Covington native Shameeka Ayers, known for her blog The Broke Socialite and her much-lauded dessert festivals called Sugar Coma Events, will be a featured speaker at The Southern Coterie Summit on Aug. 1 in Athens. Well-known as a motivational speaker, she will coach her audience on making the transition from employee to entrepreneur and creating a brand.

On the road frequently, she was a featured speaker at the recent Essence Festival in New Orleans. She now calls Atlanta’s historic Washington Park community home.

The Southern C. Summit, a partnership with Southern Living Magazine, will be held at the Georgia Theatre at the Georgia Museum of Art and will feature Southern food and a host of educational presentations.