Spotted: This new bus honors 7 women changing Birmingham

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A new bus rolling through Birmingham this month is carrying more than passengers—it’s carrying the stories of women helping move the city forward.

During the annual Rise 2026 Conference on March 3, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) unveiled a special MAX Transit tribute bus honoring seven Birmingham women leaders in celebration of Women’s History Month.

The reveal took place outside the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex, where hundreds of attendees gathered for the annual conference hosted by Momentum Leaders—a Birmingham nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in leadership.

The bus features the faces of seven Birmingham women whose work spans business, technology, nonprofit leadership and community development. Over the coming year, it will travel across Jefferson County, bringing their stories to thousands of riders and residents.

Unveiling “Women Who Move Birmingham”

The tribute, titled “Women Who Move Birmingham,” highlights seven women whose work spans entrepreneurship, technology, nonprofit leadership and community development. Over the coming year, the bus will travel throughout Jefferson County, sharing their stories across the city they help shape.

The symbolism couldn’t be more fitting: while the bus physically moves through Birmingham neighborhoods each day, organizations like Momentum are helping move women forward as leaders, innovators and changemakers across the region.

According to BJCTA CEO and Executive Director Charlotte Shaw, the tribute is designed to spotlight the leadership and innovation of local women while literally moving their impact through the community.

“You are crossing 200 square miles a day. This bus is going to 99 neighborhoods throughout Jefferson County. In a year, it will travel 2.7 million miles where people will see your faces and your stories.”

Charlotte Shaw, CEO and Executive Director, BJCTA

Shaw said the initiative began several years ago as a way to better reflect Women’s History Month in the transit system’s public art and recognition programs.

Meet the 7 local leaders featured

The tribute recognizes seven Birmingham leaders whose work is making an impact locally and beyond:

• Dr. Nadia Monique Johnson, Black Women’s Mental Health Institute
• Selena Rodgers Dickerson, SARCOR
• Martha Underwood, Prismm
• Jennifer Gowers, GoPro Solutions
• Shella Sylla, SisterGolf
• Irealle Sylvas, iKidd
• April Benetollo, Momentum Leaders

Each woman represents a different industry, from entrepreneurship and technology to youth development and even golf. Several of the honorees also have strong ties to Momentum’s leadership programs and community.

Dickerson, founder of SARCOR, is currently part of Momentum’s executive leadership class. Underwood, founder of Prismm, serves as a mentor within the organization, helping guide the next generation of women leaders. Meanwhile, Gowers’ company, GoPro Event Solutions, has partnered with Momentum as the conference production partner since 2020.

For Dr. Nadia Monique Johnson, whose organization provides free mental health counseling across Alabama, the recognition was a testament to the ways women are making history in The Magic City and beyond.

“This is such an honor and such an exciting way to kick off Women’s History Month.

We make history every single day when we build off of legacies that were placed before us, decide to solve problems that need solving, come to the table with solutions and build the tables that we do not see existing. That is how we make history.

To wake up every day and impact the lives of men, women and children—and to hear that this work has saved lives—means everything.”

Dr. Nadia Monique Johnson, Founder, Black Women’s Mental Health Institute

A tribute with personal meaning

For Selena Rodgers Dickerson, founder of the engineering firm SARCOR, seeing her face on a MAX bus was especially meaningful. As a child, she watched her great-grandmother rely on Birmingham’s bus system to commute to work cleaning homes over the mountain.

“She would put on her good wig, get her handkerchief with her coins, and she would walk to the street corner to catch the bus. Sometimes there was no seat, no bench, just a bus stop. She would ride this corridor into Birmingham and come back with little chocolates or caramels for me.”

Selena Rodgers Dickerson, SARCOR

Fast forward 30 years later, Dickerson found herself working as the engineer redesigning that same corridor that got her great grandmother to work—adding safer sidewalks, ramps and crosswalks to improve access for riders.

“When I went back, I got the opportunity to see another little old lady sitting on the bench at the same bus stop. I never realized that watching my great grandmother all those years ago was something that was going to be an impact for me, to change my life.”

Selena Rodgers Dickerson, SARCOR

Celebrating the next generation of leaders

As the bus begins its routes across Birmingham and Jefferson County, the tribute serves as a moving reminder of the women helping create new opportunities for other girls and women like them.

“So many of the women here today are founders, and I know the grueling work that it is to get something started, to build a brand, to build a customer base, to get in there every day, to get paid very little—it’s incredible to see that represented on this bus.”

April Benetollo, CEO, Momentum Leaders

During Women’s History Month and beyond, the message is clear: Women are not just a small piece of Birmingham’s story, they’re helping drive it forward every single day.

Explore how Momentum Leaders is empowering the next generation of women leaders in Birmingham. Applications are currently open for Momentum Executive class and Momentum Works. 

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