Eleven notable Decatur County women were honored Thursday morning at the monthly Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce breakfast, held at the headquarters of Southwest Georgia Farm Credit.

The women — who were listed as the “Women to Watch in 2011” in the Winter 2011 edition of Bainbridge Living magazine — were cheered for their enthusiasm and desire to make a difference in the community. Although the 11 women were featured in the magazine, they were never officially recognized publicly until Thursday’s breakfast.

The campaign is a joint venture between Bainbridge Living and Southwest Georgia Farm Credit.

“We have partnered to focus on women in our community who — sometimes behind the scenes — make things happen,” said Richard Horn, chief lending officer for Southwest Georgia Farm Credit. “I mean, they change lives. Their influence, their skills, their knowledge, and most of all — their enthusiasm for making our community a better place — is evident in all that they do.”

Bainbridge Living publisher Jeff Findley and marketing specialist William Hand presented each woman with a mounted-and-laminated copy of their magazine article.

“We were honored to focus our Winter issue of Bainbridge Living on 11 women who are ‘game changers,’” Findley said. “You’ve probably heard that term before. It’s someone who defines — and continues to redefine — our landscape. In most cases, a game changer is a visionary who dreams outside the box — someone who doesn’t always play by the rules — but sees what needs to get accomplished and figures out a way to get it done.”

The “Women to Watch in 2011” were:

• Adrienne Harrison —Communications director for the City of Bainbridge and executive director of the Bainbridge-Decatur County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

• Dr. Tonya Strickland — Interim vice president of student affairs at Bainbridge College.

• Bridget Collier — General manager of Ivey Funeral Home.

• Alesia Brinson — Founder and program coordinator of One on One Mentoring.

• Glennie Bench — Chief financial officer for Southwest Oil and first female Rotary club member in Bainbridge.

• Patricia Williams — Served as student representative for Bainbridge College’s presidential search in 2010, and first vice president of the college’s Student Government Association.

• April Aldridge —Assistant principal at John Johnson Elementary School and coordinates the Migrant Education and English as a Second Language programs for Decatur County Schools.

• Debbie McIntyre — Chairman of the county’s Certified Literate Community Program, with an emphasis on fighting illiteracy.

• Tandria Phillips — Bainbridge High School physical science and health teacher, who also coaches the BHS girls track team.

• Nikki Dean Simpson — Credit analyst at Southwest Georgia Farm Credit who has worked on some of the largest accounts served by the firm.

• Diane Strickland — President of the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce.

The 10 “Women to Watch in 2012” will be featured in the Winter 2012 edition of Bainbridge Living.