PPB August 2019

she has long left the classroom, her background as a teacher has influenced her business and allows her to keep the spirit of teaching others burning ever so brightly. “There are several parallels to being a teacher and being a sales consultant in our industry. First, there is education and preparation, studying and gaining knowledge of your trade,” says Griffin “Then, you need to have an understanding of your students, your audience, your clients, your target market and their needs/requirements.” Griffin holds several civic roles in her community, some that focus on helping other women to succeed and thrive, as she has. She has served as vice chair of the Board of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Atlanta, an organization that provides advocacy, social justice programs, education, financial empowerment, and health and safety measures for women and girls. She has served as board chair of the Atlanta Business League (ABL), the city’s oldest minority business development and advocacy organization, where she is currently board secretary. Accolades, Inc. is the only promotional products company in the ABL's Hall of Fame. And for 10 years, she served as secretary of the United Sisterhood of Wheat Street Baptist Church, and as director of Vacation Bible School on Wheat Street, where she is a lifelong member. She is currently president of the Azalea City Chapter of The Links, Inc. At the PPAI Expo in January, she was also honored with PPAI’s H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award in recognition of her volunteerism, and in 2016 she was recognized as a PPAI Fellow. Griffin previously served on the boards of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, Callanwolde Arts Center Foundation, Hispanic Corporate Council of America and was a two-termpresident of NSAC Jack and Jill America, an organization for mothers of children, ages 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders. She also mentors young women attending Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, her undergraduate alma mater, where she serves as a trustee, and Spellman College in Atlanta; roles she is particularly proud of. As a lifelong volunteer, Griffin followed in her parents’ footsteps. “It would be difficult for me to imagine a life of work without emulating my parents in giving back through volunteer work. They were masters of this, and as I tagged along with them, it became ingrained into my DNA,” she says. “I was never told to help others. I wanted to be of assistance. I am acutely aware that serving others with no expectancy of a return has blessed my life exponentially.” And despite her many people- facing roles spent guiding others, Griffin still enjoys spending her free time with people most of all. “I love being with my family—in particular, my grandsons. I also have a circle of sister-friends, and we get together from time to time, either through volunteer work or over a simple meal to ‘chat and chew.’ These relationships are very important to me and keep me focused on what is important in life—being with people.” When she finds a moment to herself, she enjoys reading, watching black-and-white Turner Classic Movies and frequenting historical museums. But as the saying goes, you can only keep what you have by giving it away, and Griffin does just that—even at the award ceremony. Sharing her accomplishments with the community at WLC, she said, “It warms my heart to see many new faces combined with industry veterans come together to continue leading, caring and sharing.” Then, after glancing around the packed ballroom, she proclaimed, “Collectively, we are WLC strong!” She closed her speech referring to an episode of NBC’s The Golden Girls , which ended with the words, “To Be Continued,” written across the screen. “Metaphorically, seeing each of you strong, capable sisters, I have every confidence that the future success of WLC, sustained by the sisters in this room, will be continued, and manifest itself into a sisterhood like no other.” Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB . Women o f Ach i evemen t Griffin, second from left, and members of the Accolades, Inc. team: (left) her son, Michael Griffin, CAS, marketing director; (back, left) Jayme Copelin, client relationship-project manager; and (back, right) Dosia Dixon, former creative brand manager, with (right, front) Paul Kiewiet, MAS+, executive director of the Michigan Promotional Products Association and former PPAI board chair. continued on page 54 “I was never told tohelp others. I wanted to be of assistance. I am acutely aware that serving otherswithno expectancy of a returnhas blessedmy life exponentially.” —DaryllGriffin,MAS 52 | AUGUST 2019 | THINK