Lydia
Lydia, an entrepreneur, was a seller of purple. Purple cloth in ancient days was a symbol of wealth. A confident, successful business woman who sold luxury goods to the elite and the powerful, Lydia knew there was more to life. It is here where Lydia’s heart was changed by God to hear the call of Jesus. Lydia was the Apostle Paul’s first European convert and provided support to him. When the heart of a working woman is opened to the gospel, she can impact the world!
In the spirit of Lydia and her extraordinary life and influence, each year Scenic City Women’s Network honors an extraordinary Christian working woman – a modern day Lydia. She is chosen as someone who has exhibited a life-time of mature Christian faith, enthusiasm for life, positively impacting lives and making a difference in the world around her, and being an encourager to other Christian working women. The SCWN Lydia honoree is a woman that demonstrates leadership, dedication, and faithfulness.
Modern Day Lydias
2026 Lydia Award Honorees
Jada Daves
Dr. Jada Daves is the founder and president of Positive Results, a motivational speaking, training and program development firm based in Chattanooga. She is dedicated to improving the lives of others both professionally and personally, as she shares her inspirational messages to corporations, churches, educational systems and other non-profit organizations. Dr. Daves earned her doctorate from Vanderbilt University in human resource development and has over 30 years of experience in training and education.
Her strong commitment to her Christian beliefs and values is the driving force in her work. She has served as a missionary in several countries and directed a variety of family, youth and women’s ministries.
Dr. Daves is also an author, coach and former talk radio host. As a two-time cancer survivor and living kidney donor to her Make-A-Wish son, she is no stranger to trials. She faces suffering with complete confidence that God is working all things for her good, and encourages others to do the same.
Dr. Daves loves being mom to her five children, and describes a perfect day as uninterrupted quiet time with God, unlimited shopping at TJ Maxx, lunch at her favorite tea room, surprising a stranger with a random act of kindness and playing a competitive game of cornhole with her husband. To learn more, visit www.jadadaves.com.
Jada Daves, 2026 Lydia Award Honoree
Deborah Gunn,, 2026 Lydia Award Honoree
Deborah Gunn
Deborah is a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. Her favorite scripture is Matthew 22:37 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”, along with Romans 12:1-2 and Psalms 139.
Deborah and her husband of 39 years, Alex, have a son and niece/daughter and 11 grands. They are devoted members of New Covenant Fellowship Church, where they are actively involved as leaders to the Marriage Ministry, Singles Ministry, GriefShare and Celebrate Recovery, in addition Deborah is a worship leader. Deborah also serves as a board member of Bethel Bible Village on behalf of New Covenant.
With Jesus Christ as her inspiration, Deborah is owner and CEO of INSPIRE. INSPIRE is an acronym for Inspiring, Networking, Strategizing, Purposefully, Innovating, Relating, and Equipping, encapsulating the God given approach her company takes in providing coaching, professional development, and leadership training for organizations across the city.
Equipped with a John Maxwell Certification, a diverse professional background, a unique skill set, leadership capabilities and experience, Deborah is able to connect with people from various backgrounds and has the ability to navigate diverse situations and industries.
Her career includes serving as Project Director and Facilitator at First Things First, where she oversaw the team, community collaborations, and a multi-million dollar, federally funded initiative, focused on healthy relationships for married and engaged couples, singles, parents, teens and those seeking workforce development. This initiative impacted over 50,000 individuals in Chattanooga. While employed by the State of Georgia’s Courts Automation Commission she provided technology training to court employees in automating and streamlining business processes. As D. D. Gunn, Enterprises, she spearheaded a community collaboration project to develop affordable housing. Deborah was founder of a non-profit organization, MYTD, which stands for Mentoring Youth Through Discipleship, to train and develop youth with the book of Proverbs as the curriculum; she has also served in law enforcement.
In her spare time Deborah loves to travel, sing and western movies.
Past Lydia Award NOMINEES
