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Server Centric

Jeanne Johnson
When the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001, life changed for millions of Americans. For Jeanne Johnson, it was a realization that led to a new business and unprecedented success. Now, eight years later, she's sold Server Centric Consulting and is using her success to start her next venture. read more>>

Chez Panisse

Alice Waters
When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, in 1971, she wasn't trying to start a food revolution. Here's how her neighborhood restaurant became the epicenter of the organic movement.        read more>>

JD & W

Dot Wood
When Dot Wood got her degree in Home Economics, she didn’t envision herself owning and operating a commercial construction business for 35 years, yet that’s exactly what happened. She attributes a significant amount of her success to NAWBO where she has met countless women who’ve given her valuable advice during her 15-year membership. read more>>

Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Forbes' Power Women list isn't about celebrity or popularity; it's about influence. Queen Rania of Jordan (No. 75), for instance, is perhaps the most listened-to woman in the Middle East; her Twitter feed has 600,000 followers. In assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility—by press mentions—and the size of the organization or country these women lead.  read more>>

Trinity

Leola Wright
Ask Leola Wright about her latest read, and her life story seems to be reflected in its title: "Take It to the Next Level: What Got You Here, Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith. Wright recently downloaded the manuscript onto her new hand-held Kindle on which she reads mostly self-help books and USA Today. "The last time I read a book for fun, it was 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back,'" she mused. Wright clearly has used a little groove, a little self help and a little takin' it to the next level to build a successful nursing and home health career. Against all odds, she moved from teen pregnancy and scarcity in southeastern Oklahoma to a thriving Edmond agency of 20 and had $900,000 in revenues last year. read more>>

URS Corp.

Wendy Lopez
Wendy Lopez recently became chairwoman of the National Association of Women Business Owners. That’s a bit odd, since she doesn’t own a business. Yet it’s totally fitting, because she used to. The 50-year-old sold LopezGarcia Group Inc., a Dallas-based civil engineering company, to URS Corp., a global engineering, design and construction company, for $18 million in August 2008—just ahead of the economic plunge.

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

Barbara Hensley
Women like Barbara Hensley aren't born every day. As a social-entrepreneur, she's not only making a difference in the lives of the women she assists during their breast cancer treatment, but by employing members of the community and eventually from throughout the U.S. as she grows her business through franchising endeavors. Since 2003, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer has raised more than $700,000 to fund breast cancer causes. That makes Barbara more than deserving of the NAWBO/Wells Fargo Trailblazer Award, which she was presented with at this year's Women's Business Conference. read more>>

Psi Bands

Romy Taormina and Carla Falcone
Most women don't expect their pregnancy to 'birth' a new business and garner them national media placement and publicity. But for Romy Taorimina and Carla Falcone, that’s exactly what happened. Three years later, their business is forecasted to earn $500,000 in 2009 and has reached out to community organizations like Fertile Hope. It’s for these reasons and more that they were chosen as one of the recipients of this year’s NAWBO/Wells Fargo Trailblazer Award. read more>>

Pinnacle Technical Resources

Nina Vaca
Reading Nina Vaca’s bio is like reading a roll call of industry awards, among them U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Business Woman of the Year and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Technology and Communications. And no wonder: At age 10, Nina was already working in their family business. And at 17, when an unfortunate tragedy took their father’s life, she and older sister Jessica assumed control of his travel agencies, prepping them for sale the following year. “That experience shaped me in so many ways,” says the third-generation entrepreneur, who was two when her family moved to the U.S. from Ecuador. “I learned a lot about people during that time, as well as the reality of meeting payroll and the various decisions and sacrifices that go into running a business. read more>>

Marilyn Johnson

Marilyn Johnson, Vice President of Market Development for the IBM Corporation, recently spoke at NAWBO Day at the Women's Business Conference in Chicago. Here, she discusses IBM's newly launched SME Toolkit that they released in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation, a private sector of the World Bank. The Toolkit was designed for the small- and medium-sized business owner. Women are one of the largest growing segments of business owners, and their record of success is laudable. read more>>

Stacey Schieffelin

Stacey Schieffelin, Ford model and makeup guru, successful entrepreneur and true believer in empowering women to live the life they dream, is speaking at this year's Women's Business Conference. read more>>

Suzy Welch

In her new book "10-10-10," Suzy Welch advocates a fast and reasoned approach to decision making by asking readers to think about the impact their decisions will have in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years. You’ll hear more about it at the Women’s Business Conference, where Welch is a keynote speaker. In the meantime click here for a recent transcript of her interview with CNN about whether her method could have prevented the financial crisis, what Oprah would think of her mistrust of gut reactions and how to avoid becoming a cliché from a Talking Heads song. read more>>

Atlas Travel International

Elaine Osgood
     
She had no capital, no business experience, and not much travel experience either. But what Elaine Osgood lacked in means, she made up for in persistence and guts. Today, she owns Atlas Travel International which has two office locations, 110 employees, 165 million in sales, and is the exclusive Northeast Regional Affiliate for BCD Travel, a $13 billion travel network. read more>>

Sonia Sotomayor

Reaching for history, President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, championing her as a compassionate, seasoned jurist whose against-the-odds life journey affirms the American dream. read more>>

What another woman would bring to the Supreme Court

Expectations are high that President Obama will nominate a woman to replace Justice David Souter. Women dominate the lists of names Obama is reportedly considering. But just what will a woman bring to the Supreme Court? This article from the Christian Science Monitor weighs in. read more>>

Gert Boyle of Columbia Sportswear

Five Moms Who Built Great Companies
In honor of Mother’s Day, Inc. Magazine featured five moms who were incredibly successful at building both their businesses and their families. Click here to learn more about Nancy Traversy, Donna Grucci, Stella Ogiale, Bernadette Castro and Gert Boyle. read more>>

Taylor Pham and Mimi Tran Rickett

Thi Cosmetics
One was a freshman fashion plate, with meticulously styled outfits and perfect makeup, slightly flighty and drawn to glamour. The other was a sporty and scholarly junior, focused on college and landing a good job so she could help her family. Both immigrated from Vietnam and now together are running Thi Cosmetics, a beauty venture they started that encompasses a growing makeup line, a thriving wedding-day business and a new store and studio in Palo Alto that's doing well despite a recession that's hit retailers hard. read more>>

Esther

Sherry Sandberg

Facebook
Facebook recently announced that it hit 200 million registered users. Still, the startup's business prospects are less obvious. With Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg at the reigns, can Facebook evolve into another Google (GOOG), tapping a gusher of ad revenue? Or will it struggle to turn eyeballs into profits, like a relic of the dot-com era? Here Sandberg speaks to the company's financial prospects, recent controversies over its redesign and terms-of-service changes, her high school years, and more. read more>>

Esther

Esther Aguilera

Building a Legacy
As president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the nation’s premier Latino youth leadership development and educational organization, Esther Aguilera is at the forefront of working to harness the growing impact of the U.S. Hispanic community. She is outspoken in her promotion of building ties with Spain and the U.S. Hispanic community – recently speaking at a conference in Madrid about the challenges and opportunities. And she credits much of her success to her family. read more>>

     

Maxine Clark

Creating a Culture of Growth
Maxine Clark founded Build-A-Bear Workshop in 1997 and remains CEO of the company that grew from $362 million to $467 million in revenues from 2005 to 2008. For Ms. Clark, the company’s growth is all about creating a culture of enthusiasm, values and responsibility. read more>>

Ellen Ochoa

Lofty Goals
As the Space Shuttle Discovery is currently amid a 13-day mission to finish construction on the International Space Station, Johnson Space Center Deputy Director Ellen Ochoa is at the heart of the endeavor.  read more>>

Janice Bryant Howroyd

Entrepreneurial Legacy
As  founder and CEO of ACT*1 Group, Ms. Howroyd has grown a multimillion-dollar  international staffing firm based on relationships, cooperation, dignity,  ingenuity and teamwork. read more>>


Nancy Sutley

A Sustainable Future
Longtime environmental expert Nancy Sutley is head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, a little-known but potentially powerful office charged with advocating legislation and policies to improve the nation’s environment. read more >>


Helene Gayle

International Women
A belief in the power of joining forces to change people’s lives is one of the driving forces behind Ms. Gayle’s work as CEO of CARE. Through her   decades of work, she has come to understand that global health – particularly for women - is a development issue, a foreign policy issue and an economic issue.  read more >>

Karen Mills

Nominee to Head the SBA
Those who know venture capital expert Karen Mills say she could significantly transform the agency’s long-controversial approach to funding in a vital boost for small business and women entrepreneurs. read more >>

Michelle Obama

Black History Month
As the nation marks Black History Month, there may be few today who are making the kind of history as Michelle Obama, the first African-American to assume the role of First Lady. Today. read more >>

Susan Rice

Women in the New Administration
As the nation’s attention turns this week to the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, experts and women business owners are closely watching the incoming president’s dozens of nominations and appointments of women to key positions in the new administration.read more >>

Muriel Siebert

The First Woman of Finance
Legendary financier Muriel “Mickie” Siebert – the first woman to purchase a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967 – has a message for women entrepreneurs in today’s global recession.  read more >>