In honor of Women’s History Month, the TPI staff brings you Women Who Shape the County. Through nominations, we have gathered a list of women in our local community who have shaped Elmore County in all kinds of ways. 

Lynn Weldon

If a business comes to Wetumpka, Weldon is involved. For more than 15 years, she has served as the city’s economic development director and is currently the tourism director, also overseeing the city’s airport. Previously Weldon was the city’s public works director. Her experience across the city aids in business recruitment and development.

Linda Mosher 

Mosher is a Tallassee staple. From her dress shop, Linda’s, in Talisi, to serving on the Tallassee City Council, she is Tallassee through and through. For years she has dressed young ladies and men for formals, weddings and more. Customers travel for miles to shop with her. Two years ago she was appointed to a vacant seat on the Tallassee City Council. From there she has advocated for downtown Tallassee. Outside of her shop and the council Mosher can be found all around Tallassee in its coffee shops and stores helping where she can.

Jenny Stubbs

Stubbs was the first executive director of Main Street Wetumpka. Her family has been in Elmore County and Wetumpka for generations. She was one of several who helped with the application as HGTV looked to take its Hometown series on the road. Stubbs was on the ground as producers first came to town looking to see if Wetumpka would be a fit for the show Ben and Erin Napier made famous. Currently Stubbs is still advocating for Wetumpka and Elmore County through writing and making sure her husband and state Rep. Troy Stubbs is in the know.

Billie Rawls

Rawls is the curator of the Elmore County Black History Museum. She brings history to life sharing stories of the Black community and her own. She graduated from the all-Black Doby High School just prior to integration. She knows in detail the history of the local Black community and is ready to share it with friends and visitors.

Ann Harper

Harper is the economic development director for the City of Millbrook. She led the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission and brings the skills, experience and connections she made there to play in Millbrook. She has been instrumental in recruiting businesses and is in the middle of recruitment for The Marketplace at 17 Springs. She helped with negotiations to bring Big Mike’s Steakhouse and Baumhauer’s to Millbrook.

Deborah Stringfellow 

Stringfellow is a relative newcomer to the area. She was looking to work closer to her grandchildren and landed a job at Airport Road Intermediate School after living the last several years in Georgia. But it didn’t take long for staff and the state to discover her abilities as a teacher with decades of experience. Stringfellow was soon mentoring teachers and staff on campus. She was then chosen as the school’s teacher of the year and then Elmore County Schools teacher of the year. Last spring she was selected as the Alabama Teacher of the Year and has spent the last year sharing her love of teaching with other teachers across the state.

Lisa Van Wagner 

Van Wagner is the executive director Elmore County Economic Development Authority. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to ECEDA after many years working as an attorney representing businesses across the world. In Elmore County she has leveraged her knowledge of the business world creating a list of people and assets various industries might be interested in. She has led teams of Elmore County representatives to retail conferences for business recruitment. She has met company ownership at the airport in Wetumpka and driven them around the county to potential sites. She is also greatly responsible in many of the partnerships that have developed in the last few years across Elmore County.

Kristy Meanor 

Meanor is the artistic director at the Wetumpka Depot. Under Meanor’s leadership, the Depot has grown its footprint in River Region Theater. Many shows feature actors from across the tri-county area. Shows at the Depot are a tourist attraction and are frequented by many on date nights. One of Meanor’s biggest accomplishments is bringing the Penguin Project to the Depot stage. It gives special needs children a chance to act with the help of volunteer mentors who learn as much as the penguins.

Rana Futral 

For more than 20 years, Futral has been at First Community Bank of Central Alabama. For the last year and half, she has served as CEO after previously serving as the bank’s CFO. The Elmore County native worked across the state before setting an anchor in Elmore County to raise a family with two children graduating from Elmore County High School. In her role as CEO she wants to continue the bank’s tradition of being truly local with all its employees and holdings being from the tri-county area. Futral like many of the bank's employees shop and live amongst the bank’s customers.

Emilie Johnson 

Johnson leads the Elmore County Technical Center as its director. The center has grown to serve more than 1,100 students per day through nearly 20 different programs. Johnson has helped recruit instructors in aviation mechanics, diesel repair and welding to name a few. Students from the center’s programs have jobs before graduating or have been accepted to further their education. When the center was enlarged a few years ago, recent graduates were seen on site with the various trades during the construction process. Some graduates are in the medical field. Johnson’s role also has her overseeing career tech at Elmore County Schools’ four high schools.

Marilyn Winborn

Winborn can frequently be found around The Kelly. She offers classes on jewelry making most notably with beads as it helps tell the history of Africans and their voyages to North America. Her interest in African beads started when she was in college. She would see students from Africa use the beads as a means to barter. It was a tradition passed from generation to generation. At one point beads were used as currency. Winborn aims to promote the history of the beads while helping others create unique pieces of jewelry such as earrings, necklaces and rings.

Gina Pellegrino 

Pellegrinio owns the Domino's franchises in Wetumpka and Millbrook along with her husband. But just because she is part of a national chain doesn’t prevent her local involvement. Almost daily she can be found kneading out the pizza dough working alongside her employees. Pellegrinio is active in chambers of commerce. She helps with fundraisers for community and school events. 

Danae Morgan

Morgan is the special events coordinator at the City of Millbrook. She is responsible for many of the city events in Millbrook including the growth of the city’s Christmas and Halloween events at The Village Green. She also spearheaded the start of The Art Mill that hosts many art shows and classes. Morgan can also be seen behind the scenes helping the city host other events and helping organizations with parades and events. 

Rea Cord

Cord has been the executive director at the Humane Society of Elmore County for years. Under her leadership many animals have been rescued and issues of pet care have been highlighted. As the director of the humane society’s animal shelter, Cord has been on the front lines advocating for spay and neuter. She has also been front and center in fundraising taking pies to the face and being hosed down all to raise money for the shelter.

Ashley Williams

Williams is the owner of Millbrook’s Pest Pro. More than a business owner, she is a community servant. Williams is greatly involved with the Millbrook Chamber of Commerce serving on its board. She also heads up the chamber’s efforts with young professionals and student ambassador programs. Williams is frequently found at community events volunteering her time.

Lana Hebert 

Herbert owns Lil’ Farmhouse Market Grew business from online business to monthly market to Company Street location in Wetumpka in three years. Herbert was a teacher at Eclectic Middle School when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped traditional teaching. She was leading students from home and filling free time with crafting. She saw a place to start selling some of her crafts and other clothing finds online and quickly added a popup shop at the Main Street Wetumpka Community Market. It didn’t take long before Herbert opened her brick and mortar store on Company Street. Along the way she has served in the community especially through the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce where she currently serves as an ambassador.