Woman of the Week – Christie Angel

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Christie Angel

Christie Angel

Christie Angel

My Current Job/Company:
Vice President – Sean P. Dunn & Associates

My Birthdate:
02.4.64

My Work:
I am a government and community relations professional working with a broad range of clients from around the city and state to achieve their legislative and community goals.

My Passion:
My family, my community, my friends and my dog, Betty .

My Family:
Otto (my husband) and our very cute dog, Betty.

My Heroes:
My parents and the late Jerry Hammond. They taught me a great deal about community service.

My Escape:
Any place that I can unplug from technology and unwind with my friends and family.

My Pet Peeve:
People who see the glass half empty, as opposed to seeing it half full.

My Indulgence:
A day at the spa.

My Roots:
Steeped in community and public service with a love for Columbus.

My Future:
Full of possibilities, laughter and happiness.

My Love:
My family, friends and community.

My Movie:
I am a movie buff—political thrillers and bio pics are my favorites.

My Quote on Life:
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

My Accessory:
Unique pieces of jewelry—necklaces and bracelets.

My Advice to Young Women:
Get involved in your community, find your passion, and choose your friends wisely.

How I Balance it All:
I work hard to create a schedule that gives me quality time in the office and doesn’t keep me out in meetings every second of the day, every day of the week. (In my business this is very common.) When possible, I take time in the mornings to walk the dog, read the paper, and have a great cup of coffee with my husband. It is a great way to start the day.

Woman of the Week – Rebecca Wiggins

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Rebecca Wiggins

My Current Job/Company:
Director of Certification Programs, AFCPE (Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education)

My Birthdate:
04.27.1980

My Work:
Oversee and manage the certification program process, and coordinate implementation of grant funded financial education training programs

My Passion:
Faith, Family, Friends, Music

My Family:
Mark (Husband), Owen (3), Nora (8 months), Oscar (mini-schnauzer)

My Heroes:
My parents, Bob and Claire–taught me work ethic, loyalty and passion for making this world better

My Escape:
The mountains, especially in the Fall

My Pet Peeve:
Passive aggressiveness, narrow-mindedness, complacency, negativity

My Indulgence:
Wine, dark chocolate

My Roots:
Happy. Family. Friends. Music

My Future:
Open, optimistic, growth

My Love:
Listening to the kids giggle, quality time with family and friends, music, traveling

My Movie:
When Harry Met Sally, “when you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”

My Quote on Life:
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

My Accessory:
Earrings and a smile

My Advice to Young Women:
Surround yourself with authentic, positive, encouraging people. Embrace life’s twists and turns–sometimes things don’t work out how we expected or planned, but we end up right where we’re supposed to be, learning and growing in the process.

How I Balance it All:
Day by day. Each horse in the race leads or falls behind as necessary. Be kind to yourself and allow the ebb and flow of roles and priorities. Trust your instincts.

Woman of the Week – Karyl Brown

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Karyl Brown

My Current Job/Company:
Director, Risk and Regulatory Administration at H. D. Smith in Springfield, Illinois

My Birthdate:
July 15th, 1965

My Work:
Regulatory compliance for a national pharmaceutical wholesaler.   I develop process improvements, controls and collaborative  customer solutions!

My Passion:
My Family and Ohio State Football

My Family:
My best friend and soul mate, Dave; daughters Kennedy [16] and Lyndsey [13]

My Hero:
My dear friend who has been living with stage 4 breast cancer since June 2004!  She is such an ongoing inspiration.

My Escape:
Curling up with a blanket, a good book and a glass of wine! The beach is nice too:)

My Pet Peeve:
A lack of accountability and poor customer service

My Indulgence:
Naps

My Roots:
Blue Collar/humble

My Future:
Full of unknown opportunities

My Love:
Faith, family and friends

My Favorite Movie:
Top Gun

My Quote on Life:
Character is who you are when no one is watching!

My Accessory:
I love pearls

My Mentor/Coach:
I often rely on the advice from several friends who are wiser than I am!

My Advice to Young Women:
Be confident and accountable.  Believe in yourself and your ideas.  Never underestimate the power of girlfriends, so take time now to develop these friendships!   Learn how to have non-electronic conversations and relationships (a.k.a., real face to face conversations!)

How I Balance it All:
My faith keeps me grounded.

Woman of the Week – Rachel Caviness

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My Name:
Rachel Caviness

My Birthdate:
08.24.76

My Family:
Lane (Husband), Jacob (Son-4)

My Current Job/Company:
President/International Financial Group of Columbus

My Work:
I run and manage a recruitment and consulting firm that places senior-level finance and accounting professionals in full-time positions and consulting assignments.

My Passion:
My family, my home, travel.

My Hero:
My grandmother. Her legacy of love, hard-work and mind-over-matter lives on for generations in my family.

My Escape:
Quiet time with my husband spent mapping out our dreams.

My Pet Peeve:
Laziness

My Indulgence:
Wine & Coffee

My Roots:
“Perfect is close enough” and “I love you because you’re you” was the mantra.

My Future:
More of what I have today — a happy family, a successful business, an attitude of service.

My Love:
Being unexpectedly moved by a song or something in nature. I can feel the energy it provides me running up my spine.

My Movie:
Pretty Woman. It’s got a rags-to-riches storyline, love, beautiful clothes, jewelry, and a prince rescues her at the end…what could be better?

My Quote on Life:
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” -Albert Einstein

My Accessory:
Coats

My Advice to Young Women:
You can’t change who you are, and why would you want to anyway? You can, however, learn to identify, harness and extrapolate your strengths while at the same time identifying, harnessing and mitigating your weaknesses. It’s easier said than done, so start the process today.

How I Balance It All:
Surround yourself with people who love you…people who support and share your dreams. Those people will move mountains for you by taking things off of your plate, encouraging you to take breaks, and making sure you find time for yourself.

Woman of the Week: Hope M. Sharett

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Hope M. Sharett, Esq.

My Current Job/Company:
Executive Director of the Law and Leadership Institute, LLC

My Birthdate:
05.11.77

My Work:
I direct a statewide nonprofit that encourages and prepares high school students for careers in law.

My Passion:
Living life to the fullest and helping others to do the same

My Family:
Anthony (Husband), Ava (5)

My Hero:
Harriet Tubman, at just 30 years old she risked her life to secure freedom for others and eventually led at least 19 trips along the Underground Railroad to rescue over 100 people from slavery. I find her bravery, passion for justice and love for others inspiring.

My Escape:
Sewing. I love to craft!

My Pet Peeve:
Traffic jams when it “suddenly” rains or snows.

My Indulgence:
Sleeping in on the weekend.

My Roots:
Midwestern middle class where there’s great pride in earning a living wage.

My Future:
Enjoying the journey

My Love:
My family and my faith.

My Movie:
Dumb and Dumber. It delivers the funny!

My Quote on Life:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”  (Margaret Mead)

My Accessory:
Vintage silver watch

My Advice to Young Women:
Determine the plan you want for your life, allow for changes, but be true to your personal “blueprint”. Otherwise, you will find yourself unwittingly following someone else’s plans for your life.

How I Balance it All:
Prioritize. There are enough hours in the day to complete the things that should get done if you are intentional about deciding what MUST get done. I try not to be too hard on myself when my priorities get out of order. Instead, I search for the lesson in the mistake and give it another try.

Woman of the Week – Amanda Mason

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Amanda Mason

My Current Job / Company:
Vice President of Asset Management / Locus Development (Located in Grand Rapids, MI)

My Birthday:
09.22.84

My Work:
-Meet with potential tenants, help built their business plans, investment structures and return analysis to generate capital
-Manage, deadlines, and requirements relating to various commercial and residential real estate investments
-Develop, communicate and streamline best business practices and efficient day-to-day processes

My Passion:
To inspire. To be inspired creates unlimited potential, for me it is as necessary to life as oxygen. You know the feeling when you are paralyzed in awe, or on to such a hot idea you can’t sleep or think about anything else, or when tingles run through your body seemingly jolting you to change? This is inspiration. I happen to think it is the state in which the best and most revolutionary thought is produced. My passion is to create that for as many people as I can.

My Family:
Tamy & Carl / Jeff & Lisa (parents), Austin & Alec (baby brothers that are not babies anymore ☹)

My Heroes:
My mom and dad. Both entrepreneurs that never took “no” for an answer, they taught by example the importance of work ethic, determination, and most of all, integrity. I am constantly inspired by them. They are my heart and soul.

My Escape:
Long runs with good friends

My Pet Peeves:
Hypocrisy, laziness and conceit… oh, and chewing with your mouth open

My Indulgence:
PEEPS! (Bunnies not chicks… there is a difference I am sure of it)

My Roots:
Michigan summers, Sunday barbeques, my dad singing songs in the car accompanied by his interpretation of percussion on the steering wheel, summer camp, leaf piles, ice skating in the back yard (the beginning of several years of being certain I would be Kristy Yamaguchi someday…certain!)

I had hard working parents that taught me everything they could every day.

My Future:
Limitless

My Love:
History and architecture

My Movie:
Rudy – I am a total sucker for underdogs and a life-long ND fan

My Quote on Life:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

My Accessory:
Sparkly Earrings, big rings, a running watch, and Chuck Taylors

My Advice to Young Women:
Identify two things:
1. What is your passion?
2. What are your strengths?
Chose a career that satisfies both. And, then surround yourself professionally and personally with people you admire, turn yourself into a sponge and take in all that you can, recognize that you can never stop bettering yourself and use anything and everything as a means to do so.

How I Balance it All:
I definitely do not! I need a lot of work in this area. I make A LOT of checklists, put everything on my calendar (which may or may not be color coded), and try to clearly COMMUNICATE with the partners where I see my priorities to make sure we are on the same page. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I can be more selfish with my time now before I have a family of my own, however when that time comes, I will learn from all the super “jugglers” that came before me.

Woman of the Week – Mia Hairston

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Mia Hairston

My Current Job/Company:
Senior Human Resource Consultant

My Birthdate:
12-18-1968

My Work:
In my current role I develop HR strategies to enable the continued career growth and progression of Sales Associates. Empowering associates to take ownership for their own careers is rewarding and satisfying.

My Passion:
My family, my church, my friends.

My Family:
Kevin (Husband), Kennedy(11), Tyler (dog)

My Hero:
My husband, Dr. Kevin Hairston, wonderful coach and role model.

My Escape:
Any beach with my husband and child, taking along a good read.

My Pet Peeve:
Critical and judgmental people.

My Indulgence:
Nachos and anything salty!

My Roots:
Diverse. Happy. Experiential. Surrounded by good friends and family.

My Future:
Full of life and service! Hopeful.

My Love:
Spending time doing a whole lot of “nothing” with my family. Creating funny moments. Self evaluation and learning.

My Movie:
Daddy’s Girls. Love the love shown from a father to a daughter.

My Quote on Life:
“In Him I Move and Breathe and Have my Being”

My Accessory:
Earrings

My Advice to Young Women:
Have goals and visions for your future. Pursue and be all that you can be while you have a chance. Learn and grow everyday.

How I Balance it All:
Some days better than others….I cannot survive without my CROCKPOT and CALENDAR. My husband is in it to win it with my daughter. We partner and bounce things off of each other every day. Prayer, Prayer and much Prayer! Staying positive and keeping progressive-minded people around me is a must. When planning my calendar I look at the strategic investments in the people around me that need to be made and adjust to reflect those priorities. When all else fails, know that God is right by my side.

Woman of the Week – Megan Kilgore

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Megan KilgoreMegan Kilgore

My Current Job/Company: Assistant City Auditor, City of Columbus.

My Birthdate: June 20th

My Work: My primary responsibility is to issue and manage the City’s debt (portfolio of $3.2 billion). I also serve on the boards of the YMCA, the endowment board of the YWCA, the Columbus Historical Society, and recently founded a statewide organization, Ohio Women in Public Finance.

My Passion: The community. Coaching Special Olympics basketball (2010 State Championship!). Facilitating projects and connecting individuals with local resources. I am truly more excited about the future of this City, particularly over the next five years, than I have ever been.

My Family: Shelley K. Boone, MD (Partner); a lovable St. Bernard (Barley); two eccentric cats (Luxor and BK).

My Heroes: I am profoundly moved by the caliber of the spirited, resourceful, forward-thinking women of Columbus. Past and present. Attend a YWCA luncheon or read a page from Ruth Young White’s 1936 We Too Built Columbus . . . you’ll quickly realize you’re in the presence of greatness.

My Escape: A hard work out followed by a long, quiet dinner with my partner.

My Pet Peeve: Apathy.

My Indulgence: Travel – near and far!

My Roots: A small, hardworking town. Lots of time spent outside, lots of scraped knees, and a mother providing endless support of my imagination.

My Future: Public service.

My Love: I have lots of loves . . . numbers, the anticipation of a big trip, side-hurting laughter with friends, a board meeting buzzing with ideas, holidays with family, and early workday mornings in Columbus, when I can sit down with a cup of good coffee and the Wall Street Journal and watch the City come to life.

My Movie: The Sound of Music.

My Quote on Life: A twist on a Maya Angelou quote…people may not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.

My Accessory: A Mary Poppins, I could stuff-a-llama in it, bag. I don’t know why I need all of the stuff that I carry, but I do. Cole Haan comes out with a new, similar-style each year. My dear friend Brook calls it our Director of Security as it could undoubtedly take a bullet for us.

My Advice to Young Women: Be a sponge for information and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Listen to your passions and find a blend of volunteer and (career) work that gets you excited to start each day. Take advantage of the mentors in your life, the individuals you admire most, and learn from them. Doors will open. Just don’t forget to keep a foot in the door so you can welcome future women as well.

How I Balance it All: I love what I do. That’s the easiest way.

Woman of the Week – Dawn Tyler Lee

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Dawn Tyler Lee

Current Job
Assistant Vice President, The Ohio State University/Executive Director, Partners Achieving Community Transformation

Birthday
10.15.72

My Work
I am a government and community relations professional. Currently, I lead new community redevelopment initiative of the University called Partners Achieving Community Transformation (PACT). PACT is a partnership of The Ohio State University, the City of Columbus and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority. The University has committed to invest up to $10 million on the near east side of Columbus and my role is to work with numerous stakeholders to develop a community master plan for the PACT geography. The plan will help inform how those resources will be invested and what additional resources will be needed for the successful implementation of the plan.

My Passion
Serving others and the leadership development of young women.

My Family
My husband, Robert, of 8 years and my doggie, Bert, who we adopted 8 years ago. We think is 9 or 10. He is the first pet I’ve ever had and I love him so much! (By the way, Robert is the first husband I’ve ever had and I love him too. ☺ )

My Heroes
So many…my mom, Joyce Craddock and my grandmothers, Anna Williams and Pearl Collins, who provided the best life they could for my parents. I also honor all of the people who have taken the time to help shape me into the person I am today. This includes mentors, peer mentors, family and friends and even women whom I’ve never even met, but helped blaze a trail to make my journey a bit easier. They are my heroes as well.

My Escape
Weekly happy hour with my “friend group,” monthly massages, and an annual trip to the beach. All of these things make me happy.

My Pet Peeve
So many…how to pick just one!
• Mornings
• The jingle from that damn “truvia” commercial
• Arrogance
• Inappropriate workplace attire

My Indulgence
Pear martinis with a sugar rim.

My Roots
Faith, family, community

My Future
Prayerfully, having a happy, healthy children sometime soon and being blessed with the opportunity to stay home with them for their early years.

My Love(s)
• Robert and Bert
• Fall
• Connecting people
• Cookies and cream ice cream, pasta, seafood
• Pear martinis with a sugar rim ☺

My Movie
So many…Shawshank Redemption, Selena, The Notebook

My Quote on Life
“To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required.” -Luke 12:48

My Accessory
Necklaces

My Advice to Young Women
• Breathe. You don’t have to have it all figured out.
• Meet new people.
• Move out of your comfort zone.
• Observe the leadership styles of other people, identify what you like about them and adapt it to your style.
• Listen to your gut, it’s usually right.
• Participate in at least one ongoing community service activity.

How I Balance it All…
• Weekly happy hour with my “friend group,” monthly massages, and an annual trip to the beach. ☺
• A great partner and circle of friends and mentors I can count on for encouragement, support, advice and good counsel
• Sleeping in on Saturday mornings, whenever possible
• I try not to :
o schedule anything on Sundays except church and family
o schedule after work events/activities more than 2 nights a week
o take work home

Woman of the Week – Sara Burris

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Sara Burris

My Current Job/Company:
Student Finance Consultant

My Birthdate:
02.10.81

My Work:
I assist undergraduate and graduate students with financial aid packages, managing their accounts and keeping them motivated and on target to obtain their educational goals. I encourage responsible borrowing practices and ensure that they are reaching their highest potential.

My Passion:
I am extremely passionate about maintaining close and healthy relationships with my family and friends. They are the consistent factor in my life that bring such joy and motivation in many different ways. I feel that every individual in my life makes me a better person in one way or another. I also have a major addiction to travel. Each trip makes me grow into a more cognizant individual and expands my way of looking at life. I love submerging myself into new cultures and learning as much about different lifestyles as I can. It would be my dream to start a business in Costa Rica due to it’s natural beauty, proud citizens, and the “enjoy every minute of your life” mentality. It’s always so important to take a step back and smell the fresh air. That is what travel does for me.

My Family:
Austin (Husband) Louis (our lovable French Bulldog), Bentley and Bronson (our feline family members)

My Hero:
My Grandmother. I can honestly say she was the most inspiring person in my life, and I can only dream to be as positive and compassionate as she was.

My Escape:
Being in Costa Rica with my husband (I get a weightless feeling there) or looking at photos of past trips/family/friends

My Pet Peeve:
People who are consistently late, arrogance

My Indulgence:
I am a dessert fanatic!

My Roots:
Hard working, generous, humble, loving.

My Future:
Unknown…but that is what I love about it. I promise myself that no matter what happens I will always land on my feet with a positive attitude!

My Love:
My husband. He is such an incredible person and makes me want to better myself.

My Movie:
Second Hand Lion. Great movie…and it does not hurt that there is a french bulldog in the film 😉

My Quote on Life:
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Accessory:
My wedding ring (This makes me think I need more accessories)

My Advice to Young Women:
Have confidence in yourself and your goals. Everyone can make a difference in the world big or small.

How I Balance it All:
I stay insanely organized and write myself many goal sheets and notes (yes, I write things down on paper..archaic I know, but I love physically checking things off my lists). I keep my word on every promise and that is what keeps me motivated to squeeze everything in. I am constantly re-prioritizing and hold myself highly accountable to finish tasks both work related and personal. If I am given a goal I am going to meet that goal no matter what it takes. I am a perfectionist sometimes to a fault, but I cannot let anyone including myself down. I also take a step back and put things into perspective. I never want to get stressed over the little things…I ensure this does not happen by thinking of those less fortunate to make my problems seem minimal. Suddenly, that load of laundry that did not get done does not seem to be a viable issue.