Freeman Means Business' Wonder Women in Business Podcast

Ceah Justice is a DEI champion committed to challenging, changing, and shaping the mindset of others to create a culture of intentional Inclusionist. An authentic people leader who thrives in new, challenging, fast-paced environments full of opportunities to sway large numbers of people. An inspirational leader with a natural talent for Motivating and Stimulating teams to “raise the bar” in order to exceed company initiatives. A Strategic executive leader who drives business to the next level by creating Self-Sufficient People-Centric cultures built around Empowerment, Development, and Accountability to Influence change. Challenging others to tap into their truest potential is her Superpower! Inspiring change is her passion! Curiosity and a thirst for learning is her fuel. Fighting for equity and equality is in her DNA!

Janice Lintz is a passionate and accomplished consultant/advocate across the hearing advocacy and related political spectrum. She is well known and respected for her ability to effect change and develop and implement creative solutions across organizational and geographic boundaries. Janice has become the “go-to” person on matters relating to access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing on a global basis.

Sonia Zeledon is the Director, Associate General Counsel, Ethics, Head of Compliance and Data Privacy, for The Hershey Company.  Previously, she held various positions at Nokia Corporations and worked at several Amlaw 10 law firms.

Ms. Zeledon serves on The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Executive Committee as General Counsel.  She is a frequent speaker on compliance and privacy, including the biases in technologies such as AI . She earned a B.A. in Economics and Math from Wellesley College; she also holds a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

Charisse Curiel, EMBA is a mom of two boys, a wife, and a marketing professional with nearly 20 years’ experience spanning several industries.

Rachel Barner is a global Business Executive, Corporate Counsel and experienced Board Member who brings the powerful combination of international perspective, legal expertise, strategic vision and financial acumen. A trusted advisor to and partner of top management and boards of directors, Rachel is valued for advice and guidance in enterprise risk, corporate solutions and global ethics.

Melissa Jones is a trial lawyer who provides experienced and practical counsel in complex business disputes, appellate matters and internal investigations. She has represented clients from a broad range of industries in complex civil litigation matters in both state and federal court, including the agribusiness, and oil and gas industries. Her practice includes an emphasis on Proposition 65 defense as well. Additionally, Melissa has held various leadership roles at the firm. She is the Firm Managing Partner and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. Melissa is a former office managing partner for the firm’s three California offices and also recently served as the chair of the Partner Compensation Committee.

Ilanit Meckley is the founder of Notable Projects, a project management consultancy focused on directing process improvement projects in the healthcare industry.  Ilanit has 13+ years of experience working for hospitals and academic medical centers in improving operational processes and outcomes and is passionate about aligning stakeholders across an organization along shared goals with the ultimate goal of improving patient lives.  She has experience managing diverse teams and implementing changes, and uses systems and data to inform decisions and drive communications that will lead to sustainable improvement.

Lisa K. Lang currently serves as the General Counsel for Kentucky State University, a role she has had for three years. Lisa first began her career as a lawyer working as an associate attorney specializing in insurance defense for a law firm in Louisville, Kentucky. She left that firm in 2008 to work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She first worked in the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and then for the Kentucky Department of Education in a variety of in-house counsel roles until taking her current position at Kentucky State.

Patrice Tanaka is a best-selling author, public speaker on business and life purpose, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of three award-winning, PR & Marketing agencies and the consultancy, Joyful Planet, focused on helping individuals and organizations discover and actively live their purpose to unleash greater success, fulfillment and joy in their personal lives, workplaces and communities. Life and organizational purpose are the subjects of Patrice’s best-selling books, Beat the Curve and Performance360. Patrice has been honored by PRWeek (Hall of Fame inductee), PRSA Foundation (Paladin Award), PRSA (Paul M. Lund Award for Public Service), New York Women in Communications (Matrix Award), Working Mother magazine (“Mothering that Works” Award), Girl Scouts of Greater New York (“Women of Distinction” Award), University of Hawaii (“Distinguished Alumni Award), among others. Patrice has lived in New York City for most of her adult life, but calls Hawaii “home” and she is committed to living her life with the “Aloha Spirit.”

Joy Lyu Monahan is an experienced and resourceful problem solver, business advisor, lawyer, coalition builder and relationship manager. Skilled leader with expertise in fundraising, networking, project design and management, and business development for public, private and non-profit sectors. Demonstrated success in leveraging cross-industry and functional relationships into mutually beneficial programming with amplified impact for all parties regardless of budget. Accomplished in managing groups of varying sizes and building teams to create and deliver effective solutions for stakeholders and clients. Over a decade of experience counseling national and international clients in litigation, corporate restructuring and insolvency matters, private equity and global and cross-border corporate transactions across various industries. Served in various roles for all three branches of the Federal Government.