“There was always a collection of magazines lying around from Playboy to National Geographic. The creation of those magazines is what led me to study graphic design in college.”

Meghan Daly Rosselli began her career in design during her first year. Having loved magazines her entire life, she knew design was her perfect fit. During her college years, Meghan did freelance work, earning practical experience, confidence, and a Bachelors Degree of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a Minor in Art History. Currently, she is pursuing a Masters of Business Administration/Masters of Science Management to gain a better understanding on how to run her business.

“I love how each day is never the same and doesn’t become stale. I have a tendency to get bored and have been accused on more than one occasion that I have more energy than I know what to with. The ability to live in color, work in color, and provide inspiration is mind blowing to me.”

Silver Lace Graphics, LLC has been in operation for more than a year, and Meghan is now heading toward her second year as a solo entrepreneur. As the owner and proprietor of Silver Lace Graphics, LLC, Meghan does just about everything at the moment, from the actual designing, right down to cleaning the toilet. She also manages the business finances, taxes, marketing, advertising, graphics production, and tries to maintain her sanity on most days.

Websites: http://www.silverlacegraphics.net/

Beginning her career 30 years ago at the Paul A. Dever State School residential facility, she served mentally disabled persons until the school closed down seven years later. Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to earn a good salary with only a high school diploma, she went back to school at the age of 26. Completing her AS at Massasoit Community College, Donna continued on to earn her BA degree. Upon entering the program in 1998 at Northeastern University, she changed her focus of human services to American Sign Language/English (ASL) interpreting, graduating with a BA in ASL/English Interpreting.

“I wanted to immerse myself into the deaf community, so I applied and began working at the Horace Mann School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. I wanted more exposure, interaction, and an opportunity to learn more about the language but also deaf culture, deaf history, traditions, community traditions, and the deaf experience. Where best to learn the community but from the deaf people themselves?”

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“It is a privilege to serve this community as the founder, CEO and president of Ceria M. Travis Academy Inc.” – Dr. Travis

Ceria M. Travis Academies are a main part of their organization. She tells an interesting story of how the seed for this work was planted by her mother’s work reaching out to the community. In 1996, Dr. Travis stepped out on faith and opened her school that we might make a difference in the lives of children, naming it after her mother. The first year it was an all boys private school.

The school is founded on principles and values that encourage children to learn, create and grow. She and the rest of the staff realized that students have different learning styles, and work hard to implement the Wisconsin State standards in a way that bring out the best in all children.

The unique thing about the Ceria M. Travis Academies is that they offer 360 degrees of service. Our focus is on the needs of the whole child, which encompasses academic achievement and relationship skills. Dr. Travis also mentions how they are fortunate to have a staff that works together to give students strong foundations in the fundamentals of learning.

She recounts a touching phone call from a former student the day before he was to be deployed to Iraq with his military unit. He wanted her to know what kind of impact she had on his life.

Website: www.cmtravisacademy.org

Kimberly G. Sims initially started her career in the 1980s as a school bus driver in Salinas, CA; but after moving to Colorado in 1992, she slowly transitioned to driving trucks. While working at Current Factory Outlet as a material handler, she began driving a school bus and making foodservice deliveries for the Fountain-Fort Carson School District until 1995.

In 1995, Kimberly drove her first dump truck for Chiddicks. The following year, she started driving for Scalfri Trucking and stayed with them for 10 years before buying one of their trucks to start her own business. This was the birth of Kimberly’s Trucking LLC.

“I do mostly everything for my company. I drive the truck, as well as ensure that it’s maintained and that registrations are current. I love it because I enjoy driving without anyone looking over my shoulder. I’m my own boss. However, it would be a lot easier if everyone on the roads understood that I’m carrying about 14 tons most of the time and CAN’T stop on a dime!” – Kimberly Sims

Phone: (719) 330-4899

E-Marketing specialist Abby Peel is an expert at creating strategies that allow businesses to raise their public profile through social media. Her company, Strategic Social Media (SSM) strives to teach and manage social media for all its clients. Abby recognizes that social media is quickly becoming a crucial part of a business’s marketing strategy. Through Strategic Social Media, she researches content and develops content by taking pictures and videos, managing websites, writing blogs, and creating and operating social media for events.

Abby holds a Broadcast Journalism Degree from Emerson College and has been gaining professional social media experience since college. As an intern at WCVB Channel 5, she worked closely with the team that handles station advertisements and electronic media. Additionally, she was a morning radio host on WNTK 99.7, where social media was key to her success. After graduating, Abby founded her business at 22 and became self-employed at 23.

“I forever picture myself working in some sort of social media position because this is what I feel most passionate about. My favorite part is when I sit down with a client who has no idea what they’re doing on Facebook and by the end of our session together they understand the difference between their newsfeed and profile and how to post a picture. I never thought I would be a good teacher, but I realize I can teach when I am most passionate about something and want that passion to spread to someone else.” – Abby Peel

Website: www.strategicsocialmedia.org

With more than 25 years of experience in strategic, organizational and operational consulting with top multi-sites and multidisciplinary teams and leaders across the country, Geneviève has both the training and the applied knowledge you are seeking for, whether in project management, process improvement or in the field of change management.

She is recognized for finding original solutions to complex problems, including automation, documentation/standardization and process simplification.

Her energy, passion for new challenges and high competence in simplifying processes are highly appreciated. But the real difference is her people approach: the easy touch she takes in approaching employees and leaders alike and the way in which she sets up quickly and effectively for required changes, make her a highly valued ally for any company.

Website: http://www.genevievecarle.com/ available in both English and French

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After separating from her husband in 1991 after five years of marriage and faced with the challenge of raising two small children alone, Mae LeBlanc was willing to try anything to keep her family secure and comfortable. Keeping an open mind, she accepted a job helping a friend unload trucks in a warehouse for A 1 Lumpers in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The shift began at 7:00 a.m. and finished at 3:00 p.m. (or when all the trailers were finished).

“Despite the fact that I was so small, I was determined to do the work. I was in excellent physical condition and had been taught all my life that I could do anything I put my mind to. The impossible just takes a little longer. I was 5’1″ and weighed 93 lbs, so I had to work twice as hard as anyone else to prove myself.”

Fast-forward to 2015 and here she is; President of the company! Mae oversees 10 administrative staff members in three provinces and a workforce of approximately 120 people.

“I work very closely with our clients and visit the work sites to ensure a problem-free environment for all. Keeping our staff focused on our mission and part of the bigger picture really ensures that they are fully engaged. I also help sales staff procure new contracts, as well as retain existing ones. In a nut shell, my role is keep the company’s goals in the forefront each day and be available to both my staff and clients.”

Website: http://a1lumpers.ca/

Gwenda was born into an artistic family. Growing up, Gwenda’s mother studied art and design and taught her about color at an early age. From then on Gwenda looked at the world differently. Her brother is a sculptor and a photographer, and sister is a dancer, composer and a musician. Her friends were always artists and throughout her life, she has been surrounded by creative people.

Website: http://www.artambassador.net/

Rose Catalano’s business is in the Greater Toronto area and surrounding cities. Her early childhood was very sheltered; she grew up on a farm in Italy with very traditional parents. Her family immigrated to Canada from Italy when she was a very young girl and, though her father attempted to learn enough of the English language for his work, the family spoke little English at home. Rose has always been interested in numbers and, from the time she was a teenager, investment was a fascination for her. A series of unexpected events headed her towards the security business, and that was the beginning of her unconventional life and accomplishments in this unconventional business. Once she discovered the technology of security, Rose was captivated, and she began to learn all she could about security systems for schools, banks and other large buildings. She spent many months researching the subject, quickly realized that the whole industry was speedily evolving, and knew it was time to jump in. Rose began with two male employees and herself in a small rented office space and soon recognized her main challenge; she was a woman. All the associates she met were men, and they treated her with contempt. In fact, they didn’t even acknowledge her presence most of the time and talked to the men in the office – her employees. But this woman in a man’s world was equal to the task and pressed on with her goal, to build her company. From those early beginnings Rose developed Gems Security Systems and Gemstar Security Service into a very successful company with hundreds of employees. She has used some unorthodox methods to deal with issues of her mostly male employees, and her approach has worked. Rose lives in Toronto with her husband. She has one beloved grandson, and two grown children.

Website: http://www.gemssecurity.ca/