Women Business Leaders Break the Glass Ceiling
Breaking the glass ceiling and bringing other women around it, the winners, divided among Corporate, Entrepreneurial and Career in Transition settings, are leaders within and outside the workplace, where they strive to provide resources and support for working women and tighten the professional gender gap.
Entrepreneurial winners of w2wlink’s first Ascendancy Awards- women making a difference in their careers, personal lives and the lives of others through their dedication to ensuring the emotional, professional and financial well-being of working women everywhere.
Allison O’Kelly
Atlanta
Founder and CEO
Mom Corps
"Ask – women miss out on raises, benefits, family-friendly and flexible work arrangements solely because they don’t ask."
Allison found a way to balance life and work, not just for herself, but also for other moms who wish to remain engaged and challenged professionally during motherhood. A Harvard MBA Allison has held two successful careers, first as a CPA at KPMG and second as an Executive Manager with Toys ‘R’ Us. The birth of her first child called to attention the challenge of being a strong mother while simultaneously being a strong presence in the corporate workforce. Allison launched O’Kelly and Company to provide tax and consulting services to small businesses as her first entrepreneurial venture, closely followed by the launch of her second venture, Mom Corps. Through Mom Corps at-home mothers can lend their professional skills and flexible hours to corporations, which satisfies the work need of the company and the life/work balance need of the mothers. Allison is a member of NAWBO and WBENC and works daily through her position as founder of Mom Corps, to show women everywhere that achieving the life/work balance is possible.
Gail Adinamis
Chicago
President and CEO
Clinical Resource Network, LLC
"Always focus going forward. There will always be disappointments along the way, do not dwell on what it done rather expend your energy on what can be accomplished. Do not underestimate your abilities."
As President, founder and CEO of Clinical Resource Network, Gail has connected clinical studies conducted by pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sponsors to faster results and more patients. Traveling nurses complete study visits at patients’ homes, workplace and travel destinations, thus negating the burden of patients traveling to the physician’s office. Through this more efficient mode of reaching out to patients, sponsors can produce new products en masse sooner for patients in need. CRN’s services are available in the U.S. Canada, the UK, selected European countries, Israel and Poland. Gail mentors women within CRN helping them to climb the ladder within CRN or in other ventures, and she also is a member of Women President’s Organization in which the members co-mentor one another.
Nina Vaca
Dallas/FW
CEO
Pinnacle Technical Resources
As founder of Pinnacle Technical Resources, a company that provides information technology services that has been honored with 38 national awards and consistently ranked high in the Inc. 500 and Staffing Industry Report, it’s no wonder that Nina has her own personal list of achievements. Nina’s awards include Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in America by Latino Leaders Magazine, one of the Top 25 Women Business Builders by Fast Company Magazine, and she holds an honorary Doctor of Law from Northwood University. Nina is active abroad and at home, often representing the U.S. in international leadership forums and as a member of the Dallas Summit and Youth President’s Organization. The Women’s Museum named Nina as a recipient of a 2009 Maura Women Helping Women Award, which recognizes women who have contributed to bettering the lives of its women and children.
Heidi Messer
New York
Co-Founder
WorldEvolved Services, LLC
"Good cards help but ultimately it's how you play the game…"
With a J.D. from Harvard Law School, Heidi practiced corporate law with the firm Baker and Botts, L.L.P before going on to help found LinkShare Corporation in 1996 when the Internet transfixed and transformed the methods of conducting business. As a woman entrepreneur, a rarity of the time, Heidi served as the President and COO of LinkShare working to ensure the company’s permanence as the standard against which the majority of offline and online advertising is viewed. Now the CEO of WorldEvolved Services, LLC, Heidi mentors women within the workplace encouraging them to seek out the various opportunities available to women in the technological industry.
Career highlights, in-depth stories and inspirational quotes from our award winners will be on w2wlink.com all year long.
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