Top achievers honored at Women in Business luncheons

By Mark Nardone
Special to Delaware Business Times

Thirty-four Delaware women are being honored as part of Delaware Today’s 12th annual Women in Business. Representing fields that range from education and nonprofits to construction and brownfield remediation, this year’s class is celebrated at two separate events – a downstate luncheon in Bridgeville on Dec. 1 at Heritage Shores, and the other scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. This year’s class includes the following:

Claudia Alesi
Owner
Oasis Healing Center

Certified in Healing Touch practice, Reiki, holistic cancer education, life coaching, holistic minister practice and aromatherapy, Alesi is well-prepared to help her clients on their journeys to wellness. Another passion: educating medical professionals about energy healing as a complementary therapy.

Darlene D. Battle
Executive Director
Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement

Battle is at the helm of the nonprofit alliance, which works to break the cycle of poverty in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Those initiatives include making sure the state installed a traffic light at a busy intersection on Wilmington’s East Side and explaining to the chiefs of the Federal Reserve how raising the interest rate would hurt the working poor.

Tanya Bakalov
Founder of SevOne
CEO of BetterSkills

After Bakalov and her husband, Vess, launched SevOne, a digital infrastructure management software company that provides network managers with network monitoring, troubleshooting and performance reporting capabilities, Bakalov decided to utilize those skill as part of a new venture. BetterSkills provides a dynamic new platform for organizational development and employee engagement.

Tina Betz
Executive Director
Light Up The Queen Foundation

Light Up The Queen started as a vehicle to raise funds for rehabilitation of the historic theater, a key in downtown revitalization. For Betz, that means ensuring The Queen’s status as a catalyst for building community through high-quality programs in arts, music, education, workforce development and more.

Sherese Brewington-Carr
Chairwoman, Delaware Commission for Women
Administrator, Delaware Department of Labor

Brewington-Carr describes her basic responsibilities for the commission this way: “I have the primary responsibility to convene a wonderful, diverse, multigenerational group of advocates from all major political parties and all counties who care about and are committed to address the issues, public policy needs, quality-of-life matters, and even the hopes and dreams of women in Delaware.”

Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D.
CEO
BookofYou.com

Brown formed BookofYou.com to help people understand what would make them happy and successful and how to use their unique personality attributes. Based upon the results of a tried-and-true personality assessment, Brown can produce a book for each individual reader on topics from choosing a career to improving a relationship.

Ronni Cohen
Executive Director, Delaware Financial Literacy Institute

When Gov. Markell was running for state treasurer, he visited Cohen at the public school where she taught to see the elementary economic, financial and entrepreneurship programs she had developed with UD Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship. Later, he asked her to direct his new nonprofit, Delaware Financial Literacy Institute.

Rosa M. Colon-Kolacko
President and Founder
Global Learning and Diversity Partners Health Innovation Globally

After working for more than 25 years in the health industry, Colon-Kolacko struck out on her own. Both of her new businesses are bilingual consulting firms that work to help organizations create engaged multicultural workforces and improve patient or consumer experiences.

Donna Covington
Dean, College of Business
Delaware State University

The mission of the DSU College of Business is to develop successful business professionals. A retired global executive, Covington wanted to help a historically black college prepare young people for the global marketplace and she’s found that opportunity at DSU.

Peggy Del Fabbro
CEO
M. Davis & Sons Inc.

M. Davis & Sons Inc. is a fifth-generation company that builds, installs and maintains plants for oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, beverage and other companies. Since starting at M. Davis in 1987 in the accounting department, Del Fabbro has served as controller, treasurer and in other executive roles before becoming CEO in 2008.

Heather B. DeMarie
Founder and Owner
Heather’s Home Works LLC

From starting the business by cleaning two houses a day by herself in 2003, Heather’s Home Works has grown to the verge of becoming the first women-owned non-franchise cleaning service in Sussex County to reach $1 million in revenue.

Linda Farquhar
Founder and CEO
entreDonovan, LLC

At Farquhar’s downtown Wilmington boutique, women can now get a body scan that provides a custom fit. Because the boutique is the only place where customers can get scanned, entreDonovan is working on a unit to take on the road.

Carroll Ivy Laurence and Lauren Golt
Founders and Owners
Social Stylate

Social Stylate is a marketing company that specializes in social media management, content creation, media relations and web design for clients such as national style-fashion experts Lilliana Vasquez and Jill Martin – regulars on the “Today” show – and local businesses such as Janssen’s Market, Houppette and Union Park Auto.

Carrie W. Gray
Managing Director
Wilmington Renaissance Corp.

Gray was key in uniting more than 40 partner organizations in an effort that includes housing development, public art projects, entertainment and more to strengthen areas surrounding the downtown and increase economic vitality.

Krysta Harden
Vice President of Public Policy and Chief Sustainability Officer
DuPont

In her dual role, Harden manages company outreach with state, federal and international elected decision makers and works to ensure DuPont achieves its environmental objectives.

Jenna Harwanko
Vice President
BrightFields Inc.

At BrightFields, which turns brownfields into productive, useful areas, Harwanko worked her way up, from college intern 18 years ago to project manager to vice president three years ago, learning all the necessary scientific, technical and business skills along the way.

Lara Hudson
Director, Clinical Operations
Nanticoke Physician Network

As this 17-year veteran of Nanticoke Hospital closes in on a master’s degree in health-care administration to add to her bachelor’s in nursing, Hudson stays busy running patient care, employee healthcare and more for the hospital’s network of doctors.

Janie Libby
Vice President, Human Resources
Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and Dover International Speedway

For the past 10 years, Libby has recruited and hired employees at Dover Downs, whose workforce numbers 2,000. She’s conducted training and development programs, and managed their benefits and compensation, employee communications and relations and recognition programs and events.

Tynisha Lomax
Owner, Levitea

Lomax worked in the nonprofit world for 20 years before opening Levitea in 2014. Since then, the shop and its wares have been widely featured in local media, as well as at the prestigious Green Room of the Hotel du Pont.

Sharon D. Louth
Business Adviser
University of Delaware Office of Economic Innovation & Partnerships, Small Business Development Center

After a long, successful career in the business world, Louth went to work as the office manager of the Sussex County Small Business Development Center. As an advisor, she has provided direct business management and technical assistance to many small businesses and helped others who want to start their own.

Deborah Mannis-Gardner
President
DMG Clearances Inc.

Mannis-Gardner’s client list reads like a who’s who of popular music. For 20 years, she has worked with such top record labels as Atlantic, Sony Music, Capitol and Warner Bros., clearing samples for such superstar artists as Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, U2, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and dozens more.

Cynthia Primo Martin
Founder
Trustees of Color

Having often been asked to recommend other people of color, Martin decided to develop a process that would help recruit and train people of color to serve on nonprofit boards and committees. Thus, Trustees of Color was born.

Christine Mason
President and CEO
Sussex Shores Water Co.

Sussex Shores Water Co., incorporated in 1955, is an investor-owned water utility system that supplies water on a retail basis to customers in parts of Sussex County. Mason is its third-generation president and oversees daily operations.

Jennifer McKenzie
President and CEO
Assurance Media

MTM Technologies was struggling to achieve profitability. Having previously worked for MTM as vice president, McKenzie knew its cabling division was capable of better performance, so she acquired it for Assurance Media, which offers advanced technology to customers that needs security and audiovisual systems.

Lori Janosik Morrison
President and Owner
Johnny Janosik World of Furniture

You know Johnny Janosik from its longtime television advertising as the “Longest Store on the Shore” and, maybe, from its Furniture Today Top 100 furniture retailer designation. You know Morrison as its second-generation owner. As such, she oversees all daily functions and directs the Johnny Janosik Charitable Foundation.

Kimberlee M. Orth
Private Wealth Adviser
Orth Financial Group

As a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Orth Financial is a full-service financial planning firm. Barron’s named her No. 1 on its list of top 100 women financial advisers for 2016.

Marnie Oursler
Founder and President
Marnie Custom Homes

Oursler launched her beach-based custom home building business in 2007, on the verge of the worst housing crash in U.S. history. She studied the real estate market, found an affordable property in a growth area, designed and built a home for herself, sold it herself, then did it again. She is wrapping up filming for “Big Beach Builds,” which is scheduled to premiere on DIY Network this spring.

Mary Messina Remmler
Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analysis
University of Delaware

Remmler was selected by new president Dennis Assanis to create and implement a plan that will, among other things, enhance student success and intellectual capital, increase global and interdisciplinary programs, and foster a spirit of entrepreneurship.

Chanelle S. Reynolds
Business Development Manager
Delaware 87ers

“Bouncing around” is a natural part of the career journey, and the path Reynolds took after finishing Delaware State University and interning in the live events marketing department at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The experience led to a passion for event planning and, recently, to the Sevens, the official NBA D-League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Michele Reynolds
President
Blue Hen Utility Services Inc.

Reynolds had been speaking with customers of her other company, Shelly Sons Electric, when she realized that there were no utility contracting companies geared toward medium- and high-voltage work based in Delaware. Hence, Blue Hen Utility Services was born three years ago.

Nancy Sakaduski
Publisher
Cat & Mouse Press

With her writing experience, MBA, professional marketing background, interest in promoting the arts and an entrepre-neurial spirit, Sakaduski started her own publishing company. Cat & Mouse publishes award-winning books with a connection to the Delmarva region, manages the annual Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest, and offers resources and opportunities for writers.

Jennifer Toscano-Goetz
Founder and CEO
Worldwide Incorporators Ltd.

If you want to form a limited liability company or corporation in any state, Toscano-Goetz can help. Among the services Worldwide Incorporators offers is name clearance, preparation of federal employer tax identification applications, document retrievals – even registration of your yacht.

Dory Zatuchni
Chief Executive Officer
Jewish Family Services of Delaware

Serving about 3,300 Delawareans a year, the non-profit JFS offers health and social services and programs to strengthen individuals and families of all beliefs. Zatuchni is at the helm, after rising from her original job of case manager 20 years ago.