Women’s Business Center Honors Women of Character, Courage and Commitment at Women’s History Month Luncheon March 24

MELBOURNE, FLA.—The Florida Institute of Technology Women’s Business Center (WBC) celebrates its seventh annual luncheon in honor of Women’s History Month on March 24. Centered on the theme, “Women Who Display Character, Courage and Commitment,” the event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Oceanfront Melbourne Hotel.

Awards to be presented include: the Joan Bixby Awards, Space Coast Community Award and the Florida Tech Award of Distinction. This year’s nominees for the Space Coast Community Award include:

• Terri Friedlander – Member of the Oceanside Chapter of American Business Women of America (ABWA), educator and columnist for Florida Today
• Lisa Rice – President of CareerSource Brevard
• Lola Mitchell – Employment counselor for Eastern Florida State College Women in Transition Program and head of the Women’s Center Career Guidance Program
• Linda Evans – Founder of Pregnancy Resources, Inc.
• Malak Hammad – Branch manager/vice president of PNC Bank. Malak is also the chair of the Women of Excellence Council of the Greater Melbourne Chamber of Commerce.
• NaNette Sebrena Clark – Acting administrator and associate pastor of Truth Revealed in International Ministries in Palm Bay. She also leads the Annual Women’s Conference and weekly meetings designed to elevate and empower women from all walks of life.
• Karen Gregory – President and owner of HRSS Consulting Group, a woman- and veteran-owned small business. She is also a community mentor and personal coach for women-owned businesses and the president of the Space Coast Chapter of Women in Defense.
• Caroline Kempf – President and owner of CK Communications in Melbourne, she not only takes a leading role at work, but also in the community and on a global platform. Sitting on the Board of Club Esteem, she works with economically disadvantaged teenagers and provided relief a recent Haiti disaster.

The Joan Bixby Awards are presented to a Florida Tech faculty member, staff member and student who have enhanced the climate for women’s participation and development at Florida Tech. They will be presented to Monica Baloga, vice president for Institutional Effectiveness and International Programs; Mary Dyer, Business Manager, External Relations and Economic Development; and Tara Drumm, undergraduate student, Interdisciplinary Studies.

The Florida Tech Award of Distinction, given to a prominent Florida Tech alumna who has achieved significant accomplishments in her career, will be presented to Judge Catharina Haynes of Dallas, Texas, sworn in as a Circuit Judge to the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

“It is an honor to recognize the achievements of so many exceptional women in our community. I am very inspired by each of their stories,” said Beth Gitlin, director of the Florida Tech Women’s Business Center.

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About the WBC: The WBC at Florida Tech is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is an outreach of the Department of External Relations and Economic Development. The WBC accelerates business growth for women entrepreneurs by providing networking opportunities and resource referrals, access to responsible capital, mentoring programs for growth-oriented companies and quality business education programs that are onsite and online to accommodate busy schedules and provide easy access. http://wbc.fit.edu