Skirt magazine April 2019 Issue

FREE APRIL| 2019

TAKE CHARGE Define Your Own Success

INSIDE: Women at Work

04

0

51497

02904

3

Morris Washington, M.D., FACS, FASMBS

Rya Kaplan, M.D.

Anna Morgan, M.D.

Karinka Romanowska, M.D.

East Cooper Medical Group welcomes the following new providers: EAST COOPER BARIATRIC SURGERY Morris Washington, M.D., FACS, FASMBS PHONE: 843-352-4154 1280 Hospital Drive, Suite 302 Mt. Pleasant, SC

EAST COOPER GI Rya Kaplan, M.D. PHONE: 843-936-5970 874 Whipple Road, Suite 100 Mt. Pleasant, SC

HIGH TIDE INTERNAL MEDICINE Anna Morgan, M.D. Karinka Romanowska, M.D. PHONE: 843-352-4054 1280 Hospital Drive, Suite 201 Mt. Pleasant, SC

A COMMUNITY BUILT ON CONNECTION

CHAR 03.00.19 SKIRT NewProv1.indd 1

Schedule an appointment today.

EastCooperMedicalGroup.com 843-849-WELL (9355)

2/11/19 2:40 PM

40 PM

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Shelley Hill Young shelley@skirt.com ART DIRECTOR Laura Staiano laura@skirt.com INTEGRATED ACCOUNT MANAGER Susan Norfleet susan@skirt.com Whitney Brenkus whitney@skirt.com PHOTOGRAPHERS Zheng Chia, Mary Beth Creates, Samantha Fuentes, Abby Murphy, Erin Turner, Libby Williams, Daniel Velasco CONTRIBUTORS Vivian Appler, Holly Fisher, Kinsey Gidick, Lorna Hollifield, Kelsey Lorman, Helen Mitternight, Angie Mizzell, Allyson Sutton, Ann Warner EDITORIAL INTERN Savannah Crocker savannah@skirt.com BUSINESS MANAGER Cassaundra Tebben cass@skirt.com DISTRIBUTION C&R Marketing, Tina Tartaglia ADVERTISING sales: 843.958.0028 sales@skirt.com EDITORIAL AND SALES OFFICES P.O. Box 579, Charleston, South Carolina 29402 843.958.0028 sales@skirt.com, skirt.com PRESIDENT, PUBLISHER Thomas J. Giovanniello, Jr. thomas@holycitypublishing.com

Skirt is published monthly and distributed free throughout the greater Charleston area. Subscriptions are available through www.skirt.com. Subscription rates are $19.95 for 12 issues. Back issues may be obtained by contacting the Skirt offices.

Back issues are $5.99. All contents of this magazine, including without limitation the design, advertisements, art, photos and editorial content as well as the selection, coordination and arrangement thereof, is Copyright© Holy City Publishing, LLC. All rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Postage paid at Charleston, S.C., and additional mailing offices. Skirt is a registered trademark of Holy City Publishing, LLC. Skirt and skirt.com are licensed under the authority of Morris Media Network. Printed in the United States.

Vol. 25 Issue 4 ISSN 2637-3815 (Print) ISSN 2637-3831(Online)

Proudly printed

by Walton Press for 24 years!

Visit skirt.com to sign up to receive the latest Skirt news and information.

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

PROUD MEMBER OF The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce

WE’RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Facebook.com/skirtCharleston Instagram.com/skirtCharleston Twitter.com/skirtCharleston

skirt . | april 2019 3

4 

skirt . | april 2019

APRIL | 2019

10

28 17

8

44

contents

IN EVERY ISSUE

F E AT U R E S 8

Amazing Muslim Women SCORE

10

Women in Construction

14

Closing the Gender Pay Gap

16

Whos’ the Boss?

17

Special Section: Women in Business

32

Forward!

By Vivian Appler

12

You Can Be Anything

By Angie Mizzell

18

Men in Skirts

20

Skirt Community: Women in Tech

22

Skirt Wellness

24

Skirt Books: In The Company of Women

26

Skirt Table

28

Skirt Calendar

30

Skirt Events 43 Don’t Skirt the Issue

44

on the cover FREE APRIL| 2019

TAKE CHARGE Define Your Own Success

INSIDE: Women at Work

04

0

51497

02904

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY BETH CREATES We’re often told, “You can be anything when you grow up,” and we’re firm believers in that encouraging sentiment that parents often express to their young children. Women can do and be anything we set our minds and hearts to. Our cover is a celebration of all types of jobs women hold, including construction worker, beekeeper, art therapist and the social innovation catalyst for a tech firm.

Stylist: Andrea Serrano & Cristy Pratt; Stylist assistant: Kara Wells; Makeup: Elina Mille; Hair: Lauren Elise Hall; Dresses by: Morph Clothing; Stool: Celadon Home Chandra Jones: earrings, ring by Julie Vos and shoes from Tres Carmen; Michelle Blackstock: earrings her own, ring by Goldbug Collection from Rhodes boutique, bangles by Julie Vos from Tres Carmen, shoes Jeffrey Campbell from Tres Carmen, handbag by Jessica Murtha; Katie Hinson: Earrings and shoes from Tres Carmen; Nina Magnesson: earrings from Rhodes Boutique, bangles from Tres Carmen, shoes from Charleston Shoe Co.

3

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 5

editor’s letter Dear Readers, I had the opportunity to write about Enough Yoga led by Kennae Miller of Transformation Yoga and Kate Reutter Counts of Evolve Yoga in our October issue. And last month, I had the opportunity to participate in a class. It’s a powerful experience that I highly recommend.

Kennae and Kate lead you through yoga poses while asking you to think about how you feel, about where you feel, about issues such as race, privilege and living sustainably. They ask you to breathe out those emotions forcefully. They ask you to be grounded, to root yourself in the experiences of all those who have come before you, to do child’s pose, literally feeling the earth supporting you. And they ask you to consider what you can do to take action, to truly embody the idea of a warrior. We left at once mentally exhausted and recharged. The takeaway was that it’s always a good practice to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. And that sometimes it’s important to speak up, even when you’re afraid that you’re going to say the wrong thing. Don’t let fear hold you back. You will make mistakes along the way, but addressing issues head on is often better than doing nothing. The next class is April 20 at Fresh Future Farm.

It’s a very different type of work than the work we focus on in this issue, but more than what you do to earn a living, how you treat other people defines the person you are, how you will be remembered, what you teach your children.

It’s also an acknowledgment that women often do the difficult work of trying to build bridges, of nurturing, of communicating and collaborating to build understanding.

And it’s an awareness that all women should have the same opportunities to make the best decisions for themselves and their families—to be the boss of their lives.

In this issue, we celebrate all the types of work women do—from raising families, volunteering, teaching, creating art, serving in elected positions, owning businesses, leading companies and following their passions no matter where they lead. We think all women have the right to be anything they want to be. And we think we’re most successful when we’re supporting each other.

In this issue, you’ll find our annual Women at Work special section, where we invite women to share the goods and services they provide and tell us in their own words what makes them successful. We hope you’ll be inspired by their stories to reach for your own dreams.

Join us this month for Mugs for Moms at 10 a.m. April 13 at Cone 10 Studios as we brunch and enjoy coffee served in ceramic mugs created by local artists. The event benefits Postpartum Support Charleston. You’ll have the opportunity to register for the Moms’ Run on May 11, which also raises awareness about maternal mental health.

We’re also excited to host our second Skirt Book Club at 5:30 p.m. April 24 at Buxton Books. I’ll be discussing the book “The Lost Girls of Paris” by Pam Jenoff with local author Patti Callahan Henry.

Finally, as we approach our 25th anniversary, we want to hear from you if you’ve been featured in Skirt magazine. Send an email to submissions@skirt.com with 25th anniversary in the subject line and let us know what month and year you were featured. If you have the article framed and hanging in your home or business, take a photo, post it on social media and tag @skirtcharleston. Use the hashtag #WhereIHangMySkirt.

Sincerely,

Shelley Hill Young

6

skirt . | april 2019

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019  7

Perfect For Her

Event Aims to Introduce Community to Successful Muslim Women

When Hassanah El-Yacoubi went to college, women often stopped her and said, “I love the way you wear the hijab, but I could never pull it off the way you do.”

So Hassanah began a blog called Perfect For Her where she posted photos of celebrities and other women wearing stylish yet modest fashions as a way to inspire others.

Perfect for Her, she says. spotlights clothing that is suitable for Muslim women who wear the hijab, clothing that modestly covers the body AISHA MAHMOOD

8

skirt . | april 2019

in a way that is contemporary and fashionable.

Hassanah hosted a trunk show in Northern Virginia, where she grew up, selling a curated collection of modest formal dresses. She says there was a line out the door and each woman purchased more than one dress.

Hassanah knew she was on to something. She went back to Southern California, where she is a doctoral student in religious studies, and hosted a Perfect For Her convention

HASSANAH EL-YACOUBI

“ I projected confidence in my religious identity that, perhaps, they longed for,” Hassanah says.

“I wasn’t afraid to look different.

I liked that I looked different.” to bring together designers of stylish modest clothing. Her sixth convention is coming up in August. It’s now the largest modest fashion event in the United States, with more than 500 women attending.

She says the thing that made others take notice of her back in college was that her style was modest, but not frumpy.

“I was able to be modest but on trend,” she says. But, more importantly, “I projected confidence in my religious identity that, perhaps, they longed for. … I wasn’t afraid to look different. I liked that I looked different.”

Hassanah is one of three Muslim women speaking at College of Charleston on April 19 for the Amazing Muslim Women event. It’s a panel discussion about faith, feminism and the future of America and will be moderated by visiting political science professor Shyam Sriram.

The other speakers are Sanad Alsha-

reef, a resident in internal medicine at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Aisha Mahmood, the policy director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta.

“They only real way to gain knowledge about different cultures is experientially,” Shyam says. Shyam teaches classes on religion in American politics and international relations and immigration, and touches on American Muslims’ experiences his classes. But he realized that many of his students and others on campus rarely have the opportunity to interact with Muslims.

“I want people to experience American Islam,” he said. “These women are Muslim. They are American, and they are not going anywhere.”

Shyam also wanted to give voice to different perspectives on feminism because the discussion has often left out experiences of women

COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

By Shelley Hill Young

“ People must stop promoting and accepting traditional gender roles,” Sanad says. “I am a proud Muslim Arab-American immigrant who followed her American dream and became a physician.”

“I was told that I should not be too ambitious about pursuing a higher education or career because these things would intimidate men,” she says. “Essentially, (I was told) that women should look and behave a certain way.”

Sanad says all women—especially Muslim women—need to support and empower one another to reach their full potential.

“People must stop promoting and accepting traditional gender roles,” she says. “I am a proud Muslim Arab-American immigrant who followed her American dream and became a physician.”

Hassanah uses her Perfect For Her platform to empower other women to wear the hijab confidently and to support female entrepreneurs. The business owners she invites to the convention are often female Muslim entrepreneurs. She promotes other brands with fashionable modest styles on her Instagram account, where she has 47,000 followers.

“When you show others that you are not afraid of their success, then you are the most successful. We have to get over this fear of someone being more successful than us,” she says. “We are absolutely more powerful together.”

SANAD ALSHAREEF

if you go: AMAZING MUSLIM WOMEN 6 -7:30 P.M. APRIL 19 RITA HOLLINGS SCIENCE CENTER, ROOM 101

COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

who are not from a white, Western, Christian background.

Sanad, the medical resident, decided to become a doctor after watching doctors and nurses help a family member who was sick in her home country of Iraq, where there is not adequate access to health care.

“I remember that day vividly because it was filled with tears of both fear and joy,” Sanad says. “This inspired me to provide support and hope to whoever was going through similar situations.”

But, she says, colleagues, acquaintances and even strangers told her she shouldn’t pursue a career in medicine.

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 9

SCORE!

Shop designer pieces at this year’s Charleston Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse

By Kelsey Lorman

TRAVEL TO FRANCE WITH FRENCH-INSPIRED DESIGNS

Throughout her life, Terry Stephenson and her husband have moved from house to house in Charleston, buying, fixing and decorating homes with classic French taste and then selling the homes to find their next passion project. Terry often bought authentic, antique pieces for her homes during her travels to France, which inspired her to turn this love of French décor into a business of her own.

“I’ve always loved France, I’ve been going there for over 40 years,” she says.

Terry opened Juxtaposition Home and Garden, a brick-andmortar shop on King Street, in 2015 and later moved to Wynsum Antiques and Interiors with other local designers.

It’s a destination for those looking to find unique, antique pieces for their homes.

Terry combs through markets and trade shows on her trips to France to find pieces that are “beautiful, authentic and distinctive.”

Terry’s room in the home features impressionistic interior design and was inspired by Monet’s home and garden in France.

Her booth at SCORE will be a continuation of that space.

Guests can find lavender bundles wrapped in French paper, antique cutting boards, napkin rings made out of shells found at the French Riviera, 100-year-old clay pots with patina, and a variety of French knife rests in endearing animal themes like lions, horses and rabbits.

Her booth also will feature French oyster plates and French antique rosary beads. To go with the theme of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Terry also has framed antique French music sheets available.

Terry is actually credited with coming up with the name “SCORE,” saying she loved the double entendre of the meaning: SCORE references both the music score paying homage to the Charleston Symphony, as well as that winning feeling you get when you score a great deal or the perfect find.

MUNGO BRINGS QUALITY TEXTILES TO CHARLESTON MARKET

is done with care and by hand, Kristyn says.

More than 90 percent of Mungo’s employees are women who are caring for large, extended families in South Africa.

As the company searched for the right opportunity to expand in Charleston, Kristyn, the sales manager, was connected at a local market with Jodie-Beth Galos, and immediately felt passionate about the opportunity to partner with SCORE. The SCORE popup will feature Mungo’s luxurious Belgian waffle towel, a large waffle-weave towel that Kristyn describes as the “treat-yourself towel.”

Mungo’s spa wraps will also be available, made of a very delicate bamboo and cotton mix weave, in a natural color, a lavender stripe option, a sage, and a gray charcoal color.

Upon the opening of their Spring Street location, Mungo will feature a lovingly named Folly Beach towel made with vibrant colors and a weave that looks like fish scales, 100 percent linen bedding that is proven to stand up against humidity, and organic cotton baby blankets in colors like Caterpillar (green), Elephant (gray) and Flamingo (coral).

Kristyn Holding’s father-in-law Stuart started Mungo with two antique looms and a passion for creating home textiles more than 20 years ago.

Stuart sold his goods in his wife Jane’s shop.

In 20 years, Mungo, which creates heirloom-quality woven goods, has grown from ANTIQUE FRENCH five employees to 100, ROSARY BEADS AT JUXTAPOSITION and has grown from one shop to three, with a fourth and first American shop joining the Charleston scene this month.

“Everything from inception of the design, weaving, cutting, sewing”

COURTESY OF TERRY STEPHENSON; COURTESY OF MUNGO

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra League is opening the doors to its annual Designer Showhouse where local designers and vendors decorate each space in a downtown home, offering inspiration for guests who tour the home. New this year, the CSOL is launching a curated pop-up shop called SCORE, which gives guests the opportunity to take home merchandise from their favorite designers featured in the showhouse.

“By working directly with the designers, we’re taking the glorious taste of the house right to the consumer,” says Jodie-Beth Galos, merchandising chair of CSOL Board.

Skirt talked with three female creatives whose products are featured in the SCORE pop-up shop.

MUNGO’S LUXURIOUS BELGIAN WAFFLE TOWEL

10

skirt . | april 2019

For Michelle Blackstock, her Bee Bella Honey company started with a family hobby that she had always been passionate about. With over 30 years of beekeeping in her family, Michelle and her husband became beekeepers in 2013 when she was encouraged by her co usin to keep bees on her balcony at her Lowcountry home.

“It’s pretty unusual to have hives on a balcony, but we don’t get as many pests due to where we’ve got them,” says Michelle.

She says her bees fly within three to five miles of their home, pollinating a number of surrounding plants and flowers in the area. For this reason, they call their honey “Wildflower Honey,” and while they first began giving it away to friends and family, they were

soon encouraged to sell it. With worker bees living only four to five weeks and making just one teaspoon of honey each, it certainly is no easy task to tend to bees, says Michelle. She says they will have a total of 10 hives this spring, and loves beekeeping because of how important bees are to the environment.

“Local honey builds up your immunities,” says Michelle. “People ask me once a week where they can find my honey to help with their allergies, and it means a lot to me that I’m helping people.”

Along with her own honey, Michelle has turned Bella Bee Honey into a carefully curated collection of bee-themed memorabilia. Her best-selling honey is the jalapeño-infused honey, with her Carolina Reaper-infused honey as another fan favorite. When she’s got the time and honey supply, Michelle also likes to create lip balms and candles. Her collection also includes bee jewelry, elaborate bee purses and honey pots.

These items, along with bee tea towels, hors d’oeuvre plates and more are the items visitors of the SCORE pop-

BEE JEWELRY AND OYSTER BASKET BY MICHELLE BLACKSTOCK

up will be able to view at Michelle’s booth. She will also be hosting honey tastings once a week at the Designer Showhouse. Year round, you can find Michelle’s Bee Bella Honey collection at the South Accent Designers Market in Mount Pleasant, as well as showcased at various local shops around town.

IF YOU GO:

The Designer Showhouse is a 1903 Queen Anne Victorian on Rutledge Avenue, south of Broad Street. Tickets are $25. All proceeds from the home tours and SCORE go to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. You can visit the Designer Showhouse and SCORE pop-up shop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays from through April 28 (with the exception of Easter Sunday). For more information and for the pop-up shop schedule, visit csolinc.org/designer-showhouse.

COURTESY OF TERRY STEPHENSON; COURTESY OF MUNGO

GRIOT PHOTO

SWEET AS HONEY

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 11

forward!

Standup Performance Raising Awareness of Social Issues Through Theater

s an assistant professor at the College of Charleston, I am one among many faculty members who work to empower students to exercise their freedoms of speech, action and thought in the face of nationalistic sentiments resurfacing across the globe. I offer a course on feminist theater, and the experience of teaching this class has taught me that there is no better time than now to educate from an explicitly feminist position. The undergraduate theatre classroom can function as a safe space to thoughtfully articulate questions and devise critical actions in response to an unjust world.

The intersectional feminist position that I seek to convey involves recognition, identification and intervention into social problems that impact people who come from a variety of class, gender, racial, ethnic or differently abled positions.

Two “activist performance interventions” are at the heart of the class. Each intervention is an opportunity for students to collaboratively create performances that respond to a social issue that they understand to constitute a personal, community, national or global problem.

When I taught the class in 2017, Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban surfaced as an issue that students felt was an impediment to the values of intersectional feminism. Their first activist intervention was called “Bon Bons to Ban Bans.” It was affiliated with the international protest, “Bad and Nasty: Not My President’s Day” spearheaded by Holly Hughes, Lois Weaver and Mary Jo Watts. Students distributed homemade candy that was wrapped in paper upon which the students had printed an explanation of their feminist opposition to the ban.

This year students addressed a number of different topics for their first project; three groups addressed the issues of LGBTQ+ acceptance in religious communities, the accessibility of Narcan on campus, and the public’s awareness of demonized women in history. Their performances took the forms of personal testimo-

12

skirt . | april 2019

nials, a poster campaign and public trivia quizzes.

Performing protest in public without the comfortable anonymity of a proscenium theater proved both daunting and invigorating. For many, the actions constituted their first public performance. One student from the “demonized women” group wrote of her surprise at being “the one actually attempting to attract the crowd and talk to strangers.” Another student, who participated in the “inclusive religion” group, commented that the experience of sharing testimonials encouraged the feminist practice of listening: “taking a step back and simply listening can be one of the most feminist things I could do… by listening to the stories of my LGBTQ+ comrades, I reminded myself that sometimes it’s much better to listen than speak.” The first action empowered students to share their experience in public while also developing skills in democratic collaboration and clear communication.

The second action stems from an analysis of the play “Oh My Sweet Land: A Love Story from Syria,” by Amir Nizar Zuabi. The play is a one-woman show in which a single actress embodies the stories of the many different kinds of people impacted by the war in Syria. In 2017, the class staged a reading of the play as a part of an international awareness-raising campaign that took place on Global Theatre Day. “Taking Refuge” was organized by Pittsburgh-based activist theater director Cynthia Croot and Noor Theatre co-founder Lameece Issaq. The day consisted of concurrent readings of Zuabi’s work and other pieces that engaged with the plight of Syria and its people held at different locations around the world. This year, students will devise their second round of interventions in response to the play’s themes of refugeeism, migration, war and diasporic identity. In the play, the protagonist prepares the Syrian dish of kubbeh (a fried meat pastry) as she embodies the many characters that she represents throughout the show. The students’ final performance responses will also involve food and will be produced through Global Foodways, the 2018-2019 World Affairs Signature Series

MIKE LEDFORD

A

By Dr. Vivian Appler

sponsored by the College of Charleston’s School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs and South Carolina Humanities (a subsidiary program of the National Endowment for the Humanities). Final performances will be staged from 2 to 4 p.m. April 5, at the Bob Waggoner Kitchen, 164 Market St. Global Foodways is also producing two additional events intended to engage Charleston’s community in dialogue about Syria.

“Refugee Life/Refuge of Food: Syrian Food Culture in the Wake of Wartime Diaspora” will be held at the Culinary Institute of Charles-

At 4 p.m. April 8, Cynthia Croot will facilitate a viewing and discussion of two short films, “Mare Nostrum” and “Searching for the Translator,” directed by Anas Khalaf and Rana Kazkaz, both of whom are Syrian women currently located in Jordan.

Details regarding these Syria-related events and other Global Foodways events may be found at blogs.cofc.edu/global-foodways/events. All events are free and open to the public.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach Feminist Theatre twice since I started at the college in 2015. The ur-

“ The undergraduate theater classroom can function as a safe space to thoughtfully articulate questions and devise critical actions in response to an unjust world.” gency of our collective global circumstances has forced me to articulate and embody my own ideals more fully than perhaps I would have under conditions less immediately threatening to our human rights. My students have gained confidence and skills in their ability to enact their own emerging positions in relationship to a non-ideal world. I invite you to join the conversation at our upcoming feminist performance interventions and events.

MIKE LEDFORD

ton at Trident Technical College Palmer Campus at 5 p.m. April 5.

This arts-integrative evening will feature readings by Osama Alomar, a displaced Syrian writer-in-residence at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s City of Asylum; a cooking demonstration by Mayada Anjari, a displaced Syrian chef; a lesson in Syrian dance with Northwestern University professor Shayna Silverstein; and commentary by Shadi Martini, Syrian foodie and director of humanitarian relief and regional relations at the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 13

Charleston is booming and ... women are actively looking for a place where our voices are heard and amplified and where we can find professional development,� says Janet Bates.

14 

skirt . | april 2019

CONSTRUCTION ZONE:

FAR RIGHT: MARY BETH CREATES

E

WOMEN AT WORK

Well, they need accounvery industry has tants in construction. Or its uniform, from you can be in the trade, out scrubs for health care on a job site, building the comworkers to power suits for execmunities in which we live.” utives. When the women in conJanet, who is director of business struction gear up, it can include a hard development and marketing for CF Evhat, gloves, safety goggles, a vest, a harness ans Construction, headquartered in Orangeand a sturdy pair of boots. And sometimes, it

By Helen Mitternight burg, said she’d never thought about construchas to include thick skin.

Photography by tion. She had an MBA in general management and Nationally, women make up under 10 percent Libby Williams sustainable enterprise and had experience in marketof the construction industry, and their small numbers ing. The construction company was looking for an intern make them tend to stick together. to help refine its brand. She stayed to become an employee, In Charleston, the newly formed Palmetto Chapter of “and I’m so grateful they asked me to stay,” she says.

National Women in Construction jumped in just a few Chandra Jones, a field engineer with Robins & Morton, “accimonths to 69 members, making it the largest chapter in the South dently fell into construction” when she took a temporary position as Atlantic region.

“That speaks to the fact that Charleston is booming and that women are a jobsite secretary until she could find something in her field, accounting actively looking for a place where our voices are heard and amplified and and human resources.

“I fell in love with what I do and I won’t stop doing it,” she says. “Bewhere we can find professional development,” says Janet Bates, president cause we primarily build hospitals, I personally take an immense amount of the Charleston chapter.

It also gives local construction women their own tribe in a field that can of pride and joy in knowing that we leave a quality product that will benefit be a little testosterone-heavy. The stereotype of the leering construction many in that particular community for years to come.”

The week of March 3 was declared National Women in Construction worker is becoming an artifact, but it still happens.

“I’m not going to lie and say it never happens, but I’ve been very fortu- Week by the cities of Charleston, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, James Island, nate to work for a company with incredibly high ethical standards,” Jan- North Charleston and Summerville as well as South Carolina’s governor. The et says. “Our responsibility is to get more women involved so it becomes chapter did an event a day, including building for Habitat for Humanity, orgamore awkward for men to do that and (to) tell companies (their) ethical nizing hard-hat tours and a panel on how to deal with harassment.

Janet says her young daughter wants a hard hat of her own and dismissstandards have to be higher to get more people to work for (them).”

The good news is that, unlike women in the general workforce who es the toy plastic ones since those can’t be worn on a real job site.

“The chapter and I both strongly believe that, unless little girls can see make 81.1 percent of their male counterparts, construction women earn 95.7 percent, a much smaller pay gap. Pay is just one reason for women to themselves in an industry, there’s no reason they would ever go into it,” Janet says. “I have 69 strong, passionate women who are great models for go into construction, Janet says.

“This industry is growing. It’s exciting and there’s a lot of opportunity this. My 4-year-old daughter thinks I build castles for a living. I’m OK for women,” she says. “People may think they want to go into accounting. with that.”

MEMBERS OF WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION CHAPTER GO ON HARD-HAT TOUR OF CONSTRUCTION SITE.

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

CHANDRA JONES

skirt . | april 2019 15

The Time is Now to Close THE GENDER PAY GAP

16

skirt . | april 2019

crimination still penalize women, especially women of color. Common employer actions, like requiring job applicants to report their previous salary history, perpetuate the wage gap.

Because the reasons for the wage gap are varied, multiple solutions are required. Strengthening South Carolina’s laws would make a huge differ-

“Two-thirds of families have a female breadwinner. Their earnings make a huge impact on their own financial security, on their families’ economic stability and mobility, and on the economic growth of our state.” ence. That is why WREN is advocating for the bipartisan Act to Establish Pay Equity, introduced in the S.C. General Assembly this year, which would help to ensure that people are paid comparably for comparable work, ban the use of salary history in job applications, and help ensure transparency and make it illegal for employers to retaliate against employees for talking about their wages.

Businesses also have an important role to play.

In order to remain competitive and attract talent, businesses need to attract women, especially in industries where they are underrepresented. In order to attract and retain female talent, they need to ensure that they are transparent about the wages they are offering and that these wages are fair. Fair wages, family-friendly benefits and professional development opportunities are no longer luxuries; in a tight labor market, they are business imperatives.

Educators and parents have a crucial role to play by teaching girls and boys to explore career opportunities that may be nontraditional for their gender – exposing girls to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education and exposing boys to caregiving and teaching jobs. We need to prepare our girls and boys with all the information and confidence that they need to pursue their dreams and advocate for themselves.

Ensuring fair pay practices will benefit everyone in our society. Two-thirds of families have a female breadwinner. Their earnings make a huge impact on their own financial security, on their families’ economic stability and mobility, and on the economic growth of our state. Economists estimated that if we could close the gaps in women’s workforce participation, we could unleash $5 billion in annual economic activity in our state.

In order to do that, we have to get real about the challenges we still face, and more importantly, commit to real solutions. At the current rate of progress, our granddaughters will still be talking about the gender pay gap. If we get serious now about closing it, when our daughters and granddaughters are asked, “Is the gender pay gap really still a thing?” they can finally answer with confidence, “Nope. Not anymore.”

MOLLY HARRELL

W

hen I talk about the gender pay gap, there’s usually at least one person in the room who gives me the side eye and asks something like, “Is that really still a thing?” I can’t blame them for asking. Despite how often the gender pay gap is mentioned in the news, we don’t often unpack and explain the numbers.

To make sure we knew the extent of the gender pay gap in South Carolina, the Women’s Rights Empowerment Network asked economists at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina to crunch the numbers. They found that South Carolina women working full time earned 73 cents on every dollar that men earned. We also asked them to break these numbers down by race. They found that African American women working full time earned 53 cents on the dollar that white men earned. These numbers clearly show that the wage gap is definitely still a thing in South Carolina and that it hurts women of color most.

There is no single reason for the gender pay gap. It reflects and reinforces multiple obstacles that women face throughout their lives.

Despite the fact that women are more highly educated than men, women are more likely to work in lower-wage jobs. Girls are often guided toward occupations that tend to pay less, such as teaching or health care. Because women assume most of the child care burden, they are more likely to take unpaid time off and to work part time, often because paid parental leave is nonexistent and child care is inaccessible or unaffordable. The fact that the wage gap persists across many industries and starts immediately upon entry into the workforce shows that women’s choices alone cannot explain the wage gap. Unconscious biases and outright dis-

By Ann Warner

WHO’S THE

BOSS?

Women are. But don’t call us “lady boss” or “girl boss.” Just “boss” will do.

By Kinsey Gidick • Photography by Libby Williams

I

ered the “bread-keeper” or person “providing food for his dependents.” A lady, therefore, was the “bread-kneader,” expected to supply food for those living under her roof. Now, I don’t know about you, but as boss, I wasn’t baking my staff bread. And that might be part of the reason “lady” has undergone what academics call semantic derogation, aka a negative connotation shift.

Much like “mistress,” which, once the respectable counterpoint to mister, became the shorthand for a cheat, “lady” became infantilized and debased. As women entered the workforce in greater numbers, the word “lady” began to be applied to jobs. Ann Friedman writes in The New Republic that at this time, suddenly we get “sales lady” and “cleaning lady.” Of course feminists in the ‘60s and ‘70s objected to this use with linguistics professor Robin Lakoff writing in a 1973 academic paper, “[T]he more demeaning the job, the more the person holding it (if female, of course) is likely to be described as a lady.” And while I’ll be the first to admit I greet my friends with a “Hey, ladies!”, the demeaning sound of the term applied to my job title still rings true.

Oh, sure, some are trying to reclaim “girl boss” and “lady boss” as positives, applying them in rah-rah fashion to the “go-girl” movement.

But no matter whose mouth it escapes, I hear “lady boss” tinged with a dismissive inflection.

It’s like a verbal pat on the head: “Isn’t that cute, you’re a little lady boss.”

But don’t just take it from me. Look at Tina Fey. When her book “Bossypants” was released, I don’t think it was lost on any of her fans what she was saying with the title. The comedian says she chose “Bossypants” because so many people asked her, “Is it hard for you, being the boss?” “Is it uncomfortable for you to be the person in charge?” Folks, they asked a five-time Emmy Award winner if it was hard for her to be in charge? Can you imagine such a question being lobbed at the three male writers of “VEEP” who took the Emmy in 2015?

Hell no.

And why should it be? The very nature of being boss is that it’s hard. Look at the requirements: Managing workers—hard. Making tough decisions—hard. Being the one who has to answer for all of the hard decisions—hard. But, BUT, being a woman is not what makes any of that hard.

And the sooner we get people to understand that, the better. Right, ladies?

Kinsey Gidick is the former editor of Charleston City Paper. She left last year to become her own boss. Read her work at kinseygidick.com

MOLLY HARRELL

can’t stand the term “girl boss.” “Lady boss” is just as insufferable. “How about just boss?!”

I’d shudder when anyone so much as whispered the words in my presence while I was editor of Charleston City Paper.

I know, I know, “girl boss” is derived from the book “#GirlBoss” by Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal retailer. And, yes, I know that her book was a New York Times best-seller. I know that the Washington Post called it “Lean In for misfits.” But I also know that Lena Dunham called it “more than a book ... #GIRLBOSS is a movement.” Hard pass.

And hard pass to the notion that for a woman to be the boss of anything her title has to be preceded by the name for her prepubescent state.

If that’s the idea we’re subscribing to, then by all means, let’s get our anatomy all up in there and be super specific about our boss biology. How about PregnancyStretchMarksBoss? Or OvulatingBoss? Or BreastfeedingBoss?

Too much? Fine. Let’s talk about “lady boss.”

Now here’s a title with more problems than a Michael Cohen hearing. If the Oxford Dictionaries blog is to be believed, to understand the word “lady” we have to don a bodice and dive back into the Middle Ages. A lord was consid-

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 17

essay

You Can Be Anything You Want To Be Become a woman who paves her own way “Mommy, you can be anything you want to be.” Many times, I’ve tried to recall what prompted my 6-year-old daughter to say that to me while we were sitting on the couch one evening. Was I typing on my laptop? Were we watching TV? What sparked our conversation? What I distinctly remember about that night was the hint of concern in her voice, as if I wasn’t living up to my potential. You can be anything. How many times have I heard those words, said them myself?

Because I’m self-employed, work from home most of the time, and have a flexible (aka random) schedule, there’s a lot about my work my young daughter doesn’t understand. Most of the time, she sees me as Mom, and I’m OK with that. When I tell my friends this

I believe this in my bones: There’s no right way to be a woman. Our great opportunity to be anything doesn’t mean we have to be everything. story, I joke that I resisted the urge to show her my LinkedIn profile and rattle off the laundry list of my accomplishments. Instead, I simply explained that I am being what I want to be—specifically, a writer—and I get to work on fun and creative projects all the time.

She wasn’t 100 percent convinced. But convincing her wasn’t my job. It was my job to talk to her about it. It was my job to tell her that I own my choices and where those choices have led me. And to let her know that ultimately, I’m happy where I am.

I’m having this conversation with my sons, too. Years ago, when

18

skirt . | april 2019

my oldest son was about my daughter’s age, we were standing outside and a neighbor, an attorney, stopped and rolled down her window to say hello. She was dressed up and looking nice.

When she drove off, my son asked, “Where is she going?” I told him she was going to work. He replied, “Mommies go to work?”

It was a surprise to him that some women got in the car, drove away from the house and didn’t return until hours later. He thought my path was the only path, and until that moment, I had no idea. So I took the opportunity to explain that women—not just moms—work all sorts of ways.

When I traded my corporate career for the self-employed life 15 years ago, I walked away from the unhealthy idea that I had to prove my worth by staying on a path that looked better on the outside than it felt on the inside. But being my own boss didn’t translate to working fewer hours. At one point, I was working at a gym as a personal trainer, running a boutique marketing and event-planning company, and doing freelance on-camera work.

Then, I became a mom. Having children didn’t force me to give up my professional dreams. In fact, having children clarified them.

Recently, author Elizabeth Gilbert came to Charleston and gave the keynote speech for the Center for Women’s annual conference. She talked about drawing invisible circles around those things that we hold sacred. She says women hold the most power and the keys to revolutionary change when we relax into our own calm and deep knowing; when we can confidently say, “This matters. That doesn’t.”

All women don’t have the same sacred circles. The circles are different for everyone. And, in my case, the circles changed over time.

I believe this in my bones: There’s no right way to be a woman.

Our great opportunity to be anything doesn’t mean we have to be everything. So when we tell the next generation that they can be anything, we also have the responsibility to teach them what that really means. We start by learning to believe it ourselves.

CALLIE CRANFORD

By Angie Mizzell

CALLIE CRANFORD

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019  19

men

S

ince 2014, John Osborne has played a major role in helping Charleston-based startups turn their ideas into full-fledged businesses.

He’s co-founder of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, a business accelerator and mentoring program that has launched dozens of entrepreneurial dreamers into the marketplace.

The center, along with other programs like the Charleston Digital Corridor and the DIG South tech conference, are credited with giving rise to Charleston’s startup scene. In little more than a decade, Charleston has put herself on the map as a place where businesses are born, are nurtured and, ultimately, are thriving.

The Harbor Entrepreneur Center not only helps early stage companies better develop and execute their business plans in its 14-week accelerator program, it also offers coworking space, a focused mastermind group called Forum and classes through the JRS Coding School.

John is stepping away from the day-to-day management but will continue to be highly involved in

Entrepreneurial Spirit HOW JOHN OSBORNE HELPS FUEL CHARLESTON BUSINESSES

the center. Over the past few months, he’s weeded

By Holly Fisher through 60 applications for Photography a new executive director. At

By Erin Turner the same time, he’s searching for a new home for the center. This summer, it will give up its space at Pacific Box & Crate on King Street to solar tech company Palmetto Clean Technology Inc. Call it a period of transition—for both the center and its leader. John will focus more on venture capital and funding new businesses. He serves as executive administrator of Charleston Angel Partners and as a managing partner of Good Growth Capital, a venture capital platform focused on early stage technology companies.

It’s a shift but not a departure from John’s early vision of fueling entrepreneurship in the Charleston market through the Harbor Entrepreneur Center.

“In my mind, there’s still quite a bit of opportunity to fully realize the vision we had,” he says. “This is a neat milestone to be able to look back and say, in five years, we’ve come a long way. It’s awesome to see and think about.”

20

skirt . | april 2019

A defining moment came when accelerator participant Krissa Watry was honored at DIG South’s first Wild Pitch event in 2014. She won $30,000 for her new software company Dynepic, aimed at safely connecting kids to the digital world. Shortly after, another accelerator graduate, fundraising platform Bidr, snagged $100,000 when AOL co-founder Steve Case stopped in Charleston as part of his Rise of the Rest bus tour, which invests in entrepreneurs outside of larger cities.

Those moments—and there have been many—are proof that John’s efforts and the Harbor Entrepreneur Center have indeed moved the needle in Charleston.

Another bright spot has been the growing number of women starting businesses, garnering venture capital and launching support systems for female entrepreneurs.

John points to organizations like Women in Tech, Hatch Tribe and Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston as strong female-led initiatives. Last year the Harbor Entrepreneur Center collaborated with Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston to host its first all-female cohort of businesses going through the accelerator program.

In addition, Good Growth Capital is one of a handful of female-owned venture capital firms in the country, and John is happy to be part of a diverse organization.

THE AVID GOLFER WANTED TO BE PART OF A COLLEGE GOLF TEAM, SO HE CREATED A “PITCH DECK” FOR 50 COLLEGES WHERE HE COULD STUDY FINANCE AND PLAY GOLF YEAR-ROUND. JOHN LANDED A GOLF SCHOLARSHIP AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY.

“We could be the best place in the country, in the world, for women to start a business,” John says. “No one, to my knowledge, has really planted that flag. No one else in the country is even having that conversation.”

“It’s well documented that diverse teams are outperforming single-gender, single-race teams,” he says, noting also that his female partners at Good Growth are “wickedly brilliant.”

In fact, he says Charleston has the potential to become known for its female-friendly business climate.

Many communities put a flag in the sand and establish an identity, something they’re known for, he explains. Often, that’s an industry vertical such as health care technology. But what if Charleston’s flag were female entrepreneurship?

“We could be the best place in the country, in the world, for women to start a business,” John says. “No one, to my knowledge,

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

has really planted that flag. No one else in the country is even having that conversation.”

Surrounded by strong women, John learns from their expertise, he says, including how they start and run businesses and care for their families. As a father of two young boys, he can help further those conversations about working and parenting and the demands on modern families.

“At the end of the day, I’m thrilled to have the partners I do at Good Growth,” he says. “I learn from them all the time and am proud to be part of a team and have women partners who are absolute badasses.”

skirt . | april 2019 21

community

MAKING CONNECTIONS Women in Tech offers support and mentorships

By Helen Mitternight Photography by Zheng Chia HOW DOES A WOMAN IN TECHNOLOGY BRING HER LIFE FROM DATA…DATA…TO DAY…TO DAY…TO…(SAY IT FAST!).

There’s no punchline in there, except for the fact that it takes connection to survive day to day in the data-driven, male-fueled world of technology.

Charleston Women in Tech was created after a meetup of about 13 women in September 2014 to foster that connection as well as to offer education and mentorship.

The hunger for connection is apparent in the organization’s growth.

What started as a simple meetup attracted 300 women to its most recent meeting. The organization now has more than 2,300 members.

“We’re at an exciting place, where we can take all of these 2,300-plus

22

skirt . | april 2019

NINA MAGNESSON

women who want to foster careers in technology and really serve them, really leverage this large group in a way that’s going to help the largest number,” says interim executive director Nina Magnesson, who also runs the corporate social responsibility program at BoomTown, a real estate technology company.

Education includes panels such as one in which women talk about being the only female on the technology team.

“A lot have had such a negative experience that they’ve changed careers or employers,” Nina says. “We want to offer the opportunity for women to talk about it, to offer a forum about the challenges that pioneers have had that they can share.”

Nina, who is not herself an engineer, says she has heard pioneering women engineers talking about how they used to be expected to make coffee 30 years ago. Although that has changed, it can still be “a challenge” being one of the only women on a team, she says.

“It’s a cultural challenge,” Nina says. “This is a male-dominated field and to have a woman working side by side is a change. Some people adapt well to change and other people don’t. Men who are software engineers may have a team and have a way of relating to one another or going to a bar to hang out together after work. That may not fit with the lifestyle of the woman on the team. So she’s left out of whatever team building or information exchange happens. It’s a communication issue, too. I don’t think it’s an intentional issue, but I do think that there is a cultural shift that has to happen that’s a challenge for the status quo.

A woman may or may not be taken seriously or have their work acknowledged. I have heard of some examples of women feeling intimidated to the point that they left that team.”

But, she adds, that’s why CWIT is hosting the panel and bringing women together to discuss HEAVEN POLITE overcoming these hurdles and thriving.

“ I would tell any young woman interested in technology to come to one of our meetups because you will meet women who are in powerful roles in technology in Charleston, where you might not be able to meet them any other way.”

She hopes to attract more women into technology and not just because it will help speed up the cultural change already happening in the tech world.

“I can say that women in technology in Charleston are growing exponentially, and I can say without any reservation that we are keeping up with the demand and rate of women in tech through the rest of the country,” she says. “I would tell any young woman interested in technology to come to one of our meetups because you will meet women who are in powerful roles in technology in Charleston, where you might not be able to meet them any other way.”

CWIT also is bringing its love of coding to communities that might not otherwise be exposed to the knowledge—some of Charleston’s underserved neighborhoods. Through an initiative called CodeON, which stands for Coding in Our Neighborhoods, group members volunteer to teach coding.

They bring Internet, teachers and technology to these labs. Started inside a

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

NINA WITH LASHEIA OUBRE

laundromat in 2014, the initiative has grown into a weekly meeting and multiple locations.

“We go into neighborhoods that are falling into the digital divide and help people get exposed to coding and to form relationships with people in technology,” Nina says. “They may not have to go to a four-year university program, they could go to Trident Tech, or even learn on their own.”

Nina says these meetings—and the organization itself—are all about bringing the future in.

“You have to have an interest and an aptitude, but for better or worse, coding will be the new language for everyone,” she says. “It’s a great career and everything we do from now on is going to require some level of coding.

In fact, even if you’re a graphic designer, you can’t just draw anymore, you have to know how to code. Everyone should be fluent in technology: It’s the future.”

skirt . | april 2019 23

wellness

K

atie Hinson’s story is one of survival, compassion and the healing power of creativity. At 5 years old, the Charleston native underwent open heart surgery at MUSC to treat a congenital heart condition.

“When I woke up from surgery, I had no idea what happened to me,” Katie says. “I didn’t understand how to process it or communicate about it.”

What she did understand, though, was art.

Her mother, an artist and an art teacher, encouraged Katie’s creativity from a very early age and knew art could be an outlet for her daughter to express what she was feeling. So as soon as Katie was able, her nurses set up an easel in the atrium, rolling her wheelchair down the hall so she could paint and draw every day.

With each dainty brushstroke, Katie recovered. And while she had no way of knowing at the time, this pivotal experience planted the seed for what would become her life’s work.

OPEN YOUR HEART How Katie Hinson Discovered a Career Path in Healing

By Allyson Sutton • Photography by Abby Murphy As a teenager, Katie returned to MUSC, this time volunteering in the labor and delivery unit.

She later studied psychology and studio art at the College of Charleston. Neither choice was made to build a resume, and yet, each led her closer to becoming a licensed creative arts therapist.

“I discovered art therapy while researching career paths during my senior year of college,” Katie says. “Creativity played such an important role in my healing as a kid, so art therapy felt like the perfect opportunity to share that with others.”

After receiving her master’s in art therapy from the School of Visual Arts, Katie spent nearly a decade in New York providing art therapy to victims of child abuse and trauma, patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and young men and women incarcerated at Rikers Island.

“Many of these kids and adults had never experienced therapy of any kind,” says Katie.

24

skirt . | april 2019

“Art makes those tough conversations more approachable. Talking about materials or colors opens up a bigger discussion about how they’re feeling—it’s not just about the creation of art, it’s using the art as a catalyst for healing.”

In late 2017, Katie decided to return south to be closer to family. A couple of months later, she landed a job as the first Arts in Healing Program Coordinator at MUSC, a new initiative that provides art and music therapy to patients and families across all departments of the hospital.

“It’s such an incredible, full-circle experience to be back where I had surgery as a kid,” says Katie. “MUSC gave me the chance to heal through art when I was younger, and now our team gets to share that same opportunity with patients and their families every day.”

Earlier this year, MUSC Arts in Healing partnered with the Charleston American Heart As-

sociation to launch Strokes for Strokes, a monthly art therapy program for stroke survivors and caregivers. Katie leads every workshop.

“Strokes for Strokes existed as a submission-based art show in other communities, but we wanted to develop something more hands-on here in Charleston,” says Jennifer Waites, marketing director for the Charleston American Heart Association. “It’s really special to have these in-person group sessions where survivors and their families are creating art together.”

According to the Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center, residents in the Southeast U.S. are 34 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than the general population. The risk across our 11-state region is so much higher that the area is known as the “Stroke Belt.”

“Stroke is the No. 1 cause of disability and the sixth-leading cause of death in South Caro-

“ART MAKES THOSE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS MORE APPROACHABLE,” KATIE HINSON SAYS. “TALKING ABOUT MATERIALS OR COLORS OPENS UP A BIGGER DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THEY’RE FEELING—IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CREATION OF ART, IT’S USING THE ART AS A CATALYST FOR HEALING.” lina,” says Katie Schumacher, executive director of the Charleston American Heart Association.

“Strokes for Strokes helps us raise awareness about this epidemic while also helping survivors and caregivers heal through art.”

Art therapy has been found to help fight depression and anxiety, assist with verbal communication, and alleviate physical pain during stroke recovery.

“Strokes for Strokes gives survivors and their loved ones a chance to relax,” says Katie. “When they’re creating art, they don’t have to think about their medications or be defined as a patient or caregiver. It’s healing and empowering.”

Craig Miller, a stroke survivor, and his wife,

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

Cathedra, participated in the first Strokes for Strokes workshop this past February.

“When Craig had a stroke, we had no idea what to expect,” says Cathedra. “Strokes for Strokes gave us a new parallel to think about that experience. We didn’t know what to expect or what our paintings would look like at the end, but the process was very soothing. It’s so comforting to know that there are people like Katie who care so much and try to give you alternate ways to express what you feel.”

Thanks to her work with Arts in Healing and Strokes for Strokes, Katie was recently named this year’s Open Your Heart honoree by the Charleston American Heart Association.

“Katie is incredible and we’re thrilled to honor her this year,” says Jennifer. “It’s so inspiring to hear her story and see firsthand how dedicated she is to helping survivors and caregivers heal through art.”

Katie will be honored at the Charleston Heart Ball on April 12, a fundraising gala supporting heart disease and stroke research. The event also celebrates heart survivors and will include a special exhibition of artwork created by Strokes for Strokes participants.

For more information on stroke prevention and care, please visit: https://www.strokeassociation. org. Details and tickets for the Charleston Heart Ball may be found at: charlestonheartball.org.

skirt . | april 2019 25

books

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN: An Accidental How-to on the Celebration of Females

BY LORNA HOLLIFIELD

26

skirt . | april 2019

to reach their ultimate goals, without tearing down or negatively competing with other females along the way.

Interior designer Danielle Colding is asked in the first interview highlighted, “What does the world need more of? Less of?” Her simple and perfect answer struck me immediate-

ly, and I later found it to speak to the overall point this book aims to make.

She answers, “The world needs more gratitude and less narcissism.”

The quote stayed with me as I read about women from all walks of life, all ethnicities, cultures and economic backgrounds, who fought one form

SAMANTHA FUENTES

I

’m in search of a rooftop and a megaphone. Maybe I can use the top level of The Vendue or Market Pavilion Hotel, but I’d have to go to Asheville and comb my parents’ basement for the megaphone stashed away with my old cheerleading paraphernalia because I need a nice tall place and loud voice to scream praise to the masses for Grace Bonney’s “In the Company of Women.” This is the one inspirational nonfiction book females not only should read, but need to read.

I wish high schools and colleges would add this book to their curricula because more than showing the black-and-white, paint-by-numbers methods for building businesses, this compilation shows how to thrive in a community of women who all inspire one another. It shows how to grow through relationships, not just numbers. It makes the girl’s girl inside come screaming out and fosters a sense of fandom instead of jealousy for others.

This book is the cherry on top of the recent climate shift of women supporting—not competing with —other women in the workplace. It intends to tell the stories of many for multiple channels of inspiration, but by the fact that it was written at all, it teaches us to be unafraid to praise other people. And. It. Is. Magic.

Author and entrepreneur Grace Bonney compiles more than 100 interviews from the pool of the most inspiring women she knows. This isn’t a book of “how I did it,” but instead “how she did it.” It is a wonderful celebration of how women from all walks of life overcome adversity

or another of adversity to become the women they were meant to be. Some had to overcome financial issues, some grief, while others faced downright haters trying to prevent their rise. But they all managed to barrel through, take all the risks, and come out as the poets, designers or media moguls they were meant to become. What none of them did was reach the summit of the mountain by using another woman as a steppingstone. They all supported other women, encouraged networking and embraced the female entrepreneurial world with open arms.

Small business is huge in the Lowcountry. I meet women every day who are opening new businesses or dreaming about taking that next step. I go to networking and social events frequently because I like to be inspired by other people with goals and ideas.

This town is bubbling with support for local business. I can honestly say that more often than not, other wom-

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

“ It shows how to grow through relationships, not just numbers. It makes the girl’s girl inside come screaming out and fosters a sense of fandom instead of jealousy for others.” en are willing to help spread the word, collaborate or refer business to one another. I’m seeing fewer side eyes and more helping hands. At the same time, there still can be a sense of competition—a rat race to get the most Instagram followers, a fear of being left off of a committee, or a possibility of being looked over in some way.

This collection of stories reminded me that in those situations it’s important to continue supporting others, continue surrounding yourself with positive thinkers and continue

swimming in the one lane that leads to your goal next to other amazing people swimming alongside of you in their own. The haters will fall off and the embracers will prevail every time.

I challenge and implore you to not only read this book, but as you read it, think of all of the inspiring women in your life and celebrate them. You’ll get what you give back. Don’t be afraid to tell another woman’s incredible story. If she is part of you, you are part of her. Remain in her corner and in her company.

skirt . | april 2019 27

table

Wine and Dine

CREATING A PLACE FOR WOMEN WHO DRINK WHAT THEY WANT

“This is a woman who drinks what she wants. I love that story,” says Jill Cohen, owner of Josephine Wine Bar on Spring Street.

She says she picked the name Josephine for her wine bar not just because of the story about the empress but because the name could be for any strong woman, something she knows a thing or two about. When Jill was an attorney in Chicago, she recalls having to prove herself, such as at a depo-

28

skirt . | april 2019

sition in which a doctor assumed Jill was the court reporter, even though the male sitting nearby was the one with the stenography machine right in front of him.

Jill and her husband were looking for a new place to live after enduring a particularly brutal Chicago winter when they read a story about the charms of Charleston and decided to visit. She says they fell in love with the city and, when she was looking for her next venture, she knew she wanted to do it in Charleston.

A wine bar made sense, Jill says, because she saw a void in the Charleston market for a chef-driven wine bar and she knew from her time in France that modern bistros worked.

“I wanted a place where the wine is the focus and the food cooked by the chef is based on whatever ingredients he can get, with a rotating menu and beautiful atmosphere without spending a ton of money,” she says. “It’s the kind of place I would go with girlfriends in Chicago or New York – a neighborhood place that’s casual without sacrificing quality.”

She leased the space in December 2016 and, after extensive renovations, the bistro opened in August 2018.

Meanwhile, Jill studied.

“I educated myself while the place was being built out,” she says. “I learned how to run a restaurant/ wine bar. I hired people who knew what they were doing, too. My chef has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, and he’s been doing this for 20 years. And I met with so many distributors and went to a lot of tastings and trainings and talked to other wine experts in Charleston. I also hired a bar manager/certified sommelier who’d been in the business 18 years because I was smart enough to realize I need F&B professionals to help me run the place.”

SPANISH MACKEREL CRUDO

“ It’s the kind of place I would go with girlfriends in Chicago or New York – a neighborhood place that’s casual without sacrificing quality.”

Jill says her company is called Third Act. The first act was when she worked in retail in Dallas after college. The second act was as an attorney in Chicago. And Josephine Wine Bar is her third act.

Is it the final act?

“I don’t know. To be continued,” Jill says with a shrug and a smile.

XXXX

B

ack in the 1800s, France was all about its Burgundy wines. It was a surprise, then, that when the Empress Josephine died in 1814, she left behind an inventory of more than 13,000 bottles of mostly Bordeaux, considered inferior at the time. France would later come to realize that Empress Josephine was on to something.

LEFT TO RIGHT: FERRIS KAPLAN; COURTESY OF HJOSEPHINE WINE BAR

BY HELEN MITTERNIGHT

table

NEWS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

The Charleston Farmers Market at Marion Square is back! Starting April 13 and continuing every Saturday through November.

The owners of Bin 152 and Chez Nous have opened their latest offering: Malagon, 33 Spring St. Tapas and churros and Spanish wines bring Spain to Charleston.

The peninsula has a barbecue district, but James Island is getting its own joint with Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint from pitmaster Pat Martin. Martin’s pledges no freezers or microwaves, making its scratch-made offerings fresh daily. Save room for the pecan and fudge pies!

If you don’t think of coffee when you think Indian food, the Coorg Indian Café is hoping to change your mind. The restaurant on Ben Sawyer Blvd. offers food, tea and, yes, coffee.

Pink Cactus is open on Spring Street and it’s offering Oaxacan fare, including lots of mole dishes and house made tortillas. Service is walk-in only and the restaurant only seats 40.

CHRIS CARTER

LEFT TO RIGHT: FERRIS KAPLAN; COURTESY OF HJOSEPHINE WINE BAR

CHEF AND STAFF MOVES

Uncork, the self-pour wine bar downtown, has brought in chef Natasha Cline as chef and general manager. She’ll be expanding the menu to include more charcuterie and small desserts.

She was most recently at Five Loaves Café.

Daniel Nightengale is in as food and bever-

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

age director at The Restoration Hotel, including The Watch rooftop.

Jason Daly is out as executive chef at the Warehouse on Spring Street and sous chef Colin Connelly has been promoted to take over. He brings a new focus on ramen.

Parcel 32’s General Manager, Katie Hajjar, has left. She joins Indigo Road’s Macintosh in the same position.

EVENTS

Tickets are on sale for Pass the Peas, the family-style dining event held alongside the High Water Festival. Pass the Peas is at 11:30 a.m.

April 13-14. Chefs featured Saturday include Jacques Larson of The Obstinate Daughter and Wild Olive, along with James Beard Award nominee Shuai Wang of Short Grain. Sunday’s event will feature Jill Mathias of Chez Nous and Evan Gaudreau of Renzo. Tickets are $150 plus fee; a portion of the proceeds benefits The Green Heart Project. Tickets can be purchased at www.highwaterfest.com.

The Ryan White Wellness Center is hosting its annual fundraiser, Dining Out for Life, on April 25. On this date, participating restaurants will donate a portion of their food and beverage sales to support care for adults living with HIV/AIDS. Some of the restaurants participating iinclude Cru Cafe, Dudley’s on Ann, Taco Boy, Tradd’s, Basic Kitchen and many more!

Commonhouse Aleworks is renaming its yearly Irish Red Ale to Red Fox Irish Ale in honor of the Park Circle pub Madra Rua (Gaelic for red fox), which burned down earlier this year.

Proceeds from sales of the ale go to the pub’s Go Fund Me account.

THE WATCH

MENU AND VENUE CHANGES

Grey Ghost Bakery has four flavors (Lemon Sugar, Molasses Spice, Chocolate Espresso and Chocolate Chip) in all 162 Fresh Market stores.

Did you know that brunch needed to be reinvented? We didn’t either, but apparently, it’s a thing: The Restoration Hotel’s The Watch is reinventing its brunch with local ingredients and a non-traditional Green Bloody.

Prohibition on upper King is whipping up brunch cocktails of the Deja Brew, Breakfast Milk Punch and Raspberry Peach Bellini. The cocktails come with a side of live bluegrass music.

Grimaldi’s Pizza is debuting its “fresh cut flavors” menu for spring, featuring limited-time ingredients watermelon, strawberry, arugula and coconut.

KUDOS

The James Beard Foundation Awards are the Oscars of the food world, and the semi-finalists have been announced. They include: Cynthia

Wong, Life Raft Treats (see our August issue for a story on her!) for Outstanding Pastry Chef; FIG for Outstanding Restaurant; Steve Palmer of Indigo Road (The Macintosh, Oak Steakhouse, Indaco and others) for Outstanding Restaurateur; Stems & Skins of North Charleston for Outstanding Wine Program; Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall of High Wire Distilling Company for Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional; Evan Gaudreau of Renzo for Rising Star Chef; and Kevin Johnson of The Grocery and Jacques Larson of The Obstinate Daughter for Best Chef Southeast. Winners were to be announced at the end of March – stay tuned for next month’s column!

Kelly Franz of Magnolia’s won the Marc Collins Chef Award during the opening ceremony of the Charleston Wine & Food Festival.

skirt . | april 2019 29

calendar

events APRIL

Spring has sprung! It’s everyone’s favorite time of year to enjoy the warm weather and natural beauty of our city. Don’t miss favorite Charleston events such as the Festival of Houses and Gardens, the Cooper River Bridge Run, the Volvo Car Open, the Hat Ladies Easter Promanade and the Charleston our Book Club presented by Buxton Books.

LOWCOUNTRY CAJUN FESTIVAL

04.07

04.10

Marjorie Spruill at Charleston Museum

Gospel Brunch

TEDX Charleston

Marjorie Spruill, the author of the critically acclaimed “New Women of the New South: The Leaders of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the Southern States,” will be speaking about intersecting gender and politics and her latest book, “Divided We Stand.” Tickets are $25. 5:30 to 7 p.m. The Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St. Visit charlestonmuseum.org.

04.05-04.07

Festival of Houses and Gardens

Flowertown Festival

03.27-04.28 Charleston Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra League presents its designer showhouse, a 1903 Queen Anne Victorian-style home near Colonial Lake. Each room has been decorated by local designers. Enjoy light fare at the café and shop local designers at the new pop-up shop, SCORE. Tickets are $25 at the door. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, except Easter. 16 Rutledge St. Visit csolinc.org.

04.03-04.28 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

The childhood classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” features amazing sets and costumes and the score by including, “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Tickets and times vary. Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St. Visit charlestonstage.com.

30

04.04

THROUGH 04.18 The Festival of Houses and Gardens continues through April and allows you peek inside some of the city’s most beautiful homes and gardens. Daily events include a morning history walk, a tour of the historic district and other activities.Tickets, times and venues vary by event. Visit historiccharleston.org.

skirt . | april 2019

COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN

Enjoy nature’s beauty at Summerville’s Flowertown Festival. The Arts and Crafts festival features fun activities for children, a farmers market and delicious treats from local restaurants. Three flowers are front-and-center of this year’s event: the azalea, dogwood and wisteria.

Free. Times vary. Summerville Family YMCA, 140 S. Cedar St., Summerville.

Visit summervilleymca.org.

04.06 Golden: A State of Being Yoga Event

One of the featured events at this year’s Volvo Car Open, this empowering yoga experience will be led by Charleston’s Sarah Frick and Ashley Cebulka. Champagne toasts and small bites follow. World No. 1 doubles player Bethanie Mattek-Sands will join guests as they workout and mingle. Tickets are $98 and include admission to the finals. 9 to 11 a.m. Family Circle Tennis Center, 161 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island. Visit volvocaropen.com.

Cooper River Bridge Run

The race that makes the entire city halt is back again. This 10km run features nearly 40,000 racers and includes a finish festival and a separate run for kids. Tickets are $55. 8 a.m. 716 S. Shelmore Blvd., Mt. Pleasant. Visit bridgerun.com

On the last day of the finalist weekend for the Volvo Car Open, this brunch will feature a world-renowned gospel choir and lots of delicious treats. Tickets are $115 and include admission to the finals. 9 to 11 a.m. Family Circle Tennis Center, 161 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island. Visit volvocaropen.com.

Lowcountry Cajun Festival

This festival is an energetic taste of Louisiana cajun fun that features plenty of traditional creole dishes such as jambalaya, etouffee and crawfish. Dance and bop to Zydeco and Cajun music playing on the stage. Tickets are $15. 12 to 6 p.m. James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Dr. Visit charlestoncountyparks.com.

04.09 Books for Bier

Free beer and books? Yes, please! Bring friends and a gently used book to receive a free beer in celebration of National Library Week. Kiddos are welcome to bring a children’s book and will receive a free root beer. Charleston Friends of the Library will also be selling books and there will be a silent auction. Free. 5:30 to 8 p.m. Bay Street Biergarten, 549 East Bay St. Visit charlestonlibraryfriends.org.

04.24 Skirt Book Club Join Skirt magazine executive editor Shelley Young and author Patti Callahan Henry for Skirt’s book club presented by Buxton Books. We’ll discuss “Lost Girls of Paris” by Pam Jenoff. Also enjoy sips and light bites. Tickets are $15. 5:30 - 7 p.m., Buxton Books, 2 Cumberland St. Visit buxtonbooks.com.

Ready to gain some knowledge and network? Twenty Lowcountry thought-leaders, including LB Adams, Melissa Moore and Melissa Maddox-Evans, will present on the theme: Currents, the forces that enhance our world and inspired transformation.

Tickets vary. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Charleston Music Hall, 37 John Street. Visit tedxcharleston.org.

04.11 A Meal to Remember Gala

East Cooper Meals on Wheels hosts a gala and auction benefiting the organization’s mission. Local chefs and restaurants will create delectable small plates for guests to enjoy. Tickets are $150. 6:30 p.m. Wild Dunes Resort, 1 Sundial Circle, Isle of Palms. Visit ecmow.org.

04.12 Family Movie Night at Allan Park

Kids and parents will experience the happiness of “Trolls” screened outdoors. Games and activities for kids will keep them entertained until the movie begins at sunset.

Register for free tickets online. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Allan Park, 365 Ashley Ave. Visit charlestonparksconservacy.org.

LEFT TO RIGHT: COURTESY OF MOMENTUM MARKETING; COURTESY OF CHARLESTON COUNTY PARKS; SAMANTHA FUENTES

Farmers Market. Join Skirt at the Mugs for Moms event and at

04.13 Mugs for Moms

Join Skirt, Postpartum Support Charleston and Mugs for Moms for brunch and to register for the Moms’ Run, which is May 11. Guests will take home a lovely mug handmade by local artists. Tickets are $40.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cone 10 Studios, 1080 Morrison Dr. Visit ppdsupport.org.

Plow to Chow

Kick off the season at the Charleston Farmers Market with free tastings by local chefs, fresh produce and fun activities for kids promoting Lowcountry Local First’s Eat Local month. Free.

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marion Square, 329 Meeting St. Visit charlestonfarmersmarket.com.

Charleston Farmers Market

A favorite for locals and tourists alike, the Farmers Market is back for the season every Saturday with fresh produce, food vendors and locally made crafts. Free. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marion Square, 329 Meeting St. Visit charlestonfarmersmarket.com.

04.20 Easter Egg Hunt at

A fun event for the whole family, children can hunt for 20,000 eggs across the gardens. Times vary by age group. Free with admission to Magnolia Plantation.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, 3550 Ashley River Rd, Charleston. Visit magnoliaplantation.com.

The Hat Ladies Easter Promenade

Join the Hat Ladies for an Easter hat-pening for the whole family. The Hat Ladies is a group of women who love wear their colorful hats with pride and volunteer to give back to the community. The parade begins at the corner of Broad and Meeting. Free.

11 a.m. Visit hatladies.org.

04.26 Legends of Soul Presents Patti LaBelle

The Godmother of Soul presents “A Night Out on the Town” to entertain guests with musings of soul and her popular hits.

Tickets vary. 6:30 p.m. North Charleston Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston. Visit northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com.

04.27 March for Babies Walk

The March for Babies Walk raises money to help fund research to prevent premature births, birth defects and infant mortality across America. This three-mile walk is a family friendly event. 8 a.m.

Cannon Park, 261 Calhoun St. Visit marchforbabies.org.

04.28 Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival

A boat parade, live music, craft show and free activities for all ages, the Blessing of the Fleet is not to be missed. Free. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Memorial Waterfront Park, 99 Hallman Blvd, Mount Pleasant. Visit experiencemountpleasant.com.

Sunday Brunch in Hampton Park Series

Charleston Parks Conservancy hosts the first of a Sunday Brunch series at the Rose Pavilion. Guests will enjoy tasty treats and bluegrass music surrounded by nature.

Tickets are $15. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Dr. Visit charlestonparksconservacy.org.

SUNDAY BRUNCH IN HAMPTON PARK

Lowcountry Local Chef’s Potluck

The Chef’s Potluck highlights the talents of local chefs and joins them with farmers to facilitate the “Eat Local” challenge by Lowcountry Local First. With live music to sway to while tasting delicious eats from your favorite restaurants, the Chef’s Potluck is a lovely way to spend Sunday Funday. Tickets are $100. 4 p.m. Middleton Place, 4300 Ashley River Road. Visit lowcountrylocalfirst.org.

COUNTY PARKS; SAMANTHA FUENTES

COURTESY OF CHARLESTON PARKS CONSERVANCY

04.13-11.24

Magnolia Plantation

Want more? Visit us at skirt.com

skirt . | april 2019 31

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

WOMEN @ WORK 2019

EACH YEAR, SKIRT MAGAZINE PRESENTS our Women at Work advertising section featuring smart and talented women who are following their passions and defining success on their own terms. They are executives, business owners, health care professionals and entrepreneurs.

We invite them to share in their own words what they believe makes them successful. We hope these women help inspire you to reach your own professional goals.

We encourage you to connect with these women and support their businesses, should you have the opportunity. We believe celebrating local business women helps make our community stronger.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MaryBeth Creates and Erin Turner SHOT ON LOCATION AT The McKees at 139B MAKEUP BY Rebecca Wash, Elana Greene and Cheryl Quinn HAIR BY Brett Parks of Bride’s Best Friend and Lauren Campion

WOMEN @ WORK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Kenya Dunn

T H E P OW E R - F I L L E D WO M A N

SHOT ON LOCATION AT THE DEWBERRY

I.t’s no surprise that Kenya Dunn was a cheerleader in high school and college. Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious—not in an annoyingly chipper way, but in a way that makes you feel supported and inspired. She’s motivating.

It’s that cheerleader spirit that led Kenya to mentor hundreds of women throughout her career, even though coaching was never part of her job description. In 12 years, Kenya worked her way from a local supervisor role to holding a corporate VP title within a major telecom company. On her five-person executive team, she is the only woman.

“A lot of women gravitate to me because I’m the only person they can relate to,” she says. “I wanted to help more women move up the ladder like I did, so I started recommending books, having lunch with employees, or helping young women in the company create personal development plans.”

At the same time, event organizers began reaching out, requesting she speak on women’s issues or offer career motivation to teen girls. That’s when Kenya started wondering how she could impact women beyond her corporate role. True to her go-getter spirit, she launched a coaching and speaking business called Power-Filled Woman earlier this year.

“This is my life’s work,” she says. “It was happening organically, but I finally decided I needed to dive in because it’s too meaningful not to pursue.”

Kenya offers one-on-one coaching as well as a group Master Class. All of her work is fueled by a feeling of responsibility.

“Responsibility drives me,” she says. “Statistics say I shouldn’t be where I am, and because of that I feel a huge responsibility to give back and to effect change. I had champions who helped me, and now it’s my turn to help other people create lives that they didn’t know they could accomplish either.”

In May, Kenya will host the first Power-Filled conference, featuring panel discussions and keynote speakers. The event includes perspectives from women in government, corporate America and entrepreneurship.

“I still see a lot of women going it alone, but we’d be so much stronger if we came together,” she says. “I wanted to gather a diverse group, both culturally and professionally, to show how we can all stand in our power and effect change.”

Kenya is also writing a book, called “Growing Gracefully.”

“The book is also centered around this idea of ‘powerfilled,’” she says. “Powerful is a state of being. Power-filled says that you have done the work to discover the power that lies within you.”

Despite her busy calendar, this natural-born cheerleader stays motivated by the people in her path.

“The most rewarding part,” she says, “is when I see women being their most authentic, powerful selves.”

By Allyson Sutton 706.877.0254 kenyadunn.com | Info@kenyadunn.com kenyadunn12 | kenya.dunn.3

Women of the Rotary Club of Charleston The Rotary Club of Charleston, founded in 1920, is comprised of community leaders dedicated to “service above self.” Known as the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston, it has launched more than a dozen Rotary Clubs in the Charleston area. For almost 100 years, the Rotary Club of Charleston has been a key agent for positive impact in our community. The Rotary Club of Charleston helped to seed pivotal organizations that are vital parts of the Lowcountry community, including the Trident United Way, the Coastal Community Foundation, Boy Scouts and countless other nonprofit initiatives.

Rotary International began in 1905, but women weren’t always a part of Rotary.

Beginning in the 1960s and ‘70s, efforts began around the world to include women as members. In the late ‘80s, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed women to be admitted, and the doors opened to women in Rotary Clubs around the world. In

1987, the first two female members, Sue Sommer-Kress and Ruth Hefron, were inducted into the Rotary Club of Charleston. Ruth served as the first executive director of the Trident Foundation (now Coastal Community Foundation), and Sue, a longtime College of Charleston administrator, has worked with the International Scholars Program since she was inducted—a program that has changed the lives of hundreds of South Carolina students.

Today, the Rotary Club of Charleston includes more than 30 women and growing.

Occupations include small-business owners, Realtors, lawyers, bankers, medical professionals, educators, entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, to name a few.

Women of Rotary are an active part of the civic leadership of Charleston and have contributed countless hours in charitable endeavors to make Charleston a better

WOMEN @ WORK

place. You’ll see women Rotarians joining their male counterparts in elementary school classrooms as Reading Partners to our youth, picking up trash on Bee Street as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program, raising funds to eliminate polio worldwide, and traveling to Liberia to support an effort dedicated to youth empowerment through Save More Kids.

The first female president was Anne Moise in 1996. Sue Sommer-Kresse served as president in 2000, followed by Deborah Sisco in 2001, Anita Zucker in 2003, Amy Jenkins in 2006, Kyra Morris in 2009 and Alissa Lietzow in 2016. Sandy Morckel will be president during the 100th anniversary year in 2019/2020, and Heidi Finniff will follow in 2020/2021. Women Rotarians continue to work side by side with their male counterparts to make a significant impact. We invite you to learn more about becoming a part of Rotary. Please visit charleston-rotary.org......

LEFT SIDE: (Seated): Cheryl Kaynard, Handsome Properties; Madeleine Frume, Mad n Lin LLC; Leslie Fellabom, Avison Young; Jeanne Jamme, Carolina One Real Estate; Amy Riley, Thomas & Hutton; (Standing): Lucia Violani, Rotary International Youth Exchange Student; Courtney Plotner, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Marjorie Hanger, New York Life & New York Life Securities; Debbie Barton, City of Charleston; Amy Chico, HLA, Inc.; Mary Ann Kohli, Trident Technical College; Catherine Jones, Acupuncture & Wellness of Charleston Inc. RIGHT SIDE: (Front Row): Ja'net Bishop, Boots to Breakthrough / Have Joy LLC; Margaret Ann Youngs, American Lung Association; Ruthie Ravenel, Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International; Lisa Van Bergen, Professional Nonprofit Solutions; (Second Row): Kim Rich, Medical University of SC; Kelsey Willey, Willey Law Firm; Stefany Ceccato, DMC Travel Tailor, LLC; Alissa Lietzow, Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services; Back Row: Kay Minson, Carolina One Real Estate; Carroll Schweers, Rotary Club of Charleston & Rotary Club of Charleston-Breakfast; Heidi Finniff, First National Bank; Sandy Morckel, Solutions for the Greater Good; Colleen Moring, Benefit Controls of SE Inc.; Sue Sommer-Kresse, College of Charleston

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Dr. Loren Frankel PA L M E T T O W O M E N S H E A LT H Palmetto Womens Health offers a plethora of services, from full OB/GYN care, in-office endometrial ablation for heavy bleeding, bio-identical hormone treatment, vaginal laser treatment for vaginal atrophy and urinary incontinence, to a multitude of aesthetic services including botox, fillers, IPL, skin rejuvenation, skin tightening, cellulite treatment and liposuction. Our business is distinct from others in that I am the only physician patients will see, and we are a family friendly environment with a staff that has been with me since we opened.

What makes you successful in your career? Relationships.

I think I have the ability to make people feel at ease and they are comfortable talking to me about many issues, including some really embarrassing and personal things. My patients feel welcome here, and the staff treats them with kindness and respect.

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals? Yes, you can. Every day won't be easy. There is always something new to learn or a patient that throws you a curveball, but at the end of the day caring for others makes it all worth it. Keep on working toward that goal.

1300 Hospital Drive, Suite 380, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843.884.2206 | info@palmettowomenshealth.com palmettowomenshealth.com | palmettowomenshealthsc

Laura Carson KALSON MEDIA GROUP Started in 2000, we are a full-service agency specializing in web development, search engine optimization and social media management. With 19 years of hands-on experience, specifically marketing online, we know what works, what does not work and the most effective ways to implement an overall online marketing plan. We don’t just build websites, we build businesses.

What makes you successful in your career? My passion for my job, thirst for knowledge, ability to speak geek and neverending determination make me successful.

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals?

Never stop learning. Any type of business changes over the course of time. You have to be able to adapt. This particular line of business changes constantly. You don’t have to keep up with the Joneses, you have to be the Joneses.

10 Resolute Lane, Suite 206, Mount Pleasant, SC 843.608.4335 | laura@kalsonmedia.com kalsonmedia kalsonmedia.com |

WOMEN @ WORK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Neely Woodson Powell C H A R L E STO N S H O E CO. We design and manufacture our own line of fashionably functional, classic women’s shoes. Our shoes can be found in both the wholesale and retail sectors, with more than 350 wholesale accounts and 24 brick-and-mortar stores in nine states from Massachusetts to California and Florida.

What makes you successful in your career? Starting this business more than 20 years ago has led me to wear more hats than I could have imagined. I was raised to be an entrepreneur. I think every idea takes persistent dedication, excitement, and an elevated sense of urgency, all of which must be backed by pure gratitude.

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals? You cannot be afraid to fail, sweat the small things, and you need to believe that life is too short to not have fun in all you do.

1445 Greenleaf Road, Suite A, Charleston, SC 29405 855.996.SHOE | marketing@charlestonshoeco.com charlestonshoeco.com | charlestonshoeco

Tasha Kotz L AW O F F I C E O F TA S H A J . KO T Z , L L C The Law Office of Tasha J. Kotz is proud to serve South Carolina, specifically Lowcountry residents. My goal is to understand each client’s needs and help overcome their challenges in cases from divorce, child custody, spousal support, estate planning and criminal litigation. My firm focuses on providing compassion and exceptional client service while aggressively advocating for each of my clients.

What makes you successful in your career? Key strengths that lend to my success are my drive for professionalism, giving back to the community, and passion for work. I work with other attorneys daily on contested issues. I always strive to stay professional even in situations where I do not agree with what opposing counsel may be arguing. I am also passionate about my work and helping people overcome obstacles. If I can use my talents to help my business grow and also help others as well as give back to my community, then I have reached the definition of success.

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals?

Women in a male-dominated career field must support each other. I believe senior women lawyers, who have experienced the challenges for women in law, should mentor younger professionals. Create a life of balance that includes paying attention to personal needs and health.

525 Folly Road, Suite 204, Charleston, SC 29412 843.213.3649 | tasha@tashakotzlaw.com lawofficeoftashajkotz.com | tashakotzlaw

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Ginger Greene Practice Administrator D E R M AT O L O G Y A N D L A S E R C E N T E R O F C H A R L E STO N Joining Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston 15 years ago as the practice administrator, I was instrumental in the opening and development of the practice. Currently, I serve as the practice administrator and CFO, and I’m responsible for the expansion of the practice into the medical, research and cosmetic fields of dermatology. Our goal has always been to treat every skin type with the most innovated modalities and equipment. My role is to orchestrate the daily and financial operations of Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston to ensure our patients are receiving the expertise they can trust.

What makes you successful in your career? My success stems from cultivating an environment of kindness. Each day I strive to be a better person than I was yesterday. It is never a single-handed operation; you have to have the commitment of a strong support staff and value your employees and show them appreciation. Every day presents new challenges and I try to approach each circumstance with determination and the mindset of a problem solver. I want the Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston to be known as a "facility of giving."

2180 Henry Tecklenburg Blvd., Charleston, SC 29414 843.556.8886 | ginger@dermandlaser.com dermandlaser.com | dermandlaser

Ashley Davis Licensed Esthetician D E R M AT O L O G Y A N D L A S E R C E N T E R O F C H A R L E STO N After studying business at College of Charleston, I immersed myself in learning the science of skin and treatments to maintain proper skin health. I specialize in tailoring customized facials, Vibradermabrasion, HydraFacial, chemical peels, and medical grade microneedling technologies, including SkinPen Precision. My passion for sharing the best in skin care shows with each treatment customized to my client’s individual needs. I expanded my expertise in aesthetics by becoming a CoolSculpting technician, a Certified Xtreme Lash Stylist and a microblading artist. My goal is to enhance the beauty and confidence of everyone I meet in my treatment room.

What makes you successful in your career? I always want to do and be better at what I do. I see myself as a work in process. I am constantly trying to learn new things and improve my craft. I often ask myself, “What could I do better to provide a better experience to my clientele? What are others doing?

How do I improve my weaknesses?” I’m very personable, so people find me easy to relate to and be comfortable with. I love what I do, which makes a world of difference.

2180 Henry Tecklenburg Blvd., Charleston, SC 29414 843.556.8886 | ashley@dermandlaser.com dermandlaser.com | dermandlaser

WOMEN @ WORK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Haven Lingard New Patient Referral and Events Coordinator D E R M AT O L O G Y A N D L A S E R C E N T E R O F C H A R L E STO N As the new patient referral and events coordinator, I welcome new patients to the Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston family. I help educate the public on the importance of skin cancer screenings through public, private and corporate events. I also build connections, statewide and out of state, with medical practices offering progressive patient referral access. I’m a customer-service guru with the hope of increasing our patient base as we offer seamless patient care.

What makes you successful in your career? With an extensive background in medical and business office administration, business administration and psychology, I have always had a love for people. I want to see them become their best selves, even if it begins with improving their skin.

I have an amazing husband of 17 years who supports all of my endeavors. I have four children: two, ages 16 and 14, are homeschooled; a 19-year-old is in college; and an 18-yearold is in the U.S. Navy. I’m active in my church and am part of a ministry that serve the homeless community. I pride myself on mentoring young adults.

2180 Henry Tecklenburg Blvd., Charleston, SC 29414 843.556.8886 | haven@dermandlaser.com dermandlaser.com | dermandlaser

Lori J. Wrightington Director of Laser and Medispa Services D E R M AT O L O G Y A N D L A S E R C E N T E R O F C H A R L E STO N I’m certified in the most innovative and technically advanced rejuvenation procedures and take pride that I’m one of the most experienced skin care and laser specialists in Charleston. I joined Dr. Todd Schlesinger at Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston in 2005 and have advanced technical training from Candela, Palomar, Allergan, Vibraderm, BTLAesthetics and more. My expertise encompasses all aspects of hair removal, photofacials, skin rejuvenation and fractional laser resurfacing, wrinkle reduction, vascular lesion and pigmentation removal, CoolSculpting, Vanquish ME fat cell reduction, Exilis Ultra 360, Ultra Femme 360 and EMSCULPT. What makes you successful in your career? With my background in fine arts, I’ve been able to blend artistry with medical innovation to customize skin care and body treatments for my patients. The most fulfilling aspect of my job is seeing a caterpillar morph into a butterfly.

What advice would you offer women with similar goals? Be true to yourself. Set realistic goals. Know that life sometimes gives obstacles but they can be overcome.

2180 Henry Tecklenburg Blvd., Charleston, SC 29414 843.556.8886 | lori@dermandlaser.com dermandlaser.com | dermandlaser

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Kat Drerup C A R O L I N A O N E R E A L E S TAT E As a Realtor, I get the opportunity to help people through each stage of their life and be a part of their story, whether they are buying their first home or relocating to another state.

I wear many hats: I become part counselor, part strategist and part adviser. It’s so rewarding to be a resource to connect clients to a community and give back.

What makes you successful in your business? Nobody needs to light the fire under me! It’s my ministry to help people get to where they need to go. Matching clients with the perfect home and knowing all the memories they will make brings me so much joy. I truly resonate with my clients and listen to their real estate goals. Passion, tenacity and a positive attitude are things that I pride myself on. Communicating every step of the way is always crucial, and I always try to stay one step ahead.

What advice would you give women interested in a similar career? Don’t quit! Embrace the challenges; there’s always a solution to any problem. Begin this career with a servant heart and you will succeed.

195 W. Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843.817.3559 | Kat@carolinaone.com UnlockChucktown.com | unlockchs

Sweet 185 Christina Mikolajcik, Esthetician/Master Sugarist/Owner Giuliana Massari, Esthetician Sweet 185 is Charleston’s first sugaring studio and organic boutique specializing in the ancient, all-natural hair-removal technique of sugaring, combined with a holistic approach to esthetics, wellness and natural beauty.

What makes you successful in your career?

Christina: Our speciality is the development of a relationship with our clients to customize a skin care ritual based on their unique needs and desires. Offering organic supportive services, combined with results-driven product for home routines that complement each other is where the magic happens. Trust is the key for this partnership and it is at the heart of our mission.

Giuliana: Every person who walks through our doors deserves to leave with a new appreciation for their unique beauty.

Success in my career lies within my ability to empower each woman for whom I have the honor to help look and feel her best. Gaining the trust of my clients is the ultimate compliment.

115 President St., Charleston, SC 29403 843.329.3500 | appointments@mysweet185.com mysweet185.com | sweet185chs

WOMEN @ WORK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Virginia Gregory V I R G I N I A L . G R E G O R Y, D . M . D . , L L C Our practice provides all aspects of general dental care to adults and teens, including dental exams and cleanings. I also have extensive training and experience in the treatment of complex restorative dental problems, including cosmetic smile makeovers, full mouth rehabilitations and implant tooth replacement. Our office also provides Invisalign braces, TMJ and sleep appliances, and in-office whitening, and root canal therapy. We utilize the most modern technology including digital X-rays, digital impressions and dental microscope.

What makes you successful in your career? It is tremendously gratifying to have the ability to change a person’s life by changing the health and appearance of their smile. I love what I do and love the wonderful patients I have the privilege of working with. When a patient tells me that their new smile has changed their life for the better, I know I have been successful.

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals? Set your goals on what you want out of your career.

Do the work, get the training and strive to be the best you can be!

343 W. Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843.884.8884 | virginiagregory@mac.com virginiagregory.com | virginialgregorydmd Virginia L Gregory, DMD

Paula Dezzutti Addie Belasco and Rachyl Dezzutti LO C A L C H O I C E S P I R I TS Local Choice Spirits is an award-winning, family run spirits and wine producer, and owner of The Striped Pig, South Carolina’s Distillery of the Year. We work with local artists such as Tyler Boone’s Bourbon and Red Harbor Rum to create amazing brands that support local entrepreneurs and community initiatives with our Sip and Share loyalty platform.

What makes you successful in your career? We are operating distilleries echoing a strong female voice in a bigboy dominated industry governed by a purpose and vision to empower communities to honor partnership and inspiration instead of fear and greed. Long-term success comes from adaptability and the desire to serve wherever you are needed and in whatever capacity: timing and tenacity!

What advice would you offer to women with similar goals?

Trust that what you desire is on its way as long as you keep clarity and honor your own vibration. Find your unique ability and be undeniable and strong. Stand behind your innovation and go with the flow of what appears is or is not happening in the now, trusting that you are changing the world and making history by honoring your own female instincts!

2225 A Old School Drive, Charleston, SC 29405 843.814.8347 | paula@localchoice.us localchoicespirits.com | localchoicespirits

WOMEN @ WORK

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Ann Fleming

Casey Garvin

M O O R E B E AU STO N & WO O D H A M

F OX Y F O S S I L S

Ann is passionate about three things: family, fitness and her clients. For more than 20 years, she has been helping individual and business clients minimize their tax liability and solve complex tax problems. She has a special designation beyond being a CPA; she is licensed to practice in tax court.

Foxy Fossils is the original fossil jewelry brand created by founder and finder Casey Garvin in Charleston.

Casey has been an avid fossil hunter and collector for over a decade and shares her passion for fossils with others through her elegant ocean-inspired jewelry designs including her signature vertebracelets.

3520 West Montague Ave., Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29418 843.766.5010 | ann.fleming@fullservicecpa.com fullservicecpa.com Moore Beauston & Woodham L.L.P

2308 Goldbug Ave., Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 912.293.0861 | foxyfossils@gmail.com | foxyfossils.com foxyfossils

Nadine Camilla

Marjorie Hanger

I work to empower women by making them feel good about what they’re wearing. By thoughtfully curating their existing wardrobes, organizing, and/or personal shopping, I find the right silhouettes, color and fabric to bring out each woman’s unique style. Even if they don’t know what their style is, or if they’ve let it slide while putting everyone else first, we’ll find that inner essence and bring it out to thrive.

I am a licensed agent with New York Life and NYLIFE Securities LLC. As a Charleston native, I have a deeprooted passion for this flourishing city. It is an honor to work with such an incredible company that has been serving Charleston since 1845. I strive to work with people in our growing city to ensure that it continues to thrive.

LOV E M A R LOW

843.330.7240 | nadine@lovemarlow.com Lovemarlow.com | lovemarlow lovemarlowstyling

Agent NY LIFE

200 Meeting St., Suite 401, Charleston, SC 29401 843.801.2076 | mhanger@ft.newyorklife.com Newyorklife.com | NewYorklife

events

02.28.19 SKIRT NIGHT OUT BOURBON N’ BUBBLES We hosted a Skirt Night Out at Bourbon N’ Bubbles on Feb. 28. We enjoyed mixing and mingling while sipping on bubbles, cocktails and lite bites from the stylish King Street bar. Women left looking refreshed after receiving sugaring demos and mini makeovers from Sweet 185 Sugaring Studio and Organic Boutique. And many sang to their own tune as they belted out their favorite songs in the private karaoke and photo booth provided by RacketStudios. Skirt’s next event is the Skirt Book Club presented by Buxton Books on April 24. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter at skirt.com to learn about all our Skirt events.

Clockwise: Nicole Hunter, Kenya Dunn, Jenna Craig; Susan Norfleet, Shannon Caulk; Cass Tebben, Thomas Giovanniello, Laura Staiano, Whitney Brenkus, Shelley Young; Aly Murphy, Lori Dunn, Brittani Lace Phillips, Melissa Doering, Jessica Kiss; Caitlin Ramsey, Alicia Reinersten, Elizabeth Freer

the issue

Work It Women can change how power looks.

We are natural leaders.

We are listeners, collaborators, mentors, consensus builders, strategic thinkers, multitaskers, decision makers, change-makers.

Women are doers.

Who’s the boss?

There’s no question.

—Shelley Hill Young

@D.VELASCO

don’t

Moncks Corner

176 78

45

402 41

26 52

ALT

17

Ridgeville

17

78

Awendaw

Summerville 61

L

ES

TE

165

RD

26 A R

RD

Y SH LE

PH

OS

P H AT

17

AV E

H

N

RS

17

RC

O

RIVE

DO ALT

S AD

Cainhoy

Goose Creek

Ladson

E RD

41

North Charleston 526

61 RD

CO

NN

JI CONNECTOR

Johns Island Kiawah Island

Isle of Palms

E S

Charleston

Family Medicine Internal Medicine

James Island Wadmalaw Island

R

WY

W

D LV

AY

KH

B

RD

M

N BA

AN

F O L LY

MAIN RD

Hollywood

EM

TO

CO L

EC

West Ashley

17 Ravenel

Mt Pleasant

P

B

F

Y

IO

165

S EE

R ER

N

Daniel Island

Folly Beach

Pediatric Care Internal & Family Medicine Pediatric Care, Internal & Family Medicine

Seabrook Island

The best choice for primary care – close to home.

Edisto Beach Choosing MUSC Health Primary Care means the best care is right around the corner. Find a location that’s best for you and

your family and schedule an appointment online any time, day or night. When you choose an MUSC Health Primary Care provider, you gain access to more than 700 specialists at our nationally recognized academic medical center. So, whether you are looking for preventive care or support in managing your chronic condition, or simply need a referral to a specialist, an MUSC Health Primary Care provider is your best choice. 843-792-7000 | MUSChealth.org/primary-care