Women
OF THE MONTH Karen E. Duarte
Manager, Insurance Agent | Freedom Insurance Services LLC • CEO | Kiubole
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aren E. Duarte is a manager and insurance agent with Freedom Insurance Services LLC. Karen is responsible for selling property, casualty, and all types of insurance. She also oversees the operations of Kiubole, a Salvadoran food truck, along with her family. It is the first pupusa truck in the state of Oklahoma. Karen hopes to expand and have a chain of food trucks to introduce pupusas throughout Oklahoma and beyond. She earned a B.S. in Pharmacy from El Salvador and is an insurance producer and trucking specialist. Karen belongs to the Leukemia Foundation and Smile Train Foundation. She enjoys spending time with her family, helping people, and aerobics. How did you get started in your field/industry? It was really a matter of time and destiny. All of my background studies were in chemistry and pharmacy. I knew nothing about trucking or insurance. When we first moved to Oklahoma 14 years ago, my family and I started running
Ana Paula Fernandes
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na Paula Fernandes is the executive director, founder, and owner of AbriSuite Inc., which is a technology services business, specializing in digital transformation, cybersecurity services, and fully managed information technology services. Ana earned her B.S in Computer Science from the Pontificia Catholic University of Paraná, Brazil in 1991 and a B.B.A. in Management and Operations from Universidade Federal do Paraná. She is a software business
a trucking company. I was working from home back then and got involved in management and operation roles, especially the administrative area. I was able to survive the struggles of the industry’s entrepreneurs. I learned the hard way, but that helped me understand the business very well, especially insurance for trucking companies. I got into the insurance business to help educate others and do my best to help my community to succeed. What are some of the biggest challenges/obstacles you faced in your career? When you are a single mom raising two kids, working becomes a hassle, especially when you are out visiting clients and vendors. I was lucky enough have a lot of family support. Being a woman in this mostly male industry is a challenge. I have shown the male truckers out there that I am a woman and a trucking business specialist. freedominsuranceokc.com
Owner, Executive Director and Founder | AbriSuite Inc. executive and Certified Agile Practitioner. She is working on her executive M.B.A. at the Quantic School of Business & Technology. Ana has been in the industry for almost 30 years. She is responsible for internal operations, finance, marketing,
and sales. Previously, Ana worked as a senior manager in IT with Teranet Inc., as a senior project manager with PointClickCare, and as a technical consultant at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She also held
Paulette Childress
Owner | Image-Results
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aulette Childress is the owner of Image-Results, a full-service marketing and advertising company which specializes in business growth, creative design, web development, printing, and promotional items. With 30 years of industry experience, Paulette specializes in marketing, advertising, and guiding companies to their top growth and profitability. She is experienced in financial analysis, strategic planning, market planning, and project management. She uses her asset management experience and ability to streamline the company’s operations. Paulette is able to shape branding from conceptual development to execution. She earned an A.S. in Business from Clayton University, and is Adobe Certified, Business Coach Certified, DISC certified, and Life Coach Certified. Paulette is on the board of directors with Advo-Kids CASA, Inc., Fayette, Coweta Chapter. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and sewing.
www.image-results.com
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different roles with the public healthcare sector in Brazil. Ana speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. She enjoys spending time with her three children, fitness, cooking, and travel. How did you get started in your field/ industry? I was very interested in the capabilities of computers. I wanted to learn how to build animations and animated broadcasting with computers. I ended up working with software development instead. I was always interested in business administration and took a specialization course after graduation. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges that women face today? Women still suffer ostracism from their male colleagues in technology and other careers which are traditionally male dominated. Too many girls still don’t get the education they deserve in developing countries. What does the word empowerment mean to you? It means you are responsible for your success or failure because you’re empowered to make your own decisions. It means you can accomplish anything, because your ideas are important, and you can make a difference. www.abrisuite.com
