Milwaukee Magazine | Women of Distinction 2020

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WOMEN OF

Distinction Milwaukee Magazine is proud to present this special section featuring some of our city’s most accomplished female leaders.

These women represent a wide variety of fields, from health care and counseling to finance, marketing and more. Join us in saluting our second annual Women of Distinction!

Representing these companies: Colliers International

Hillary Counseling

Pella Windows & Doors of Wisconsin

DNA Network LLC

IAG Wealth Partners

Greenberg Strategies LLC

Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery

Tempo Milwaukee

Molson Coors

Terra Translations

Skiin Anti-Aging Lounge

Golden Path Senior Living and Golden Path Home Care

The Navy Knot

Photographer

Boutique Photographer | Linda Smallpage

Writers

Everett Sullivan and Allie Habeck

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WOMEN OF

Distinction Milwaukee Magazine is proud to present this special section featuring some of our city’s most accomplished female leaders.

These women represent a wide variety of fields, from health care and counseling to finance, marketing and more. Join us in saluting our second annual Women of Distinction!

Representing these companies: Colliers International

Hillary Counseling

Pella Windows & Doors of Wisconsin

DNA Network LLC

IAG Wealth Partners

Greenberg Strategies LLC

Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery

Tempo Milwaukee

Molson Coors

Terra Translations

Skiin Anti-Aging Lounge

Golden Path Senior Living and Golden Path Home Care

The Navy Knot

Photographer

Boutique Photographer | Linda Smallpage

Writers

Everett Sullivan and Allie Habeck

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“Time has shown us that if we support our employees and our community with a broader focus than just profits, our company continues to grow stronger.”

- Marina Ilari Founder and CEO, Terra Translations

Fifteen years ago, Marina Ilari started Terra Translations alongside her mother. “As a young woman-owned and minority-owned business, I felt insecure about my background,” she says. “I felt alone at CEO roundtables, because the great majority of executives in the language industry are males. But these characteristics make me who I am and set me apart from the crowd.”

Using her uniqueness as a selling point, Ilari grew the company into a major force that collaborates with a team of over 1,000 translation professionals across the globe. She gives back to women in business through organizations such as Girlboss, Enterprising Women, and Women in Localization, a mentorship group that supports women in the translation industry.

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“You have to have passion for people and care about their needs.”

- Nicosia King

Founder, Golden Path Senior Living and Golden Path Home Care

From a young age, Nicosia King knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. When she was just 12 years old, King earned money by braiding hair and babysitting. As she grew up, she took her entrepreneurial efforts to a new level with the founding of Golden Path Senior Living in 2010 and Golden Path Home Care in 2013. The latter offers inhome care for clients with trained personal care workers providing daily visits and assistance, and Senior Living offers a full-time, live-in care facility. “Starting a business, you have to have patience,” she says. “Put in the work and the time and be consistent. Keep pushing through.”

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“Helping clients look great and feel beautiful for life events is really the best part of my day.”

- Lisa Kelly

Riley Kelly Tanner Store Manager, The Navy Knot

For years, Lisa Kelly found herself shopping for classic apparel, décor and gifts while visiting other parts of the country instead of while home in Milwaukee, where she couldn’t find any stores offering what she wanted. Then came the “aha!” moment, when she recognized this void in the marketplace and decided to open a boutique – The Navy Knot. While Kelly was preparing to launch The Navy Knot, her youngest daughter Riley was graduating from Miami University with a business management major. Joining her mother’s new business was a natural fit. The mother and daughter team curate the best of classic American brands from around the country to provide a fresh and personalized shopping experience unlike anything else in the state. “Inevitably, customers come back to share photos and the compliments they received,” Kelly says. “That, to me, is the most rewarding facet of my work.”

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Lisa Kelly Founder and Owner, The Navy Knot

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“As a community development consultant, my goal is to help the helpers.”

- Sarah Greenberg Founder, Greenberg Strategies LLC

Sarah Greenberg started her career in banking but longed for something that would better engage her sense of purpose. “I learned a lot about financial services, but it just wasn’t fulfilling,” she says. “I wanted to do some good for the world.” She discovered economic development and community investment, transitioning to alternative financial institutions that make credit available to people and organizations that lack access to traditional bank financing. In 2014, Greenberg started her own part-time community and economic development consulting firm, Greenberg Strategies LLC, which she turned into a fulltime business this past January. She provides consultation to social sector organizations and government entities to help them achieve community development goals; to attract financial resources to support affordable housing, small businesses and community facilities; and to survive and thrive during times of economic crisis. Recent events have put her services in high demand, providing assistance to organizations impacted by the pandemic.

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“Over the years, our message to our team has been ‘keep pedaling.’

When the road ahead looks uncertain, we trust God to keep us from falling.”

- Lori Watt

Anne Sapienza Financial Advisor

Jayme Heineck Financial Advisor

Lori Watt founded IAG Wealth Partners in 1985 after five years working as a financial planner. A year later, Susan Kuhlenbeck joined her as a co-owner, and they have been partners ever since. “It was very much a ‘learn as you go’ effort for both of us,” Watt says. “Being a successful ‘financial planner’ is very different than building a successful ‘financial planning firm,’ but integrating the two brings tremendous blessings.” In the 35 years since, IAG has remained successful and has become a home for many female financial advisers. “We strive to create an environment where everyone has the ability to achieve their greatest God-given potential,” says Kuhlenbeck.

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Susan Kuhlenbeck Vice President, Co-owner, COO

Jenny Bartz Financial Advisor

Debra Melvin

Lori Watt Founder and President, IAG Wealth Partners

Financial Advisor

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“I fell in love with this city and I have never looked back.”

- Tami Garrison Community Affairs Director, Molson Coors

In 2005, California native Tami Garrison moved to Milwaukee and realized that she had found her new home. When her hospitality industry job eventually required her to move again, she didn’t want to leave.

“Enter Miller Brewing!” she says, looking back fondly.

In October of that year, she accepted a new job with Miller, which is now Molson Coors, as the Guest Services Manager. Garrison is currently Community Affairs Director, a position that allows her the opportunity to interact with and help the city she loves. Outside of her work with Molson Coors, she devotes her time to several organizations, including Tempo Milwaukee, the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, the United Performing Arts Fund and the Milwaukee Parks Foundation. “I am so fortunate to work for a company that encourages me to make an impact in our community,” she says.

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“It’s absolutely rewarding to listen to customers’ needs and wants and to help build their dreams.”

- Gina Della General Manager, Pella Windows & Doors of Wisconsin

Gina Della was working as a court reporter for Wisconsin law firms when she decided she needed a change. She took a job at her brother-in-law’s window sales company and learned the ropes of the sales business. That new job turned into a major milestone in 1997, when she started her own company, becoming the first woman in the U.S. to own a replacement window business. “To be quite honest, being a female in a completely male-dominated industry, it was a challenge to be taken seriously in the beginning,” she says. “It took time to earn people’s respect and to convince them that I knew what I was doing.” As General Manager of Pella Windows & Doors of Wisconsin, Della has helped lead the company to triple-digit sales growth.

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“Being surrounded by people who are passionate about our city is rewarding in itself.”

- Margaret Blair Director of Marketing and Research, Colliers International

Upon starting college, Margaret Blair intended to go on to law school, but found herself increasingly inspired by her business classes. While completing her graduate degree in applied economics, she became drawn to real estate and decided to pursue it as a career. After graduation, she took a job as a research analyst at Colliers International, a commercial real estate brokerage and property management company, and has stuck with the company since. “No journey is without obstacles,” she says. “But my experiences have truly been learning opportunities and have given me the foundation and expertise needed to succeed in what I am doing.” She has since risen to become the director of marketing and research, where her work helps drive real estate decisions across Milwaukee.

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Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

“Medicine is one of the best careers out there – it is wonderful to be able to help patients.”

- Dr. Tracy McCall Owner and Plastic Surgeon, Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery

Growing up with a mother who was a nurse, Tracy McCall has had a passion for medicine for as long as she can remember. In medical school, McCall shadowed a woman who was going into plastic surgery and discovered a love for the work. “I initially joined a single specialty group, which was delightful, but it wasn’t everything I wanted,” she says. “I wanted to have more control over the direction of my practice.” That desire led McCall to found Lake Country Plastic and Hand Surgery in 2004. Dr. McCall sees patients for reconstructive surgery, breast reductions and augmentation, abdominoplasties, Renuvion skin tightening and more.

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Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

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“The most valuable thing you can do for someone is to listen to them.”

- Lisa Hillary MSW, LCSW, Founder, Hillary Counseling

Over the past nine months, Lisa Hillary has seen the effects of the coronavirus crisis on mental health firsthand. At Hillary Counseling, her therapy practice, she has helped clients find ways to balance the life changes that have occurred from COVID, enhance healthy behaviors and think more positively, along with treating anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, career transitions and other issues. “Therapy most definitely can help people with the struggles they are experiencing from COVID,” she says. “It offers a safe space to pour out feelings and to get support from an objective observer.” With 15 years of experience as a therapist, Hillary knows the positive changes that come from counseling and an improved understanding of mental wellness. “Happiness is all about how you view your life's limitations – and having the right tools to overcome them.”

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Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

“My mission will always be to provide the best quality of care.”

- Chris Zajdel Founder, Skiin Anti-Aging Lounge

Chris Zajdel wanted to build a business from the ground up. “I wanted to do something that was not just fulfilling to me, but to others, where I could really make a difference and support guests on their skin health journey ,” she says. With years of experience in the aesthetics, spa and plastic surgery industry, she founded Skiin Anti-Aging Lounge in 2012. Skiin provides a wide array of medical, preventative and restorative aesthetic and skin care procedures and services, and the team tailors individual treatments and plans to meet the needs of their clients and guests. “Everything we do revolves around listening to our guests,” Zajdel says. “There’s amazing satisfaction in caring for others in a capacity that can help them feel better inside and out.

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Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

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“Seeing people succeed at something they’ve always wanted to do – that’s what really keeps me excited.”

- Debbie Allen Founder, DNA Network LLC

After 20 years working at Wisconsin Gas, Debbie Allen decided to take a chance – she had recently been told about an opportunity to buy and operate a McDonald’s franchise. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and many times we pass those up because of fear. If it doesn’t work, I can go get another job. But I’ll kick myself if I never try.” In 2016, after 18 years of owning and operating several McDonald’s franchises, Allen started the DNA Network, a business that provides coaching, mentorship and education to entrepreneurs running small businesses. It’s a chance for Allen to pass along the many lessons she’s learned along the way.

Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

“I am the luckiest CEO in Milwaukee because I’m surrounded by this network of strong, smart women.”

- Jennifer Dirks President and CEO, Tempo Milwaukee

“In 1975, the landscape for women executives was vastly different,” says Jen Dirks, the President and CEO of Tempo Milwaukee, a professional women’s organization. “We have a lot of work to do, but the opportunities for women to have a seat at the table today, to have a voice, is both encouraging and exciting. There are so many organizations looking to elevate women.” Dirks worked in communications and public relations for over 20 years before joining Tempo, where she has helped expand the organization to encompass over 650 female executives and emerging women leaders in Milwaukee.

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Alumni

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

“Finance is one of the best industries for a woman.”

- Melinda Wilke Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual

Melinda Wilke learned about money early, through her father’s business. At age 12, she began helping her dad with his tax returns and by age 22, she had joined Northwestern Mutual and started Wilke Wealth and Investment Planning.

“Managing money takes time," she says. "I know that busy medical and business professionals worry about their financial security in retirement, yet don’t have the time to develop in-depth financial projections and wealth management plans.

It is important to help clients effectively execute on their goals and dreams.”

Over the past 19 years, Wilke has built an all-female team and serves as one of the most respected money managers in Milwaukee. Wilke Wealth’s focus is to help clients love their wealth and create impactful financial legacies. When she’s not meeting with clients, Wilke works to educate and empower other women to pursue careers in the financial services.

Groundbreaker Award Winner SHE TREADS BOLDLY WHERE FEW HAVE GONE BEFORE

Melinda Wilke uses Wilke Wealth & Investment Planning as a marketing name for doing business as representatives of Northwestern Mutual. Wilke Wealth & Investment Planning is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agency or federal savings bank. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (NM) (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Melinda Wilke is an Insurance Agent of NM and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (long-term care insurance), a subsidiary of NM. Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC. Representative of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company®, Milwaukee, WI, (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), a subsidiary of NM and federal savings bank. Financial Representatives do not render tax advice.

Please consult with a qualified tax professional for tax advice.