The Largest Celebration of International Women’s Day in Florida
Speakers
Melanie Lawson-Minor is a multi-Emmy winning journalist at WJXT in Jacksonville, FL. She is one of the earliest risers on the number one rated morning show in Jacksonville, kicking of a 4-hour long newscast with the 6 am show. Melanie anchors each morning and also reports daily on community-centered stories. Melanie grew up in Longwood, FL, just two hours south of Jacksonville. She found love during a news story and married fellow WJXT evening anchor Tarik Minor 14 years ago. The couple has an 11-year-old son, Noah, and a 9-year-old daughter Layah.
Melanie attended Hampton University in Virginia, where she graduated with honors, with a degree in broadcast journalism. She earned a Master of Science degree at the University of North Florida in Communications Management. Melanie spends much of her time serving her community and feels a great responsibility to give back through public speaking, mentoring and being a vocal leader in the Jacksonville area.
Melanie is also a proud member of First Baptist Church of Oakland in Jacksonville.
Sheila Lirio Marcelo has more than 20 years of leadership experience in internet consumer marketplace businesses, including as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ohai.ai, a cutting-edge technology startup leveraging generative AI to improve the lives of families. She was a former Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and is a founding board member of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Ms. Marcelo previously founded Care.com in 2006 and took it public in 2014; she was Chairwoman and CEO until early 2020, when the company was sold to IAC.
Ms. Marcelo has been honored with numerous accolades. She was just on Forbes 50 Over 50. She was one of Fortune’s "Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs" and appeared at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit. She is a Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Institute, a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ms. Marcelo earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, which also conferred upon her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2015. She has a J.D. and M.B.A. with honors from Harvard University. In 2014, Marcelo became the youngest recipient of the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award.
Demika Jackson has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, military operations, training, and development. She is a proud U.S. Army Veteran whose dedication to serving others led her to establish ReInVentU, L.L.C. in 2019, where she currently serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, helping organizations reach their full potential through nonprofit management and professional development.
Demika is a dynamic individual known for her leadership and passion for positively impacting her community. As the President and Founder of Jacksonville Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Inc. since 2020, she has spearheaded initiatives to support and empower fellow veterans in the business world. With vital advocacy work and a diverse background, Demika's expertise is evident in her previous roles as P.E.A.C.E. Program Manager at Volunteers in Medicine and Prevention Coordinator at L.S.F. Health Systems and Clinical Program Coordinator at Community Rehabilitation Center, Inc. She has experience as a Dean of Students in middle and high schools, as an S.A.R.C. (Sexual Assault Response Coordinator), and as a S.H.A.R.P. (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention) Consultant for an International Mobile Training Team.
She continues to expand her knowledge with ongoing education - currently pursuing a master’s in business administration, a master’s in psychology, and certification for Project Management. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Armstrong Atlantic State University. In addition to her work with veterans' organizations, she serves as Chair for the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women and the Mayor's Hispanic American Advisory Board. Her involvement with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., The Mission Continues, and other meaningful causes showcases her dedication to creating positive change.
Through her various roles and experiences, Demika is committed to empowering women and military veterans through education, community, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. Her determination, resilience, and compassion make her a true inspiration and trailblazer in her field.
Megan Hayward's entrepreneurial spirit and passion for innovation sparked her desire to transform the outdated processes of blue collar temporary staffing. Her frustration with the status quo motivated her to launch her own staffing agency at a young age, then driven by the belief that the industry was ready for a radical change, she began to create a software platform to allow for a modern approach to an antiquated industry.
Megan founded her first staffing agency at the age of 24 after being a co-founder of another. Her achievements in the industry have earned her a seat on the advisory board of the latter. She is a member of the 2023 class for Leadership Florida, 2024 Hightower Fellow, and 2024 Leadership Florida Connect class member.
Megan's dynamic personality extends beyond her professional pursuits as she also boasts an adventurous side with a penchant for adrenaline-inducing activities including wing walking on planes. Her love for fantasy books showcases her imaginative and creative mind, indicative of her innovative approach to her work. Megan competitive spirit was the force behind her obtaining a Division I basketball scholarship at the University of North Florida, and after graduation she was on stage in fitness competitions - even landing her a spot on season 1 of Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge (episode 8 if you have nothing but free time).
Megan is still involved in local sports as she is the one of the owners of the Jacksonville Icemen, the Community First Igloo, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, and the Allen Americans.
Despite her numerous accomplishments, Megan prioritizes her role as a mother to Israel and a wife to Reggie.
Rebecca Smith is a PMP-certified, strategic tour de force who brings over a decade of consultative expertise in the fields of project management, management consulting, business strategy, and marketing. She’s worked across a wide array of B2B/B2C/B2G industries including government, manufacturing, technology, financial, higher education, retail, and service. She’s worked with fledgling start-ups as well as established companies exceeding $2B in revenue. She’s owned and sold her own businesses. Her varied professional background reflects her business philosophy of diversity, innovation, and adaptability.
Rebecca is a graduate of the University of Florida, a wife to a combat Veteran and Firefighter, a mother of two beautiful daughters and a leisure paddle boarder. She’s bilingual in Spanish and English and is proud to represent diversity and inclusion as a female, minority business owner.
Aceyaa Mohamed, the Founder of Premier Starter, is dedicated to illuminating the path towards a better future for marginalized communities. Her inspiring mission: bridging racial equity and financial literacy gap in America through financial education, mental well-being, entrepreneurship, and investments.
Aceyaa is a passionate mental health advocate, a compelling speaker, and a tireless champion for personal development and community enrichment. She is a member of the Mayo Clinic's Office of Entrepreneurship and St. Catherine University Connect Network Steering Committee, The StartUp Club - Frontier & Emerging Market Advisory Board, and a board member for Generation Hope.
Noel Heiks
Raised on robots and startups since age 14, Noel has gravitated to high-tech business throughout her 25+ year career—building multiple multi-million dollar companies along the way. She co-founded Haleos, a fiber optics company, and sold it to Rohm and Haas—an 8 billion dollar materials company later acquired by Dow Chemical. Noel co-founded Nuvotronics—an antenna and wireless product manufacturer—and led the company as CEO, exiting the company with the sale of Nuvotronics to Cubic Corporation in 2019. She also served as President of Duos Technologies (DUOT), an artificial intelligence and computer vision company
Noel currently serves as a board member at Emcore Corporation (EMKR)—an optoelectronics company making products for broadband communications, aerospace and defense. She also serves as a board member at Censys Technologies—a drone company delivering FAA certified airborne workhorses for sensing, surveying and delivery.
Noel graduated with a BS in Physics and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Annie DeStefano is Vice President, FIS Banking Solutions, leading ecosystem partnerships and the FIS Accelerator programs. She was previously a Director in Silicon Valley Bank’s product and global payments division, leading partnerships, and a commercial bank director for the national fintech banking team. In her role she worked closely with entrepreneurs, investors, and influencers across the national fintech ecosystem.
Prior to SVB, she held roles in engineering, product management and operations at venture-backed location intelligence company Foursquare and investment bank Goldman Sachs, as a member of the launch team for the Marcus by Goldman Sachs consumer banking platform.
In 2019, she was named an "Inspiring Fintech Female" by the NYC Fintech Women organization and in 2021, a ’40 Under 40’ recipient by her alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology. She is active in fundraising for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and recently received certification as a habit coach. She served as a member of the Stevens School of Business Board of Advisors and currently sits on the University of North Florida College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction Dean’s Leadership Council.
Mayssa Chehata is the founder of BEHAVE Candy. A lifelong sweet tooth, who also grew up with a diabetic father, Mayssa has struggled with her relationship with sugar and balancing her love of sweets and her health all her life. When she started searching for a healthier candy, she couldn't find any good options. So she teamed up with a celebrity chef and a PhD food scientist to create BEHAVE: low-sugar candy made without any artificial ingredients, which is high in fiber and never spikes blood sugar. A product both she and her diabetic father could enjoy.
She has previously held brand marketing and business development roles at the NFL, Uber, Daily Harvest, and SoulCycle. She moonlights as a DJ.
Shelby Baldwin is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Buzzbassador, a software platform for consumer brands that puts hours of work spent managing influencers on autopilot.
While in college at Mississippi State University, inspired by the campus Entrepreneurship Center, Shelby founded her first company, an online clothing brand. She spent her undergrad years growing that company to 6 figures in sales by working with over 8,000 social media creators to promote her products. The scalability issues she experienced daily with this successful yet tedious marketing strategy inspired her to build a solution: automation for every task that goes into successful influencer marketing.
Today, Buzzbassador powers 450 brands to work with over 210,000 influencers across 32 countries, generating $25 million in influencer-driven sales and counting. Under Shelby's leadership, Buzzbassador won the Southeastern Conference regional pitch competition, was showcased at Venture Atlanta, and has been featured in prominent publications like The Dallas Morning News, Influencer Marketing Hub, and The Innovation Report. Shelby has also led Buzzbassador to raise $1.1 million in pre-seed capital, including investments from Google and Techstars.
After graduating from MSU, Shelby and her co-founder relocated to Dallas, Texas, where they continue their mission to help brands buzz through influencer marketing at scale.
Dr. Kala Fleming is an innovator and engineer on a mission to democratize green jobs. She launched Frontline Gig to connect untapped, entry-level talent to green workforce programs and full-time work using paid hourly gigs. In the process, her team is helping employers and training programs 10X reach and upskilling speed. In a future where “every job will be a green job”, every employer and training program will need a strategy for delivering green talent. Frontline gig is well positioned to support them.
Mastering career transitions is a lifelong skill that Dr. Fleming has honed and is passing on to entry-level climate talent. Her journey began in academia followed by jumps to corporate research then corporate strategy and now tech entrepreneurship. The connecting thread across these roles has been a focus on climate, data and built environment equity. Now, she uses her technical background and career navigation savvy to bring new questions to the conversation about what the climate and green jobs workforce of the future will look like.
Previously, she held strategy and research roles at IBM, working with clients to establish differentiated market positions through the use of emerging technologies such as IoT, AI and blockchain. Her seminal TED talk in 2015 on creating digital aquifers inspired a range of forward-thinking water management projects, from Kenya to California, that seek to use more granular water activity data to reduce water scarcity risks.
Dr. Fleming holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has lived and worked in the US, Caribbean, Kenya, Ghana and the Philippines and is a frequent speaker at entrepreneurship, international development and innovation-related events.
Mag Boron, is a Silicon Valley-based software engineer and female immigrant founder of Pangian, a SaaS Globally Distributed Workforce Platform. She believes talent is everywhere but opportunity is not and is she excited to build a global talent platform to empower everyone to work remotely from anywhere.
Mag’s leveraging her international background traveling to 70+ countries, 6 continents, leading $50M+ software implementation projects in Aerospace, Fintech and Retail while building 2,000+ remote teams on 4 continents (N.America, S.America, APAC) for startups and Fortune 500. Her global remote teams were rated top 3% performance globally.
Jessica Krupa is an accomplished entrepreneur and designer, revolutionizing the intimate apparel industry with the inception of Panty Promise in 2020. Identifying a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the femtech with apparel industries, she introduced a patented design that garnered endorsement from the top NY Gynecologist- Dr. Alyssa Dweck. This innovative approach rapidly expanded Panty Promise's reach, making it a global brand with distribution in over 100 retailers internationally. The brand's direct-to-consumer strategy, featuring a successful subscription model, further exemplifies its market appeal as the first recommended underwear brand in an inclusive and sustainable model.
Prior to Panty Promise, Jessica's was a Senior Lingerie Designer at Victoria’s Secret for nearly a decade. She travelled throughout the world working in factories in Asia and designing launch capsules where she invented her first patented design that scaled the company. Jessica was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Fashion and the Fashion Institute of Technology from 2019- 2023, coming full circle teaching at her alma mater showing her dedication to education. Jessica's illustrious career is marked by numerous accolades, most notably, a government grant under the Fulbright Act called the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals that influenced her to study Entrepreneurship and Global Business at the Technical University of Berlin in 2011 to further her international business and trading skills.
Jessica's has been committed to the global fashion industry since her collegiate years after getting her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and Polimoda in Italy. Her global perspective was further enhanced by her involvement in Fashion Weeks across Europe and the USA, her extensive travels through Asia, and working in factories and designing for Fortune 500 companies including VS, HSN, and Target. This rich tapestry of experiences, relationships, and industry expertise provided the perfect groundwork for her to launch her own brain child- Panty Promise.
Cassie Abel, the Founder & CEO of Wild Rye had dedicated the last decade of her career to elevating women from the backcountry to the boardroom. She is a familiar face in the outdoor industry, having spent most of her professional life working in marketing and communications for Smith Optics, Grand Targhee Resort and her own PR consultancy, White Cloud Communication, in addition to spending the earlier years of her career working in finance, coaching D1 lacrosse and supporting Visa with partnership marketing.
After years of feeling like an afterthought in the outdoor space, Cassie founded Wild Rye in 2016 to bring women better apparel options for cycling, snowsports and general outdoor recreation. Wild Rye crafts women’s-first outdoor apparel that’s beautiful and technical, designed to inspire confidence and welcome more women into the outdoors. In addition, Abel is the brains behind Women Led Wednesday, a Tory Burch Foundation fellow, a Forbes Next 1,000 honoree, The Outdoor Retailer Emerging Leader of 2023, a 3x All-American Lacrosse player and a mom to 4-year-old Sawyer. A Colorado College graduate, Cassie has called Ketchum, ID home for the better part of 30 years, though originally hails from Vashon Island, WA. Cassie loves to mountain bike, ski, camp, hike and wear as many costumes as possible…ideally while playing outside with friends.
