CENTRE– Lori Harris, executive director of The Children’s Advocacy Center of Cherokee County, has been named Cherokee County’s 2026 Fierce Woman of the Year.
Harris received the recognition during the Advancing Women to the Top conference on Sept. 17 at The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden. The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism partnered with the Etowah Chamber for the event.
In its announcement, the advocacy center credited Harris with 27 years of service to Cherokee County children and families. It praised her leadership, compassion and commitment to the children the organization serves. The center also thanked the Cherokee chamber for recognizing her and the Etowah Chamber for hosting the conference.
Advancing Women to the Top is a regional professional development conference for women at every stage of their careers. Its program brings together speakers, networking opportunities and recognition of women making a difference in their communities. This year’s event gave the Cherokee County chamber an opportunity to honor Harris’s work close to home.
The work behind the award reaches families during some of their most difficult moments. Founded in 1999, the advocacy center provides a place where children affected by abuse can receive support as their cases move through the investigative process. Its services include forensic interviews, trauma-informed counseling, family advocacy and prevention education.
The center says its approach helps reduce the number of times a child must recount an experience of abuse to different agencies. It also connects children and supportive family members with guidance and resources. The center provides its services at no cost to them.
For Harris’s colleagues, the Fierce Woman of the Year honor recognizes the dedication they see in her work with Cherokee County children and families.
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