Start with a desire to make your community a better place, mix in non-stop enthusiasm and then work tirelessly to achieve your goal and you have a pretty good recipe for achieving your goals.

That effort didn’t go unnoticed when it came time for The Meridian Star editorial board to select its Citizen of the Year for 2020.

Congratulations to Elizabeth “Liz” Wilson, this year’s selection, for believing in your community and its future as you race toward the finish line of building the Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian.

Wilson will be the first to tell you she hasn’t gotten this far on her own.

As we noted in an editorial in October, three mothers and friends — Wilson, Kim Bowers and Kimberly Denison – shared the original vision for a children’s museum and the early work load, pitching their idea to the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, attending Meridian City Council and Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors to ask for support and making the rounds asking for donations large and small.

Within a couple of months they raised $50,000, doubling the goal issued by the Mississippi Children’s Museum and demonstrating community support for a museum in Meridian.

Keep in mind they raised that money in a climate when an additional major fundraising effort was underway to build The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in a region of the state desperate for new jobs and an economic upturn.

Since those early days, Wilson has received additional support from the Mississippi Children’s Museum, her board and the likes of the Riley Foundation and Phil Hardin Foundation along with many community-minded people chipping in at smaller levels.

But the common denominator and still the one needing to remind donors of their pledges while coordinating plans, construction and fundraising is Wilson, now the museum’s executive director.

During the nomination process, we found Wilson was continuing to volunteer with other organizations and involved in her church, all while raising three children with her husband, Rod.

The inspiring efforts of Wilson, Bowers and Denison steered our thinking toward an emphasis on women in leadership roles when we began to plan for our annual Profile edition, which is published this weekend in The Meridian Star.

Throughout the eight sections, you will find spotlights on impressive women in government, healthcare, education, business, arts and leisure and civic organizations. There are veterans of a persistent long climb to leadership positions and newcomers with bright ideas and the courage to pursue them.

These women often face challenges not shouldered by men in similar positions. Meanwhile, they bring fresh perspectives and different styles important to any workplace.

Navy Commander Meghan Angermann, who became the first female commanding officer of a squadron at NAS Meridian on Feb. 14, told The Star: “I don’t like to focus on doing this job as a woman. But if I was going to tell young girls something, I would say they can do whatever they want. The doors are open.”

We agree and salute Citizen of the Year Wilson and all those women who lead the way.