powerhouse women Archives - Page 5 of 13

Candy Hilliard, Owner of American Family Protectors

July 14, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Candy Hilliard, Owner of American Family Protectors

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Candy Hilliard and Amanda Pearch Marmolejo

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Candy Hilliard/American Family Protectors

Since 1997, Candy Hilliard and American Family Protectors have been working hard to provide quality insurance services to Sugar Hill and the entire North Georgia area. Candy is both an agent and a broker for all the insurance types she offers, and she is proud to make her agency a one-stop stop for all types of policies, including Auto, Home, Health, and Life. She is a native Georgian that attended Georgia State University and resides in Gwinnett county. She is a 26-year veteran in the individual and group health/life insurance market with 14 years’ experience in home/auto insurance. Candy has served on the board of Sugar Hill Business Alliance, Suwanee Business Alliance and is an active member and ambassador for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village

July 7, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Melanie Conner

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Melanie Conner/Rainbow Village

Melanie Conner has always had a passion for doing work that empowers women. As CEO of Rainbow Village, she wants to ensure that families experiencing homelessness have the confidence to take the first step on their journey to self-sufficiency. But that’s not all she wants. Melanie wants all families to have access to affordable childcare, health care, and economic independence to break free from poverty and pursue their dreams. Her focus is on helping the families and the organization evolve and be purpose-driven. Drawing on her extensive experience obtained through her work with corporations, government, and nonprofits, Melanie brings a broad perspective to the table and works to impact lives by providing a safe place to live, a caring, supportive, and qualified staff, and the resources and training that they need to improve their quality of life. Melanie values spending time with her family and is keenly aware it is a privilege she should never take for granted. She has been married to the love of her life for 30 years. She is the mother to two sons and her dog, Jack Jack.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Jennifer Bridwell, Gwinnett Market President for Georgia Banking Company

June 16, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Jennifer Bridwell, Gwinnett Market President for Georgia Banking Company

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Jennifer Bridwell

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Jennifer Bridwell/Georgia Banking Company

Jennifer is a 27-year veteran of the banking industry, with the last 10 years of her career being spent as a Commercial Real Estate lender. She is currently the Gwinnett Market President for GBC and continues to expand her loan and deposit portfolio in their Duluth, GA office. She specializes in providing detailed service while financing all loan types within GBC’s Community Banking Department. Jennifer enjoys focusing on the total client relationship, from loans to deposits to treasury. She excels in customer service, as well as relationship building and mentoring others within the organization. Her and her husband, Tommy, have been married 27 years and have two daughters. She enjoys traveling to the beach, thrift and antique shopping, decorating, being with friends and family, and giving back to her community. Jennifer spent her entire life in Gwinnett County until moving to Walton County in 2001.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Jennifer Hibbard, CEO for View Point Health

June 9, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Jennifer Hibbard, CEO for View Point Health

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Jennifer Hibbard

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Jennifer Hibbard/View Point Health

Jennifer Hibbard lives and works in Gwinnett County as a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Chief Executive Officer at View Point Health where she has worked for more than 19 years. During her time at View Point Health, she has served in a variety of positions beginning as an intake clinician at one of the mental health outpatient centers. She has been the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Programs, Director of Quality Assurance, and Center Director. As the CEO for View Point Health, Jennifer also serves on the Board of Directors for the Gwinnett Coalition. She is also a member and serves on the board of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County as a Past President in order to further serve the community and advocate for individuals with behavioral health needs and developmental disabilities. She is a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett and the National Council for Behavioral Health Executive Leadership program. In 2022, View Point Health was recognized as the Behavioral Health Provider of the Year for the State of Georgia and Jennifer was the recipient of the “Pay it Forward” Moxie Award. Additionally, she was recently recognized as one of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Public Service Awardees for 2023. Jennifer believes we are stronger as a community if we all work alongside one another and support each other’s mission.

She has experience working with adults, children and adolescents with mental health and substance abuse issues. Prior to moving to Georgia, she lived in Texas where she earned her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Southwest Texas State University and Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Texas in Austin. Jennifer’s career began while volunteering as a counselor for the Williamson County Juvenile Academy in Georgetown, Texas, a residential alternative facility associated with the Texas Youth Correctional system while she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is also a National Certified Counselor of the NBCC, and a member of the American Counselors Association. Jennifer lives in Snellville with her husband of 20 years, son age 15, daughter age 12, as well as 3 cats and 2 dogs.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Secret Holland, VP of Human Resources and Community Affairs for Gas South

June 2, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Secret Holland, VP of Human Resources and Community Affairs for Gas South

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Secret Holland

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Secret Holland/Gas South

Secret Holland serves as the Vice President of Human Resources and Community Affairs at Gas South in Atlanta – the southeast’s leading gas marketer. Secret joined the company in November 2013 after a 31-year career at Georgia Power and various Southern Company subsidiaries. In her capacity she is responsible for all human resource functions including recruiting and staffing, compensation and benefits, training and development, performance management, succession planning and workforce planning, as well as employee relations. In addition, she has responsibility for all community affairs, philanthropic initiatives and employee volunteerism for the company and leads the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Secret holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science Degree in Management – both from Georgia State University. She is active in the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and Cobb Executive Women and is on the boards of One Cumberland, a 501C3 non-profit in the Cumberland Improvement District, the Kennesaw State University (KSU) EMBA program and the Boy Scouts of America. She has been honored with The Eagle Award for outstanding leadership at Georgia Power, the Len Gilbert Award for her work with the Cobb Chamber culture team, the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America for her volunteer work and a Woman of Distinction Award by LiveSafe Resources. Secret is a native of Atlanta and has two children – Anna and Adam. She enjoys golf, dancing, college football, time with family and friends, and travel to warm places.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Erin McCormick, General Manager of Gwinnett Stripers

May 26, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Erin McCormick, General Manager of Gwinnett Stripers

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Erin McCormick

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Erin McCormick/Gwinnett Stripers

Erin McCormick enters her second season as the General Manager of the Gwinnett Stripers Baseball Club (Triple-A, Atlanta Braves), named the fourth GM in team history on October 1, 2021. She previously served as Gwinnett’s Assistant General Manager from December 2018 through September 2021. In her four seasons with the Stripers, she has assisted in all facets of the club’s operation, directly overseeing all advertising, sponsorship implementation, ballpark entertainment, digital and social media, media relations, community relations, and merchandise.

With 15 years of Minor League Baseball experience, Erin previously spent one season with the Birmingham Barons (Double-A, Chicago White Sox), three seasons with the Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A, San Francisco Giants), five seasons with the Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, St. Louis Cardinals), two seasons with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A, Kansas City Royals), and two seasons in her native Corpus Christi with the Hooks (Double-A, Houston Astros).

Erin graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with degrees in both Business Administration (Marketing) and Communications, and with minors in Communication Management and History. She serves with the Junior League of Gwinnett & North Fulton Counties, as a Lector at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church, and as a mentor for Trinity University students. She is also on the Northside Gwinnett Medical Foundation board, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board, and serves on the Northside Women’s Leadership Council, and on the advisory board for the Georgia Southern Women’s Leadership program. She resides with her husband, Corey, their son Grady, and their hound dog, Ike (Eisenhower) in Peachtree Corners.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Melissa Wheeler, Chief People Officer with Luckie

May 12, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Melissa Wheeler, Chief People Officer with Luckie

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Melissa Wheeler

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Melissa Wheeler/Luckie

Melissa Wheeler certainly has an eye for talent, and her recruitment efforts have brought some of the brightest minds across the nation into the Luckie fold. A mother of four, Melissa earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where she attended school on a music performance scholarship. Melissa joined Luckie in 2006 as the agency’s first human resources employee. Prior to her work at Luckie, Melissa served as senior stores recruiter at Dick’s Sporting Goods, state program director of Very Special Arts Mississippi, and HR manager at Target. In her role at Luckie, Melissa oversees recruitment, hiring and orientation of all employees. She works closely with agency leaders on employee performance improvements, and she’s also their resident counselor for all things professional and personal.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Dr. Audrey Arona, CEO and Chief Medical Officer with GNR Health Department

May 5, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Dr. Audrey Arona, CEO and Chief Medical Officer with GNR Health Department

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Dr. Audrey Arona

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Dr. Audrey Arona/GNR Health Department (Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Health Departments)

Dr. Audrey Arona graduated from the University of California-San Diego in Cell Biology/Biochemistry and thereafter graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1991. She completed an OB/GYN Residency at USC in Los Angeles in 1995, began private practice thereafter in San Jose, and later moved to Lawrenceville, GA where she owned an OB/GYN private practice for 20 years. She served as a consultant to the GNR Health Department (Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Health Departments) in 2012, and in 2018 become their Medical Director. She is now their CEO/Chief Medical Officer.

Celebrating Powerhouse Women is presented by

Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy, Medical Director at Clarkston Community Health Center

April 28, 2023 by Mike

Celebrating Powerhouse Women

Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy, Medical Director at Clarkston Community Health Center

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Amanda Pearch Marmolejo and Dr. Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy

Celebrating Powerhouse Women salutes and recognizes women who are making an impact, whether it’s in business, philanthropy, public service, or elsewhere.

Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy/Clarkston Community Health Center

Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy is the Medical Director at Clarkston Community Health Center, a non-profit clinic for individuals without adequate health insurance, many of whom are recent immigrants. She is an advocate for health equity and health literacy and serves on the Emory School of Medicine Alumni Board, is the recent chairman of the Sahiyo U.S. Advisory Board, and is a Leadership Atlanta alumni. Dr. Cassoobhoy’s background includes health communications with expertise in the health media industry and a background in public health. She is the former chief medical editor at Everyday Health and spent many years at WebMD and Medscape. Dr. Cassoobhoy is a board-certified internist with degrees from Emory University in medicine, public health, anthropology, and human biology.