Contributors
Susan Gunelius (Owner and Editor-in-Chief)
WomenOnBusiness.com was founded in 2007 by Susan Gunelius, President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a full service marketing communications provider offering copywriting, business communications, blog, book and article writing, and marketing and branding consulting services.
She brings with her 20 years of experience working in the marketing field for some of the largest corporations in the world (including divisions of AT&T, HSBC, Household International and more).
Susan is a published author with numerous business and marketing-related books available in stores and online (Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon through Palgrave Macmillan, Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps through Entrepreneur Press, Google Blogger for Dummies through Wiley, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way through Palgrave Macmillan, Blogging All-in-One For Dummies
Susan frequently writes about marketing for various publications. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and a Featured Writer for Forbes.com where she contributes to the Forbes Work in Progress site, which is targeted to women in business. Susan’s marketing-related articles have been published on numerous websites, including MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, BusinessWeek.com, WashingtonPost.com, TheStreet.com, SmartMoney.com, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Small Business, and more.
Susan also offers speaking services and talks to both professionals and students about a variety of marketing-related topics, such as social media marketing, content marketing, and branding.
If you would like to contact Susan Gunelius for assistance with writing, copywriting, branding or marketing initiatives, or to learn more about the services Susan offers through KeySplash Creative, Inc., please visit the KeySplash Creative contact page. To contact Susan in reference to Women On Business, please submit the Women On Business contact form.
Follow the links to connect with Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Gayla Baer (Assistant Editor)
Gayla Baer has a long, impressive career in the world of online writing, social media and community building. Since she began working online in 1999, she has learned to infiltrate several niche categories with authority. Twice she grew a blog into a community, the community into a business and then sold both yielding six figure profits! She worked as channel editor for the #1 blog network managing 80+ global writers and served as community manager to one of the most influential bloggers.
Learn more about Gayla and her extensive portfolio of accomplishments and small business services at GaylaBaer.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter (@gayla) and Facebook.
Laura Berry (Social Media Coordinator)
Laura Berry is founder and principal at Eugene Social. She is focused on social media for small business and women in media and small business. Her most recent social media business success was with contract work for a New York startup. In the first three months alone she generated more than 4,000 tweets, attracted 500 followers, and reached a Klout score of 41, which is about 85th percentile.
Laura has 13 + years experience with Palo Alto Software (Eugene, OR) in multiple roles including sales, customer service, customer support, and assistant to CFO. She was always the best in the company at dealing with the rare unhappy and unreasonable customer. She is a dean’s-list graduate of the University of Notre Dame ( South Bend, IN ) with a BA double-degree BA in Spanish and Education; and she holds an MA from the University of Oregon in Education. She is a single mom in business for herself.
You can connect with Laura on Twitter (@eugenesocial) and her Facebook page is EugeneSocial.
CURRENT CONTRIBUTORS
The following business professionals currently contribute content to Women on Business to help readers succeed in the world of business.
Ashley Nialetz
Ashley Nialetz is Founder and CEO of Fat Pug Tech. She is also a wife, mom of two, caffeine addict, customer service pro extraordinaire and superhero by night (shhh…don’t tell).
Ashley worked as a virtual assistant for two years before starting her own virtual assistance company. Prior to working in the in the virtual assistant world, she had 10+ years of experience in customer service and administrative management roles. Ashley is a Simmons College Alum and owes a lot of knowledge to her experience in a women’s college.
Ashley can be found on Twitter @anialetz.
Bethany Wood
Bethany Wood is a serial entrepreneur and has started several successful companies in a variety of fields including manufacturing, distribution, consumer goods, financial services, marketing and consulting. She is currently the President of SEI International and has business interest in the US, India and China.
As an entrepreneur Bethany is constantly finding opportunities to expand SEI’s holdings and as a business owner she is continually learning new ways to improve business performance. As a writer Bethany contributed to and edited the Back to Basics management book.
To receive additional business tips from Bethany follow her on Twitter @BethanysTips or read her blog www.BethanysTips.wordpress.com.
Carolyn K. Broner, Ph.D.
Dr. Carolyn K. Broner is an Assistant Professor at Ashford University in the College of Business and Professional Studies in the department of Leadership and Organizational Studies. She holds a doctorate in management with a focus in leadership and organizational change and has conducted research in the areas of leadership, charisma, organizational change and development, and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Broner has also owned businesses in the beauty industry and editorial services arenas. Prior to moving into the collegiate and business worlds, she was a high school teacher who taught social studies and entrepreneurship in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan.
Dawn Elyse Warden-Reeder
A former lifestyles magazine editor and reporter covering an array of topics including philanthropy and business, health and well-being, sustainability, fashion, music and food, Dawn entered the public relations and social media field in 2010 as Executive Partner of The Whole Enchilada PR, now the culinary division of The Warden Ettinger Group.
Dawn’s appreciation for the entrepreneurial spirit, and for those who’ve overcome personal and professional obstacles to achieve their goals, makes her a natural Pied Piper for innovators, do-gooders and risk-takers in any industry. Combined with strong writing and social media skills, Dawn brings a notable level of passion to everything she does—including raising 5 children, one with special needs.
Dawn is a member of Philadelphia Social Media Moms, Femfessionals and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Any where you are on social media, you’ll likely find Dawn there. LinkedIn and Twitter (@eatDEWwrite) are good places to start.
Deborah Skye King
Deborah Skye King is President of Soul Therapy International and North America’s #1 Soul Therapist. She works with female entrepreneurs globally to empower, educate and inspire through her online certificate trainings and coaching programs.
For the last 28 years she has been leading and participating in sacred travel to some of the worlds most beautiful and exotic locations, today she leads women on Spiritual Retreats in Costa Rica and Bali.
You can visit her site at www.DeborahSkyeKing.com
Mary Bennett
Mary has over twenty five years of experience in the accounting and consulting industry. Seventeen years of this experience has been with Crowe Horwath LLP, a top ten accounting and consulting firm. For ten years of her career Mary served as a partner at Crowe. Mary’s roles have included Practice Leadership, Market Development, Business Development, Client Service, and Organizational Development. Areas of technical expertise include Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Leadership Development, Inclusiveness Programs, and Women’s Leadership Initiatives.
Mary has recently founded MLBennett Consulting and is working with professional services firms and other organizations in Organizational Development. Services include Succession Planning, Leadership Development, Women’s Leadership Initiatives, Inclusiveness, Career/Life and Work/Life Programming, Strategic Capability Development and Executive Coaching.
Monica S. Flores
Monica S. Flores is principal at 10K Webdesign and a blogger through A Successful Woman. Monica is passionate about educating, empowering, and connecting women in business — she believes in the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. She is available for consulting on green business practices, open source web development (Drupal, Joomla, WordPress), and women in business.
10K Webdesign specializes in building websites for green businesses, progressive organizations, membership groups, and nonprofits. Monica’s current focus is on creating sites that build community and foster a feeling of connectedness. She supports women entrepreneurs and fair trade, organic, holistic, sustainable, and green businesses.
Monica is the author of the A Successful Woman’s Handbook series. You can learn more about Fifty-one Ways to Build your Community of Clients online in paperback here or as a digital download here. She is available to speak on women in business, web development, and Filipina-American issues. You can connect with Monica on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/monicadear) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicaflores).
Shanda Sumpter
Shanda Sumpter is the founder and Queen Visionary of HeartCore Women, “The #1 resource for women to do what they love, make more money, and live the life they want.” She provides valuable teaching skills aimed at transforming women’s financial lives. For the past few years, Shanda has created opportunities for women business owners and enlightened female entrepreneurs both individually through coaching and by creating ‘sisterhood’ networks online.
With a passion for women’s interests and issues, she is a highly sought after speaker for companies, events, and organizations around the world. Her background includes successfully creating new business ventures for emerging and established companies, including playing a significant part in the creation of $40 million plus in new business for CBPR.
PAST CONTRIBUTORS
The following business professionals have contributed content to Women on Business in the past.
Allison O’Neill
Allison O’Neill is an author and writer from New Zealand. Writing has been her true passion since age seven when her first offical publication (a family newsletter) came out. Since then, her writing has been published in New Zealand, Australia and London. She is the author of “The Boss Benchmark” which is a book about how to be an amazing boss. She wrote it after seeing inside many companies while running her staff survey company. She learned what staff really loathe and love in a boss and decided to share it. You can purchase the book at http://www.thebossbenchmark.com/ and subscribe to the blog at http://www.thebossbenchmark.blogspot.com/.
Allison also writes a blog for her other love of self growth called “Live Knowing This“. Self growth has been a huge love of hers from a very young age. She has read hundreds of self help books and been to all the ‘entrepreneurs’ seminars she could find. She adores Tony Robbins programs and wants to help people learn and grow while living happier lives with clarity. Some people she adores that have and are still ABSOLUTELY changing the world… Steve Irwin, Ellen DeGeneres, Jesus, Wayne Dyer, Tony Robins and Lousie Hay. Allison would love to hear your questions and topic suggestions – get in touch allison@thebossbenchmark.com.
Amy Blais
Amy Blais is Program Director for the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO). Miss Blais has been with the WPEO for two years. The WPEO, a regional affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), creates increased access to business opportunities for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs). Ms. Blais oversees the WBENC certification process for women-owned business in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. She guides firms through the process of certification and helps provide links between women entrepreneurs and business opportunities in the private sector. Ms. Blais and her team develop effective programming and opportunities for WBEs for the overall mission of increasing access for WBEs. Ms. Blais also serves on the Supplier Diversity Development Council of New Jersey.
Ms. Blais has always been dedicated to increasing resources and opportunities for women. Prior to her work with the WPEO, Ms. Blais worked as Program Coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center where she developed programs dedicated to advancing women’s personal, educational and professional goals as well as providing support and counseling services to women in need. She also served as a Research Fellow at the Boston College Department of Psychology participating in research regarding gender differences, intergroup relations and non verbal communication.
Anne Clarke
Anne Clarke is the founder and principal of ABClarke Coaching. A personal and executive coach and motivational speaker, Anne offers coaching clients and speaking audiences alike a fresh, informed perspective and dynamic, effective, presentations directed at supporting the ongoing change and growth that 21st century life demands. As Anne puts it “[my] job is to support my clients in achieving success however they define it.”
As a complement to her coaching and speaking practice Anne operates the website www.setting-and-achieving-goals.com to provide resources, information and support to people interested in learning about and applying this powerful tool to their own experience. For more information on Anne’s services visit her website, send her an e-mail or follow her on twitter.
Barbara Weaver Smith
Barbara Weaver Smith is president and CEO of The Whale Hunters and an author, consultant, speaker, and coach who helps leaders achieve exceptional growth in their companies. Barbara had been a professor, a college dean, and a nonprofit president before founding her first company 13 years ago. She blogs at Whale Hunting with Barbara Weaver Smith . She writes Whale Hunters Wisdom, a free biweekly newsletter focused on growing your business.
The Whale Hunters® deliver explosive growth–from the big sale for a privately held company to the big plan for a university to the big venture for a nonprofit. The company provides training, consulting, and coaching services to entrepreneurs, executive teams, and sales teams. Barbara has a special affinity for small business and woman-owned businesses and frequently helps teams prepare a winning response to a Request for Proposals.
Barbara is co-author of Whale Hunting: How to Land Big Sales and Transform Your Company and author of Winning Whales with an RFP and Whale Hunters Wisdom. Whale Hunting Women will be out soon. She offers workshops around the US on several whale hunting topics and speaks on business development and women’s entrepreneurial gifts.
Barbara’s LinkedIn profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraweaversmith, and you can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/whalehunters.
Becky Sheetz-Runkle
Becky Sheetz-Runkle is a strategic marketer, martial artist, speaker and the author of Sun Tzu for Women: The Art of War for Winning in Business. She is co-founder of Q2 Marketing, a technology marketing firm in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Becky has 20 years of experience in communications, public relations, copywriting and marketing strategy. She’s an expert on Sun Tzu for business, business strategy, and the challenges and attributes of women in business.
She can be reached at bsheetz@beckysheetz.com.
Bonnie Marcus
Bonnie Marcus is a Certified Executive Coach. With 25 years of sales and management experience, Bonnie has an extensive business background that includes VP of Sales at several national companies as well as CEO of a national healthcare company. She has held executive positions in startup companies and Fortune 500 companies. In her executive career, Bonnie has earned many prestigious accolades for her sales and business development performance, and she has been recognized by her peers as an outstanding and revolutionary businesswoman.
Bonnie is the founder and former President of the Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network, a group bringing women together for networking, professional development, and business growth. She currently sits on the board of Women Empowered, a non-profit organization dedicated to coaching women on basic life skills.
As the founder and principal of Women’s Success Coaching, Bonnie’s specialty is helping women in business achieve success and maximize their potential. She assists women with promoting themselves effectively in order to advance their careers and grow their businesses.
Bonnie is well known for her motivational speaking and innovative workshops. She received a BA from Connecticut College and an M.Ed. from New York University.
For additional information on Bonnie’s services, you can visit her website, www.womenssuccesscoaching.com.
Cecilia Edwards
Cecilia Edwards founded The RobinsonEdwards Group (www.robinsonedwards.com) to deliver strategic advisory and consulting services to middle market companies and the individuals and investment firms who own them. She works with them to:
– Develop value creation plans to maximize each investment opportunity
– Provide executive and team coaching to portfolio company leadership to grow management capacity and ensure successful execution of value creation plans
– Establish tailored processes to facilitate highly productive relationships between the board and portfolio company leadership
Through her coaching practice, the InPower™ system she designed, and her blog (www.ceciliaedwards.com) she helps small business owners and solo-preneurs achieve phenomenal business success through the application of sound strategy.
Cecilia spent nearly seven years with The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., providing general strategy and business consulting to Fortune 500 and other major corporations across a wide range of industries. She headed a foundation focused on strengthening lower income neighborhoods and launched a research institute, develop a city-wide and region indicators websites, led major civic projects in public education, healthcare, affordable housing, and early childhood education, and trained over 125 nonprofit executives in organizational capacity building.
She started her professional career as an officer in the United States Air Force where she served as a launch manager for the Titan Satellite Space Launch program. Cecilia earned an AB from Smith College in mathematics and an MBA with an emphasis in strategy from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkley.
Cheryl Santa Maria
Cheryl Santa Maria is a freelance writer from Toronto. Her work can be found all over the web – from Quietcolor.com, to FeministReview.com, to her own blog.
After graduating from Brock University with a film and communications degree, Cheryl spent two years working in television, and then set her sites on the corporate world.
After spending three years as a legal assistant, Cheryl learned a thing or two about business. These experiences have given her a greater insight into the ways of the world and have served as inspiration for her writing.
Her areas of interest are (Canadian) politics, society, business and finance and popular culture, but always from a feminist perspective. She rejects the common notion that women must be and act a certain way – both professionally and personally. Through her writing, Cheryl has made it her mission to debunk the societal myths that surround both men and women and attempts to offer “out of the box” solutions to balancing work and life.
Chrysty Beverley Fortner
Relationship Builder, Public Speaker, Business Developer, Team Motivator, Project Coordinator, Creative Writer, Event Planner, Marketing Strategist, Change Implementer, Experience Enhancer!
As a marketing professional, Chrysty has marketed, orchestrated, motivated, and branded people, concepts and products in the entertainment, sports, music and banking industries. She embraces creation, challenge and change. She facilitates positive culture transformation within an organization. She enjoys learning and broadening her sphere of influence. She works well under pressure and welcomes opportunities to integrate creative, innovative solutions to unproven initiatives. She is far from perfect. She makes mistakes. She apologizes when she’s wrong. She is humbled by the support of her friends and family to become the woman God made her to be. She is still working on that.
She is currently the director of marketing for the Tennessee State Fair. Besides receiving the directive to “reinvent the fair,” she wants to create an affordable place for families to make memories in this tight economy. It’s not been easy, but Chrysty welcomes a challenge (maybe if she stops saying that, she’ll stop getting such challenging projects). And maybe that’s what lured her in the first place. Chrysty says, “Stick with me over the next 8 months and watch my life unfold as I turn what critics say is a “thug-filled midway” into a rich experience of safe, clean family fun. I will do all of this while having fun and causing others to enjoy the process.” Chrysty also writes at http://chrystybfortner.wordpress.com/.
Echo Garrett
Echo Garrett is the National Practice Manager for KPMG’s Financial Credit Risk practice and a Co-Founder of “Her Voice”, a National Women’s Organization that is bringing women together for local support and charitable opportunities. Please visit www.hervoice.org.
A former owner of Equity Enterprises, Echo is experienced in the small business transitions within the field of marketing and eCommerce development and expansion, as well as customer advocacy within the eCommerce markets in both B2B and B2C environments. Visit Echo on Linkedin at linkedin.com/in/echogarrett.
Frances Cole Jones
Frances Cole Jones founded Cole Media Management in 1997. From the beginning, the company’s focus has been cultivating clients’ inherent strengths to develop the powerful communication skills that will enhance their professional and personal performance. The scope of her work includes preparation for television and print interviews, IPO road shows, meetings with potential investors, and internal meetings with partners, sales staff, and in-house personnel. She also provides presentation skills seminars and speechwriting for clients.
Prior to founding Cole Media Management, Frances worked at St. Martin’s Press, Viking Penguin, Doubleday and Broadway Books as an editor of commercial nonfiction. Frances has also written for Centurion and Executive Travel. Frances’ book, How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Presenting Your Ideas, Persuading Your Audience, and Perfecting Your Image, is available through booksellers such as Amazon. Visit her blog at francescolejones.com/blog.
Gina Rudan
Gina Amara Rudan is the President of Genuine Insights Inc. — a contemporary professional development and training practice whose mission is to leverage the genius within every individual and organization. Gina spoke on the subject of genius at the 2010 TED Global conference at Oxford University and is the author of PRACTICAL GENIUS: The Real Smarts You Need to Get Your Passions and Talents Working for You.
Gina has been a guest lecturer, trainer and strategist for organizations including Merck Co., the BET Network, the Interpublic Group, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Stern School of Business at New York University among many others. She is the founder of TEDxMIA, an independent movement to spread genius in southern Florida.
Before launching her own practice, Gina held management positions at Fortune 500 companies including Avon Products and PR Newswire, where she was responsible for spearheading multicultural and international marketing efforts. In 2010 Gina was selected as one of Poder Magazine’s top “20 Under 40” Hispanics in the United States.
Hilary Brooks
Hilary Brooks is President and CEO of A Virtual Edge, a full-service virtual assistant company. Hilary and her team tackle all the behind-the-scenes tasks you need done, freeing clients up to shine to their audiences. A Virtual Edge has helped busy entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches and bloggers with office, administrative and marketing support that leads to successful ventures. Services include newsletter/autoresponder management, blog and website maintenance, social media management, and more. Learn more here.
Hilary loves to answer questions, so look her up online at www.avirtualedge.com, on twitter at @AVirtualEdge, on LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook, or by trusty old email at hbrooks@avirtualedge.com.
Jane K. Stimmler
Jane K. Stimmler has over 25 years of experience in business, specifically in strategic marketing planning and communications.
She is Co-founder and President of The Marketing Edge, a Philadelphia-based marketing consulting and communications firm that has pioneered marketing and public relations strategies for financial companies and professional services firms. She has held executive marketing positions in the banking, accounting and legal industries.
Jane is co-author of a new book, Breaking Into the Boys’ Club: 8 Ways for Women to Get Ahead in Business
Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer Lee Johnson is a writer and editor based in Baltimore, Maryland. She has an extensive marketing and communications background, spanning the worlds of politics, finance, women’s health and non-profits. Jennifer has a passion for mentoring young women, using her own life experience to help them find success in work and life.
Jennifer is also the founder of the blog, Next Rich Girl, where she writes about personal finance, investing, budgeting and saving money. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in political science and economics.
You can find her online on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Jess Webb
Jess is a quirky 20-something who loves to help women entrepreneurs be irresistible online to attract their ideal fans and clients, and make more money. She is drawn to beauty and has a knack for taking what you already have and turning it into a work of art that reflects your unique awesomeness and draws your ideal customers to you.
Her mission is to help change the way business is done in this world by empowering women entrepreneurs to uncover their irresistibly, in and out of business and marketing. Whether it’s your website, Facebook Page, Twitter profile or ebook, Jess can help you make it irresistible to get your big message out into the world! You can join the Be Irresistible Online community on Facebook. You can also find Jess at her Be Irresistible Online blog.
Karen Wright
Karen Wright, owner of Wright Minded, is a professional speaker, published author and international champion for women aspiring to lead change in the world. For 18 years, Karen has helped women birth their dreams and find their clarion voice. Waking Up, her bimonthly ezine, has gained a fiercely loyal following of women spanning the globe ,and her messages of inspiration and wisdom are reprinted in dozens of online newspapers and sites each week.
Karen’s life is dedicated to balancing the leadership energies in business and communities; recognizing the devastating effects of the missing balancing feminine influence. She conducts women’s retreats and workshops for women seeking clarity of vision and purpose through reconnection to spiritual wisdom and truth. karen@wrightminded.com; www.wrightminded.com; http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlwright
Kristin Marquet
Kristin’s background in fashion started when she worked as a fashion model in the early 2000′s. She worked with various photographers, make up artists and stylists. A few years later, she left the industry to finish a bachelor’s degree in Literature, followed by a master’s degree in business.
Kristin’s marketing journey began when she was the head of marketing for a law firm. After approximately a year, she had enough of office politics and took the risk of starting her first company Marquet Communications, now Marquet Media LLC, www.marquet-communications.com. Her clientele expanded rapidly, and the company evolved into a boutique firm that specializes in online branding and public relations for the fashion, beauty, and accessory industries.
Kristin is the author of the book, “Her Little Ways: The Women’s Inspirational Guide to Life” written exclusively for Beauties on the Go. She is also a business columnist and has written for various print and online publications such as Enterprising Women, Everyday Women, Small Business CEO, Women on Business and Beauties on the Go.
Making her way into the fashion editorial world, she has also written for CoutureintheCity.com, Stylecaster.com, and her work has been featured on theInsider.com, Google News, Yahoo News, PRCouture.com, and Web Week Magazine. She is also the Accessory Editor to Style Mom Magazine.
Kristina Shands
Kristina Shands is the owner of Authentic Communications, a communications and marketing firm specializing in telling stories that move people to action. Authentic Communications collaborates with small businesses and entrepreneurs to spark interest, create a buzz, build connections, increase loyalty and inspire action in order to attract new clients and increase visibility. Kristina works with clients on creating their own unique business story and integrating social media tools into their marketing plan.
You can find Kristina online at http://authentic-communications.com and on Twitter @authenticbuzz.
Laura Nozicka
Laura Nozicka has nearly 20 years of extensive healthcare sales and marketing experience in the Chicago market. At NorthShore University HealthSystem, she was a member of the executive marketing team as the Assistant Vice President of Advertising. While at Advocate Health Care, the largest integrated healthcare delivery system in the Chicago area, Laura managed marketing for 6 of the system’s hospitals plus the home health and hospice division. Laura has also contributed to the growth of the occupational health programs at Alexian Brothers Health System and Gottlieb Hospitals in a sales capacity in addition to marketing a high-volume ophthalmology practice specializing in Lasik surgery. She enhances her expertise with past experience in sales and marketing roles in the non-profit and hospitality industries. Her company, Fuzenology–a services marketing company specializing in healthcare, was launched in 2009.
Laura has a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and an MBA in marketing from Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Chicago-based Dominican and Lewis Universities teaching healthcare marketing, marketing strategy and brand management. You can find her online at: www.fuzenology.com, on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Leslie A. Joy
Leslie A. Joy is a marketing assistant, process manager, analytics geek, and blogger. She’s dedicated to keeping communications simple while maximizing impact, qualifying your quantitative data, along with streamlining, documenting, and customizing your processes.
You can find out more at her site, Social Media Mercenary or follow her on Twitter.
Linda C. Smith
Linda C Smith is a home-based business owner living in California. She is a fine artist working in mosaic art. She considers artists to be akin to those in the direct selling industry…selling art person-to-person is very much like selling any other product person-to-person.
She has a degree in fine and applied arts and has had a career in marketing and public relations.
Linda writes a business blog and an artist blog: Linda’s Business Blog and Mosaic Mandalas.
Liz Cullen
Liz Cullen is the Executive Director of WPEO-DC. She manages the programs, outreach, and staff in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Liz served as the Regional Director of Certification, overseeing all certification services as well as outreach and fundraising in the New York Region for four years before leaving to earn her master’s degree from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Under Liz’s direction, WPEO’s certified women’s business enterprises more than doubled and corporate support increased by over 20% annually from 2002-2006.
At SIPA, Liz focused on economic development for women and learned Mandarin Chinese. She received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in comparative literature after writing her thesis on the gendered dynamics of revolutionary literature. She is dedicated to working for women’s economic independence and is thrilled to put her skills and experience to work at WPEO.
Lya Sorano
Lya Sorano, writer and New Media strategist, is the CEO of The Oliver/Sorano Group, Inc., a marketing and PR firm established in Atlanta in 1980. As a business writer, her topics have most often been international business, the role of women in the international business arena and information technology. She has been published by magazines and newspapers in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as the US.
In 1992, she founded Atlanta Women in Business as a membership network for business, career and professional women; its goal is the achievement of equality in the workplace. Sorano became a Certified Georgia Master Gardener in 2005 and has since then written gardening columns or features for the Barrow-Jackson Journal, the Georgia Asian Times, The Paper and The Nooze. Her gardening blog is published at http://georgiagardener.blogspot.com/
In working with her company’s clients, Sorano helps create, among other assignments, web content, bios and on-line profiles, with LinkedIn as her specialty, and edits or ghostwrites proposals, magazine pieces or co-authored book chapters. She is Peggy M. Parks’s agent for the forthcoming (Summer 2010; Writer for Hire! Press) “Opportunity meets Motivation: Lessons from Four Women who built Passion into their Careers and Lives”.
Lya Sorano may be contacted at 770-455-8088 or via her web site, www.lyasorano.com.
M.J. Ryan
A member of Professional Thinking Partners who is recognized as a leading expert in change, M.J. Ryan specializes in coaching high performance executives, entrepreneurs, individuals, and leadership teams around the world to maximize performance and fulfillment. Her clients include Microsoft, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Hewitt Associates, and Frito Lay. Her work is based on a combination of positive psychology, strengths-based coaching, the wisdom traditions, and cutting edge brain research.
Her new book, titled “AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For” was recently released published by Random House’s Broadway Books. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter. You can find M.J. online at www.MJ-Ryan.com.
Mahsa Shamsipour
Mahsa Shamsipour began her career in communications with a Bachelors degree from York University and a certificate in Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and PR program. Since then, Mahsa has gone on to work for a variety of organizations in the healthcare, PR agency, entertainment, non-profit and insurance fields.
Throughout her experiences, Mahsa has always been interested in starting her own business; especially one that specializes in communications for small businesses. In January 2010 she established Mahsappeal Communications to help Canada’s small businesses and start-ups get the attention they deserve!
More information on Mahsa can be found at www.mahsappeal.com. You can also follow Mahsa on Twitter.
Maribeth Kuzmeski
Maribeth Kuzmeski, MBA is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. Maribeth has personally consulted with some of the world’s most successful CEO’s, entrepreneurs and professionals. An internationally recognized speaker, she shares the tactics that businesspeople use today to create more sustainable business relationships and sales and marketing successes.
Maribeth is author of The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life
She is the author of 4 books, has frequently appeared on TV and radio, and has written articles on marketing strategies for hundreds of publications including Business Week and Entrepreneur. She regularly speaks to audiences on topics relating to business development, marketing, and sales strategies.
Maribeth graduated with a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and has an MBA from The George Washington University. She lives in the Chicago, IL area with her husband Rich and 2 teenagers.
Connect with Maribeth on Twitter, LinkedIn, or her company blog.
Dr. Marsha Firestone
Dr. Marsha Firestone is Founder and President of Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, which is dedicated to increasing access to business opportunities for women’s business enterprises (WBEs). She has been honored for several special achievements, such as the Applause Award for breaking down barriers for women in business from Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and The Hall of Fame Award from Enterprising Women. Marsha continues to share her professional knowledge by serving on numerous boards and advisory councils including: the Board of Advisors of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Harvard’s Kennedy School, the Board of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and the International Women’s Forum. She also serves the worldwide community as a frequent guest speaker, with recent speaking engagements at several universities and other organizations.
Dr. Firestone is the author of The Busy Woman’s Guide to Successful Self-Employment and has published research in business and educational journals on adult learning theory, nonverbal communication, and managerial competency. Dr. Firestone earned a Master’s degree in Communication from Teacher’s College of New York and a Ph.D. in Communication from Columbia University, where Margaret Mead sat on her dissertation committee.
Merrin Muxlow
Merrin Muxlow is a writer for Resource Nation, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs. She frequently contributes to several sites and programs that offer tools for business owners, including Dell and BizEquity.
Resource Nation connects businesses with local and national pre-screened vendors in over 100 categories from payroll services to web design. The company provides tools to help start and grow your business and are used on other online business communities such as Entrepreneur.com, StartUpNation.com, and Ladies Who Launch.
Monique Neeley
Monique Neeley is a Virginia-based social media strategist, military wife & mom to a ballet dancer.
She uses her love of technology and media news to help others navigate the growth of social media. Information is available on her website at www.moniqueneeley.com.
You can find Monique on Twitter where she tweets under the @InspiredMomma handle. She is also active on both Facebook and LinkedIn.
Niki Irmal
Niki Irmal is very passionate about small business and its positive impact to local communities and the overall economy. She has worked for several technology startups and has built a small business on eBay as well. Niki can also be found writing on her personal blog, The Official Small Business Blog.
Sarah Present
Sarah Present is employed in the mortgage division of Flagstar Bank in addition to her work as a freelance writer. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Journalism with a minor in Women’s Studies.
Sarah’s passion, beyond writing, belongs to her dedication of continually learning about health and fitness and feeling at one’s best while still living a busy life as a business woman. In her spare time, you can find Sarah training for half marathons, going on bike rides or volunteering at local events. She always welcomes comments, questions and topic suggestions at sp.runninggirl@gmail.com.
Susan Spencer
For over twenty years, as a woman in a “man’s world,” Susan Spencer has led in an unconventional way by ignoring every single “No High Heels Allowed” sign she encountered along the way. And though it might seem logical that in order to do so, she must have had to use skills that enable many men to excel in business—in fact her triumphs came from recognizing and developing certain natural talents and skills that most women possess, and taking away lots of lessons from her experiences–working in exclusively male dominated industries.
Her unorthodox management style, played out in the food distribution business and the down and dirty meat processing business, ultimately made her successful and legendary in the meat industry and gave her great material for her book, “Briefcase Essentials.” For more Information about the book and to read a sample chapter, go to www.briefcaseessentials.com.
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair, who was a practicing family therapist, took her talents into the work world and has revolutionized the way employees react and teams cooperate.
Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success
As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and has taught at Hahnemann University.
Tahera Dudhwala
Tahera Dudhwala is a writer and editor based in Manchester, England. Her extensive marketing and finance background allows her to run financialfacts.org sucessfully. Tahera has been making money online for a very long time now and has a strong passion to inspire others to do the same. Tahera is a graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University and went straight into marketing with big name clients.
“I know a little about a lot, as opposed to a lot about little, which makes me very well rounded and open to try and excel at any one thing I choose or if the need arises! I learned a lot in this time and want to help others achieve success, even if its in the smallest way possible! You can follow me on twitter. I tweet useful knowledge every once in a while! ”
Tasha Bovain
Tasha Bovain is a freelance copywriter and consultant specializing in creating online marketing communications for women business owners. With a passion for business and over a decade of writing experience, she creates conscious copy for clients ranging from event planning companies, to holistic wellness enterprises, to independent consultants.
After running a successful online publication and writing her own marketing materials for a number of years, Tasha became enthusiastic about using words to sell and connect with audiences. As a small business owner herself, she recognizes the importance of quality copy, which led her to extend this same service to other companies. She thrives on supporting passionate organizations and professionals in pursuit of their dreams – from the social entrepreneur to the local designer serving their community.
Tasha has helped numerous start-ups and established small businesses develop an effective online presence. Her unconventional personal branding methods and holistic approach to marketing has quickly made her the partner of choice for many successful women entrepreneurs and conscious business owners. To learn more about Tasha and how she can give your business a Web 2.0 upgrade, please visit www.tashabovain.com.
Veronica Eyenga
Veronica Eyenga is the President and CEO of VBP OutSourcing, a full-service marketing and accounting firm in Glen Burnie, MD. VBP is an MBE-certified, 100% woman-owned company offering a variety of solutions to suit any company’s needs. Some of the services available include custom website and graphic design, marketing campaigns, copywriting/editing, DCAA compliant bookkeeping, and QuickBooks and Peachtree consulting or training.
Before starting her company, Veronica was quite the working woman and she was sure to leave her mark in every capacity that she held. A graduate of the University of Maryland University College with a bachelors degree in business administration, Veronica gained her experience by working for seven years as an administrative manager and three years as an interval procedural training supervisor. Post-graduation, Veronica also worked in sales for Cannon. In less than six months on the job, her drive to succeed landed her a trip to Jamaica.
Veronica established herself in the marketing industry by taking various web and graphic design courses and creating a safety manual and neighborhood publication that essentially fueled her desire to start VBP OutSourcing. In 1997, Veronica followed that desire and began her dream business from the basement of her own home. Her firm is still thriving today and has since moved into a 5,500 square foot office outside of Baltimore.
Veronica’s hard work has not gone un-rewarded. In 2008, VBP OutSourcing was awarded a coveted spot on the Baltimore Business Journal’s Top 50 MBE list. This past year, Veronica and VBP were featured in a variety of publications including the Baltimore Business Journal’s Minority Business Special Publication. To kick off 2010, Veronica is slated to be featured in the January issue of SmartCEO magazine.
For more information on how Veronica’s various marketing and accounting services could be of assistance to your company, please visit www.vbpoutsourcing.com.
