Kimmie Vaulx & Virginia McNeil learn from each other.

When you first meet Kimmie McNeil Vaulx and her mom, Virginia McNeil, they almost seem cut from the same cloth, from their stylish black jackets to the same reserved twinkle in their eyes. But as with any accomplished mother and daughter (they were the first mother/daughter graduates of Leadership Memphis), they are similar—and different.

“She has my zeal and fervor,” says Virginia, a longtime educator now supervising 38 elementary schools as a Memphis City Schools district superintendent. “She’s spontaneous,” says Kimmie, a communications executive with Baptist Memorial Health Care. “I need a little bit more order.”

Both are single-minded in pursuit of their goals, whether it’s pursuing a PhD (Virginia) or raising two children and keeping track of work obligations and family events (Kimmie). It’s hard to miss the love and respect these two share. Says Virginia, “I take a lot more from her than I think she realizes.”