(Jefferson County, 1927-2008) Lilialyce Akers is a petite woman with a soft-spoken voice, but when she detects inequality or injustice, it’s with the roar of a lion that she goes to work as a catalyst for change. As an educator, Dr. Akers’ involvement never stopped at the classroom door. She encouraged her students to participate in the passage of the Kentucky Equal Rights Amendment and the march in D.C. to support the national ERA. In the 1980’s, Akers helped organize the first show for women-owned businesses in Kentucky. In 1993, Dr. Akers attended the UN’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and was later named Program Chair for the national conference on sustainable development that drew more than 2,000 people from all 50 states and six foreign countries. Akers is a representative to the UN Commission on Women, and has presented seminars at the UN’s Third and Fourth World Conferences in Kenya and China. Dr. Akers has been actively involved with BPW at both the local and national levels encouraging women to break through the glass ceiling and challenge the status quo. Her work on the BPW Foundation has provided mature women with scholarships to improve their education and advance their careers.