Women Who Work Nominations: Top 25 Classy Career Girls of 2016

Rita Golstein-Galperin - November 2, 2016

Ok, stepping out of my own comfort zone and nominating myself here 
Hey Anna said it was allowed 😉

So I’m Rita (Golstein-Galperin… good luck spelling that every time).
I’m a Career Makeover Strategist® for expat women and the founder of Expat Renaissance.
A somewhat serial expat from childhood, I’m now a multicultural mom in Paris (France) and a passionate lover of all chocolate:)
I am also a former career shifter: a lawyer, economist, tutor, public policy analyst and a senior diplomat….
Embracing my own inner-contradictions and turned into a career and business coach for expats, striving to help women around the world redefine and reinvent their success abroad.

I’m a long diehard fan of Anna’s work, and my Classiness comes in mostly with the *somewhat naïve* belief that I CAN HAVE IT ALL. Balance work, home, kids, family… and for the past 5 years doing all of the above in a foreign country.
Do I sometimes screw up? Yes. Are there morning when I run around like crazy and even forget to comb my hair? Absolutely. But do I ever forget my BIG WHY and the goals I set out for myself as a Classy Career Girl? Heck NO!
Enough about me. Here’s some more about me;) http://www.expatrenaissance.com/about/

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Rachell Corpuz - November 6, 2016

I nominate Adelaide (Aida) Diaz! She’s an intern here at Classy Career Girl and I salute her for all the work she’s done for CCG!

I think she deserves to be nominated because not only has she been a huge part of CCG’s growth, she’s always willing to help ever since I became an intern myself. She’s shown grace and elegance in everything she’s done and is definitely shown in all the Facebook groups she manages. Go Aida!

https://www.facebook.com/mzadelaidadiaz?fref=ts

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Shanequa Dasher - November 13, 2016

I would like to nominate the phenomenal Toni Howard Lowe as a Classy Career Girl of 2016. Toni is the consummate professional. She is a Senior HR Professional for USAA in Dallas, Texas while simultaneously maintaining her successful business brand and blog “The Corporate Tea”. He style, her service, and her role in the molding and development of other’s careers makes her the ultimate “Classy Career Girl”. She is consistently learning and growing in her field, and she never ceases to amaze, with her dedication to serving her community. Toni Howard Lowe epitomizes what it means to be a Classy Career Girl, and it is with great pleasure that I nominate her as such.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thlowe
Website : http://www.thecorporatetea.com

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asma ben ismail - November 15, 2016

Hi, I want to nominate Sarah Mestiri, my coworker in FIS Global, Tunisia she is a lady with passion! she loves her field of work, software engineering, and she is engaged in multiple projects at the same time because she believed that she can make a change! Active in arab women in computing organization, she helds weekly meetings and presides Tunisia chapter. Besides, she is determined to reach her ultimate goal, working in machine learning field. so she is learning and growing her knowledge and constantly facing new challenges. I believe she is a “classy career girl” as she has a beautiful wearning style, passion to her field and a lot of energy and dedication as a young socially engaged woman and wife!
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarahmestiri
blog:sarahmestiri.wordpress.com

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Ian Rettie - November 15, 2016

I would like to nominate my wife, Shanika Rettie (mallawaratchi)

She is the Program Development Manager at Merry Go Round Children’s Foundation and their program, Kids, Cops & Computers. She has dedicated her life to making a different in her community and particularly in the lives of youth. She is a team player and a leader and has been an integral part of her organization for years.

At 25 years old she became the Executive Director of the children’s charity she works for, and she immediately stepped up and lead the organization through a year of transition and growth. She became a leader within the organization and supported and mentored co-workers while juggling many other responsibilities.

Shanika has always been ambitious, and has worked hard to build a career that makes her happy everyday, despite the trials and tribulations she may face. She continues to work hard to find a balance between work, personal life and her brand new blog, while simultaneously supporting her colleagues and friends through their developing careers.

This year, as we welcomed our first baby girl, she decided that it was time to share her career and life experiences, and she started a career and lifestyle blog called Pursuit of Possibility. The name came from the motivational quote “be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire”. To me, this mantra defines her.
The goal of the Pursuit of Possibility blog is to empower young professionals to pursue all different types of possibilities that may be out there to them without hesitation. She truly enjoys sharing her experiences with other professionals.

I am very proud of all that she has accomplished so early in her career, and I truly believes she deserves this nomination! She loves Classy Career Girl, and talks about it (Which is how I heard about this!)

linkedin https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shanika-rettie-1976ba8

Blog http://pursuitofpossibility.ca

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Allison P. Parker - November 18, 2016

I’d like to nominate myself as well

1. My name is Allison P. Parker- I am a wife and mom to an amazing rescue furbaby, Bronco.
2. I am the Promotions Coordinator at Radio One Atlanta. My daily responsibilities include scheduling/coordinating events for our 4 brands, maintaining our promotions calendar, contacting listeners and more. I consider myself the ultimate problem solver.
3. What makes me a classy career girl is I always hold myself to a high professional and ethical standard. No matter the environment around me, I carry myself as a respectable professional. The things that matter most to me are faith, family and development. For me, development occurs in different aspects of my life personal, professional, community and spiritual. I am quite new in my career but working to build my brand and grow in my career. I am big on mentorship (those who have gone before me and helping those coming after me). In my spare time, I enjoy laying on the couch watching Law & Order SVU marathons and reading.
4.) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-p-parker-1478752a
Website: http://www.allisonpparker.com/

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Charlene - November 18, 2016

Anna and team,
I’d like to nominate Didem Komaromi. Didem is the owner of Sparkly Finance (Glam Your Business). She describes herself as a “sparkly CPA with a passion of teaching female CEOs how to organize their business finances such a way that it increases their profit and sets up a foundation that generates predictable and measurable success.” What makes Didem a Classy Career Girl is her passion for education for children in Ghana, Africa. I first heard that Didem “Dee” was raising money to build a school through the Corporate Rescue Plan Facebook group in October of this year. She raised money by offering a financial course. Talk about creating a “win-win” for the school and for those who donated for the course. Through this endeavor, Dee has connected authentically through social media, email, and networking in order to make her dream a reality. Her easy gleaming personality comes through even in text and written correspondence. She has been a source of inspiration, support, and advise on the CRP Facebook group. Currently, she is embarking on writing her first book on 52 weeks to a more prosperous future. I have no doubt that it will be a shimmering success. I cannot wait to celebrate with her in the CRP community. Thank you Dee for your vivacious personality and lively elegance. You are truly a Classy Career Girl.
Here is her Linked in information: http://bit.ly/2fEwL5t

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Nicole Miller - November 19, 2016

I would love to nominate Melissa Bartel! She’s one of my mentors and leaders I fearlessly go to for everything!

Melissa works from home as a Silver Director with USANA Health Sciences running her own business and developing a team of successful entrepreneurs and leaders on her team!

She has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met. Despite her personal struggles in life with health and losses, she is ever positive and always striving to help people. She’s always genuine to the core and uplifting in every situation. She is the inspiration that drives me to learn more, become more, and do more. Her humble leadership in selflessly devoting her time and energy to grow others and to help change others lives is priceless! Her and her husband also have their own Photography business where she is the creative director. As well as being an incredible mom to her beautiful daughters!

Her Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.r.bartel
Her Website: https://www.melissabartel.usana.com

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April Farrell - November 27, 2016

I would like to nominate my coach and mentor, Sarah Inman. Sarah truly personifies class, grace, and empowerment. She devotes 100% of herself to her clients to help them realize their potential and is committed to the professional development of women everywhere.

Sarah is a successful healthcare manager, and also runs a career coaching business where she makes herself constantly available to her clients so we always feel supported and safe. She is a mom and wife and knows how important it is to balance those important roles while maintaining your professional identity. She encourages me to be brave and step out of my comfort zone and always knows just what I need to get to the next level, be it a well-timed call/email or even a hand written note of encouragement sent to my home. I don’t know how she manages her corporate career, her business and her blog yet she makes it all look effortless. She is also a local AmBOSSador with Bossed Up and she hosts professional networking events in her area so other career women can grow their network and meet others who are in the same boat and trying to balance their career and life. She inspires me every day and I am proud to know her! Her life’s mission is clearly evident every day as she strives to help every woman she meets elevate to their greatest potential and be the leaders and professionals they were born to be.

I am so thrilled to have the chance to nominate Sarah, as I can think of no one more deserving. Her website is http://www.careerrenovationsbysarah.com and her LinkedIn is http://www.linkedin.com/in/saraheinman Thank you for this opportunity!

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Jennifer Kroiss - November 27, 2016

1. Luisa Zhou

2. Founder – http://www.luisazhou.com

3. I am nominating Luisa Zhou because she is one of the most amazing women that I have ever had in my life – she is the epitome of classy and so much more!
Luisa has impacted hundreds of women’s lives by supporting and guiding them through the maze of going from employee to entrepreneur and has done it in a way that radiates honor and respect for herself and those around her. Her level of business knowledge and professionalism is tremendous and the value that she delivers to her clients is staggering. She is one of the most generous, humble, compassionate, genuine and ethically driven business women that I have worked with and my life is better with her in it. Luisa makes the world a better place every day and I would love to see her recognized for everything that she does (especially since she would never expect to receive accolades for it!) for women everywhere.

4. http://www.luisazhou.com

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Nawres - November 28, 2016

Hi, I want to nominate Sarah Mestiri, my coworker , Tunisia she is a lady with passion! she loves her field of work, software engineering, and she is engaged in multiple projects at the same time because she believed that she can make a change! Active in arab women in computing organization, she helds weekly meetings and presides Tunisia chapter. Besides, she is determined to reach her ultimate goal, working in machine learning field. so she is learning and growing her knowledge and constantly facing new challenges. I believe she is a “classy career girl” as she has a beautiful wearning style, passion to her field and a lot of energy and dedication as a young socially engaged woman and wife!
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarahmestiri
blog:sarahmestiri.wordpress.com

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aloui ahlem - November 28, 2016

Hi, I want to nominate Sarah Mestiri, she is an amazing lady with passion! she loves her field of work, software engineering, and she is engaged in multiple projects at the same time. She believes that she can make a change! And she made it!
She is an active in arab women in computing organization and she helds weekly meetings and presides Tunisia chapter. Besides, she is determined to reach her ultimate goal, working in machine learning field. so she is learning and growing her knowledge and constantly facing new challenges. I believe she is a “classy career girl” as she has a beautiful wearning style, passion to her field and a lot of energy and dedication as a young socially engaged woman and wife!
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarahmestiri
blog:sarahmestiri.wordpress.com

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Imen JAOUANI - November 29, 2016

Hello, I want to nominate Sarah Mestiri who is an inspiring women and an engaged citizen. Sarah is a vice-president in ArabWIC which is an international organization supporting Arab Women in Computing. Sarah is a hard-worker who lead many activites, make plans, motivate members and helds weekly meetings. She is a great leader who inspires many women and girls in Tech field. In addition, she is passionate about machine learning and try to learn more and more about this field. She is participating in many conferences and contribute actively in community life. Besides, she shares knowlegde with others especially Youth. Sarah has an artistic touch in everything she does. Really, she is the good “classy career girl” becaude of their qualities, passion, and their contributions in the society and in Computing Science field.
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarahmestiri
blog:sarahmestiri.wordpress.com

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Katie - November 29, 2016

) The first and last name of the woman you are nominating.
Jennifer Kroiss

2) Her role and where she works.
Part of 2016 was spent in Management at 3M company and part as a Career Strategist with Kroiss Consulting.

3) What makes her a classy career girl, a female displaying elegance, style, high standards of personal behavior, skill and grace.

Jennifer is classy because she is able to give honest direct feedback in all types of situations. She is able to do this in an encouraging and motivating manner, driving self-reflection and a desire to take action. This is a unique and valuable skill set.

4) jenniferkroiss.com

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Stephanie - November 30, 2016

I’ve got a group nomination here – hope that ok!!!

Classy Career Girls of 2016
Nomination for Daniela Pesconi-Arthur
She is the writer and owner of The Writing Shed, an online blog soon to be magazine that helps women use writing as a tool to gain confidence, self-esteem, and launch themselves to a new level. What makes her classy is her imagination. She has an incredible power to use words and give them new meaning to you. What you maybe once thought as something simple and trivial can be seen in a whole new light because of how she explains things and her creativity.
http://www.thewritingshed.org.uk/

Classy Career Girls of 2016
Nomination for Elizabeth Potier Harrison
She is the owner of Sarasota Home Organizer and the coming soon Lazy Organizer. She helps people organize their life one piece at a time. What makes her classy is that she understands being lazy is part of organizing. In fact, that’s what motivates her to be organized! So she can do less work later. It is through this understanding that she helps her clients organize their lives one lazy part at a time.
http://www.sarasotahomeorganizer.com/

Classy Career Girls of 2016
Stephanie Marsh LaTorre (Pantano)
She is the owner of EGM and Techy Girl. She helps female entrepreneurs and mompreneurs learn the technical side of creating a website and helping it grow. What makes her classy is she explains things, button by button, of how to set up a site, create a funnel, create a social media presence, and make sure it’s found on google.
http://egmanagementconsultant.us

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Maxine Anderson - November 30, 2016

As a new member to this group but a veteran entrepreneur ~ I would love the honor to be nominated as a classy career girl , I have enjoyed helping others reach their maximum potential through health and fitness for over 30 years, I have also started many community groups that support an educate not only women but young business people on how to grow as a leader in thief chosen field. My contribution to the betterment of my community also involves many board positions that I hold and hours of community service to several non profit groups , including Girls on the Run ,which is another amazing group that provides a impactful message to our future leaders – I look forward to networking in this community and growing my motivational speaking programs & life coach seminars. With much gratitude I say thank you for the opportunity to be part of classy career girl !! Cheers to future growth

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Chrysta Bairre - November 30, 2016

Here’s my nomination:

Women Who Work Nominations: Top 25 Classy Career Girls of 2016
31
Oct
Women Who Work Nominations: Top 25 Classy Career Girls of 2016Anna RunyanCareer Advice Leadership Motivation Woman at Work19 comments
Attention women who work! CCG is getting ready to launch our second annual Top 25 Classy Career Girls of 2016 and we can’t do it without you!

Who are the women who work that have inspired and motivated you? We’re asking readers to help us generate a comprehensive list of women. Our goal is to clear the clutter of “not so classy” that we see too much of and deliver you the REAL classy and ambitious ladies who are driving change, inspiring others and making the world a better place. The more we know that other women are making the impossible possible, the more empowered we will be that we can do the same. What we have learned time and time again is that when women support other women, incredible things happen.

What we’re looking for:

Women who meet the definition of a Classy Career Girl:

A female displaying elegance, style, high standards of personal behavior, skill and grace.

These women are leaders and making a difference whether they are working for a company OR running their own business. They can be ANY age and live anywhere in the world.

Women Who Work Nominations: Top 25 Classy Career Girls of 2016

How to nominate:

Include your nominations in the comments section below. Please tell us:

1) Amanda Chenkin

2) Advisor at Project Self-Sufficiency

3) At Project Self-Sufficiency, Amanda works with single-parent families to help them achieve a higher level of career and education and help these families be more sustainable. She is a former Peace Corps participant and she cares about social issues and initiatives, actively working to make the world a better place. As a member of Larimer County Women of the Year, Amanda has added her warm, caring support along with her fun and friendly attitude to encourage and empower members of the our group.

4) https://www.linkedin.com/in/achenkin

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Chrysta Bairre - November 30, 2016

Here’s my nomination:

1) Amanda Chenkin

2) Advisor at Project Self-Sufficiency

3) At Project Self-Sufficiency, Amanda works with single-parent families to help them achieve a higher level of career and education and help these families be more sustainable. She is a former Peace Corps participant and she cares about social issues and initiatives, actively working to make the world a better place. As a member of Larimer County Women of the Year, Amanda has added her warm, caring support along with her fun and friendly attitude to encourage and empower members of the our group.

4) https://www.linkedin.com/in/achenkin

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Johnnita Bros - November 30, 2016

1) Johnnita Bros

2) Financial Analyst at Lockheed Martin Corporation and Lifestyle Blogger

3) What makes me a classy career girl is my mission to empower the everyday working woman to find creative outlets beyond her day job. Through my own journey to add creativity in my life, I noticed it started to rub off on the women around me. From inspiring the admin assistant to turn her love for baking into a business to adding an extra touch to a suit fitting for a woman in need in preparation for a job interview. Being a ray of light and inspiration for the career woman is a passion I have discovered over the past year that has changed me forever. I am nominating myself to show how the power of one person not giving up on their dreams can inspire others to accomplish the same.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnita-bros-a4395671?trk=hp-identity-photo
Blog: http://www.lilykyi.org

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Khamila - November 30, 2016

HI!
I would love to nominate my sister!

1) Khalia Ii

2) Associate Director at USC Rossier School of Education

3) Khalia is an amazing woman. She is extremely intelligent , caring and truly invests in her team and those she works with. She has a “Can do it” attitude as I have personally witnessed her go above and beyond on what is needed. She is passionate about what she does and always growing to learn more. She does not only do this in work but she also does this when she is out networking-she is always offering to help others by providing a recommendation or advice. She seeks to have a positive attitude and reminds others to not have a deficit mindset and help them to reframe their situations.

4) https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaliaii

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Johnnita Bros - November 30, 2016

1) Johnnita Bros

2) Financial Analyst at Lockheed Martin Corporation and Lifestyle Blogger

3) What makes me a classy career girl is my mission to empower the everyday working woman to find creative outlets beyond her day job. Through my own journey to add creativity in my life, I noticed it started to rub off on the women around me. From inspiring the admin assistant to turn her love for baking into a business to adding an extra touch to a suit fitting for a woman in need in preparation for a job interview. Being a ray of light and inspiration for the career woman is a passion I have discovered over the past year that has changed me forever. I am nominating myself to show how the power of one person not giving up on their dreams can inspire others to accomplish the same.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnita-bros-a4395671?trk=hp-identity-photo
Blog: http://www.lilykyi.org

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Kristen Caree - November 30, 2016

I nominate Grace Lopes, Director of Product for Personal Insurance at Travelers Insurance. She spent nearly two years overseeing a worldwide systems transition for Travelers. She faced endless obsticles from every direction, and had to roll out and support a product that wasn’t yet ready. Despite all of her obsticles, she fought for what was right and remained a champion for all of those that were impacted in this transition. She became my mentor and has taught me countless lessons in always doing the right thing and thinking outside of the box to reach my goals. She is a Director in insurance, has served in multiple service areas, holds a law degree, has her CPCU, is a certified project manager, and has numerous other designations. In the face of adversity at work, she was a true and dignified lady of class. No one has taught me more in this industry than Grace. https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-lopes-5507b480

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Rocio Gonzalez - November 30, 2016

1) The first and last name of the woman you are nominating.

Sonia Gonzalez

2) Her role and where she works.

Co-Founder of CrossChannel

3) What makes her a classy career girl, a female displaying elegance, style, high standards of personal behavior, skill and grace.

Sonia has put so much dedication, effort, discipline, energy, and has sacrificed a lot to help this company grow. She’s helped the company go from 3 employees to 25. She is always ensuring that her clients are satisfied and provides outstanding customer service. She has a variety of different skills such as analytical, customer service, strategic, etc. She has achieved financial freedom and through that her humbling heart gives back to her community and family. As a Co-Founder, she dedicated time to lead a self-help group called “Help” to help individuals going through a hard time. She led them through prayer and scripture reading once a week.

4) A link to her Linkedin profile, website or bio.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniago?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=AtGg&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A5712359%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1480530696989%2Ctas%3As

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Hilary Powell - December 1, 2016

It is my joy to nominate my sister-friend Emerald S. Morrow for Top Classy Career Girls of 2016. Emerald is the epitome of style, integrity and grace.

She is an accomplished, EMMY award-winning journalist with an acumen that comes from telling powerful stories for nearly a decade.

People in her community know her as a television reporter who uses her bold voice to speak for others. Emerald once told me, being bossy is misrepresented as a negative trait for women. That’s because she has a steadfast self-confidence she wields to tell stories that make a difference. A jury of her peers recognized her this year for a story she enterprised for WTSP-TV (CBS) about children of incarcerated parents.

She has a passion for stories that herald children’s concerns, explore education, and expose inequality.

Simultaneously, she defines her own style -literally. Emerald is a devoted seamstress. Sewing comes as an homage to her grandmother, who taught her to thread, but is to the benefit of us all. She sews the clothes she wears almost daily and has a following on her Instagram showing off her creations under the hashie, #thesewingreporter.

As an Associated Press contributor who has covered Andre Leon Talley, New York Fashion Week and brushed shoulders with Anna Wintour, some may think Emerald is better suited for a fashion journalism career. Emerald proves passion has no bounds. She effortlessly stands at the intersection of work and her dreams, and that sounds like a Classy Career Girl to me.

LinkedIn: https://touch.www.linkedin.com/?sessionid=6423045202190634&as=false&rs=false&can=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elinkedin%2Ecom%2Fprofile%2Fin%2Fpaul-morrow-5a170052#profile/243607808

Instagram: http://instagram.com/emeraldmorrow

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Amel Raboudi - December 2, 2016

Hello, I want to nominate Sarah Mestiri a very amazing women in computer science. I have met Sarah at the Netlinks Club, Tunisia, which is a specialized organization in students technological culture reinforcement. She is a very good activist and manager and I am very glad, today, to have this opportunity nominating her for her ambition, hard work, determination and smile.

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