For a third year in a row, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery honors women of vision, achievement and inspiration, with the Louisa Nelson Awards.
Brothers Andy and Charlie Nelson, who resurrected the Green Brier brand—dormant for more than a century after Prohibition—created the award to honor their triple-great grandmother. Louisa Nelson was an unlikely woman of whiskey, who managed the distillery upon the death of her husband in 1891.
By all accounts, Louisa was a woman of rare integrity. So it is fitting that every year Green Brier honors three women of rare integrity. Every year, I am inspired by the nominations for fearless and humble leaders who are transforming Nashville into a vibrant 21st-century city that my great-great grandmother Louisa certainly never imagined.
Last night, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery presented awards to three outstanding women who #LeadLikeLouisa:
Ingrid McIntyre: Executive Director of Open Table Nashville
Co-founder and executive director of the interfaith homeless outreach nonprofit, has led efforts to create twenty micro homes to provide housing for homeless individuals in South Nashville. In the face of pushback from community residents who did not want The Village at Glencliff, Ingrid has remained a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable residents of Nashville.
Kelly Tipler: Founder of Turnip Green Creative Reuse, Tennessee Respite Coalition, and Pet Community Center
In 2001 Kelly founded the Tennessee Respite Coalition, to provide respite for individuals who care for family members with disabilities. In 2011 she founded nonprofit Turnip Green Creative Reuse (TGCR) to divert items from landfills toward creative endeavors. With educational programs in schools and across the community to promote recycling, TGCR has diverted nearly 200 tons of waste from landfills. In her “day job” Kelly works for Metro Government where she heads up recycling and composting efforts. She is also co-founder of Pet Community Center, a nonprofit veterinary clinic that reduces pet homelessness through spay/neuter and preventive veterinary care.
Barbara Toms: Owner of Sweet Creations Pie Bakery
A lawyer with a masters in Divinity from Vanderbilt University, Nashville native Barbara founded Sweet Creations retail pie bakery to help fund nonprofit efforts to revitalize historic Jefferson Street. While strengthening and promoting a landmark stretch of Music City, Barbara launched a family recipe into the national spotlight, when her pecan pie was named one of America’s Best Pies by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2013.
Build Me Up, Buttercup 