Women Officials Network Foundation
  • Home
    • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Committees
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Renew
    • Directory for Members
  • Events
    • Earlier Events
    • Select Videos
  • Leadership Mentoring
  • BUY SWAG
    • 19TH AMENDMENT SCARF
    • Wine Glass Order Form
  • Gateway to Leadership
  • Contact Us
  • In the News
  • Interesting & Useful Links
  • WONder Women
    • 25TH WONF ANNIVERSARY 36TH WONDER WOMAN BANQUET
    • 34th WONder Woman Banquet
    • 35th WONder Woman Banquet

Earlier Events

Previous Guest Bios

WON Foundation Networking Breakfast

Picture
Picture

Latanya Gater, M.A., LLP

Latanya Gater - Brief Bio
Picture

Cheryl Bergman

Cheryl Bergman – Brief Bio​
Picture

Marcia Gershenson

Marcia Gershenson - Brief Bio

An Evening of Celebration, Recognition, and Fun!
*Presenting Sponsor Lawrence Technological University

Picture
General Admission -- $100
  • Admits 1 For Dinner
VIP Admission -- $500
  • Admits 1 For Dinner
  • 1-Year Personal Sustaining Membership
  • 1-Year Youth Support Membership Sponsor
  • Personalized Congratulatory Message To Honorees On Video Screen

Get Your Tickets Today!

Please plan to help us as we honor these outstanding women. All proceeds will go towards two major programs:
GATEWAY TO LEADERSHIP (G2L)
Enable more women to seek and obtain appointments to boards, commissions, and public leadership positions. Train, network, provide access and support.

YOUTH MENTORING PARTNERSHIPS
Build youth partnerships which focus on teens and young adults. Programs, education, engagement, to prepare for public leadership.
Picture

We were excited to celebrate our 25th anniversary with an IN PERSON event!

* Enjoyed a delicious breakfast

* Networked with leaders

* Heard a recap of the past and upcoming year

* Kickoffed our new fiscal year and our 25th anniversary! 

Link to Presentation
Link to Video

Happy to share photos of our In-Person Annual Meeting June 10, 2022
​

Picture
WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS! 
​BONUS NETWORKING BREAKFAST
​
APRIL 29, 2022
​Journey To Leadership
We thank our special guest speaker,
Dr. Embekka Roberson,
Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent for sharing her awesome journey to leadership.

Picture
Dr. Embekka Roberson – Brief Bio
Picture

March 25, 2022 

We had a wonderful conversation and a phenomenal guest speaker. She         provided a great information on the local justice system and what we can           expect in the future. Thank you to all who attended this wonderful event!! 
 --Hosted by the WONF Leadership and Program Committees

​

Picture

We gathered to share a happy event, a funny story, or something that had made us Glad in 2022. It was a wonderful and uplifting get-together. Thanks to all those who joined!! ​​And, in the WONF tradition we raises a glass and Celebrates All the Ways Women Have Moved Our World Forward! Why March Gladness? Because March is Women's History Month and March 8th is International Women's Day.

 

​​--Hosted by the WONF Leadership and Program Committees
Picture
Networking Breakfast
January 21, 2022
Let's Have A Conversation --
Intentional engagement for positive change
We started the year off with a dynamic virtual networking breakfast at which we were very pleased to have the coauthor of Conversations Worth Having, Dr. Jackie Stavros, as our guest speaker. Thank you, Dr. Stavros, your presentation was wonderful!
Picture
Link to Dr. Stavros' brief biography
We were excited to build on the Nuts & Bolts Training session from December by turning to Conversations Worth Having, and we learned about using Appreciative Inquiry and how using it correctly can fuel productive and meaningful engagement. We even had a chance to practice some of the methods we learned about.  Dr. Stavros shared with us  ways to make our conversations consistently affirming and empowering.  It was a splendid event.
Picture

​January 6, 2022
​The Program Committee would like to invite you to join us for an hour of connection and conversation to start the new year.
When:    Thursday, January 6th at 5:00 pm
Where:   Online via Zoom
Picture
Creating & Sustaining Consensus​ 
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 5:00 pm
We had a wonderful virtual and interactive training session on Dec. 2, 2021.
In today's increasingly polarized world, understanding how to create and sustain a consensus culture at the board table is more important than ever.  In this one hour virtual workshop we discussed why consensus matters, what consensus is and is not and the process for creating a culture of consensus at your board table.  
​

​Our
Presenters
Were:
Picture
Honorable Deb Macon
Picture
Honorable Nancy Philippart, PhD
Click on either woman's name to be taken to her brief biography.
Picture
Women on the ballot in Oakland County


​A celebration of the women who ran!
November 10, 2021 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm

This was an uplifting and joyous gathering full of shared wisdom and comradery.
Thank you to our Moderator and Host, Deb Macon and to our toastmasters;
Rosemary Bayer, Maureen McGinnis, Theresa Rich, and Sheryl Mitchell Theriot.

A big thank you as well to all our courageous candidates who shared lessons learned on the campaign trail.  What a wonderful gathering this was.​
View the Zoom recording of this event

Networking Breakfast
September 17, 2021 from 7:30 - 9:00 am

As educators and students were preparing to head back to school after one of the most unusual and challenging school years in more than a half century, we turned our attention to our public school leaders. 
View the Zoom recording of this meeting
Picture
OUR GUEST SPEAKERS were:
Picture

​Honorable Michael F. Rice, PhD
MI Superintendent of Schools


Read Dr. Rice's brief biography.
​

Picture

​Honorable Shirley Jean Bryant
Board of Trustees, Oakland Community College


Read Shirley Bryant's brief biography.

Picture
A NEW FEATURE This was the first Networking Breakfast to feature a new training opportunity that we will be including in all our upcoming Networking Breakfasts, a Nuts & Bolts Micro-learning session related to the theme of each quarter's breakfast. This meeting's Nuts & Bolts MICRO Training session was on Public Comment: How to present Public Comment to an elected board and how to prepare and what to expect. 

Picture

​Friday, June 11, 2021
Annual Meeting & Quarterly Networking Breakfast
....Where: Online via ZOOM
....When: 7:30 -- 9:00 am
....Theme: Spotlight on Success
....Price: No charge 
Thank you, Dr. Jennifer Green and Ms. Leigh-Anne Stafford for bringing your wisdom gained during a difficult year and sharing with us the stories of your experience leading through a pandemic! Your insights and observations were compelling and contributed greatly in making this year's Annual Meeting a wonderful virtual gathering.
See video records of this event
Picture
Thursday, April 15, 2021
​NUTS & BOLTS TRAINING -- Appointments
This one hour training program -- the first in a new series -- was all about the nuts and bolts of identifying and applying for appointed positions in the public sector and why such positions are so important.

Our esteemed speakers for this Nuts & Bolts Training session were:
(click on the speakers name to see her brief bio)
Picture
Debbie Binder
​Clerk West Bloomfield Twp.
Picture
Therese Quattrociocchi Longe
City of Birmingham Mayor
​Pro Tem
Picture
Dr. Nancy Quarles
Oakland County Road Commissioner
Picture
Shelley Taub
Retired: State Representative and Oakland County Commissioner

Thank you, to our three speakers from March 26, 2021, who offered us an inspiring overview of the opportunities that exist to serve the public through appointed positions.  
​

Picture
Cheryl Bergman,
CEO, Michigan Women's Commission

Picture
​Ghida Dagher,
Director of Appoint-ments, Executive Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Picture
​Dr. Sabala Mandava,
Michigan Women's Commission, Chair of Leadership Comm.
 

​(Click on our speaker's photos to be taken to their biographies)
From January 15, 2021:
Thank you to our wonderful speakers: moderator Anne Mervenne and panelists Andrea Schoeder and Mari Manoogian, with specially thanks to Mari who stepped in at the last minute to replace Brenda Carter who was unable to participate.

Here is a link to the Zoom recording of this event.

Picture
Picture


From September 18, 2020
We shared a wonderful video presentation by longtime member, Beth Talbert.  Here is a link to that video.

​From June 12, 2020
At our June Networking Breakfasts we celebrate our Annual Meetings each year. In 2020, for the first time ever, we celebrated both of these things virtually. Thank you to both of our wonderful speakers for inspiring contributions to this breakfast!
Picture

Our most recent in-person Networking Breakfast, held on December 13, 2019

​We had a dynamic young leader from HAVEN speak with us about the work they are doing. Melissa was joined by a client of HAVEN's who has successfully regained her autonomy and voice and was able to tell us very eloquently about her story. It was a powerful morning and we thank both of our speakers, one whose name must be withheld for her own safety.
Picture
​On September 6, 2019 we had three WONder Women Alumnea as our speakers:
Picture
Watch a video of our program from this Networking Breakfast, here.
​On June 14, 2019 we had Mrs. Susy Avery as our guest speaker:
Picture
Watch a video of our program from this Networking Breakfast, here.
On March 29, 2019 we had the wonderful Anne Doyle as our speaker:
Picture
​
Watch a video of our program from this Networking Breakfast, here. And here is a link to Anne Doyle's web page, where you can learn more about her and learn about her wonderful new Podcast, POWERING UP!
Below are a few pictures from our first March Gladness! evening on March 1, 2019.
Our March Gladness! 2020 evening had to be canceled but we look forward to gathering again as soon as we're able.

​On January 11, 2019 we had four dynamic speakers:
Picture
Watch a video of our program from this Networking Breakfast, here.
​Jocelyn Benson and Mary Treder Lang spoke at our October 5, 2018 Breakfast.
Jocelyn Benson has more than a decade of experience as a national leader in election law and administration. She is the author of Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the Secretary of State in enforcing election and 
campaign finance laws, and promoting fair, accessible and secure elections.
 
Jocelyn has a proven track record of success in leading institutions, cutting costs and improving services. As the former dean of Wayne State University Law School she froze tuition, expanded access to scholarship funds for all students, and bolstered the school’s reputation and bar passage rates. She also established programs to promote government oversight, provide free legal services for veterans, and help aspiring entrepreneurs participate in the economic revival of Detroit.
Picture
​Jocelyn recognizes the challenges facing veterans and military families. In 2012 while her husband Ryan Friedrichs served in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, she joined with four other military spouses to establish the Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military spouses and their children.
 
Jocelyn is currently CEO and Executive Director of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a national nonprofit. She serves on several national boards including the advisory board of iCivics, a non-profit founded by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and dedicated to engaging students in meaningful civic learning.
 
A long-distance runner, Benson has completed 22 marathons. She and Ryan reside in Detroit with their toddler son, Aiden.

Brief biography of Mary Treder Lang
​Mary Treder Lang is a highly creative and results-driven executive management professional.  She is an accomplished leader with over thirty years of success in computer security, business development and executive leadership. She is a highly energetic professional with a track record of building partnerships, creating synergy and securing customers through driven leadership and team oriented results.
 
Upon completion of her Bachelor of Science Degree in both Accounting and Marketing from the University of Dayton, Mary began her career at KPMG, where she specialized in financial institutions, non-for-profits and mergers, and acquisitions. Following her time at KPMG, she spent five years in various management positions at SBC/Ameritech before leaving to establish a new Midwest Office for LINX Technologies, as the North American Sales Director.
Picture
​Mary continued to hold various senior management roles after LINX was acquired by Mosler, Inc. In 2001 Mary joined Siemens, Inc. where she held various senior management positions ranging from North American Sales Director, Sales Manager, District Manager (first woman), and Senior Executive-Government for Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. Later she joined Baker Tilly as Director of Business Development.
 
In 2013, Mary entered the public sector when she started at Vista Maria as Vice President of Development Program. Mary and her team worked with vulnerable youth in an effort to help them successfully transition into adulthood with life and workforce development skills to succeed and contribute to their communities. Recently Mary moved to the newly created position of Vice President of Major Gifts.
 
Mary Treder Lang has served or is currently serving on several profit and not-for-profit boards. In 2012 she received the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Emerging Leader Award given by the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants for the first time in the State of Michigan.
 
She is active in her community as a member of the St. Paul's Catholic Church, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the Grosse Pointe Chamber, and Past Commodore of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. She is also active in philanthropic efforts for the Michigan Women's Foundation, March of Dimes, Forgotten Harvest, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society and Vista Maria.
 
Mary has been happily married to Paul Lang for thirty-two years, with whom she has raised three children and has welcomed a son-in-law into their family.
Watch the video of our program from this Networking Breakfast, here.

A judicial Panel: Judge Lisa Langton, Supreme Court Justice Bridget Mary McCormack, Judge Maureen McGinnis
​Moderated by Judge Cynthia Walker.
Chief Doreen Olko is the Chief of Police for the City of Auburn Hills. She received her Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University in criminal justice and a Master of Liberal Studies from Eastern Michigan University before eventually becoming the Chief of Police in Auburn Hills in 1996.  She is a licensed police officer beginning her career in the Lansing area in 1973.

Chief Olko is an adjunct professor at Oakland University teaching in the criminal justice program. Governors Granholm and Snyder appointed her to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards beginning in 2007, the first woman to serve on that body.  She was honored to receive an appointment to the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice Wall of Fame in 2008 and a Presidential Citation from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police in 2013.  She resides in Oakland County with her husband Robert and is the mother of one exceptional son and grandmother to an adorable little girl. Her blog “Straight from the Chief” can be found at AHPDchief.wordpress.com.
Picture
Chief Doreen Olko
​Emmy winning broadcast journalist, Paula Tutman, has spent more than 30 years in front of the camera as a news reporter.  A Peace Corps brat who grew up in Africa, she has spent the last 20 years living in and falling in love with Detroit and her adopted "soul's home," the State of Michigan. She can curerntly be seen daily at 4, on WDIV's, First-at-4 news broadcast.

Paula has a strong  commitment to her community and volunteers for - and advises several non-profit organizations.  She is the founder and board chair of the 501c3, non-profit charitable organization, Children's ToothFairy Foundation which provides dental care and oral health education to uninsured children in Southeastern Michigan.
Picture
Paula Tutman
​She also teaches a Master Your Message communication course to organizations and corporations. The course is an intensive workshop that teaches an advanced communication model designed to shift office-place communication culture into high gear to team-strengthen in order to work better, sell better, be better. 

A published author, her first novel series DEADLINE! won recognition from the International Thriller Writers organization, the Virginia Book Festival and the Hollywood Book Festival.  A prolific writer and self-taught screenplay writer, her first project, The Turnaround Girl, caught the attention of Professor Richard Walter, Chair of the UCLA graduate screenwriting program who became her private tutor and mentor.  Paula is currently shopping her latest unpublished novel as a treatment for a Detroit-based serial television drama, and is looking for a producer for her first two movie screenplays.  Winning an Oscar for screenplay writing is on her bucket list. 

Paula lives in suburban Detroit with her husband and three beautiful and brilliant step-daughters. 

​On November 5, 2013 Dr. Deirdre Holloway Waterman was elected as Mayor of the City of Pontiac, the first woman to ever be elected to this position. Dr. Waterman has served as Chairwoman the Pontiac Library Board and as a Commissioner on the Pontiac Charter Revision Commission. 

Deirdre Waterman graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Biology and Political Science. She then graduated from Meharry Medical College and completed her residency at Kresge Eye Institute at Wayne State University. 

She was a leader at an early age when she became the First African American Female Ophthalmologist in Michigan and was the Past Chairwoman of the National Medical Association, Region IV and served two terms as Finance Chair for that organization. She was also President of the Associated Healthcare Providers and is listed in the Inaugural Edition of Vital Signs: Michigan – citing African American Achievement in Healthcare.

For over 30 years, Dr. Waterman has operated her practice, Holloway Eye Care, in Pontiac as a small business owner.
Picture
Mayor Deidre Waterman
​She was Vice-Chairman of NOMC Hospital (now Doctors Hospital) and  Chair of the Finance Committee. She was the founding President of the Friends of the Pontiac Public Library. 

Since 2006 Dr. Waterman has held elective office in the City of Pontiac.

Dr. Waterman was married to the late Judge William Waterman, they raised their two children here in Pontiac. She is an active member of Plymouth United Church of Christ.

Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence is a long-time resident of the City of Southfield. A product of Michigan’s public school system, Mayor Lawrence is an alumna of Pershing High School and received her BA in Public Administration from Central Michigan University.

Ms. Lawrence was elected Mayor of the City of Southfield in November of 2001. She is the first African American and first woman mayor of Southfield, a city with a population of over 78,000 residents, a city budget of $143 million, and 833 city employees. Mayor Lawrence is committed to diversity, fiscal responsibility, education, and keeping a clean and safe city.
Mayor Lawrence has been a community advocate for many years, both as an elected official and a private citizen. She has served on the Southfield City Council, where she was elected President in 1999.
Picture
Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence
​As a Councilwoman, Ms. Lawrence gained experience in managing a multi-million dollar budget and demonstrated fiscal responsibility. Ms. Lawrence has also served on the Southfield Public School Board of Education as President, Vice-President, and Secretary. Her love for community involvement has been evident through her previous service as a volunteer in various capacities on the Parent Youth Guidance Commission, Oakland County United Way Advisory Committee, and Oakland County Aids Council.

Since becoming Mayor, Ms. Lawrence has initiated the following community programs: The Mayor’s Walk community health program; Mayor’s Roundtable - a citizen driven forum where residents can discuss one-on-one topics of concern; Southfield Reads! - a program designed to promote reading literacy in the City of Southfield; Annual Flower Day; City-wide Blood Drive; and Today’s Woman - a cable show featuring respected women in and around Southfield. As a result of her active concerns to create a more environmentally friendly community Mayor Lawrence joined over 600 other Mayors in signing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and with Council support has created the Southfield Green Committee. Mayor Lawrence plans to continue her active involvement in pushing for smarter energy use.

Mayor Lawrence has received many honors for her leadership skills and commitment to diversity. She was recognized in October 2007 as one of Crain’s “2007 Most Influential Women.” She has also received the “2004 Wand Award” for breaking new frontiers for women and minorities, the Jewish War Veterans-State of Michigan “Brotherhood Award,” the Leadership Detroit “Challenging the Process” award, the ABWA Millennium Chapter “Woman of the Year Award,” the Detroit Historical Society’s “Enterprising Women” award, Leadership Oakland’s 2004 Distinguished Leadership & Future Leaders Award for Exemplary Leadership, and the “Black Women Achiever Award.” Mayor Lawrence has also been named to the Women’s Informal Network “List of the Most Influential African American Women in Metropolitan Detroit” and CORP Magazine’s “95 Most Influential Women in Michigan.” Through a survey of area leadership organizations, Ms. Lawrence was identified by Crain’s Detroit Business as a regional leader with the “skills and determination to bridge the historic parochialism of the metropolitan area.”

Mayor Lawrence is a member of the Oakland County Chapter of the NAACP, a member of the Michigan Association of Mayor’s Advisory Board, the U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board and member of the nominating committee, the American Heart Association’s “Go Red For Women,” a member of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance Executive Board, Women Officials Network Board of Directors, Birmingham YMCA Advisory Board, the Pepsi Community Advisory Board, MBN TV and Radio Advisory Board and the Board of Governors of the Renaissance/Skyline Club.

  • City council member (Mayor) since: 2011
  • Oak Park resident since: 1967
  • Originally from: Northwest Detroit
  • Family: Spouse, Keith McClellan; onedaughter, one son,* one daughter-inlaw,and three grandchildren
  • Profession: Retired teacher in Detroit,Warren, Farmington Hills andFerndale (32 years)
  • Oak Park Pride: “Oak Park’s greatesttreasure is its amazing residents who love their city and whoare actively engaged citizens.”
  • Greatest challenge: “…Dealing with declining revenues,while providing residents with the excellent services we’veenjoyed for years.”
  • Oak Park in 10 Years: “I see a vibrant city attracting visitorsfrom all over Oakland County as we make our business andcommunity development plans a reality.”
  • New Year’s Resolution: To take more exercise classes at theOak Park Community Center (“…Because if I’m not in aclass, I’m not moving!”)*Mayor McClellan’s son, Andy Meisner, is the Oakland County Treasurer.
Picture
Mayor Marian McClellan
Friday, December 13, 2013: Nicole Johnson of Haven

HAVEN, a nationally recognized nonprofit leader in Oakland County, promotes a world of safe, equal and accountable communities where sexual assault and domestic violence do not exist. HAVEN's Mission is to eliminate sexual assault and domestic violence and to empower survivors through advocacy and social change in and around Oakland County.  HAVEN accomplishes this mission by providing comprehensive and culturally sensitive services at no charge that include: Oakland County’s only 24-hour emergency shelter exclusively for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their children, individual and group counseling, support and education for victims moving through the legal system, immediate crisis intervention and emotional support for victims and their families after an assault, comprehensive forensic exam andcompassionate emotional support for victims of sexual assault, assistance to stalking and domestic violence victims who are trying to obtain a PPO, such as a restraining order, and prevention education throughout Oakland County.

Nicole Johnson is an innovative manager with an exemplary record of leading marketing and program development efforts for non-profit organizations and businesses. Highly skilled in developing creative solutions to difficult challenges, Nicole has been recognized for her team leadership and ability to establish rapport and credibility with diverse groups which has been key to her success in her current position as Coordinated Services Project Manager at HAVEN where she plans and directs programmatic activities, identifies and recruits strategic alliances, and manages partner relationships.
Friday, October 4, 2013: John Philo, Legal Director, Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center for Ecnomic & Social Justice
​John Philo is the Legal Director of the Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice and Of Counsel to the law firm of Constitutional Litigation Associates.  

Mr. Philo has consulted on and litigated cases throughout Michigan and in dozens of states representing communities, workers and injured persons on matters of constitutional, employment, and tort law.  He has represented coalitions of citizens in state and federal court challenging the constitutionality of the Michigan’s municipal financial emergency manager laws.

Mr. Philo has testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee regarding the rights of displaced workers, has authored book chapters, legal articles, and papers and has been an invited speaker at seminars sponsored by national, state and local bar associations. He has actively served as a pro bono attorney representing low income communities and individuals, victims of the 9/11 attacks, and asylum seekers. 

John Philo is a graduate of the St. Louis University School of Law and McGill University’s Faculty of Law. He is a past President of the Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. 
Picture
Friday, October 10, 2014 - Ms. Christine Jensen, Political Strategist
​Since moving with her family to Southeast Michigan in 2008, Ms. Jensen has worked full time as a political organizer.  In 2008 she worked on the coordinated campaign in Oakland County and in 2010 was Campaign Manager for Kathleen Law in her unsuccessful bid.  In 2011, she managed Marian McClellan's successful bid for Oak Park Mayor defeating a 20 year incumbent.  In 2012, Jensen joined and managed team Brenda Lawrence in her first bid for the 14th Congressional District.

Following the primary in 2012, she ran southeast Michigan for Supreme Court Justice Bridget Mary McCormack.  In 2013, Jensen managed Deirdre Waterman's successful campaign to be the first woman Mayor of Pontiac, Mayor Marian McClellan's re-election as Mayor of Oak Park, Brenda Lawrence's re-election as Mayor of Southfield, and Councilwomen Carolyn Burns and Kiesha Speech's elections to Oak Park City Council. 
Picture
​This year she and Mayor Brenda Lawrence got the band back together and Jensen managed Lawrence's successful run for the 14th District primary.  Upon her election in November Mayor Lawrence will be the first African American and first African American woman from Oakland County to represent Oakland County in Congress. Mayor Lawrence will be the 4th African American woman to represent Michigan in Congress.

Ms. Jensen serves on the executive board of the Michigan Democratic Party, the executive committee of the Oakland County Democratic Party, the Justice Caucus and the 9th District, and serves as vice-chair for the Birmingham-Bloomfield Democratic Club.
Chris has a B.S. in Business from Minnesota State University at Moorhead and a J.D. from Depaul University in Chicago.
​Friday, December 12, 2014 - Ms. Anise Hayes, Co-Founder and ED of Atlantic Impact
Anise Hayes is the co-founder and Executive Director of Atlantic Impact, a nonprofit organization that provides domestic and global learning opportunities for at-risk high school students.  Anise founded Atlantic Impact after several years of studying and working in the area of international relations and global affairs. She worked for the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C. and Counterpart International in Yerevan, Armenia.  During the founding years of Atlantic Impact, Anise worked with an international team which included support from officials within the United Nations Scientific, Educational, and Cultural Organization.

Anise has been recognized domestically and internationally for her successes in social entrepreneurship. She was selected as a global semifinalist for the prestigious Echoing Green social enterprise awards. Through this, Anise was highlighted as one of the top innovative leaders among a population of over 3800 international organizations. Anise has also been recognized by Chrysler Corporation and U.S.A Basketball for excellence in social entrepreneurship and innovation.

Anise graduated from the University of Michigan with Degrees in Japanese and Political Science.

About Atlantic Impact 
Atlantic Impact provides at-risk high school students with enriching learning experiences using a combination of historical education, community engagement, and international travel to empower students to become innovative leaders for their communities.  Atlantic Impact implements a three year program in persistently low achieving schools. Students meet daily for a global education class, monthly for community based trips, and have the opportunity to travel abroad during their sophomore or junior years of high school. After their trips, students meet regularly to develop and enact strategies to apply their experiences in order to improve their communities.
Atlantic Impact has been covered regionally by Local 4 WDIV Detroit, Fox 2 Detroit, My TV20 Detroit, WWJ News Radio 950, BLAC Magazine, and the Detroit News.
Picture
Friday, February 27, 2015 - "How To Support Women Entrepreneurs," Nicole Farmer
Nicole Farmer is a leader and an entrepreneur at heart. Since becoming the first African American woman to own a Tuffy Auto Service franchise in 2006, she has been on a mission to inspire minority and women business owners to realize their own dreams of entrepreneurship.

After experiencing growing pains while running her multimillion-dollar Company, Farmer launched LifeLine Business Consulting Services to coach women on how to successfully navigate through the start-up and development stages of operating companies.


To date, Farmer has worked with more than 100 female entrepreneurs in the areas of coaching, training and strategic planning, while using real-world experience to help them achieve success. With Farmer's guidance, more than fifty entrepreneurs have secured funding for their business endeavors. She motivates and encourages hundreds of company owners through her candid “Coffee and Conversation” and “Power Panel” sessions on what she describes as the Five Absolutes of Business. Farmer has been applauded by both men and women for her insights about the journeys of entrepreneurship. In 2015, she will launch a national women’s business conference in Atlanta, Oakland, California and Richmond, Virginia, along with publishing an e-book, 9 Power Principles to Bring Your Dreams to Reality.
Picture
​In addition to helping adults achieve their business goals, Farmer serves as a coach for the Motown EDU Summer Camp for Teens where she helps students develop business plans and formally “pitch” their visions to a judging panel of corporate and civic leaders.

Farmer is a sought-after speaker due to her knowledge of professional strategies and fund development. As a member of the Detroit Collaborative consortium that includes the Michigan Women’s Foundation, Detroit Development Fund, and New Economic Initiative, she provides a distinctive voice.
​
Nicole Farmer resides in Detroit with her husband, Bishop Keith Farmer, and their sons Devin and Sebastian.
​Friday, October 16, 2015  - "Raising Productivity by Elevating the Communication Culture"  - Paula Tutman
​Emmy winning broadcast journalist, Paula Tutman has spent more than 30 years in front of the camera as a news reporter. A Peace Corps brat who grew up in Africa, she has spent the last 20 years living in and falling in love with Detroit and her adopted “soul’s home”, the State of Michigan.

​She can currently be seen daily at 4, on WDIV’s, First-at-4 news broadcast. Paula has a strong commitment to her community and volunteers for—and advises several non-profit organizations.
Picture
​She is the founder and board chair of the 501c3, non-profit charitable organization, Children’s ToothFairy Foundation which provides dental care and oral health education to uninsured children in Southeastern Michigan. She also teaches a Master Your Message communication course to organizations and corporations. The course is an intensive workshop that teaches an advanced communication model designed to shift office-place communication culture into high gear to team-strengthen in order to work better, sell better, be better. A published author, her first novel series DEADLINE! won recognition from the International Thriller Writers organization, The Virginia Book Festival and the Hollywood Book Festival.

A prolific writer and self-taught screenplay writer, her first project, The Turnaround Girl, caught the attention of Professor Richard Walter, Chair of the UCLA graduate screenwriting program who became her private tutor and mentor. Paula is currently shopping her latest unpublished novel as a treatment for a Detroit-based serial television drama, and is looking for a producer for her first two movie screenplays. Winning an Oscar for screenplay writing is on her bucket-list.

As a farm girl originally from the Chesapeake Bay region, if Mother Nature made it, she enjoys it. Paula has collected adventure points competitive sailing, horseback riding, flying (not riding, flying) an F-16 fighter jet, crashing a motorcycle, performing in an opera, and opening the circus as a clown.

​She’s witnessed the great polar bear migration in the Canadian sub-Arctic and photographed Bushmen in Senegal. In 2009 she took on her most extreme adventure underneath a crop of overgrown Evergreens at the tidal basin of an Alaskan glacier by getting married for the last time. She lives in suburban Detroit with her husband and three beautiful and brilliant step-daughters.
The Bloomfield Township's  Cable & Community Relations still posts videos of many of our earlier Networking Breakfast programs on their website here. So, please take a look through these videos for other interesting presentations.
WON Foundation
​© Women Officials Network Foundation. All rights reserved.
  • Home
    • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Committees
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Renew
    • Directory for Members
  • Events
    • Earlier Events
    • Select Videos
  • Leadership Mentoring
  • BUY SWAG
    • 19TH AMENDMENT SCARF
    • Wine Glass Order Form
  • Gateway to Leadership
  • Contact Us
  • In the News
  • Interesting & Useful Links
  • WONder Women
    • 25TH WONF ANNIVERSARY 36TH WONDER WOMAN BANQUET
    • 34th WONder Woman Banquet
    • 35th WONder Woman Banquet