Who We Are
Laura N. Johnson, RN, MSN
Founder and President
Laura is the co-founder of Priority Home Care, LLC which provides in-home personal care to elderly and disabled clients in five counties of the South Carolina Low Country. Laura serves as President and CFO.
She has spent over 40 years as a Registered Nurse working in a variety of settings, including Med/Surg, administration, Nursing homes and over half her career in Emergency Departments. She retired from clinical nursing in 2016 to pursue her love of business and entrepreneurship. Through the industry of network marketing, she had an increased exposure to personal self-development and mentorship that has contributed significantly to the successes experienced in both her traditional and home based businesses.
Laura hails from The Bronx, New York and currently lives in Furman, South Carolina with her husband, Wardell. She is a devout member of The Baha’i Faith.
I believe that A Woman's Way can positively impact the direction of society by creating positive female influences at all levels.
Teena Manzira
Teena Manzira is the Broker in Charge of Flamelilly Real Estate Group, a Boutique Real Estate Company serving South Carolina and Georgia in commercial and residential purchasing, selling and property management. Flamelilly Real Estate Group has been in the top performing percentile of the real estate companies in South Carolina over the last 10 years.
Born in Africa and moved to the United States of America in 2001, she came from a Venture Capital background and immediately entered the Real Estate Arena. Her passion is to help people forge forward to success, be it through home ownership or attaining and growing investments. Mainly an advocate for fair housing, she understands that the beginning of anyone’s stability is having a safe and secure home for themselves and their family. A stable person leads to a stable family and that leads to a stable community and thereafter a better world.
In her spare time Teena loves traveling. Having already covered 6 continents, she believes that nothing opens the mind more than seeing how other people live and think and realizing there is no one right way. We are all wonderfully different and that’s what makes life so worth living!
Melissa Carter, MSA, CLGFM
Treasurer
As a combat veteran and a proud mother of two daughters, I have spent my life dedicated to service and making a positive impact on the world.
With a professional background in government, consultancy, and tax planning, I bring over 20 years of experience to A Woman’s Way.
I joined this mission-driven organization because its purpose – to reveal, enhance, and educate about the unique influence of women on society – aligns with my own passion for empowering others.
My life’s purpose is to help people build confidence, embrace self-acceptance, and explore their passions to make meaningful changes in their lives and communities.
Nicole Spencer, MBA
Secretary
Nicole Spencer considers herself a multipotentialite; she is an Industrial Engineer with over 17 years experience in Supply Chain Operations, Logistics and Leadership. She is also a venture capitalist, entrepreneur and aspiring author. She is a proud alumnus of Clemson University and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
A native of the The Bronx, New York, Nicole developed a passion for the enrichment and education of people at an early age. She is dedicated to service and servant leadership and aspires to help 10,000 individuals reach financial prosperity through personal enhancement, business success and financial literacy.
In her spare time she can be found reading and watching Sci-Fi and Action films. As a self-proclaimed “Foodie” and travel enthusiast she loves venturing off to new places and experiencing the local fare and cuisine.
Deborah Martin
Born in Adrian, Michigan, Deborah was raised in a trailblazing Black family where her father was a successful businessman, and her mother was the first Black teacher in Lenawee County that instilled strong values and a love for cultural diversity.
Deborah earned a BA in Communications with a minor in Sociology from Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. She spent a decade in Nassau, Bahamas, where she served as deputy director of the College of the Bahamas Library System and was honored as National Librarian of the Year. Her 40+ year career included media specialist roles in Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina. She has coordinated royal exhibits, operated a family business, and appeared as an extra in the film Separate But Equal with Sidney Poitier.
Now retired, Deborah serves on several nonprofit boards and is active in the Baha’i community. She is a proud mother of three sons, grandmother of five, and aspiring children’s author known as “Grandma Cookie.”
Karen Franklin
Fundraising Co-Chair
Life has led me along unexpected paths, yet my unwavering personal and professional tenet has been answering the call to serve.
This guiding aspiration has been expressed through medical librarianship, non-profit marketing and development, civil service, volunteerism, and hopefully in everyday actions and interactions.
As a woman, wife, grandmother, and professional, I became involved in A Woman’s Way to continue to learn, grow, and evolve while helping other women on their paths to self-discovery, purpose, and fulfilment.
Dr. Katrina Williams
Fundraising Co-Chair
Dr. Katrina Williams, affectionately known as Dr. Kat, is a Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach, veteran, daughter, lifetime caretaker, and loyal friend who has dedicated her life to the healing and uplifting of others. With over 10 years of supporting women, men, teens, and veterans in their journeys of self-discovery, she brings a depth of expertise in generational trauma, emotional intelligence, and the art of thriving beyond pain.
As a veteran and lifelong caretaker, she embodies service, sacrifice, and resilience. As a woman of color, she brings a powerful lens to the work of breaking cycles of trauma and championing women’s voices. And as a friend, she is someone who walks alongside others with warmth, humor, and unwavering honesty.
