weVENTURE Announces Nominees for 2020 Women Who Rock Awards
March 24 Event to Honor Women’s History Month
MELBOURNE, FLA. — weVENTURE, the women’s business center in Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business, is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2020 Women Who Rock Awards in honor of Women’s History Month.
The winners will be recognized at a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront in Melbourne.
Women and companies were nominated by their peers and the general public across five categories: Female Small Business Owner of the Year, Excellence in Mentorship, Women in the Workplace Champion Award, Dr. Mary Helen McCay STEM Award and the Zonta Yellow Rose for Excellence in Community Service Award.
The 2020 nominees are:
Female Small Business Owner of the Year
Theresa Do, owner, Sun Shoppe Café; Morgan Frechette, owner and sensei, Suntree Martial Arts; Iris Graham, owner, Millefiori Medical Skin Rejuvenation Spa; Jeanetta Johnson, owner, Little Folk Child Care Center; Alexis McGuire, CEO, Nationwide Medical Licensing; Jeanna Merrifield, owner, Wild Ocean Market; Michelle Shoultz, president, Frazier Engineering; Tracy Stroderd, owner, Everything Brevard; and Michelle Waldorf, owner, Busy Bears Preschool Academy.
Excellence in Mentorship
Saida Caballero-Nieves, professor of astrophysics and director of the Olin Observatory, Florida Tech; Debra Foley, marketing and outreach supervisor, Brevard County Public Schools; Cindy Kane, coordinator for foundation development, Eastern Florida State College; Dana Kilborne, CEO, Cypress Trust Company and Cypress Trust Capital Group; Erin Mitchell, industrial engineer, Collins Aerospace; Jan Sullivan-Chalmers, retired ombudsman and Florida Supreme Court certified mediator; and Inga Young, CEO, 8-Koi.
Women in the Workplace Champion
Nancy Peltonen, president, Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce; and Lisa Steffen, Melbourne site manager, Collins Aerospace.
Dr. Mary Helen McCay STEM Award
Roselle Hanson, co-founder, Launch STEM Careers Project, NASA (retired), president of NASA Alumni League Florida Chapter; Caeley Looney, editor-in-chief and president, Reinvented Magazine, mission analyst at L3Harris; Megan Mark, Ph.D. student in space sciences, Florida Tech; Munevver Subasi, department head, Mathematical Sciences, Florida Tech; Dr. Aimee Tieu M.D., urogynecologist, Health First, chair of surgery, Viera Hospital and medical director, Health First Women and Children Service Line; Megan Wolfgram, owner, SwiftPaws.
Zonta Yellow Rose for Excellence in Community Service
Kim Frodge, executive director, Nana’s House; Candice Hodge, education and program manager, Junior Achievement of the Space Coast; Kathy Meehan, mayor of Melbourne and owner, Meehan’s Office Products; Cindy Mitchell, program director of Salvation Army Domestic Violence Shelter; Betty Lou Steen-Clarke, retired, community volunteer including weVENTURE Advisory Board.
“It is important to elevate the profile of female leaders in our community,” said weVENTURE Executive Director Kathryn Rudloff. “We are honored to recognize such hard-working, deserving women and local businesses who prioritize diversity in their leadership ranks.
“2020 marks weVENTURE’s 13th year serving as the leading regional voice and resource for professional women. It also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. This year’s Women Who Rock event is an opportunity to reflect on how far women have come over the last century and celebrate all of these amazing nominees who are breaking barriers and inspiring others through their work and leadership,” Rudloff added.
To register or to learn more about becoming a sponsor for Women Who Rock, visit https://weventure.fit.edu/events/women-who-rock-awards-luncheon/.
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