A Relentless Advocate For Women Business Owners: Honoring Terry Bradley Dunn, NAWBO’s 2025 Gillian Rudd Award Recipient

Terry Bradley Dunn, founder and CEO of Tai-Lynn HR Solutions, has been honored with NAWBO’s 2025 Gillian Rudd Award. This prestigious award recognizes a woman business owner who, like Gillian Rudd, has made significant contributions to the status and visibility of women-owned firms through advocacy and collaboration.​ Terry exemplifies the spirit of this award, inspiring others to champion the causes that empower women entrepreneurs nationwide.

Terry’s passion for advocacy was sparked early. In high school, she participated in voter registration drives, and in college, as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, she engaged in initiatives focused on social action and political awareness.

Terry was inspired by this in particular: On March 3, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority founders marched in the Woman Suffrage Procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. This act of service did not happen without challenges and due to the prevalence of segregation at the time, almost did not happen at all. Despite conflicts and hurdles, 22 sorority founders marched with other university women, making Delta Sigma Theta the only African American sorority to participate in the Procession. Although it is sometimes reported that these African American women solely marched in the back of the parade, that wasn’t the case.

“The march was initiated by white women who still could not vote,” shares Terry. “As college educated black women, they felt like if they supported these women in their pursuit, it would just be a matter of time for us to have that same right. The women in the march were ridiculed and some beaten and jailed. As the story goes, we started in the back of the line, but when the march ended, we were up front.”

Showing Up and Bringing Others Along

It’s that same spirit of showing up and bringing others with her that defines Terry’s leadership today. After a 20-plus-year career in human resources for a large pharmaceutical company, she launched Tai-Lynn HR Solutions in 2019, to provide HR expertise to businesses of all sizes but specifically recognizing the challenges small to mid-sized organizations face with limited resources, budget constraints or know how.

Shortly after becoming a business owner, she attended a NAWBO Greater Raleigh chapter meeting and NAWBO’s National Women’s Business Conference at the encouragement of a NAWBO member. She’s been involved ever since. What drew her in was NAWBO’s deep-rooted commitment to advocacy. “Advocacy didn’t start for me when I joined NAWBO,” says Terry.

In addition to Terry’s interest in advocacy during her formative years, she has long been a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as an HR professional. SHRM headquarters is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Terry joined with her SHRM colleagues at the nation’s Capitol, making their voices heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace; knocking on legislators’ doors and talking about workplace initiatives together.

Giving Entrepreneurial Women a Reason to Join

It made perfect sense then when Terry was asked to be her chapter’s public policy chair that she said “yes.” She’s been in this role for three years now. “It was important for me to serve in this way because of my previous advocacy volunteer work and the fact that women say they join NAWBO because of the advocacy work we do,” she says.

Terry’s impact with NAWBO has been both local and national. She attends NAWBO HQ’s Monthly Advocacy Calls and has traveled to Washington, DC for Advocacy Days and to knock on doors on Capitol Hill. In fact, the National Advocacy Days inspired her to create a similar event for the Raleigh and Charlotte chapters—NAWBO North Carolina Advocacy Days, which is held during Women’s History Month in March.

“Through NAWBO National events like the National Women’s Business Conference and Advocacy Days, we knew members from the Charlotte chapter and over the last several years, our collaboration for advocacy in North Carolina has brought us closer and have become like sisters,” Terry explains.

With Raleigh being the state capital, Charlotte members travel there for two days of learning, relationship building and legislative engagement together. The event’s popularity speaks for itself—the 2025 luncheon at the governor’s mansion sold out, with a waiting list. Attendees included Governor Josh Stein, members of the U.S. House and Senate, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and other local leaders.

Continuing to Make a Tangible Difference

Recently, her advocacy made a tangible difference, too. When House Bill 171, aimed at prohibiting DEI initiatives, appeared on the floor, Terry and her NAWBO colleagues mobilized. “We asked that anyone from NAWBO who could show up would, because it impacts women business owners,” she says. Their strong presence in the gallery was noted—so much so that the Speaker of the House delayed the vote for several days. “We kept showing up.”

Terry was also invited to participate in last year’s Southeast Regional Business Leader Briefing at the White House to hear from the Administration and dialogue with other business owners about a way forward. The opportunity allowed her to promote NAWBO’s national advocacy agenda and talk about issues we care about nationally and locally.

Additionally, this May, Terry was named a delegate to North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District 2025 Convention by her county party. She has served as a Wake County precinct delegate since January 2023.

Terry understands that advocacy can feel intimidating and not everyone wants to knock on doors, but she believes everyone has a voice. “Advocacy looks different for everyone. It could be writing a letter or helping shape what we advocate for,” she says. “But when I advocate, it’s not just for myself—it’s for all women business owners.”

Again, she believes in bringing others along. Her business sponsors NAWBO North Carolina Advocacy Days each year, allowing her to bring guests. She especially likes to invite women business owners not yet involved in NAWBO so that they can see firsthand what advocacy in action looks like. “I want them to understand that advocacy is the foundation of NAWBO,” she says.

That foundation, built by women like Gillian Rudd who was a major player in the passage of H.R. 5050, continues to inspire Terry. Being recognized with an award named after Gillian is an emotional moment. “All I can say is wow, I’m just honored to be receiving an award with her name on it,” says Terry, who was nominated by her chapter’s immediate past president, Carnela Renee Hill, who won the honor in 2023.

“Gillian’s background, experiences and history speak for themselves,” she continues. “I still want to be like her when I grow up. Because of women like her, their courage and convictions, I am encouraged to stay in the movement by empowering women and defending democracy through informed and active participation in advocacy.”