Leading Women Luncheon

​Join us for our Leading Women Luncheon on Thursday, May 14 at 11:15 AM

 

We are excited to welcome Miss Tennessee Zoe Scheiderich and her mother Cortissa Scheiderich as our guest speakers.

Zoe is a 22 year old student at Middle Tennessee State University studying Entertainment Journalism, specializing in sports broadcasting. A Chicago native, she is an accomplished classical ballet dancer that moved away from home at just age 14 to pursue her dreams. She has trained at and received scholarships to some of the most prestigious ballet programs in the country including School of American Ballet in New York, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Senior year she was nominated for best lead performance by the Regional Broadway Awards for her role as Ivy Smith. After graduating high school with academic honors in 2022, Zoe began competing in the Miss America Organization. In June of 2025 she was crowned Miss Tennessee, receiving over 20k in total scholarships. She went on to place top 10 at The Miss America Competition as well as winning the preliminary fitness award. She is extremely passionate about philanthropy and uses her platform “Elevate; Empowering Girls, Equipping Women” to engage with her community. Through her platform she travels all over the state speaking at schools, shelters and after school programs teaching young women how to thrive in their gifts and be confident in their identity. Last month she traveled to Nairobi Kenya to work with ministry organization “Wings of Hope” that rescues young girls from underage tribal marriages.  She is an official partner/advocate of Girls Inc., a nationwide after school non-profit organization. She also partners with organizations such as TenThirtyFive; a group of upscale thrift stores that provide clothing for disenfranchised women in the Nashville area. She was recently featured in Lifestyle magazine in the “Nashville’s 25 most beautiful people”. She has been invited twice to the Tennessee State Capitol as a special guest to be involved in senate sessions, speak with Gov. Bill Lee, and be a part of Senate advisory meetings. This year she plans to speak on the Senate floor, addressing the ongoing issues of women’s health, safety, and rights.



Cortissa is a wife, mother, speaker, Bible teacher, and home educator. She speaks at various women’s and corporate events, like Women at Amazon Nashville. Cortissa also hosts her own Women’s Retreats and Boutique Conferences locally and in the surrounding Nashville area. For two years she and her husband co-led the Cumberland University International Student Ministry for their church. Cortissa has worked in product supply and guest relations with Target Corporate and helped large companies like General Motors and General Mills improve their presence and reach at National diversity events across the US for several years before choosing to be a full-time home educator. After several years of homeschooling her children, she started a 501(c)3 Homeschool Co-op in Chicago. Cortissa has graduated her two daughters from homeschool and currently educates her three sons and teaches four classes at two local homeschool tutorials. She has been involved in the pageant world for the last three years, helping her daughter win Miss Memphis, Miss Nashville, and Miss Music Row on her journey to winning Miss Tennessee and finishing top 11 at the Miss America Opportunity in 2025. Cortissa is currently preparing to move to Nairobi, Kenya in June of 2026, where her family will be working as missionaries over the next four years with BlueSky Global. She will help develop their women’s ministry and marriage ministry alongside her husband. Cortissa is currently working on a devotional book with her two daughters and making her Bible Studies available for purchase online in 2026. She currently resides in Lebanon with her husband of over 25 years, their five children, and two micro Bernedoodles.


PLEASE NOTE: If WCS is closed due to inclement weather, programs starting before 11:00 AM will be cancelled. Cancellation for programs starting after 11:00 will be determined not later than the morning of the program. 

Disclaimer:  As a non-profit organization, the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce does not promote or endorse political candidates.  Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce events are not grounds for campaigning or distribution of campaign material.  We would like to thank those who hold and/or pursue an elected office for being a Chamber supporter.