NOTE: This is an archive and may contain outdated information.
Registration is CLOSED for this event.
Jewel Daniels, President
Daniels Communications Group |
 | Jewel Daniels is president of Daniels Communications Group, a progressive Georgia-based company providing strategic marketing and corporate training services.
The company has an impressive client list that includes the Center for Disease Control/MACRO, the City of Hinesville, Clayton State University, Effingham Board of Education, the Georgia Summit of African American Business Organizations, Gulfstream Aerospace, Henry Medical Center, IKEA, Savannah State University, Savannah Technical College and US Military-Fort Stewart.
Daniels is the founder of Black Business Professionals and Entrepreneurs, a global network of practicing professionals and business owners. She is also an author, penning the books "It Takes Tenacity, 15 Power Moves to Survive the Wilderness and Weather the Economic Storm" and “The Enterprising Entrepreneur, 10 Powerful Life Lessons for Achieving Business Success” which speak volumes about leadership, weathering tough times and reaping the rewards of successfully piloting your dreams.
Her accomplishments include recognition as one of Georgia’s “40 Under 40” in Business and Politics by Georgia Trend magazine and the Savannah Business Report & Journal, as well as receiving recognition from Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes and US Rep. Jack Kingston.
As a speaker, she has presented before the Congressional Black Caucus, the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Divas United, Blacks in Government, the GWEN Conference, and other professional groups.
She is the first Black woman accepted to Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea and is a graduate of Hampton University as well as New York University's Public Relations Institute. She is an Adjunct Instructor at Savannah Technical College, a trained Bible instructor and says her life’s greatest accomplishment is raising her daughter Jynnah. |
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Zelda Greenberg
The Bounce Back Guru |
 | Zelda is a nationally known speaker, author, consultant and radio personality. She is recognized for her positive and enthusiastic spirit. Known as the Bounce Back Guru, Zelda draws from her 25 years of experiences s an entrepreneur to motivate and inspire individuals to bring out their entrepreneurial spirit. Zelda has launched and owned a successful event and party rental firm, several Hallmark Card and Gift stores, launched a non-profit, and was previously President of her family’s 100 year old produce distribution company, Fraden’s Produce. When she took over the helm of the family business sales grew in the first 18 months from 1 million to 4 million.
Zelda is the recipient of the United States SBA district and regional 2007 Family-Owned Business of the Year Award, Past President of Women Business Owners of Northeast Florida, board member of the National Speakers Association of North Florida Chapter, member of Florida Speakers Association and recipient of Athena Powerlink.
Her book, The Art of Bouncing Back will be released this summer. The book is a collection of true stories on how people overcame challenges and then became successful. Zelda is a graduate of the University of North Florida, mom of Alysha and Elliott and leader of the pack of her four loved and spoiled dogs; Snickers, Chance, Bruiser and Daisy. |
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Lourdes Martin-Rosa, Founder
Government Business Solutions LLC |
 | After more than ten years of lobbying in Washington, D.C. on behalf of small business & government procurement, Lourdes Martin-Rosa began to see that a void in representation existed for small businesses. She had traveled several times to argue for the rights of her clients and had won her fight. She had navigated through the maze of federal proposals and contracts and knew her formula would work for other small businesses. This is when Government Business Solutions (GBS) was born.
Lourdes founded GBS with the knowledge that the federal government is the single largest procurer in the world. Small business not only had a right to a piece of this pie, but by the government’s own standards, small businesses were entitled to a portion of this work. From her years of experience Lourdes learned two basic things small businesses needed to do: 1) as a small business you must have an “edge” in order to compete with larger more experienced companies and 2) you must take advantage of every tool the federal government offers small businesses, while making yourself known to the right people within the government…perseverance is everything.
Small business owners began to approach Lourdes for her advice and consultation on what they could do to gain the “edge”. Her answer was clear, certify your small business. The Small Business Administration offers one of the most aggressive certification programs available; the 8(a) Business Development Program. Having this certification was the first step in eligibility for the over $200 Billion annual dollars that go to small business from the federal government contracts. GBS began to offer consulting services that included certification services for Woman-owned, Veteran-owned, Hub-Zone small businesses, GSA Schedules Preparation, federal government marketing services, Government Agency Solutions and other consulting services geared specifically to small businesses.
Lourdes also serves as Advisor on Government Contracts to American Express OPEN®. |
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Stephanie McFee, WIPP Membership Director
Women Impacting Public Policy/WIPP |
 | Stephanie McFee has a history of organizational and consumer strategy development and implementation spanned between the academic, retail, and non-profit sectors. She currently supports two non-profit women’s organizations: Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a national bipartisan public policy organization, advocating on behalf of women and minorities in business, and The Network of Executive Women (NEW), an educational organization with the mission to attract, retain and advance women in the retail and consumer products industry. In her capacity with WIPP, Stephanie serves as the Director of Membership and Program Development overseeing the strategies focused on member recruitment and engagement and the development of programs focused on business growth and sustainability. She previously worked with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as the senior manager of women’s markets. She holds a master’s of science in consumer affairs from Auburn University. |
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Donn Miller-Kermani, Director
Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Florida Tech |
 | Donn Miller-Kermani is the Director of the Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Florida Tech. The WBC at Florida Tech is partially funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is an outreach for the College of Business at Florida Tech. The WBC is one of approximately 112 Women’s Business Centers in the United States, American Samoa and Guam.
Donn is an adjunct instructor at Brevard Community College teaching courses in business, advertising, business law, Microsoft Office, computer applications, and office technology. She is also an adjunct instructor at Florida Institute of Technology for the College of Business teaching courses in computer applications and information systems.
During Donn’s career, she has served as the Assistant Director of the National Center for Small Business Information, Director of the International Federation of Nonlinear Analysts, the Editorial and Technical Assistant for the journal, Nonlinear Analysis (one of the leading mathematical journals published by Elsevier Science, Ltd.), and the Executive Technical Editor of the Journal of Applied Mathematics and Stochastic Analysis.
Donn has a Ph.D. in Operations Research with an emphasis on Women-Owned Small Businesses in the U.S. and federal procurement. She also has a Master of Business Administration (Management of Technology), Master of Science in Computer Education (Instructional Technology) as well as a Graduate Certificate in Contract Management from Florida Institute of Technology. She is a member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), WIPP Procurement Committee and Agency Chair, American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), and Association of Women Business Centers.
Photo by Cheryl Clermont Photography. |
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Lisa Sparks, Regional Development Director
Constant Contact |
 | Lisa is a marketing expert with nine years of experience developing and implementing marketing communications solutions for small and medium sized businesses. She is currently the Regional Development Director for Constant Contact in South Florida.
A small business owner herself, Lisa uses her expertise to teach small organizations in South Florida how to use technology to maximize the power of relationship marketing. She is experienced in providing guidance, instruction, and comprehensive planning advice for the development, growth, and expansion of new and existing businesses. In 2007, Lisa won the Florida State Star Award as the top small business analyst in Florida. |
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Shawna Vercher
CEO, Vti-Web & President, The SSW |
 | Shawna Vercher helps small business owners get smart about marketing their businesses online utilizing Web Publicity and Web 2.0 strategies. She founded what is now VTi-Web, a web development firm, in 2002 and grew it to be one of the most successful and well respected in its market. The company has successfully completed projects for seven government agencies, several top corporations and hundreds of entrepreneurs, and coordinated over 80 programmers in 12 countries.
She played a vital role on the Obama Presidential Campaign in Florida, implementing the Web Publicity tools and techniques that she now provides - and teaches - to small business owners. During the initial stages of the campaign Shawna coordinated press coverage and ensured accurate reporting by acting as web liaison between the campaign and various national publications and journalists. During the Primary and General Election she was responsible for monitoring, shaping and enhancing viral web coverage on hundreds of blogs and news sites, as well as assisting with the coordination and management of four events for the Senator.
She is also the President of “The SSW”, an online publication for women. The SSW recently hosted the inaugural Successful Women’s Super Bowl Luncheon to benefit the NFL YET Centers of Tampa Bay. Based on the success of the event The SSW has been asked to coordinate and host the event for future Super Bowl host cities and NFL YET centers across the country. |
