Andrea Juan Allen, Teacher
Hope Hall School
Field/Years: Education / 2

Accomplishments: in 1995 Andrea graduated from Sojourner House and has never stopped moving onward and upward. In 1998 she received Sojourner House’s first Epiphany Award, which is given to a graduate who demonstrates enduring determination to reach their goals. Through her career she has worked in numerous business related positions but her true passion came in the area of education. Since 2006 she has been working at Hope Hall as a Language Arts teacher for grades 7 and 9. Based on the special needs of the children at Hope Hall these two areas are the most difficult to teach but that doesn’t deter Andrea. In addition to teaching, Andrea is involved in mentoring programs and has founded an Interpretive Dance program for the eighth grade girls. In her spare time she serves on the Board of Directors for Rural Opportunities, Inc and on the board of Housing Opportunities. She also attends Neighborhood Works Conferences where she works on Leadership Development coursework.

Claudia L. Burcke, Business Services Manager/Project Manager
RochesterWorks, Inc
Field/Years: Recruitment and Business Services / 8

Accomplishments: Claudia began her career as a recruiter but after a downsizing, she found herself unemployed and being offered a significant pay cut to work for a not-for- profit agency, RochesterWorks, Inc. Claudia followed her passion to help others and started working as a Job Services Specialist providing services to job seekers. Claudia quickly excelled at every assignment she was given and was promoted numerous times to become their Business Services Manager/Project Manager, a member of their Senior Management Team. While working as a project manager she has spearheaded a multitude of projects, such as the $15M Wired Initiative, which helps implement workforce development initiatives in a 9-county region. On a personal level, Claudia’s passion is community service. She worked this year with the Veterans Outreach Center to help sponsor care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan during the holidays.

Melisza Campos, Vice President, Operations & Instruction / Commissioner to the Rochester Board of Education
Dale Carnegie Training / Rochester City School District
Field/Years: Management / 5, Public Service / 1

Accomplishments: Four years ago Melisza started with Dale Carnegie as a training consultant in Philadelphia after a career in marketing. She was one of the top 25 rookies in the world during those formative years. She moved back to Rochester and supported her team at Dale Carnegie to 25% growth in one year. Melisza is now ranked one of the top 50 trainers in the world for the organization. She is currently pursuing her Master Trainer certification and is now the Vice President of Operations and Delivery. In 2007 Melisza added political aspirations to her resume by taking on a campaign for the Rochester City School Board as Commissioner. Her grassroots campaign, with her family by her side, was a success and Melisza is now the youngest female ever to hold that position. She has volunteered at Berkshire Farms and the Rochester Psychiatric Center previously and is a current volunteer for the Rochester Hispanic Youth Baseball League. She is the founder of the Latino Democratic Committee and is on the board of directors for the Bivona Child Advocacy Center.

Shannon Craig-Mulvaney, HR Works, Inc
Manager of the Affirmative Action Division
Field/Years: Human Resources/ 5

Accomplishments: After graduating with her B.S in Psychology from Hartwick College, Shannon attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned her M.S in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Shannon worked in an HR capacity right out of college and focused on affirmative action. After relocating to the Rochester area, she began working for HR Works as their Affirmative Action Project Manager and within a year was promoted to Manager of their Affirmative Action Division. She has revamped the AAP production process and staffing plan, creating efficiencies without sacrificing quality and always puts the needs of her clients first. In the community, she actively volunteers for organizations such as the Hickok Center for Brain Injury, Inc., Safe Journey, and the RWN. Her mother, her biggest influence, demonstrated to her that a woman does not need to depend upon anyone else for personal success and that success does not hinder a woman’s ability to be a loving and effective parent.

Victoria B. Damon,

Accomplishments: Since graduating from RIT, Victoria has worked in related financial services positions, first as a business development officer at a small community bank and later as a VP for a larger financial institution. At her current position at DDS she is the CFO of the organization and is among the youngest persons to hold such a position. Torrie, as she prefers to be called, has redefined her current position and often attends sales calls, serves as a customer liaison and serves as a community outreach spokesperson. These duties are above and beyond the call of her current position’s responsibilities. Torrie quickly gained the reputation as the “go-to person” because she can get the job done and is always coming up with ways to close the deal. Outside of work Torrie, is actively involved in the Nunda community where she resides.

Alana M. Fuierer, Esq., Associate Attorney
Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C.
Field/Years: Law / 4

Accomplishments: At HRFM Alana combines her scientific and technical educational background with her legal skills at a firm that focuses exclusively on Intellectual Property Law. Alana was selected to be the firm’s resident attorney in its new Rochester office, coordinating the firm’s legal representation of clients in Rochester and Western New York. At Alana’s initiative in 2007, the firm began publishing its “Clean Energy Patent Growth Index” providing a quantifiable measure of the innovation activity of “green” businesses. It has quickly become the national industry standard for this economic sector. Alana also has strong involvement in our community working pro bono for charitable organizations, including “Embrace your Sisters,” a cancer support organization. She is also a proud member of the RWN.

Eileen Galinski, Director of Development, Kate Gleason School of Engineering
Rochester Institute of Technology
Field/Years: Development / 6

Accomplishments: Eileen believes that passion about your work will make your career fun and rewarding. Beginning her career at the National Audubon Society, a society whose mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, she quickly rose through the ranks of development and became their Annual Campaign Manager in 2006. With her desire to return to Rochester she moved back and began a position at RIT working as their Assistant Director of Development for their School of Engineering and within one year was promoted to be the Director of Development. Eileen is one of the youngest to ever hold this position, which is a testament to her dedication and tenacity to succeed. She has created new programs at the college, such as “Evening with the Dean,” and has also spearheaded alumni programs for RIT as well as her own alma maters, Cornell University and the University of Vermont. Aside from her day job, Eileen has been an active member of Junior League in Rochester for the past 5 years and recently became a member of their Board of Directors.

Laura Jeanne Hammond, Publisher / Editor in Chief / VP
The Next Step Magazine
Field/Years: Media and Advertising / 7

Accomplishments: Laura Hammond started working for Next Step Magazine as a high school intern. She became editor in chief after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. Under Laura’s editorship, the magazine has won several national awards, including 2007 Periodical of the Year, 2006 Most Improved Publication and others from the Association of Educational Publishers and the Ontario School Counselor’s Association. As publisher, a position she also took on in 2007, she has significantly reduced the publications’ costs and increased efficiency in planning. Laura is the founder of the Rochester-based networking organization, RATS, for up-and-coming 20-somethings in the area. She has also volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rochester and Blessed Sacrament Church.

Brenna Hartmann, Media Personality and Publisher
Home & Yard Handbook and Fixin’Chix Inc.
Field/Years: Entrepreneur / 5

Accomplishments: Brenna respects the need for females to support one another in accomplishing tasks around the home that have been traditionally reserved for men. With that idea in mind, Brenna designed a do-it-herself enterprise called Fixin’Chix, which includes a website, published materials, products, seminars, and radio/television appearances. Brenna is a member of the Better Contractor’s Bureau, the National Association of Women in Construction, the Center for Environmental Information, Rochester Green Business Network, and the Rochester Media Network. She continues to be involved in supporting and raising funds for multiple community events and hopes to continue philanthropy work for those less fortunate in the future.

Kelly Olczak, Financial Advisor, AAMS
Edward Jones Investments
Field/Years: Financial Planning / 3

Accomplishments: Kelly’s career has encompassed a plethora of positions including biotech/pharmaceutical sales and high technology sales management for several technology service organizations. After a layoff she reassessed her career path and decided to follow her father’s footsteps into the financial industry. Kelly began her career at Edward Jones by knocking door-to-door and networking to build a client base. She has grown her business exponentially within three years and has advanced within the organization at an unheard of pace. Kelly recently became a Field Trainer for new employees and has also created programs to help women learn the language of finances. She is an active member of the American Heart Association, RWN, and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Heather Ostrander, M&SS Customer Project Controller/Planner
EDS @ Xerox
Field/Years: Project Management / 5

Accomplishments: Heather is a graduate of the Rochester Business Institute with an Associates degree in Computer Programming. She began her career working at a help center for Paychex and also as a printer tester for Xerox. In 1997, she began working for EDS on the Xerox account, which eventually led to her current role as their M&SS Customer Project Controller/Planner. Currently Heather is the president of Women@EDS, a diversity network group which promotes professional development. She won awards in 2007, including the Diversity Pacesetter Award, which honors employees who show a commitment to diversity in the workplace. She works within the community as a committee chair for the Boy Scouts as well as the Upromise Coordinator for several schools in Wayne County. She always puts friends, family and the community before herself.

Christina Paulus, Sr. VP of Strategic Planning
Catholic Family Center
Field/Years: Human Resources / 9

Accomplishments: Christina has spent her professional career at the Catholic Family Center beginning as a social worker in 1994 and then as a supervisor in the Preventative Program. Since being promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007, Christina has been responsible for the majority of the program services at the organization and managing a program budget of $22 million and a staff of 367. She is also responsible for the strategic planning of the Center and will guide its direction moving forward. Community involvement includes President and Board Member for Friendship Children’s Center and volunteer work with Alternatives for Battered Women. She is a member of the RIT Saunders College of Business Advisory Board.

Meredith Powell, Artistic Director
Rochester’s Black Sheep Theatre Coalition
Field/Years: Arts / 2.5

Accomplishments: Meredith is a founding member of Black Sheep. Her BFA in acting helped her rise to Artistic Director after starting as Black Sheep’s Dramaturge. She has directed many Black Sheep productions, including “The Water Engine” as an original one act play she adapted from “The Shadowy Third” by Ellen Glasgow. She began a program with young adults to use the theatre to increase their self esteem, creativity and decision-making skills by creating improvisational plays and acting workshops. Meredith coined Black Sheep’s motto “Yes, We Can!” and has implemented extraordinary changes in their location and vision during her tenure. She also finds time to work within our community volunteering with the Salvation Army, YMCA of Greater Rochester and the Arthritis Foundation. Her current project is writing, producing and directing a play with a cast of individuals with traumatic brain injuries.

Michele Sommerman, Project Engineer
Bergmann Associates
Field/Year: Engineering / 6

Accomplishments: Michele has chosen and succeeded in a career path that is atypical for many women. She began her career working for The Sear-Brown Group as a mechanical engineer and while there earned her PE (Professional Engineer) title. In 2004 she began work at Bergmann Associates where she currently supports the building group. The saying “there’s no room for creativity in engineering” just doesn’t hold true for Michele’s career. She has taken the lead in looking for new products that will get the job done with less energy, higher performance and efficient operation. Michele believes that the more people know about those technologies, the bigger the environmental impact. Within our community she has worked with public school children in the “New Generation Engineer Community” and has also worked with her peers on their household habits and their impact on our environment.

Gretchen Woodworth, Corporate Trainer II
Paychex, Inc.
Field/Years: Training and Development / 3.5

Accomplishments: Gretchen is a life-long learner whose pattern of success includes learning all she can about her job, mastering those competencies and looking toward the future for advancement and opportunity. This is evident in her rapid rise from Payroll Specialist, to Senior Payroll Specialist, onto New Client Specialists and then to Branch Trainer. She has been instrumental in identifying changes to the current payroll training system and continually brings innovations and enhancements to the classroom learning experience.