Recognition doesn’t always come with fanfare, but sometimes it should. Dr. Verna Caddie understands this, which is why she’s bringing her Women Who Inspire / Women on the Move Awards Brunch to Lafayette, Louisiana, continuing a mission to spotlight women whose work often goes unnoticed despite its impact.
The upcoming Lafayette event follows Caddie’s successful brunch held December 14, 2025, in Houston, Texas, where she honored women leading change in their communities through education, advocacy, and service. The Houston gathering recognized Dr. Marisa Williams, Dr. Tamara Morrison, Dr. Brandi Meyers, Dr. Bre Bre Harris, Dr. Nichole Denise Crawford, Charmian Stephens, and Dr. Adefunke Bimbo Akintola Lawal.
What makes these events stand out is their focus on substance over spectacle. This isn’t about celebrity or social media following. It’s about identifying women who are actually doing the work in their communities, whether that’s through healthcare, education, ministry, or grassroots organizing.
Caddie, a faith-based leader and educator herself, created the Women Who Inspire platform to address a gap she saw in community recognition. Too often, the women holding communities together get acknowledged only in passing, if at all. Her brunches shift that dynamic by making their contributions central.
The Lafayette brunch will follow the same model as the Houston event, creating space for honorees to be celebrated by their peers and community members. It’s less formal gala and more communal acknowledgment, which fits the spirit of the work being honored.
Nominations for the Lafayette event are currently open. Community members can submit names by emailing Office@leadersesteemchristianbibleuniversity.com. The process is straightforward, designed to be accessible rather than bureaucratic.
What Caddie has built with these brunches is a model for how communities can recognize their own. Not through distant galas or industry awards, but through gatherings where the work being honored connects directly to the people it serves. The women being celebrated aren’t abstractions. They’re neighbors, colleagues, mentors, people whose impact is felt daily even if it’s rarely formally acknowledged.
As the Lafayette event takes shape, it carries forward a simple but powerful idea: the women strengthening communities deserve recognition within those communities. Sometimes the most meaningful honors come from the people who see the work up close.
