Liz McPhee named 2026 Tempest Award Recipient
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee -- For her work uplifting women throughout her career, AAUW-Murfreesboro has selected MTSU First Lady Elizabeth McPhee as the 2026 Tempest honoree.
McPhee will be honored posthumously with the Tempest Award at the 2026 Equali-Tea, which will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at The Fountains, 1500 Medical Center Pkwy.
The (hats optional) High Tea raises scholarship funds for MTSU college women students. The Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship supports women 24 years and older who are returning to finish their undergraduate degree. The Butler-Fouts Memorial Graduate Scholarship is presented to female graduate students from underrepresented ethnic or racial groups. Applicants must demonstrate academic promise and financial need as well as be enrolled in a graduate program at MTSU. Each scholarship will provide $1,000 for the academic year.
The 2026 Equali-Tea keynote speaker will be Dr. Ariana Postlethwait, whose research focuses on substance-affected families, improving child welfare outcomes, and the effectiveness of child protective services. She is also active in addressing homelessness in the Rutherford County community through her volunteer work.
RSVP at no cost. Can’t attend? Please consider a donation in the amount of $50.
In addition to the keynote address, the Tempest Award will be presented to McPhee. The award is given annually to an individual in Middle Tennessee who has acted to address the systemic barriers to equity for women and girls and thereby has contributed to the mission of the American Association of University Women.
McPhee will be honored for her four-decade-long career in education, where she worked as a public school teacher in four different states. She retired in May 2014 after serving as a third-grade teacher for Reeves-Rogers Elementary School in Murfreesboro.
She was also highly visible and strongly engaged on MTSU campus, serving as the patron and planner for activities, fundraisers, and events at the university, as well as with her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Previous Tempest Award honorees are former Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg in 2017, Dr. Phyllis Washington in 2018 and MTSU Associate Athletic Director Diane Turnham in 2019, and Dr. Carmelita Dotson in 2020 (awarded in 2023 due to COVID).
In addition to marking Equal Pay Day, the high tea event will help raise funds for two AAUW Murfreesboro scholarships that are offered to MTSU students.
Awarded by the Middle Tennessee Fund for Women and Girls, a nonprofit organization in support of the mission of AAUW Murfreesboro, the scholarships are the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship and Butler-Fouts Graduate Scholarship.
About AAUW Murfreesboro
Organized in 1913, AAUW Murfreesboro is a membership organization of college-educated individuals from all walks of life who share a common purpose—to level the playing field for women and girls in education and in the workplace.
Our branch does this through advocacy, education, and research. We are part of a national and state network that supports our work right here in Murfreesboro. Our national organization (200,000 members strong) is a powerful voice on women's issues in Washington, D.C. Our Tennessee organization unifies our presence throughout the state, bringing together all nine branches in Memphis, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, McMinnville, Martin, Knoxville, Maryville, and Oak Ridge.