Staff Bios
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Bios
Julie
Castro Abrams – Chief Executive
Officer
Julie Castro Abrams is a national leader in microfinance
and women’s issues. She has been CEO of
Women’s Initiative since 2002, following
a non-profit career that spanned 20 years in Chicago.
She led the transition of Women’s Initiative
from a founder-led organization to a rapidly growing
non-profit that has expanded throughout the Bay
Area and increased the number of women trained
and receiving microloans tenfold. Under her leadership,
significant new services have been developed that
contribute to the success of entrepreneurs and
the economic growth in the communities served
by the organization, and the Women’s Initiative
has been recognized by the Urban Institute Best
Practices Foundation, the Equal Rights Advocates
and Cisco Innovation in Technology, among others.
Julie currently serves on the Board of the California
Association for Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO),
and is a highly sought after speaker and expert
on microenterprise in the U.S. Julie is the recipient
of the Human Rights Award from the Commission
on the Status of Women, the Women of Color Action
Network Award 2008. Prior to her work at Women’s
Initiative, Julie served as Deputy Director and
Director of Development and Marketing at Chicago’s
Merit School of Music. Her accomplishments at
Merit include increasing annual giving from $300,000
to $2,000,000 and leading a $2.7 million endowment
campaign that exceeded its goal, raising $3.5
million. Julie’s previous positions include
Director of Development at Community Christian
Alternative Academy and principal at the Catalyst
Group consulting firm. She has also held positions
with the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance, the Chicago
Department of Health, and the Chicago Foundation
for Women. Julie studied for her masters degree
in Social Service Administration at the University
of Chicago and she has a BA in Human Development
and Social Policy from the school of Education
at Northwestern University. She currently lives
in Novato with her husband and two children.
David
Veneziano – Chief Financial Officer
David joined Women’s Initiative in 2003
and acts as the CFO for the organization as well
as the head of the Financial Services Group, providing
business loans and access to savings programs
for graduates. David comes to Women’s Initiative
with 20+ years of financial services experience
in corporate banking and investing. In 2003, David
decided to step-back from the for-profit business
world in favor of non-profit work. The change
has been personally gratifying for David and invaluable
to Women’s Initiative. His financial services
experience and leadership has resulted in a 5X
fold growth in lending activity over the last
two years – making Women’s Initiative
one of the largest training-led financial service
providers in the country. Prior to joining Women’s
Initiative, David was Vice President of Strategy
& Planning at Charles Schwab in their high-volume
trading segment, representing more than $800 million
in annual revenue. David was also Assistant Controller
for Schwab’s Online Trading Division and
participated in the explosive growth of Schwab’s
internet trading business in the late 1990’s.
Before joining Schwab in 1990, David worked at
Bank of America in credit card operations and
in Benefits Finance prior to that. He earned a
B.S. in Finance and Real Estate from Colorado
State University in 1986.
Almaz
Negash - Managing Director, Women’s
Initiative Silicon Valley
As managing director, Almaz Negash will be responsible
for the overall operations of Women’s Initiative
expansion plans in San Jose. Preceding her appointment
to Women’s Initiative, Almaz was a Center
Fellow at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center
for Applied Ethics where she spearheads the Ethics
of Immigration and Migration project. Negash also
served formerly as the director of the Markkula
Center's Global Leadership and Ethics Program.
Prior to joining the Markkula Center, she was
the Director of the Silicon Valley Center for
International Trade Development and the California
Mexico Trade Assistance Center Program. In addition,
she worked as a researcher on Corporate Social
Responsibility for a Sr. Fellow at the Hewlett
Foundation. Almaz is a co-author of “Awakening
Social Responsibility” and has written articles
and researched on women and economic empowerment,
educating women and children as a means to reduce
global poverty and gender inequality. Almaz Negash
is a founding member and on the faculty of the
Global Women Leadership Network at Leavey School
of Business at Santa Clara University. She serves
as a board member for Greater San Jose Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce, and a mentor at Alliance
of Technology & Women (ATW). She holds an
MBA from Golden Gate University and a B.A. in
International Business from University of San
Francisco.
Leslie
Wittmann – Board Relations
and Corporate Development, East Bay
Ms. Wittmann is an executive with 30 years of
experience working in the global human resources
field most recently as the Sr. Director of Global
Compensation, Benefits and Staffing for Lam Research
Corporation, a leading-edge technology firm. Leslie
has particular expertise in executive, board and
equity-based compensation and significant experience
with attraction and retention, workforce planning
and alignment of human capital strategies with
business objectives and organizational values.
At Lam, Leslie was responsible for managing the
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors
and worked closely with the Chairman of the Board.
Leslie has worked with public, private and non-profit
companies. Prior to Lam Research, she was a Principal
with William M. Mercer, a human resources consulting
firm. Leslie has a particular interest in the
microfinance field and has done volunteer work
for the Katalysis Bootstrap Fund. Leslie currently
serves as a Trustee on the Board of Mercy Housing,
Inc. and is the Chair of the Employee Benefits
Committee. She has served on the Boards of New
Directions, Inc., Goodwill Industries of Greater
Cleveland and the International Society of Employee
Benefit Specialists. In 2004, she was honored
by the YWCA of Santa Clara Valley as one of 50
women in their Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN)
program, recognizing successful women executives
for their outstanding achievements. Ms. Wittmann
earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management
from the University of Maryland.
Karuna
Jaggar – Director of Research
and Public Policy
Karuna Jaggar joined Women’s Initiative
in March 2003 and has worked in both the Program
and Research and Evaluations Departments. Karuna
comes to Women’s Initiative with 10 years
of experience working to promote and research
women’s microenterprise. In addition to
conducting her doctoral research on women’s
microenterprises in Tanzania, Karuna worked in
India with a local microenterprise organization
to design and implement a longitudinal survey
to determine program outcomes. As Manager for
the Research and Evaluations Department since
November 2004 she combines her social science
research background with her direct client experience
with the Women’s Initiative programs. In
addition to managing a transition in our evaluation
system design and data cycles, Karuna is committed
to linking direct service staffs’ use and
understanding of client monitoring and outcome
evaluation systems and results.
Thais
Rezende – Program Director
Thais comes to Women's Initiative with three years
of non-profit experience, working as Public Relations
Manager in her native Mexico. She helped open
three virtual libraries and consistently provided
services to more than 300 homeless children. When
she moved to the Bay Area, she worked for the
Mexican Consulate as part of The Mexican Communities
Abroad Team where she helped implement and develop
health, educational and business trade programs.
She also worked for OLDCOA, in Oakland California
where she recently served as Program Specialist/Subsidy
Counselor. Her background includes journalism
work both in TV and print. She holds a B.A. in
International Relations and is fluent in both
Spanish and Portuguese.
Pemala
Mejia – Executive Projects Manager
Pemala joined Women’s Initiative in April
2002 on her return to the United States after
living many years in Colombia, South America.
In Colombia, she worked as Executive Director
of a Binational Center dedicated to furthering
friendly relations between the people of Colombia
and the United States. In this position, she was
responsible for the success of an educational
program as well as for a vibrant binational cultural
program. She brought the Center to economic stability
and was responsible for the purchase and renovation
of a new site. During her time as the executive
director, her leadership helped to more than doubled
the clients served. She is fluent in Spanish.
Madhuri
Pottathil Kirkham - Corporate Relations
Manager
Madhuri joined Women’s Initiative in 2006
and has spent her entire professional career in
non-profit. After graduating from U.C.L.A. in
2000 she worked as a Meeting Planner for D.A.R.E.
America at their headquarters in Los Angeles.
Their mission centers around drug abuse prevention
for youth. She later moved to San Francisco and
worked as the Training & Event Coordinator
at Seneca Center, a non-profit agency dedicated
to serving the Bay Area’s severely emotionally
disturbed youth. At Women’s Initiative she
leads Special Events in the Fundraising Department.
She is passionate about supporting women and their
families to be economically self-sufficient and
is inspired by communities’ support of our
graduates.
Kelly
K. McKae - Business Connector Manager
Kelly McKae has over four years experience in
microfinance, project management and development
work. Prior to joining Women’s Initiative,
Kelly assisted low-income and first-time home
buyers in the San Francisco Bay Area by teaching
homebuyer seminars and using California Housing
and Finance Agency Loan programs. Kelly has also
helped to implement global loan projects in Central
America through the Inter-American Development
Bank. Early in her career in micro-finance Kelly
evaluated loans at the Foundation for International
Community Assistance (FINCA) in Washington DC,
El Salvador and Guatemala. During her time in
Central America, she executed an Education and
Finance Census of the Working Poor. Kelly initiated
for the first time the first Wells Fargo “Teaching
Kids to Save Program” in Carmel by the Sea,
California and administered Wells Fargo Bank's
“Hands on Banking” program to local
schools. Kelly received her Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration, Finance from the University
of Arizona and completed a Minor in Spanish from
Estudio Internacional Sampere, Spain. Most recently
she earned a Master of International Policy Studies
of Economic Development with a specialization
in microfinance, small business development and
project development. Kelly is an enthusiast of
the outdoors, traveling and art.
Ann
Eisenberg – Institutional Relations
Manager
Ann Eisenberg was formerly assistant director
of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Human Rights
in New York, and associate director of programs
at Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights,
Development, and Peace in Bethesda, Maryland.
Ann is co-author of Leading to Choices: A Leadership
Training Handbook for Women, which has been translated
into 15 languages and is used in leadership training
programs in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
She has a J.D. from Boston College Law School
and is a member of the New York Bar Association.
She serves on the governing board of the National
Organization for Disorders of the Corpus Callosum,
and the Committee of the Ginetta Sagan Fund of
Amnesty International, U.S.A.
Genevieve
Kirk – Client Services Manager
Genevieve Kirk joined the Women’s Initiative
in February 2008 as a program volunteer and now
works as the Client Services Manager. She comes
to the Women’s Initiative with six years
of experience in nonprofit management and community
development, most recently having worked as the
Program Manager of the Latino Geriatric Center
in Milwaukee, WI. As the Client Services Manager,
Genevieve leads the team that recruits and coordinates
client participation in our business plan training
program. She also manages a campaign to address
domestic violence among Women’s Initiative
clients. Genevieve is a strong advocate of volunteerism,
having served as a high school English teacher
for two years through the Peace Corps in Mauritania,
West Africa. She currently volunteers as a family
mentor with the International Rescue Committee
in Oakland and the Bay Area chapter of the Young
Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) as a member
of the Career Development Committee. She speaks
French, Spanish and Hassaniya, an Arabic dialect.
Genevieve holds a MA in Public Service with a
focus on nonprofit management from the Marquette
University Trinity Fellows program and a BA in
Visual Arts from the University of Chicago.
Elvira
Solanes - Financial Services Manager
Elvira Solanes received her BA in Business Administration
in Chile. Her enthusiasm for non-profit and microenterprise
development developed during her internship at
the World Bank in Washington DC. After working
in several non-profits in New York, Elvira joined
Women’s Imitative as a Clients Services
Coordinator. During her 2 years at Women’s
Initiative, Elvira has worked with the program
department and is now working as a Financial Services
Manager, managing IDA accounts, the leaseholder
grant program and underwriting large loans. She
is currently pursuing her MBA part time and is
fluent in Spanish.
Ana
M. Smith – Communications Specialist
Ana Smith has been working in the nonprofit sector
almost exclusively since 1993. Exceptions include
a stint as a Production Artist at national advertising
agency Hill Holliday from 1999-2001 and freelance
graphic design work from 2001-2003. From 2003-2008,
she worked at Community Music Center, the Bay
Area’s oldest community-based arts organization,
which is headquartered in San Francisco’s
Mission District. As their Marketing Director,
she was instrumental in increasing outreach to
Latino communities and, as a result, Latino student
enrollment and concert audiences. She also created
significant printing savings, created a cohesive
brand identity, implemented online donations,
and increased the number of younger individual
donors by coordinating a new fundraiser. Ana was
a Studio Arts major at University of California
at Santa Cruz and graduated from Women’s
Initiative in 2003. She is from the Bay Area,
of mixed heritage (Peruvian mother and Norwegian/Irish
father), and bilingual in English and Spanish.
Melissa
Greer – Development and Events
Coordinator - Silicon Valley
Melissa Greer came to Women’s Initiative
in January 2008 after a long corporate career
in event management at IBM and Human Resources
at Cisco Systems. She brings with her a passion
for philanthropy and womens’ issues having
worked in various community programs over the
years as a volunteer. Melissa has a talent for
planning and executing a wide spectrum of events.
While at IBM she managed and coordinated a variety
of corporate events, including diversity celebrations,
vendor fairs, conferences, receptions and family
events for up to 40,000 participants. Melissa
also created and implemented successful discount
and travel programs for the employees and their
families. In 1993 Melissa was privileged to plan
and manage a reception honoring Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Desmond Tutu. Melissa takes her work
seriously but takes time as well to enjoy life.
She has performed professionally as a character
actor and improvisational comedian, traveled and
taught theater workshops across the United States
and Europe and in her spare time she teaches acting
and life skills to young people of diverse ages
and cultural backgrounds. Melissa welcomes the
opportunity to make a contribution to Women’s
Initiative and it’s vision to change the
lives of women and their families for the greater
good.
Eleanore
Koo – Grant Writer
A recent newcomer to the Bay Area, Eleanore joined
Women’s Initiative in April, 2007 as a Development
Intern. She was so inspired by the work of Women’s
Initiative and the passion and dedication of its
clients and community that she permanently joined
our team. In her current capacity as Institutional
Gifts Coordinator, Eleanore is responsible for
prospecting new donors, coordinating the grants
team and grant writing. Prior to coming to Women’s
Initiative, Eleanore volunteered in San Francisco
as a tutor for adults at the Adult Learning and
Literacy Center and for children at Back on Track.
Eleanore hails from Toronto, Canada and holds
a Bachelor of Science from McGill University and
a Master of English from Concordia University.
She enjoys literature, the outdoors and traveling,
and is always thrilled to meet our incredible
clients!
Elizabeth
de Renzy – Researcher and Data
Analyst
Elizabeth de Renzy joined Women’s Initiative
in August 2007 with nine years of quantitative
and qualitative social science research experience.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, she returned
last year after over 12 years in Germany. As a
graduate student at the University of Bielefeld
in Germany she has led seminars on statistics
and quantitative social science research methodologies
and has worked as a Research Assistant in international
research projects on credit unions, working conditions
for women in the financial and retail sector and
on financial regulation. As Researcher and Data
Analyst in the Research and Public Policy department
at Women’s Initiative, she is optimizing
the research and reporting so the agency can look
at the effectiveness of services and understand
clients’ needs. She holds an MA in Sociology.
Julia
Brown – Research and Public
Policy Coordinator
Julia manages the outcome evaluation interviews
with Women’s Initiative. Originally from
New York City, she comes to Women's Initiative
by way of Ecuador, where she lived for nearly
two years. While there, she worked with a struggling
micro-credit cooperative in an urban slum and
also helped run a group for disadvantaged youth,
teaching clarinet and poetry classes. She received
her B.A. from Williams College in Economics and
Women’s and Gender Studies. She is fluent
in English and Spanish.
Marisela
Barbosa - Successlink Specialist
Marisela is a small business owner with a diverse
background in commercial, residential and public
projects. She brings to Women’s Initiative
more than 15 years of experience in Operations
Management, out of which, the last 5 years were
dedicated to her private consulting business OMS
(Office Management Solutions). Marisela specialized
in assisting small to mid-size businesses to better
manage their day to day operations. Some of her
clients include wineries, construction, engineering,
restaurants and non-profit organizations. Her
role as a consultant included formulating growth
strategies, corporate policies, finance, human
resources policies, and public relations. Her
experience in financial management is enhanced
by her ability to assess and envision system restructuring
for more cost effective and efficient operation.
Marisela is also one of the founders of an Architectural/Engineering
firm currently launching into international markets.
She graduated from San Francisco State University
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration
with a concentration in management. She is bi-lingual
in English/Spanish and enjoys working with new
entrepreneurs to become successful.
Ruth
Elizondo - Client Services Coordinator
(San Jose)
Ruth, has ten years experience in client relationship,
she has a law degree in Mexico, she worked for
the Legal Department of the Public Health and
for a Law Firm in Aguascalientes, Mexico, she
was always focus in defend the Human Rights and
served the Community. In 2001 she decided to emigrate
to California after she started working for the
Mexican Consulate in San Francisco. Ruth grew
up in a traditional family of business owner’s
and her dream was to own her own business, in
2005 she became a self-employed looking for a
better quality of life, she took a small training
course in Oakland and in April 2007 she had the
opportunity to be part of Women’s Initiative
where she is enjoying to be in touch again with
the Community and to be part of those dreams coming
thru.
Sarah
Light - Development Coordinator
Prior to joining Women’s Initiative, Sarah
worked with non-profit organizations in the metro-Boston
Area for over three years. Sarah was born and
raised in the Bay Area, holds a B.A. in Latin
American Studies and Spanish Literature from Brandeis
University, and is fluent in Spanish. She is delighted
to be back in the Bay Area and loves working with
the rest of the Women’s Initiative team.
She currently plans fundraising events as part
of the development department.
Tim
Burch - Research and Policy Database
Coordinator
Tim manages Women's Initiative's client
database, and is responsible for many of wonderful
stats you see on our website and in our printed
materials. He has a B.S. in computer engineering
and six years of experience in developing and
managing databases. Since graduating from Cornell
in 2002, he has worked in both the for-profit
and non-profit worlds, and is delighted to be
with Women's Initiative.
Yissell
Diaz - Client Services Coordinator
(Oakland)
Yissell has more than five years of experience
working as Information Specialist in a community
based institution helping adults and children
to learn communication technologies and computer
proficiency. She launched a community project
to teach computer skills to pre-literate children
in her native Cuba. She moved to the Bay Area
in 2004 and worked for 2 1/2 years as Program
Specialist and Analyst at Oakland Licensed Day
Care Operator’s Association (OLDCOA) in
Oakland California. She managed, counseled and
assisted hundreds of low-income families coming
from diverse backgrounds and cultures to receive
childcare services through subsidy programs, and
ensured compliance with state and federal policies
from the California Department of Education. She
joined Women’s Initiative in 2007 and is
committed to linking high-potential women with
a strong desire to create successful businesses.
She holds a B.A in Library and Information Sciences
and is fluent in Spanish.
Trainers/Consultants

Meet our trainers!
Front Row: (left to right): Meredith
Mehlberg, Sandra Murillo, Shannon Penn, and Gonzalo
Martinez Metzler. Middle Row: (left
to right): Marisela Barbosa, Norma Martinez Rubin,
Suraiya Ahmed, and Maria Lo Valvo. Back
Row: (left to right): Diana Estrada,
Nika Quirk, Tonya Jenkins, Lorrie Williams, and
Yolanda Butler. Not
pictured: Karen Auguste, Jayne Speich,
Carolyn Johnson, Milagros Acosta, Claudia Medina,
and Susana Gama.

Meet our master
trainers & consultants! (left to
right): Nika Quirk, Sandra Murillo, and Shannon
Penn
Sandra
Murillo-Brucker – Senior ALAS
Trainer
Sandra Murillo is a small business owner with
an extensive background in finance and insurance.
A former ALAS client, Sandra started her own insurance
agency, MUR Insurance Services, in 1999. Sandra
has broad business experience in sales, prospecting,
customer and public relations, training and presentations,
marketing, financial planning and loans. Sandra
has built a strong reputation both nationally
and internationally for her business start up
acumen and for her work with Latinas in business.
She is a frequent speaker on panels and in trade
relations with Mexico. Sandra has built extensive
networks that bring personal and professional
growth to the women she serves at Women’s
Initiative. In particular, Sandra brokers media
exposure for women starting businesses. She is
fluent in Spanish and has B.A. degrees in Industrial
Psychology and Elementary Teaching from Mexico.
Sandra is a licensed insurance broker in the State
of California.
Gonzalo
Martinez-Metzler – Small Business
Trainer
Mr. Martinez-Metzler has over twenty years experience
in the fields of urban planning, socio-economic
development, labor relations and economic analysis
in the United States and Latin America. He has
managed and coordinated culturally diverse and
multidisciplinary teams. His past experiences
include financial management of internationally
funded projects for the government of El Salvador,
cooperative strategic planning for city governments,
non-profit organizations and for profit enterprises.
Mr. Martinez-Metzler has also extensive experience
in teaching urban and regional planning, business
planning, economics and quantitative literacy
in English and Spanish. Mr. Martinez-Metzler earned
two master degrees in Economics and Community
and Regional Planning from the University of New
Mexico.
Lorrie
Williams – Small Business Coach
and Trainer
Lorrie’s experience as an entrepreneur,
small business owner, and business development
consultant spans over 15 years. Her expertise
lies in areas of sales and marketing, advertising
and promotions in addition to operations and production
management. She has owned and operated several
successful businesses in the bay area and has
also experienced the joys of successful business
partnerships.
Lorrie’s mission is to form an alliance
with her clients by developing their business
skills and connecting them to their inner purpose
and passion. Through specific goals setting and
accountability she helps her clients facilitate
a shift in thinking creating sustainable change
within their businesses and lives. Lorrie’s
style is one of heartfelt support, enthusiastic
encouragement coupled with humor to help guide
and inspire you on your journey. She is a certified
Core Energy Coach, an active member of (ICF) International
Coach Federation and San Francisco Coaches.
Yolanda Silva – Small
Business Trainer
Yolanda comes to Women’s Initiative with
more than 10 years of experience in providing
services to low and median income women in the
Bay Area. Most recently she worked closely with
a Housing Community Development in Contra Costa,
where she managed an educational financial program
and administrate several Individual Development
Accounts.
She obtained a Master degree in Art of Journalism
from Varovezh University in Russia. Recently she
completed an intensive course sponsored by NBC/TELEMUNDO
Network at Loyola Marymount University in Los
Angeles. Yolanda has first hand experience in
what it takes to get a business going as she started
her own very successful restaurant business in
2001.
Milagros Acosta - Small
Business Trainer
Milagros Acosta was born and raised in Puerto
Rico. She is married and is the mother of two
daughters, Beatrice and Dianna. She has lived
in San Francisco for more than 20 years and has
owned her own private family child care for over
14 years. Milagros has committed the last ten
years of her professional life to organizing and
educating licensed and unlicensed child care providers.
She has helped them develop business plan, get
licensed and get their early childhood education
units. Milagros feels strongly about the need
for childcare providers to see themselves as professionals.
Milagros has organized Hispanic child care providers
and in 2001 was the first Hispanic Child Care
Providers Conference in Spanish, in the Bay Area,
giving units from City College. In September 2002
Milagros was nominated Community Local Hero for
KQED Channel 9 in the celebration of the Hispanic
Heritage Month. The Hispanic Child Care Providers
Group has been in the Mission for the last 20
years. In 1999 Milagros became a President of
the Mission Neighborhood Advisory Committee that
oversees the San Francisco Hispanic Child Care
Providers Group.
Karen L. Auguste - Small
Business Trainer
Karen has over 20 years of business-to-business
and business-to-consumer marketing communications
experience. 12 years were spent in leadership
roles in marketing communications working for
Fortune 500 technology companies. The last eight
years have been spent consulting with small businesses,
non-profit organizations and minority associations
to develop their advertising, public relations,
graphic design, and event management programs.
In addition, she teaches a series of marketing
classes to entrepreneurs at the Renaissance Center
in San Francisco. With a certificate from San
Jose State’s marketing communications program,
a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems
Management from the University of San Francisco,
and an MBA from the University of San Francisco,
she has acquired the experience and education
in business and technology that combines contemporary
marketing principles with current business best
practices; all with an emphasis on creating an
effective, strategic plan that delivers measurable
results.
Yolanda Y. Butler – Small
Business Trainer/Consultant
Yolanda has been an entrepreneur for 15 years
and graduated in Business Administration from
California State University, Hayward. She is alumni
to Leadership Oakland (1991) and Oakland City
Management Academy (1998). She has sat on various
boards from Community Development Block Grant
District IV to her most recent appointment in
2004, Contra Costa County Library Commissioner,
District V. She brings a wealth of business resources,
experience and contacts for new and growing businesses.
She holds a certificate in Meeting and Event Planning
from San Francisco State University. Although
new to Women’s Initiative, she has served
as a trainer/consultant for over 10 years. She
is a known for her “creativity” in
the training industry.
Susana Gama - Small Business
Trainer
Susana obtained a BA in Business Administration
in Mexico and offers extensive experience in the
following areas: More than 20 years experience
in Business Development and Business Banking.
Acted as a Financial Counselor for micro business
and medium size businesses in Mexico. Assisted
in the implementation and development of a new
program with the Chamber of Commerce and BNCI
(National Bank of Interior Commerce) to help new
and small businesses to obtain new lines of credit
by submitting Credit and Tax Analysis to the decision
makers. Successfully opened her own business in
Mexico, before she came to U.S. Susana is bilingual
in English and Spanish
Norma Martinez-Rubin - Small
Business Trainer
A life-long learner, Norma Martínez-Rubin
is into a second career as founder of a health
program evaluation firm, Evaluation Focused Consulting.
She embraces her experience in the public non-profit
and (now) for-profit cultures from the perspective
of a California-reared, first-generation, bilingual
and bicultural American of Mexican ancestry. Her
formal education in public health (M.P.H.) and
business administration (M.B.A.) serve as launching
points to infuse the small-business training she
facilitates for Women’s Initiative for Self
Employment.
Claudia Medina- Small Business
Trainer
Claudia Medina is a small business owner,
marketing coach and internet marketer. Claudia’s
most recent position as Director of Marketing
and Community Relations for Bay Area BusinessWoman
allowed her to build strong business relationships
with over 15 of the largest Bay Area women’s
business groups. Claudia corporate background
with Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s World Sourcing
division allows her to bring product development
and manufacturing understanding to clients developing
product lines. Claudia is the founder of Creativity
à la Carte, a marketing coaching and training
company conducting workshops that support small
business owners to update and build their marketing
skills. She is an international and tri-lingual
marketing coach for Success Tracs, a branch of
Peak Potentials Training, where she supports international
business owners and corporate executives with
their continuing personal development in-tandem
with building marketing strategies to increase
sales and market share. Claudia received her B.S.
in Business Administration, with an emphasis in
Marketing as well as a minor in French Literature
from San Francisco State University. Claudia is
fluent in English, Spanish and French; she resides
in Piedmont with her husband and two children.
Merideth Mehlberg, ACC
- Small Business Trainer
Merideth became a business and career coach after
more than 15 years in the corporate world. She
served as a recruiter at Adecco, where she developed
an understanding of the human side of business.
She worked as a product manager, business analyst,
and project manager on software development teams
at Matson Navigation Company, Vivant Corporation,
and GT Nexus. In her coaching practice, Merideth
helps small business owners define their goals,
develop their business plans, and analyze and
troubleshoot business issues. Merideth has completed
training as a consultant to implement the One
Page Business Plan, and she speaks and offers
workshops for entrepreneurs based on this program.
Merideth also coaches clients, presents workshops,
and speaks on career and fertility-related issues.
Merideth has an undergraduate degree in Social
Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
She holds an associate-level coaching credential
with the International Coach Federation, and earned
her coaching certificate from John F. Kennedy
University. She is a member of the International
Coach Federation, Professional Coaches and Mentors
Association, Business Network International, and
eWomen Network.
Shannon Penn - Small Business
Trainer/Consultant
Trained as a social worker turned business woman,
Shannon Penn has extensive finance and marketing
experience she brings to the classes she trains.
If you need help with your cash flow and budgets
Shannon will make you think you showed up to the
world’s best party. Shannon holds an MSW
and has an extensive repertoire of business connections
and clients.
Nika N. Quirk, MBA – Small
Business Trainer and Consultant
As a small business coach, consultant, and trainer
at Women’s Initiative, Nika is a proven
catalyst for insightful change and forward momentum
for the agency’s clients. Women’s
Initiative also benefits from her work developing
programs. Nika has owned her own coaching and
consulting business since 2002, after a 25 year
career in the corporate world. In addition to
an MBA from the University of Phoenix and an undergraduate
degree in Business Administration and Human Resource
Management from Oakland’s Holy Names University,
Nika completed coach-training coursework at Coaches
Training Institute in San Rafael and holds a Certificate
in Training and Human Resource Development from
UC Berkeley Extension. She is a Certified Small
Business Advisor with The One Page Business Plan
Company®. Currently, she’s engaged in
a Ph.D. program in Humanities with a focus on
Transformative Learning and Change.
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