weVENTURE Announces Women Who Rock Recipients

Adam Lowenstein February 8, 2017

Honors to be Presented March 14
at Luncheon in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, FLA. — weVENTURE, a Central Florida-based organization founded at Florida Institute of Technology and focused on accelerating sustainable business growth for entrepreneurs, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Women Who Rock Awards in honor of Women’s History Month.

The recipients will be recognized at a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, at the Hilton Rialto Place in Melbourne.

Local leaders were nominated by their peers and the general public in one of five categories: Entrepreneur of the Year, Excellence in Leadership, Emerging Leader, the Joan Bixby Awards and the Zonta Yellow Rose for Excellence in Community Service Award.

This year’s winners are:

Entrepreneur of the Year: Misty Marot, CEO and chairwoman at Novel Engineering. This award recognizes a local woman who creates products, services and jobs that fuel the Space Coast economy and help the community grow.
Excellence in Leadership: Marcia Gaedcke, president, Titusville Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes a female community leader who advocates for positive social change to create a more equitable society.
Emerging Leader: Alecia Blattler, director of workplace giving, United Way of Brevard. This award recognizes a woman under age 35 who demonstrates high ethical standards, commitment and confidence, who has the ability to serve as an inspirational leader, and who is a role model for members of her community.
Florida Tech Joan Bixby Awards: Robyn Tapley (faculty award), Sarah Oram (staff award), and Shaheida Ramajan (student award). These awards recognize a Florida Tech faculty, staff member and a student (male or female) who enhance the climate for women’s participation and development on campus.
Zonta Yellow Rose for Excellence in Community Service: Sue Kiley, director of programs, The Women’s Center in Brevard. This award recognizes a local woman who has demonstrated great commitment to women and their community.

“It is important to elevate the profile of female leaders in our community, and we are honored to recognize such hard-working, deserving women,” said weVENTURE Program Director of Business Services Wanda Lipscomb-Vásquez. “We hope that this event provides inspiration for the next generation of local leaders.”

weVENTURE Executive Director Erica Lemp added, “This year’s event will provide an opportunity to celebrate our award recipients as well as the countless women in Brevard who make our local community thrive. As we mark weVENTURE’s 10th anniversary in 2017, we are as focused as ever on creating pathways and opportunities for sustainable growth and the success of local women.”

To register or to learn more about becoming a sponsor for the Women Who Rock event, visit http://bit.ly/1Wv3Tck.

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