The May 2026 Woman Of True Grit In West Alabama

Edie Hand started the Women of True Grit to honor the great women who have overcome great odds and have amazing stories.

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It's time to honor the May 2026 woman in Alabama, presented by Grit 101 and ASF Foundation, Home of the Alabama State Games

Peggy Lee Wright

What an amazing woman with a truly amazing story.

Wright is an aviator, a leader, and a business innovator, but at her core, she’s
a problem solver, a mentor, and a woman who knows how to handle turbulence, both in
the air and in business. A former U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk pilot, she flew with
The 82nd Airborne Division executed missions in Honduras and Central America, and
built a foundation of grit, resilience, and operational excellence during her command at
Fort Lee, Virginia. She spent years making split-second decisions at 500 feet above
ground, so when people tell her their business challenges feel like life-or-death
situations, she kindly reminds them that unless their boardroom also requires door
gunners, they’re going to be just fine.
After trading in her flight suit for a business suit, Wright set out to redefine leadership beyond buzzwords and PowerPoint slides. In 2019, she founded THE
COMPANY YOU KEEP, a Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned Small Business based
in Huntsville, Alabama. More than just a business development firm, it’s a strategic force
multiplier, proving that no matter the sector, government, military, academia, non-profits,
or industry, success comes down to great people, solid strategy, and knowing when to
take a deep breath and unclench your jaw.

Peggy Lee Wright and her team specialize in leadership development, personal branding, business growth, and program management, helping executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations grow with the right mix of bold strategy and real-world execution.

Her commitment to service and mentorship runs deep. PeggyLee is trained in behavior
analysis, which means she can not only help you become a better leader but also tell when you’re stretching the truth about finishing that quarterly report. She serves on the
boards of Huntsville SOF Network and the YMCA, and as Executive Director of the
Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering (ASCTE) Foundation, she is
leading the charge to shape the next generation of cyber and engineering minds,
because she believes every child deserves the chance to dream big, break barriers, and serve.
A dynamic speaker, strategist, and fixer of impossible problems, Peggy Lee Wright doesn’t just talk about leadership; she works hard to live it. Whether she’s coaching an executive, mentoring a student, or wrangling a last-minute project (or teenager), she approaches every challenge with the same mindset she had in the cockpit: mission-focused and ready to improvise when things don’t go as planned.