Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture | Hair and makeup: Bria Fowler, Elle Louise, LLC and Patricia Arroyo, The Beautery
Jocelyn Gavin-Lane, Katherine Sutton and Latasha McCullar are using their gifts to uplift others.
These women exemplify what it means to turn passion into impact. Rooted in service and strengthened by purpose, they are transforming communities, improving lives and defining success beyond titles and accolades.
Leading with purpose
Latasha McCullar measures success by the lives she touches and the legacy she leaves behind
Veteran, mother, grandmother and executive aren’t mere titles to Latasha D. McCullar; they’re roles that have shaped how she sees the world.
“One of the most important lessons I have learned is that success is not measured solely by professional accomplishments,” says the Philadelphia, Mississippi, native, who now calls Ocean Springs home, “but by the relationships we build, the lives we impact and the legacy we leave behind.”
A retired U.S. Army acquisition officer, McCullar now serves as vice president of operations at Blacklidge Emulsions, where she leads manufacturing operations across multiple states. What began as an opportunity to return to her home state became a chance to continue growing as a leader and contribute to a company she believes in.
“What makes this work especially meaningful is knowing that the roads we help improve are traveled by our own family members, friends and neighbors,” McCullar says. “That responsibility drives our commitment to safety, quality and excellence.”
FINDING MEANING IN THE HARDEST MOMENTS
Much of McCullar’s approach to life and leadership was forged during her years in the armed forces.
“My military service instilled in me the values of discipline, resilience, accountability and servant leadership,” she says. “Those principles continue to guide me as I lead teams, solve complex challenges and invest in the growth and development of others.”
But tragedy has perhaps been McCullar’s greatest teacher. One of the most defining moments of her life was the loss of her son, Josten, who died in a car accident in 2018.
“While his passing brought unimaginable grief, it also gave me a deeper appreciation for what truly matters,” McCullar says. “It taught me to slow down, cherish life’s moments and never take family, relationships or time for granted. That perspective shapes how I lead, how I serve and how I live each day.”
That life-changing loss inspired McCullar to establish The Josten J. Day Foundation in her late son’s honor. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness about reckless driving and support students via scholarships and community outreach.
Through pain, disappointments and seasons that test your strength, McCullar advises leaning on your faith, giving yourself grace and continuing to move forward.
“If I have learned anything about overcoming adversity, it is that you do not have to have all the answers; you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other,” she says. “Trust God through the process, and believe that even in life’s hardest moments, there is still purpose ahead.”
SERVICE: HER LIFE’S CORNERSTONE
For McCullar, titles and position matter far less than legacy and long-term impact. That commitment has prompted her to hold many leadership and volunteer roles, including president of the Coleman Alexander Prosser Foundation Incorporated and former president of the Junior Auxiliary of Biloxi Ocean Springs. She also is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and The Gulf Coast Chapter of The Links Incorporated and serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast, CASA of Southeast Mississippi and the Early Childhood Investment Council.
“Service has always been a cornerstone of my life,” says McCullar, who is also a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast and Mississippi Business Council’s Masters Leadership Program. “I believe we all have a responsibility to use our time, talents and resources to make a positive difference in the lives of others and strengthen the communities where we live and work.”
WHAT MATTERS MOST
Despite of all her accomplishments, McCullar is most proud of being mom to her daughter, Joslyn, whom she describes as hardworking, compassionate, resilient and dedicated to her family.
“Seeing the woman, mother, professional and person of faith she has become is a reminder that some of life’s greatest successes are not measured by our own achievements, but by the lives we help shape and the legacy we leave through our children,” she says.
McCullar finds great joy in attending events for her grandchildren, Marley, Myles and Wise, and looks forward to spending more time with her loved ones in the future. One of her biggest short-term goals is ensuring that the Josten J. Day Scholarship continues to thrive and one day become an endowed scholarship — providing lasting support to students and serving as a legacy of hope, education and opportunity.
At the center of all McCullar’s ambitions and successes are her dedication to her family and a desire to live a life guided by faith, purpose and gratitude.
“For me, success is about putting God first, being present for the people you love, helping others reach their potential and leaving every person, place and organization better than you found it,” she says. “If I have accomplished those things, then I consider my life a success.”
Built to serve
Katherine Sutton has crafted a career — and a mission — centered on people, community and changing lives
As a real estate professional, Katherine M. Sutton has guided families through some of the biggest moments of their lives — but she didn’t stop there.
The managing broker with Weichert Realtors Gulf Properties – Gulfport wanted to make an even deeper community impact, so she founded Mississippi Heroes, an organization focused on celebrating and supporting caregivers and aiding veterans, seniors and individuals with disabilities.
“My passion comes from seeing the direct impact both real estate and nonprofit work can have on people’s lives,” Sutton says. “Helping someone buy a home is meaningful, but helping someone regain independence and dignity through a wheelchair ramp is lifechanging.”
The Upstate New York native adds that she’s always been driven by people, relationships and making a difference. Having lived on the Coast for many years, she cherishes being part of a community that feels like family.
“I’m someone who believes in leading with heart, finding solutions and bringing people together to create something meaningful,” Sutton says. “I never give up, although I might fall. Every day, I show up the best I can and keep pushing forward.”
ROOTED IN RELATIONSHIPS
Although Sutton has many responsibilities and priorities, nothing matters more to her than family. Her daughter, Ashley Kosturock, is a pilot for the government and a Hurricane Hunter. She also shares her life with her boyfriend, a snack-loving dog named Jenny and the newest addition to the household, a cat name Rhu.
“I (also) have a strong support system of friends, volunteers, clients and community members who have become like family through the years,” she says.
Professionally, opening the new Gulfport office for Weichert Realtors® Gulf Properties has been a major milestone. Sutton’s outstanding work performance and commitment to service have earned her numerous honors, including being named among the Top 200 Realtors on the Mississippi Gulf Coast through Gulf Coast Real Producers and being nominated for the One Coast Community Leader award through the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber this year — as well as winning several real estate awards.
“While those recognitions are meaningful,” she says, “the greatest reward is knowing the work we do truly impacts lives.”
RAMPING UP THE IMPACT
The opportunity to help people initially attracted Sutton to real estate, and she finds the combination of strategy, marketing, negotiation and relationship-building fulfilling. But over time, her vision expanded, and she realized that real estate could become a vehicle for even greater good. That awareness prompted the founding of Mississippi Heroes — which has built or installed more than 60 wheelchair ramps for locals in need through the Ramp It Up program.
“One of the most defining experiences in my life has been seeing firsthand how something as simple as safe access into and out of a home can completely change someone’s quality of life,” Sutton says. “Watching families cry tears of relief after receiving a wheelchair ramp reminds me daily why purpose matters more than profit alone.”
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Sutton’s desire to transform lives extends well beyond Mississippi Heroes. She’s been part of Pink Heart Funds, which cares for cancer patients, and the Heritage Trails Partnership. She’s also involved in several local activities, partnerships, fundraising efforts and charitable initiatives across the Coast, including events like the Gulf Coast Beer, Bacon & Beyond Festival.
“Giving back matters because strong communities are built when people show up for one another,” Sutton says. “Success means very little if you aren’t using it to make someone else’s life better.”
Like many women, she’s faced burnout, financial stress, self-doubt and the pressure of trying to juggle business, leadership, family and community service. Building a nonprofit while managing a real estate career has presented many challenges, but Sutton has figured out how to give herself grace and stop chasing perfection.
“Balance is not something you achieve once; it’s something you continually adjust,” she says. “Learn to prioritize what matters most, ask for help when needed and remember that rest is productive, too.”
GROWTH, GRIT AND LOOKING AHEAD
Experience also has taught Sutton not to wait until you feel “ready”; “growth happens while you’re figuring it out.”
“Don’t underestimate your ability to rebuild, reinvent yourself or start over,” she adds. “Some of the hardest seasons in life become the moments that shape your purpose the most.”
Sutton surely will be keeping these lessons in mind as she aims to grow Weichert Realtors Gulf Properties – Gulfport and Mississippi Heroes, expand the Ramp It Up program, build stronger community partnerships and continue mentoring others in business and leadership. Success is not built overnight, she’s found, but through small actions repeated consistently — even during difficult seasons.
“At the end of the day,” Sutton says, “what matters most is knowing you loved people well, made a difference and used your gifts to help others.”
Called to heal
Through counseling, advocacy and entrepreneurship, Jocelyn Gavin-Lane is empowering others to thrive
When the waters of despair threaten to pull someone under, Jocelyn Gavin-Lane wants to be a lifeline.
The founder, CEO and clinical director of Premier Professional Counseling Services has always had a servant’s heart, which led her to pursue a social work career and later start her own multi-location therapy practice.
“Over the years, I have had the privilege of walking alongside people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives — families in crisis, children who have experienced trauma, individuals navigating grief and loss, veterans and people struggling with mental health challenges,” she says. “Those experiences have reinforced for me that healing happens when people feel seen, heard and valued.”
A D’Iberville resident, Gavin-Lane was an only child raised in the small town of Bay Springs, Mississippi, where she learned the importance of family and community.
“I grew up surrounded by two large extended families who poured into me, encouraged me, and wrapped me in love …,” she recalls. “The lessons I learned around kitchen tables and at family gatherings shaped my understanding of service, resilience and the importance of showing up for others.”
FINDING WHERE SHE BELONGED
Long before she became a social worker, therapist and entrepreneur, Gavin-Lane was fascinated by aviation and aspired to become a U.S. Air Force pilot.
“I loved the sense of adventure, discipline and possibility that came with it,” she says. “While life ultimately led me down a very different path, I think that childhood dream says a lot about who I have always been; even then, I was curious, ambitious, independent and eager to explore what was possible.”
Those same traits define her today, although she employs them in a counseling office rather than a cockpit. Her family’s influence led Gavin-Lane to view education not just as an opportunity, but a responsibility, and she earned her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees from Jackson State University; later, she received a Master of Public Health in healthcare administration from The University of Southern Mississippi.
She’d planned to become a nurse upon entering college, but when she was asked to dissect a frog during a biology lab, she realized that facet of health care probably didn’t suit her. Around that same time, her mom’s friend encouraged her visit the School of Social Work and meet with one of the professors.
“I took her advice, and that conversation changed the trajectory of my life,” Gavin-Lane recalls. “From the moment I was introduced to the profession, I knew I had found where I belonged.”
PURPOSE IN PRACTICE
Now a licensed social worker for more than 26 years, Gavin-Lane started her career on the front lines with the Mississippi Department of Human Services — investigating child abuse and neglect cases.
“That work was challenging, emotional and transformative; i t taught me the importance of advocacy, compassion and meeting people where they are.,” she says. “Those early experiences shaped the way I approach leadership, service and mental health care today.”
From adoption and hospice to medical social work and veteran care, each role deepened Gavin-Lane’s understanding of the human experience and reinforced her belief that people deserve to be seen as more than their circumstances. She has witnessed how stigma, lack of access and systemic barriers prevent people from getting vital support, which is one of the reasons she founded Premier Professional Counseling Services and later launched initiatives like the Mississippi Minority Mental Health Symposium, the Vibe & Heal women’s mental health experience and The Pink Lotus Project.
“I wanted to help create spaces where healing, education, advocacy and empowerment could thrive,” she says.
‘I WAS HERE’
Gavin-Lane’s own struggles allow her to relate to those she serves. Losing her father, navigating divorce and serving as a caregiver for her aunt with dementia are some of the experiences that have shown her the true meaning of resilience, grace and perseverance.
“Adversity has a way of revealing what we are made of …,” she says. “Every challenge I have faced has ultimately strengthened me, deepened my compassion for others and reinforced my belief that difficult seasons do not last forever.”
While Gavin-Lane would now consider herself successful, it’s not for the reasons most people would expect. She’s rightly proud of her many achievements, numerous awards and accolades and extensive community service, but she measures her success by something much deeper: whether she has built a life that aligns with her values and purpose.
“The relationships I share with my daughter, extended family and loved ones are far more valuable to me than any professional accomplishment or recognition I could ever receive,” she says. “At the end of the day, it is the people who love us and whom we love that truly matter.”
Gavin-Lane’s next chapter is centered around impact, growth and remaining a trusted voice in the mental health field. As she contemplates her legacy, she wants people to remember that she used her gifts to help others heal, grow and recognize their own potential.
“If I can leave the world a little better than I found it,” Gavin-Lane says. “I will consider that a life well lived. I want people to know ‘I was here.’”