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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Contact: Bill Gibbons, 708.932.6123, Bill.Gibbons@Uber.com

Working Women of Tampa Bay Teams Up with Uber, Local Business Leaders to Present UberMENTOR

(Tampa, Fla.) - In partnership with Working Women of Tampa Bay, Uber is offering local professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and aspiring executives the chance to meet and learn from Tampa Bay’s female business leaders.

On Thursday, May 26th, riders can request UberMENTOR for the opportunity to ride with top female business leaders from Tampa Bay. Get career advice, pitch an idea, or just glean as much wisdom as you can.

“Working Women of Tampa Bay is proud to partner with Uber on this mentoring opportunity. As the largest women's networking organization in Tampa Bay, we see first-hand the benefits when women connect, collaborate and share their knowledge and resources with one another,” says Jessica Rivelli, Working Women Founder.

ProTip: Get the most out of your session by being prepared for your trip. Have your resume available or a clear list of goals you’d like to discuss during your ride.

Here’s how it works:

• On Thursday, May 26th, enter promo code TBMENTOR to unlock the special MENTOR option.
• Between 11am – 2pm open the Uber app and slide over to request using the MENTOR option.

• If available, you’ll be randomly matched with a mentor and picked up curbside for a FREE 15-minute mentorship session.

• At the end of the trip, you’ll be dropped off at your pickup location.

• Demand will be high and availability may be limited.

Meet the Mentors
(Subject to change)

Trimeka Benjamin | CEO, Swim Digital Group

As President of Swim Digital Group, Trimeka Benjamin rolls up her sleeves and works directly with clients to understand the current state of their situation at the start of a project to get the best results as the process unfolds. Her ability to attract perspective customers who have varied needs, from traditional marketing to process re-engineering, keeps the agency consistently abreast with industry trends. As a facilitator, a large part of her role consists of bringing groups of stakeholders together to have critical conversations and mapping out pathways to scalable solutions that are viable for client success.

Dion Lim | Anchor, 10 News CBS Tampa Bay

Dion Lim is the 5/6/11pm anchor at WTSP-10 News, the CBS affiliate in Tampa Bay. Recently named one of Broadcasting & Cable Magazine (B&C) 18 Top Leaders in TV Under 34. Known for her energy and community involvement, Dion was also voted Best TV Personality by Charlotte Magazine, and named Best Morning Anchor in Kansas City. Versatile with breaking news and live news, along with her ability to connect with her audience makes Dion much more than your typical news anchor. She is currently shopping her book titled Life During The Commercial Break, a book to empower millennials in the workplace.

Lori Rodriguez | Business Development Executive, Frazier & Deeter

Lori is Frazier & Deeter's Business Development Manager for the Tampa Bay area, responsible for advancing the firm’s strategic initiatives across the region through the firm’s Women Business Leadership program, entrepreneur programs, industry practices, CFO thought leadership and other programs designed to provide knowledge to business leaders and others in the community.

Jenn Greacen | Executive Director, Clear Labs

Jenn Greacen is a Serial Entrepreneur, Branding Expert, and community leader. She is known for arming entrepreneurs and executives with actionable items and a new, purposeful direction with her ASK WHY NOT HOW philosophy in business. Jenn is the Founder of  CoLabR8 LLC, which fosters collaboration and creative sharing in the advertising and communications industries. She supports her community by serving on the board of directors for the St. Pete College Foundation, The Grand Central District Association, and more. Under the CoLabR8 movement, Jenn is the Executive Director of CLEAR LABS, an "un-agency" concept that is a fully transparent marketing solution and consulting hybrid between the agency who holds you hostage and the freelancer you don’t have time to manage. CLEAR LABS provides totally free workspace to freelancing creative professionals in exchange for their time mentoring talented associates through the CLEAR LABS internship program.

Kathleen Shanahan | Chair, Uretek Holdings

Kathleen has been active in business and policy/politics. She has run two Tampa based construction companies; WRSCompass and Uretek Holdings and as well as served as VP Cheney and Jeb Bush Chief of Staff and on the Florida State School Board. She currently serves on the HART regional transportation board and several private company boards eg Turtle & Hughes, Bio IQ, Digital Bell as well as one public company board, TRC. She enjoys a full life with family and friends based in Tampa, Florida.

Jessica Rivelli | Founder, Working Women of Tampa Bay

Jessica Rivelli is the founder of Working Women of Florida, which includes Working Women of Tampa Bay & Working Women of Central Florida. The organization is the largest women’s networking group in the state with 850 members and 35,000 social media fans/followers. Jessica launched Working Women of Tampa Bay after leaving a successful career in Television News. She credits her 12 years of multimedia experience for her ability to create dynamic & relevant programming. Since its 2009 launch, Jessica has produced more than 1200 events for women in the Tampa Bay & Central Florida regions. Many of those events include educational workshops designed to help women entrepreneurs follow their dreams of owning their own businesses.

Yvonne Fry | Chief Fry Cook, Fryed Egg Productions

A native Floridian, Yvonne is an expert in the telecommunications and IT industry. She owns Lines of Communications, a full service telecommunications management and auditing company which serves clients in the government and private sectors. Yvonne is also CEO of Fry Entertainment Inc., which holds several companies including Fryed Egg Productions, a branding, marketing, film and event management company.  Founder and producer of NRG, Next Radical Generation, a youth performance group singing positive pop, Yvonne manages talent and produces a variety of projects including commercials, PSAs, television series and stage shows.

Yvonne was honored with the Plant City Chamber Chairman’s Award in 2014, was named one of Florida International University’s Top 25 Women Entrepreneurs in Florida in 2011, and was named one of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida's Women of Distinction in 2016.

We'll be adding more Mentors in the coming weeks - be sure to follow @Uber_Florida on Twitter for more details.

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About Uber
Uber is evolving the way Florida moves. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our apps, we make communities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers.

We are super excited about launching a new level of membership.  Becoming a V.I.P (Visionaries in Pink) will give you access to at least 10 exclusive events free of charge (Value - $300). Events include behind-the-scenes tours, private receptions with authors/local celebrities and spa nights. VIP's will be notified first about signature events open to all members and will have front-row action to some of the best events on our calendar with no upgrade necessary. Get an all-access pass to VIP events not open to the public at no extra charge! 

It doesn’t get any better than hosting an Executive Women’s Day at a golf resort owned by a WOMAN!  Sheila Johnson welcomed us to her house & encouraged us to get involved with golf; it is NOT a man’s sport! Deborah Fiedorowicz, Senior VP of Tournament Activation with the PGA tour, encouraged us to sit back and soak up the awesomeness as she introduced our vibrant moderator, Angela Ardolino, Founder of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.

We were here to share a day of corporate dialogue.  The panel consisted of:

• Elizabeth Frazier, Exec Director of TB Lighting Foundation
• Dr. Catherine Lynch, Assoc VP, College of Medicine OBGYN, USF
• Karyn Talaric, Senior VP, BB&T
• Kim Welch, VP Communications, Valspar

Dr. Lynch kicked it off by sharing how physicians stay in their own space.  She encouraged the implementation of personality tests & how they are paramount for improving relationships.  We all need to understand WHO we are working with in business.

Kim Welch agreed and shared about leveraging the understanding of each other’s differences.  You need to know your negotiating parts.  She had a male mentor that led her down a successful career path.  The path might not always be straight, it can lead you in a lot of directions, but it’s all preparing us for the bigger plan.

Karyn Talarico also had trusted advisors that encouraged her to take presenting opportunities, even when you don’t understand where they will lead.

Elizabeth Frazier stepped out of her comfort zone after initially considering a career as an attorney.  She would not change the course of her experience because it helped her decipher what she did NOT want to do!

Dr. Lynch tickled the crowd when she shared that her entire family lacked creative intelligence because she grew up surrounded by physicians.  She also spoke of the importance to have good mentoring & recently spent time talking with Chief Jane Castor about this as a necessity to incorporate in your career path.  It was suggested for all of us to listen to Sheryl Sandberg’s TED talk where she drives this point home.

We all nodded our heads with approval when Elizabeth spoke of bearing your soul to connect with others.  When we speak from the heart, it touches the heart. 

All the ladies spoke of the importance of taking care of ourselves.  As women, we tend to put everyone first before our own needs.  In business, we need to stay healthy and exercise along w/ proper nutrition as it is vital to keep us sharp. 

The message was strong from each leader in business up on stage.  Stay true to yourselves; be authentic and assertive along your desired path.

The excitement to hear our keynote speaker, Carey Lohrenz, was evident in the crowd.  We all had autographed books on our table and lucky ME….she was sitting RIGHT next to me & said “your question was very good.”  Validation, sometimes that’s all we need to put a little skip in our step!

How can you even compare yourself to the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the US Navy!  Her career will leave you breathless and her humor will put you right at ease.  She was simply refreshing and full of personality and vigor!  I felt honored to sit in her presence and listen to her wisdom.

She told the crowd of awe struck women to have extraordinary focus, be a catalyst!  Choose your priorities intentionally and NO is a complete sentence.  My personal favorite moment was when she showed a video of the fighter jets with the song, Best of Both Worlds, by Van Halen in the background.  It was a true TOP GUN moment!!

We learned a lot about Carey in her talk but the question that choked her up was “what is your biggest fear” and she replied, “Fear that I won’t be good enough.”  The room was silenced as we all at one time have felt the same way.  Hard to believe that even the first female fighter pilot can endure & overcome the same fears we all have!

Sharon Fekete

The Doctor Whisperer

Working Women Ambassador

Fearless Leader: Carey Lohrenz

Carey Lohrenz knows what it’s like to work under extreme pressure. As the U.S. Navy’s first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, she flew missions around the world. In the cockpit, there’s little room for error. Fearlessness is part of the job description. 

That’s a lesson Lohrenz wants more professional woman to master, and it’s the topic of her keynote speech at this year’s PGA TOUR Executive Women’s Day, which will be held Tuesday, March 10 during this year’s Valspar golf Championship at Innisbrook.

“I learned some unforgettable lessons in life and leadership,” Lohrenz says of her time in the Navy. Her experiences led her to the realization that fearlessness is the common denominator in success, whether it’s as an aviation pioneer or a high performance leader. Regardless of their workplace, women must learn to lead and excel in spite of their fear, and that being uncomfortable is not something to avoid. Too often, Lohrenz says, women play small for fear of how they’ll be perceived. “It’s a safe path not to engage.”

That lack of courage even shows itself in networking, a skill Lohrenz also believes is critical for success. 

“Women don’t always value networking as much as we should because we think our performance should speak for itself,” she notes, adding that having a strong network when life gets rough– both personally and professionally – is key. 

“You can’t get to the top alone. It’s too easy to become overwhelmed and overburdened. A network helps you prioritize the things that matter.”

Lohrenz praised the PGA Tour and Executive Women’s Day sponsor Astellas Parma US, Inc. for bringing together women in a powerful way. Women who attend the event will take away lessons on how to live well and work smart. It’s for women who have been in leadership roles for years, or others who want to learn how to overcome the barriers that may keep them from success. 

“I learn as much as everyone else. These women talk about their path and journey. It’s amazing to hear how other women succeed.”

Retired from the Navy, Lohrenz is a married mother of four who owns an executive coaching and leadership training firm. She is the author of “Fearless Leadership,” which earned a place on the Wall Street Journal’s Best Seller list for 2014. 

She’s looking forward to returning to Central Florida, where she often visited relatives as a child. “There’s no other place on Earth that has beaches like the west coast of Florida!”

More than 200 women are expected to attend PGA TOUR Executive Women’s Day, which will includes panel discussions moderated by Angela Ardolino, Founder of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine and talks by Elizabeth Frazier, Executive Director, Lightning Foundation & Vice President, Philanthropy & Community Initiatives, Tampa Bay Lighting; Dr. Catherine Lynch, Associate Vice President, USF College of Medicine; Karyn Talarico, Senior Vice President, Private Advisors, BB&T Wealth; and Kim Welch, Vice President, Communications, Valspar. 

Look at the Board of Directors, Officers and Executives of St. Petersburg-based C1 Bank and you’ll find something unusual – the names of women. While the banking and financial industry has long been dominated by men, the women of C1 Bank are proof that hard work and networking are the keys to success – no matter your gender.

The number of women in the corporate suite at C1 “was really through networking,” says Lynn Woods, executive vice president for human resources. After bank president and CEO, Trevor Burgess, tapped Katie Pemble for the job of executive vice president and Florida Market President for C1, she reached out to Woods and former colleague, Rita Lowman, who now serves as chief operating officer and is the highest-ranking woman at the bank. The three women worked together at other financial institutions, or served on community boards together.

Not only does C1 have a significant number of women at the helm, its workforce is 64 percent female. C1 made national headlines in April, 2014 when it announced it would provide a minimum living wage of $14 per hour to all full time employees, a change that bank officials noted would have an impact on families that have women as the sole or primary breadwinner.

A predominately female workforce is also a reason C1supports community organizations such as Working Women of Tampa Bay and events such as the Go Red for Women campaign to raise awareness of heart disease. On the career front, Woods notes that the bank also encourages talent within the company. “We reach out to individuals that we think have a future and make sure they have leadership opportunities, not just in the company, but within the community.”

Lowman, the COO, states that women continue to assist and encourage her throughout her career. “My strongest mentor and advocate is Alex Sink,” says Lowman of Florida’s former chief financial officer and a C1 Board member. “Alex gave me the opportunity to grow as a banker and as a woman.”  

As a result, Lowman now pays it forward. “One of my passions is developing young people in our industry.  My goals and dreams are now a reality.  I am always honored when a person shares with me that I have touched their life.” 

C1 Bank is a proud sponsor of Working Women of Tampa Bay’s Leadership Series, and provides space for networking and other events throughout the year.

Executives see the benefits in an organization founded by women to help inspire and foster women “Working Women is unique,” Lowman adds. “It gives women an opportunity to network weekly, or if monthly and quarterly are better for an individual they can select that option.  The one thing that is most beneficial for me is that at least quarterly there is a program that I feel will lift me in my professional and personal world. Great programs, great speakers, great participants are important to me.”

Wherever you are in your career - executive, entrepreneur or intern – Working Women of Tampa Bay you’ll give you the chance to meet dynamic women who share your interests, learn new skills with our valuable programing and gain the support of others who revel in your success.  

Lauren Tice is proud to be the newly appointed Director of Development for Working Women of Florida. She was born and raised in Temple Terrace, Florida and attended Blake High School for the Performing Arts with a concentration in music.  

A proud alumni of the University of South Florida, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with a concentration in Relational Communication. While in college, Lauren was active in the University Singers along with several organizations, including Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society and Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society.

Lauren is no new comer to the world of networking, she worked for the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce for nearly five years as their Coordinator of Member Services. Among her responsibilities she planned several networking events, was in charge of member services and had a key role in maintaining all social media for the organization. She was the original founder of the YEP (Young Elite Professionals) networking organization within the chamber and planned numerous events and programs for several years. 

Lauren, a natural entrepreneur by heart then started her own social media training consulting business to help individuals and small business owners learn how to use social media. 

Most recently,she worked as Director of The Regent, an event venue. Lauren was in charge of several events including weddings, community events, fundraisers and more. As part of her role in the community she was involved in several networking organizations such as both the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, Brandon YP, Southshore Young Professionals and of course Working Women of Tampa Bay. 

A proud resident of Riverview, Florida she loves to travel and get the most out of life. In her spare time she enjoys visiting the beach and supporting the USF Bulls whenever she gets the chance. 

We've got a sweet success story to share at our 2nd Annual State Conference at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.

Kim “Daisy,” of Daisy Cakes has always had a passion for cooking. She started cooking before most kids learned how to ride a bike! By the time she was 10 years old, she had sold her very first cake, now named the Jilly Vanilly.

Kim has a lot of experience up her sleeve. She has been in the food business for over 30 years and started out waiting tables during the summer in South Carolina and slowly began learning the tricks and trades of cooking and running a restaurant.

After Graduating from Wofford College she and a friend, Sophie Copses, started a catering business and then four years later, in 1990, Kim opened her first full-service restaurant, As You Like It in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

To further spread her love of cooking she started Cooking Up A Storm in 1998, which was a hands-on cooking class that allowed students to bring their own groceries and explore their love for cooking. She taught over 300 students!

And then there was Daisy Cakes. Daisy Cakes began in June 2009 when Kim really wanted to share her family cake recipes to a much larger customer base. She and her mother individually hand-sift, bake, and frosted each 4-layer cake. They would travel to Junior League and other holiday and food shoes where folks can taste just how delicious the cakes are for themselves. The cakes are always available to take home or they can be ordered online and shipped directly to the home of the consumer.

Daisy Cakes really took off when Kim and her cakes appeared on the hit ABC show “Shark Tank,” and aired in April of 2011. Since then, her business has really boomed. She received an investment from Barbara Corcoran, and with the help of her new business partner, Kim has had many great opportunities. She has been on “The Nate Berkus Show, Anderson Cooper, ABC World News, The Today Show, The Taste, and QVC.

Her cakes have even been featured as prizes on “The Price Is Right” and “Wheel of Fortune.”

Kim continues to inspire individuals with her passion for cooking and her sentiments on life and business. She says, “Never give up. I have never given on this. I knew in 2009 when I started doing this that it would work…. I cook dinner almost every day for my family but I really love the cakes. They are delicious.”

Look for her first cookbook, Daisy Cakes, Share a Slice of Love, coming out in Summer 2014.

You can hear Kim speak on September 12th at the Working Women Annual Conference. 

Working Women of Tampa Bay is pleased to announce Megan Smith, Founder, Publisher, and Editor of Cake & Whiskey; the Sweet & Spirited World of Business magazine will be traveling to Clearwater in September for our 2nd Annual Conference.

Before starting Cake & Whiskey, Megan was a freelance writer, a blogger with over 50,000 readers monthly, and a magazine columnist. She has owned three successful companies and still occasionally writes for other national publications with her latest piece for the Huffington Post garnering over 19,000 “likes” in two days.

Cake & Whiskey magazine is devoted to women in all stages of their business journey. It seeks to motivate and spark women to dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve greater things.

For modern woman, successful navigation of today’s business landscape requires mastering the fine art of Cake & Whiskey, finding the balance between spirited strength and life’s sweet indulgences.

Cake & Whiskey seeks to provide current, engaging and sophisticated perspectives into the modern business world through casual interviews conducted over a slice of cake and a glass of whiskey.

Megan’s love of business and her disappointment with the currently available business publications in the marketplace led her to launch Cake & Whiskey magazine without any initial investment money, contacts, or leads. She has grown the magazine and the brand to an international level in a little over a year on loads of ingenuity, creativity, and massive gumption.

Megan is the mom of three young boys. When she’s not inspiring women worldwide, she’s playing an OK game of tennis, and thinks a perfect day should include a car ride on country roads in hopes of finding a great antique shop and diner.

Learn more about the conference at: www.workingwomenconference.com

Working Women of Tampa Bay is proud to announce we've chosen Dawna Stone to headline our Keynote Lunch at our First Annual State Conference.

Dawna Stone is a health, fitness and wellness expert who has appeared on The Today Show, MARTHA and morning news programs on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX. She founded Women’s Running magazine and the Women’s Half Marathon series, which has helped thousands lead healthier lives.

Dawna won NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” show, hosted “Health and Fitness Talk with Dawna Stone” on Sirius Satellite Radio and “Healthy Living with Dawna Stone” on FOX. Her first book, “Winning Nice” made Amazon’s list of top 100 business books, while her latest book, Healthy You!, was just released to rave reviews.

Working as a Wall Street financial analyst, being President of a $20 million sports nutrition company, and serving as Chief Marketing Officer for a $700 million publicly traded company taught Dawna a great deal about success. Dawna credits several key factors for her corporate and entrepreneurial success. She’ll show you how believing in yourself, setting big goals and asking for what you want can catapult you to incredible new heights!

Dawna graduated from UC Berkeley and the Anderson School of Business at UCLA (MBA). In addition to launching and selling her own companies, Dawna is an avid runner and Ironman triathlete. She lives in St. Petersburg, FL with her husband, five-year-old daughter, four-year-old son and 13-year-old puppy.

About the First Annual State Conference:
Are you ready to be motivated, educated, and inspired? Our two-day program isn’t about sitting around and listening to other women tell you how they achieved success. It’s about YOU… moving your vision forward and finding real solutions to the challenges working women face every day.

What It Will Do For You
    •    Break through your personal barriers & position yourself for success
    •    Capitalize on one of your greatest gifts: Your Intuition
    •    Sharpen your response to conflict and challenges
    •    Learn creative, real-world strategies to turn your purpose and passion into profits
    •    Refocus your energy on tasks instead of fears to take your life to the next level

This is NOT your average conference. Are you ready to learn more about our State Conference on September 5-6, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Fl? Register now.

Mahaffey Theater
400 1st St | S St Petersburg, FL 33701
September 5 – September 6, 2013

Working Women of Tampa Bay is proud to announce we've chosen Former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio to headline our Keynote Breakfast at our First Annual State Conference.

Pam Iorio is the former two-term Mayor of the growing, vibrant city of Tampa, Florida, as well as a leadership speaker, advisor and author. During her terms, Iorio focused on economic redevelopment, helped revitalize the downtown area, and left office with an 87% approval rating.

First elected to public office at age 26, Iorio was the youngest person ever to win a seat on the Board of County Commissioners for Hillsborough County, Florida. At age 27, she was selected as chairman of the board. Now, as a leadership speaker, she delivers an inspiring and empowering message about straightforward leadership – the importance of leading yourself successfully so that you can effectively lead others.

Each guest at the Keynote Breakfast during our State Conference will receive a copy of Iorio’s leadership book Straightforward: Ways to Live and Lead (2011), which was called “the best business book of 2011” by Florida Trend Magazine.

In addition to her leadership speaking, Iorio is the Leader-in-Residence at the John H. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa; serves on the advisory board for Celestar Corporation, a fast-growing knowledge and technology consulting company; serves on the board of the USF Foundation; and served as the interim CEO of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.

Along with a BA degree in Political Science from The American University, Iorio holds an MA degree in History from the University of South Florida. She is married with two children.

About the First Annual State Conference:
Are you ready to be motivated, educated, and inspired? Our two-day program isn’t about sitting around and listening to other women tell you how they achieved success. It’s about YOU… moving your vision forward and finding real solutions to the challenges working women face every day.

What It Will Do For You
    •    Break through your personal barriers & position yourself for success
    •    Capitalize on one of your greatest gifts: Your Intuition
    •    Sharpen your response to conflict and challenges
    •    Learn creative, real-world strategies to turn your purpose and passion into profits
    •    Refocus your energy on tasks instead of fears to take your life to the next level

This is NOT your average conference. Are you ready to learn more about our State Conference on September 5-6, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Fl? Register now.

Mahaffey Theater
400 1st St | S St Petersburg, FL 33701
September 5 – September 6, 2013