The Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (America250PA) selected Cassandra Coleman as Executive Director for the America250PA initiative in September, 2019. 

Cassandra Coleman most recently served as Special Advisor to the Office of Governor Tom Wolf, and previously served as Director of Governor Wolf’s Northeast & Central offices. In this role, she was responsible for intergovernmental and constituency services on behalf of the Governor in 28 counties. Ms. Coleman previously served as Finance Director and Deputy Campaign Manager, respectively, for the Tom Wolf for Governor campaign from 2013-2015. She has also served as Deputy Finance Director for United States Senator Bob Casey from 2010-2013. 

In 2014, Ms. Coleman founded and served as President of Coleman & Associates, a company engaged in charitable, private and political creation of fundraising networks and community and political event planning. Coleman & Associates maintained a client base of state, county and local political candidates, large and small companies, and non-profit organizations. 

Ms. Coleman has spent a lifetime in public service beginning at a very young age. At the age of twenty, Cassandra was appointed Mayor of her hometown of Exeter Borough to fill her late grandfather, Mayor Joseph Coyne’s unexpired term. Following her appointment, Cassandra was re-elected Mayor twice and left office to join the Wolf Administration. In addition to serving as Mayor, Cassandra served as a Junior Council Representative for Exeter Borough during her junior & senior years of high school. 

Ms. Coleman was one of the youngest female mayors in the history of the United States. She was featured in Oprah Magazine in a segment titled “Women Who Defy Age.” Cassandra was also featured in a national NBC segment called “The Smart Woman”. The Times Leader Media Group honored Cassandra twice for her accomplishments; in 2008 as a Top 40 under 40 recipient and named her in 2019 as one of 14 Distinctive Women. Also in 2019 she was honored to be chosen one of Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business. 

In her community, Cassandra is a Board Member of Leadership Wilkes-Barre, Junior Leadership of Wilkes-Barre and Children’s Service Center. 

Ms. Coleman is a 2010 graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre where she earned a degree in Political Science and was chosen to receive the 2018 Leo Award which is bestowed upon an alumnus/alumna within fifteen years of graduation who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his/her professional or community activities. Named for the King’s mascot, it suggests the energy, pride, and sense of purpose which the recipient personifies. She is also a 2006 proud graduate of Wyoming Area High School in Exeter, PA, where she frequently returns to talk to high school students about Government and their roles in their communities. 

Ms. Coleman can also regularly be found at her family’s Italian restaurant, Vino Dolce, in Hanover Twp, where, over 18 years in business she held every position in the establishment, from salad maker to eventually manager to assist her parents. She truly enjoys all their customers, especially their “regulars” who have become more like family. 

Cassandra is the proud mother to Jimmy IV and continues to reside in Exeter, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. CASSANDRA COLEMAN Executive Director America250PA.

Wendi Thomas is a longtime Northampton Township resident, experienced business executive and dedicated public servant who served her community as a school board director for the Council Rock School District prior to being elected to the state House of Representatives in 2018 for the 178th District. In 2020, she was elected to her second term. 
 
 She serves on the Insurance Committee, the Children and Youth Committee, the Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, and the Professional Licensure Committee. 
 
 Thomas began serving her community as a volunteer in her local parent-teacher organizations that led to her being named to the Council Rock School Board where she was re-elected three times. While on the school board, she was chosen as president and vice president, and served as the chair of the Finance and Academic Standards committees. She serves on the Children and Youth Committee, the Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, the Professional Licensure Committee, the Local Government Committee, and the Insurance Committee. 

Wendi also serves on The Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (America250PA). This commission comprises current and past leaders of Pennsylvania, private citizens, and industry leaders, celebrating the rich history and diversity of the state. To learn more, please visit: 

https://www.america250pa.org/the-commission

 Thomas’s work on the school board was enhanced by her extensive business experience. Before joining the board, Thomas worked for a small start-up company in the health care industry that ultimately grew into a national firm. While at Healthcare Advocate of Plymouth Meeting, Thomas rose from Account Manager to Senior Vice President. 
 
 Prior to joining Healthcare Advocate in 2005, Thomas worked as a project manager at Axis Inc. from 2001 to 2005, and as a district manager at Aetna, from 1987 to 2000. 
 
 Wendi has been married to her husband, John—known as J.T.-- for 30 years. They met in their senior year at Gettysburg College. They have lived in Northampton Township for 26 years and are the parents of three children: John III, Justin and Stephanie, all graduates of Council Rock High School. 

The Honorable Alison T. Young is a dynamic executive with over 20 years of government and private sector leadership experience on the world’s largest stages. Ms. Young’s unique combination of public and private sector roles, along with her significant financial and budgetary experience and national network of collaborators; make her a highly sought-after advisor, speaker, and partner.

A nationally recognized expert on civic engagement and leadership, Ms. Young is Managing Partner of Red, White and Blue Strategies (RWB), founding RWB’s strategic consulting and leadership training practice group; and serving on the firm’s executive team. 

Ms. Young is a former senior White House official, having served as Special Assistant to the President George W. Bush and Acting Director of the White House Office of USA Freedom Corps (USAFC). She also served as the White House Liaison and Director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency overseeing AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps. 

In 2010, she was recruited to Philadelphia to become the Vice President of External Affairs for the National Constitution Center and then served for five years as Managing Director of Leadership & Civic Engagement at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. 

In January 2020, Ms. Young was named a National Review Institute Regional Fellow, focusing on preserving and buttressing the foundations of our free society and conserving our inheritance from America’s Founders. She is on the faculty of The Campaign School at Yale University, currently appearing on television as an expert analyst and strategist on ABC, FOX, and BBC; and is a frequent speaker at corporate retreats and international conferences focused on civic engagement, women, and leadership. 

Check out a detailed version of Ms. Young’s extensive resume at chanelandmuckboots.com!

Websites: https://www.rwbstrategies.com/, https://www.america250pa.org/about-us

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung131/ 

Toni Chowdhury is based in Montreal, Canada, and she helps creative women entrepreneurs learn how to find a continuous stream of high paying dream clients without the stress and the fear of not knowing what to do next by using her proven Ideal Client Acquisition Trifecta so that they can have financial freedom and build a business around their ideal life.
 
Toni is a speaker and she also organizes The Holistic Entrepreneurship Summit that brings together talented speakers on a multitude of topics from all around the world. The Summit's mission is to bring free education to female entrepreneurs who need the support and the knowledge to speak up, step up and level up in their lives and their businesses. 
 
Toni has been an entrepreneur for 10 years while still working in a corporate job with a Fortune 100 software company. Her coaching and consulting businesses were a result of her watching women struggle with their feelings of deservingness and the ability to live their dream life.
 
She has been through abuse and domestic violence, and also dealt with clinical depression her entire life but firmly believes that if someone can put mind over matter, everything is possible.
 
This makes her feel really called to help women succeed on their own terms!
 
Website: https://womenwhowin-tc.com/freebies
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womenwhowinwithtoni/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/women_who_win_with_toni/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-who-win-with-toni-chowdhury/

Kate Markland - The Markland Clinic, Founder, The Markland Method, Cotswold Leisure Centre, Cirencester, UK

I have been a successful hands-on Physiotherapist for many years and have always believed Contemporary Healthcare should be delivered in an inspiring, energetic, caring and professional way, for both the clients and the team alike.
 
During a period of personal reflection and change, I realized I was a liability to my own business and that the safest option was to trust and support my team with a system they could understand and connect with. My goal was to enable my team to confidently run AND grow the business profitably without me physically being present all the time.
 
After much research, I was unable to find a course or program that was suited to what I needed because much of what already existed simply lacked the basic fundamentals of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.

Disappointed in what I found, I decided to create a system teaching clinicians the anatomy and physiology of business so they can apply their clinical reasoning skills to their business and create healthy sustainable profitable clinics.  

There is relative decrease in social funding for non-emergency healthcare and increase in privatization of healthcare delivery.  Small clinic businesses lack business education in language they can relate too.

I named the program The Markland Method – a biological model for running a profitable business in a language that healthcare businesses already understand.

The Markland Method value proposition is teaching clinicians the fundamentals of how to run a business and how to apply their knowledge of structure and function, and the principles of business assessment, diagnosis, treatment, outcome.”

You can learn more about The Markland Method by clicking here: https://marklandmethod.com

Natalia is a teacher of 20 male students at a private British school. She continues working during the pandemic through Zoom. In her honesty she finds teaching from home highly demanding with gathering material, checking learning guides, and doing classes. It has extended her work hours from ending at 4:30 pm to now as late as 10:00PM. Natalia enjoys reading and cooking as coping mechanisms during quarantine. She also loves music and connects with her father, singing while he plays guitar through Zoom. This helps her keep a human connection with the ones she loves. What gives her hope during the virus is that people will stay at home as much as possible.  Natalia especially enjoys cooking nutritious foods and proudly shares them on her Instagram account:  @lapocimadelanatita.  

The economy of Chile is suffering dramatically from the COVID-19 situation, especially as the country is a popular tourist area. There is no tourism right now in Chile, the restaurants and beaches are closed. Natalia states some tourists still try to come despite warnings, to the frustration of residents. Social outbursts are happening in Chile due to high prices of products such as facial masks and basic foods. There have already been social outbursts in Chile before the pandemic. People want to take to the streets and protest paying for education, inequality, public healthcare, and the treatment of elderly health, her country has been fighting for these issues since last October. She believes the government is not handling the crisis well and confusing people with what to do during quarantine. In Santiago, people must print passes to leave their homes, however due to poor Internet, people leave their homes without one.  Her country is expecting to have to be quarantined until the end of May. Chile has about 5,000 people with the Corona virus, with about 300 more cases daily.

My name is Daniela Prado Canelo and I am 40 years old. Currently, I live in one house with my parents, my sister, my husband and my two daughters: Maria (12) and Eva (5).

I have a Spanish last name because my father is from Chile. Hence, I do not only live in a multigenerational, but also in a multinational household. I spent part of my childhood in Latin America, therefore, I grew up in two cultures and with two languages, which probably aroused my curiosity in learning about the variety of cultures the world has to offer.

Brilliance and resilience, best describe this super energetic corporate leader celebrated in the Real Estate industry, for three decades.

A TEDx speaker and recipient of over 35 prestigious awards and accolades. Ananta has spear headed leadership challenges, as the Executive Director -DLF, Chief Executive -Emaar MGF and Country Head (India & Nepal) as Senior Director -Damac. She is presently the Senior Executive Director at Experion Developers, India. 

A science graduate from Miranda House , Delhi University. An insatiable hunger for knowledge has equipped her with Masters in English Literature, Education, Computer applications and Management. She is a MRICS, UK and PhD in Marketing Management. 

A multifaceted personality and a trained musician, dancer and author. She holds a Sangeet Prabhakar in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, trained in Guitar, Garbha, Shaimak’s contemporary and Bollywood dance. She authors Real Estate research trends and personal life experiences too. 

Ananta is passionate about the safety and education of children. She guides women in Realty entrepreneurship. 

She is  the proud mother of a son who keeps her grounded. Featured amongst the “Most powerful women in Business & Economy 2018“ by Business Today. Her journey and views are covered by Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Mail today, Business today, Realty plus, Outlook, Savvy, Atelier, Khaleej times, Hindi Hindustan,Tribune etc. Also, Harvard business school in their projects on ‘ How star women succeed’ & ‘Managing your own Human capital‘.

She stepped out of the enmeshment of her comfort zone  seeking new challenges and is crowned with 6 glamorous titles as an International & National Beauty Pageant Queen. 

She aspires. She inspires. A journey of fortitude, attitude, gratitude, solitude and altitude. She is an “ Exclusive. Extraordinary. Savvy Corporate Woman Warrior “. 

I am an expat living in New Zealand, where I train guide dogs to help people live ordinary lives. When I am not enjoying this extraordinary job, I divide my time between reading, quilting, being an athlete, and killing garden plants.

In all areas, I make up in tenacity what I lack in skill! 

During this global pandemic, chanel & muckboots is connecting with fascinating women from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, New Zealand, and more. You will learn about the COVID-19 in their countries and how this pandemic and quarantine  is affecting (or is it effecting) their personal lives and businesses - yet not their visions, dreams, and plants.  Our first guest is Ms. Arfa Iqbal from the United Kingdom.