA | HAIR: TANYA EVANS: EIGHT FIVE ZERO SALON | NAILS: IMAGE NAIL SPA & SALON | COVER PHOTO DRESS: NARCISSUS
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Celebrating Two Decades of Triumphant Women
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CONTRIBUTORS
WOM A N
MAGAZINE
TWM IS LOCALLY OWNED & EMPOWERING WOMEN FOR 20 YEARS! Publisher | Editor-in-Chief Dr. Michelle Mitcham
Creative Director
PAIGE TIFFIN FLYNN WRITER
KELLY OTTE WRITER
MONESIA T. BROWN
Kira Derryberry is a Tallahassee-based portrait photographer specializing in families, headshots and boudoir and commercial photography. She books locally in Tallahasee and is available for travel worldwide. View Kira's portfolio online at kiraderryberry.com.
Paige Tiffin Flynn, humor and lifestyle writer from Clanton, AL, and St. George Island, FL; FSU graduate, she has lived in Tallahassee for 30 years with her husband Frank; they have two children, Scott and Hannah. Paige shares her sharp wit on her Facebook page, The Latest Observation of the Decline of My Sanity.
BRIANA SMITH
Creative Consultant
TALLAHASSEE WOMAN MAGAZINE is a publication of Mitcham Media Group LLC Post Office Box 16616 Tallahassee, FL 32317-3401 Phone (850) 296-2232 publisher@TalWoman.com Tallahassee Woman is published six times per year and is distributed on a complimentary basis throughout Tallahassee and the surrounding communities. ADVERTISING For advertising, visit talwoman.com, call (850) 296-2232, or e-mail ads@TalWoman.com. The information in this publication is presented in good faith. The publisher does not guarantee accuracy or assume responsibility for errors or omissions. Copyright © 2026 Mitcham Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in part or in whole, without expressed written consent of the Publisher is prohibited.
T A LWO M A N .C O M
OLIVIA HEYWARD
KIRA DERRYBERRY PHOTOGRAPHER
Kelly has spent 35 years advocating for women and children, including 25 in Leon County. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Oasis and previously led Pace Center for Girls/Leon and Refuge House. Her work spans domestic violence centers and women’s programs in Nevada, Virginia, and Florida.
LISA DAVIS MAKEUP ARTIST
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Monesia Taylor Brown is a strategic advisor, attorney, and leadership practitioner who writes about resilience, governance, and leading with strength and grace in complex seasons of life and work.
TANYA EVANS HAIRSYLIST
Celebrating our 20th anniversary, we extend heartfelt gratitude to our glam dream team: award-winning photographer Kira Derryberry, master makeup artist Lisa Davis of Image by Lisa, and expert hairstylist Tanya Evans, owner of Eight Five Zero Salon. Thank you for glamming the stunning Cover Woman!
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PUBLISHER LETTER
Celebrating Two Decades of Triumphant Women
C
elebrating 20 years of Tallahassee Woman Magazine has been a magnificent journey of heart, soul, and unwavering community. As we reflect on two decades of impact, I am absolutely thrilled to unveil our summer issue, which is made truly special by our cover star: the one and only Sarah Doolin Roy, CEO of the Young Actors Theater. Sarah’s background is nothing short of extraordinary. Many people don’t realize the massive global impact she has had in diplomacy, marketing, communications, and civic leadership. As the former Deputy Director of global communications and marketing, she operated at the highest levels with global leaders. We are profoundly lucky to have her back in Tallahassee, bringing her worldliness
and outstanding ability to unite people from all corners of the globe.
owned by our former cover woman, Susie Busch Transou.
We are deeply honored to share a sentiment from the legendary ballerina Misty Copeland, who has raved about Sarah’s commitment to investing in young people through the arts. Misty Copeland beautifully captures the essence of our cover star, noting how transformative it is when a young person feels seen, encouraged, and inspired through the arts.
We were also deeply honored to host an event at The Monroe—a first for us! Over 75 women joined us on a Saturday for a spectacular western-themed celebration. The staff did a fabulous job and it was a truly transcendent day of connection and community.
We are so lucky to have Sarah here in Tallahassee leading the next generation with her fantastic team and board of directors, cultivating our future leaders. Furthermore, we are so honored that Dr. Michelle Kazmar from the Florida State University who serves as Dean at the College of Communication and Information wrote such a fabulous cover story about Sarah. We are so privileged to have amazing women like Dr. Kazmar here at Florida State making such a profound difference. This milestone year has been a non-stop, high-energy celebration of the incredible women who make our community shine. June and July have been a true highlight reel of our 20th anniversary. We kicked off our festivities with a wonderful event at Image by Lisa, followed by an empowering happy hour and headshot event with Kira Derryberry, who invited women into her studio to capture their essence. We were then electrified by the Women on Fire Awards and Business Expo, and it was such a joy to reconnect at our Tallahassee Woman Magazine Coffee Club, hosted by the wonderful team at Image by Lisa on Market Street. The momentum soared when we gathered at Hearth and Soul, the stunning boutique tallahassee woman | 8 | summer issue 2026
We are overflowing with gratitude for our phenomenal community partners. Your collaboration is the heartbeat of this magazine! Please enjoy the photos within, which are just a glimpse into the joy and authentic sisterhood that defined these celebrations. This is only the beginning! Keep a close watch on our Facebook and Instagram pages for upcoming event announcements, and please save the date for October 20th for our much-anticipated Red Gala. We also look forward to seeing you at our next TWM Coffee Club, where the theme is always Triumphant Women Manifesting—we can’t wait to see you there! Thanks again to all of our team members, readers, contributors, writers, collaborators and advertisers as well as volunteers and interns! We are so thing for all of the sponsors that generously donated for the women who mean business expo, and women on fire awards, which was a huge success. Don’t miss the photos in this issue!
Dr. Michelle Mitcham CEO & Publisher Tallahassee Woman Magazine
PRESENTS
TUESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2026 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Join us for an iconic evening of hollywood glamour, grace & grandeur at the Tallahassee Woman Magazine's R.E.D. Gala: Celebrating Resilient, Empowered & Determined Women. This glamorous event will be an opportunity to recognize and honor the incredible achievements of Tallahassee's outstanding women who embody resilience, empowerment, determination, and community commitment.
Every Woman Has a Story. Reserve your spot today Every Story Deserves the Spotlight.
AN ICONIC EVENING OF HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR, GRACE & GRANDEUR tallahassee woman | 9 | summer issue 2026
GUEST EDITOR LETTER
“Every day, I work alongside students, faculty, and staff who believe in the power of communication, information, and human connection to shape lives.” Coincidentally, as this magazine celebrates 20 years in production, my own family has been in production for 20 years at Young Actors Theatre, where my two sons have grown up learning by doing. Young Actors has helped them grow into poised, resilient, and thoughtfully kind young adults. Theatre skills are life skills. Young Actors is not only preparing the next generation of elite stage artists, but is also superlatively preparing students with the creativity, resilience, confidence, public speaking, technology, and teamwork skills that make them excellent university students and position them for extraordinary career success.
DR. MICHELLE KAZMER Dean, Florida State University College of Communication and Information
I
t is a privilege to serve as Guest Editor for this issue of Tallahassee Woman Magazine. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a publication celebrating women who lead with purpose and strengthen our Tallahassee community. At the Florida State University College of Communication and Information, where our philosophy centers on “learning by doing,” we look into the future through research and experiences. Every day, I work alongside students, faculty, and staff who believe in the power of communication, information, and human connection to shape lives. Dr. Michelle Mitcham does the same at TWM, and as a professor at Rutgers University.
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That is why I was delighted to profile Sarah Doolin Roy, CEO of Young Actors Theatre. It has been a joy to get to know Sarah as a person and a leader. Sarah understands deeply that the arts are not extracurricular to human development; they are foundational to it. I hope this story reminds readers of the powerful role arts organizations, educational institutions, and community leaders play in helping people thrive. It is important to invest in spaces that foster creativity, collaboration, and human connection, like Young Actors Theatre. With appreciation,
Dr.Michelle Kazmer
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