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Kim Millhorn2015-2016
RNPW President
I’m fortunate to have a formal education in art from the University of Iowa which has a long history of supporting the study of art and art history. In fact, Iowa is known for bringing studio art and art history together. In the 1920s, the University brought art history and studio art into one department which had, until that time, never been done within a school of higher education.
They created a valuable learning environment for both studio artists and art historians to share the experience of studying the history of art as well as creating. This idea was soon copied by many institutions calling it the “Iowa Idea.” By the late 1970s, when I was in the program, it was expected that if you wanted to be a studio artist, you were expected to study art history as well.
I was one of the younger students in the program with a focus on studio art, primarily painting but also sculpture, photography and a lot of art history. The program required long intense hours of ‘in-studio’ work and then private critiques by professors and then publicly by classmates. I was 24, shy and reclusive and when I graduated I had no idea how to pursue making a living. Before I left the school, I had one professor tell me that I needed to ‘live life’ before I could create anything of meaning. I wasn’t sure at the time what he meant but I did know that most of the other students were older than I and they had families. They also were returning to jobs upon completion of their degree.
When I left school I was not only alone but also, young, naïve and jobless. I ended up getting the first job I could find at a local radio station as a receptionist. I thought I would only be there a short time - little did I know that this first job would become a new path and a career. I worked for Iowa City Broadcasting for eleven
years and learned the ropes of broadcast radio from trafficking commercials, bookkeeping and on-air news. The radio career was far from my original idea of a career as an artist but I had found a way to pay my rent. There was something exciting about live, broadcast radio.
I also observed the sales people and the managers and how they made a living. I watched and learned what successful behavior was and what was not. Eleven years passed and, life happened! I got married, had two children and progressed through the company from the front desk to the office and on the air. We left Iowa City and moved a few times and, as the years passed, my kids grew up and I moved on from radio to television and advertising sales which gave me new experiences with managers, business owners and entrepreneurs.
So now, no longer reclusive, I’ve grown to love being around people and I’ve realized I appreciate people that take ownership of their business to make it a success. I still enjoy art and art history but I also enjoy helping business owners become successful and reap results from their advertising. I don’t regret the change I made in my career nor do I regret the people I’ve met and worked with. It’s been a great adventure. I have grown tremendously since my days at Iowa and I can now look back and say to that professor, I have, indeed lived.
I hope that you, too, will embrace the ‘Art Spirit’ and come to the April meeting. April 18, 2016 -- Renaissance of Creativity with Anne O’Keefe, President of Rockford Area Arts Council. The arts are important to the creativity for our youth, our community, our work force, and ourselves.
April 2016 | rockfordnetwork.org
“When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature.”
- The Art Spirit, Robert Henri
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Rockford Network of Professional Women Board of Directors 2015-2016President Kim Millhorn - [email protected]
Vice President Karen Keller - [email protected]
Secretary Tiffany Staman - [email protected]
Treasurer Jocelyn Hare - [email protected]
Appointments Kay King - [email protected]
Awards Co-Chairs Tonya Thayer - [email protected] Janet Nordquist - [email protected]
Communications Kathy Velasco - [email protected]
History Robin Mann - [email protected]
Events Greta Spencer - [email protected]
Membership Co-Chairs Dolores Ford - [email protected] Holly Friel - [email protected]
Policy Barb Giolitto - [email protected]
Program Co-Chairs Diane James - [email protected] Deanna Watts - [email protected]
Public Relations Lindsey Gregg - [email protected]
Reservations Co-Chairs Cheryl Schmidt - [email protected] Mariah Anast - [email protected]
Scholarship Nicole Potter - [email protected]
Past President Jan Bowman - [email protected]
Why The Force Will Be With Women Entrepreneurs in 2016Geri Stengel, Contributor, Forbes.comJanuary 6, 2016
What’s good for women is good for the economy.Economists and academics agree women entrepreneurs are
an under-tapped force that can rekindle economic expansion. Women are becoming more entrepreneurial. Women own 36% of all businesses, according to the 2012 U.S. Census ‒ a jump of 30% over 2007.
Some reasons the force will be with women entrepreneurs are a mix of marketplace trends, expanding financing options, and the growing recognition that support is needed and is effective.
The biggest challenge women face when starting and growing their businesses is access to capital, especially equity financing, as I was reminded by Sharon Vosmek, an economist and CEO of Astia ‒ a nonprofit that identifies and propels high-potential women-led companies with expertise and money.
Female entrepreneurs start companies with 50% less capital than male entrepreneurs, according to Access to Capital by High-Growth Women-Owned Businesses, research commissioned by the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC). So no surprise, money is a large focus of the article.
A Golden Age for women entrepreneurs has begun
“We believe that today provides a perfect opportunity, a perfect storm if you will, for women entrepreneurs. Interest rates are at record lows, creating a robust environment for commercial borrowing,” said Carla Harris, NWBC’s chair, a nonpartisan federal advisory council. “Record levels of cash are on the sidelines with both institutional and individual investors and on corporate balance sheets. And all of these entities are looking for good ideas, particularly as the appetite for risk continues to increase in the market.”
Entrepreneurs start companies when they see a need in the marketplace that they can fill, whether it is creating a new product or service or targeting an underserved segment of the market. Women entrepreneurs are more adept than their male counterparts at seeing gaps in the market and seizing the opportunity, according to The 2015 Kauffman Index: Startup Activity.
“WBEs [women business enterprises] are agile, innovative problem-solvers, meeting corporations’ needs quickly, adapting to marketplace changes and providing deep value and cost-effectiveness,” said Pamela Prince Eason, president and CEO of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
“2016 will be the year in which the forces of entrepreneurialism and feminism converge,” writes Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevest and chairman of Ellevate. “Together, they will drive a long-wave, golden age of female entrepreneurship, which will be a positive for all of us: positive and empowering for the women who make the leap, good for the economy, good for consumers, and good for society.”
Media also shine a light on the challenges women face. Fueled by data, a juicy gender discrimination lawsuit and ridiculous comments by a well known VC, the media kept the spotlight on the notorious lack of diversity among venture capitalists. The media used Women Entrepreneurs 2014: Bridging the Gender Gap in Venture Capital, a report by Babson College, to document the industry’s lack of diversity at the investment-decision level and its impact on women-led companies.
The media put the industry under a microscope during the Ellen Pao gender discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Pao lost the case but the coverage helped galvanize the industry and others to change. The depth of the problem was once again highlighted recently, when Michael Moritz, chairman of Sequoia Capital, a top tier VC firm with no female partners, made condescending and elitist comments on Bloomberg TV about his firm’s inability to find qualified women to hire. Social media erupted.
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Making a Difference with the RNPW Scholarship Program
We recently received a letter from Kathryn Gustafson, a recipient of the RNPW Educational Scholarship in 2012. She shares:
I just wanted to check in and tell you all THANK YOU again for the blessing that you gave me by allowing me the honor of being one of RNPW’s scholarship recipients. It was, hands down, one of the most treasured gifts I received towards my educational goals.
As an update, I just wanted to let you know that I am graduating this May from Rockford University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a marketing concentration, as well as a minor in sociology. I am graduating in the top echelon of my class, and was awarded Sigma Beta Delta Honor status, as well. I will be walking on May 15! My GPA is 3.7/4.0 and I have consistently maintained status on the Dean’s list at RU. Additionally, I also am walking on May 13 for my Associates with Rock Valley College. I was able to finish this last June (had a math class that held me up from being able to apply for graduation until that time).
So, I am so happy and proud to say that if it wasn’t for the help you gave me, I believe it would have been so easy to have quit when my life changed through divorce in July 2012 (my divorce was actually final just this last August! Long divorce!) Your help kept me being able to attend when I was left without any means to support myself.
I am also excited to let you know that this fall I will (fingers crossed!) be starting at NIU College of Law and will spend the next three years working on a Juris Doctorate. I have already taken the LSAT (December) and had my admission interview in January with the college. My plans had changed somewhat as I went through the divorce process in Winnebago County. I noted there were so many women, like me, who were left after long-term marriages that had little to no means to support themselves, let alone be able to afford representation in order to protect their rights and investment. Consequently, I realized a great need in this area and made a decision to go to law school and become a lawyer. My goal is to come back to Winnebago County and open a non-profit legal clinic specializing in family law (among other services) hoping to really gear the services towards the plight of women in the legal playing field as well as those who are underrepresented and underprivileged in our community. Be looking for me in about 4 years! =) I am excited to begin this next chapter in my life.
I hope you both have a wonderful weekend, and stay warm (or get somewhere that is!)
Blessings,Kathryn Gustafson2012 RNPW Scholarship Recipient
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Renaissance of Creativity
Monday | April 18, 2016 | 11:30 am Forest Hills Country Club
5135 Forest Hills Rd. | Rockford, IL
Cost is $18/person, $20 for walk-ins. Cash or check only, please.
To make your reservations: Call 977-7477
or go to rockfordnetwork.org
and click on “Make Reservation” button on the homepage.
Reservation deadline: 5:00 pm, Thursday, April 14
Please note: No-shows will be billed.
Show Your Artistic Side!
April 18 meeting topic is the Renaissance of Creativity presented by Ann O’Keefe, President of the Rockford Area Arts Council. The Programming Committee would like to invite all RNPW members to submit a request to display individual (or family member) works of art at the meeting. We are a membership that is filled with artistic expression that many of us may not know about. This is a chance to collaborate and inspire each other with a piece of our lives that may not normally be a topic of discussion.
Submit your request to Deanna Watts at [email protected] or calling 815-639-9424 extension 401 before NOON April 11. Include a description (and picture if possible) that has size of item and preferred display option of on a table or floor display. The requests will be presented to the Programming Committee for final approval.
Host an International Exchange StudentInternational Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) has promoted a more peaceful world by advancing international awareness and
cultural understanding to thousands of exchange students from all over the world.
Have you ever thought of being a Host Family? It’s a very rewarding experience for everyone in the home/family.
Call Karla Hardman at 815-980-0891 to learn more.
Providing compassionate one-on-one health care in the comfort of your home.
Lindsey Gregg, Owner435 N. Mulford Road, Suite 7 • Rockford, IL 61107
(815) 398-1333 • www.peakmedicalhomecare.com
MEDICAL HOMECAREPeak Medical Home Care Incorporated
rockfordnetworknews rockfordnetwork.org 5
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Lori Gould and Tammy Christiansen celebrate with Lindsey Gregg on her nomination for a YWCA Leader Luncheon award on March 7.
YWCA Leader Luncheon
Member NewsRegister for these upcoming educational events in our area by
calling 815-484-1300:
Alzheimer’s disease: The BasicsApril 23, 10 a.m. at NorthPointe Wellness5605 E. Rockton Ave, Roscoe
Caregiver StressRelief, Acceptance and EmpowermentApril 27, 10 a.m., at Rock Valley College’sCenter for Learning in Retirement
Additional phone and webinar educational opportunities are available at alz.org/illinois.
Mark your calendar for Unforgettable Art, an affair for Alzheimer’s, Saturday, April 23. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks as you watch 50 artists create original works of art to be auctioned in support of those affected by Alzheimer’s disease in the Rock River Valley. For information: unforgettableart.org, facebook.com/unforgettableart or 815-484-1300.
The 3rd Annual Hole Hearted for Hospice golf event will be June 6th at Forest Hills Country Club. Sponsorship opportunities and golf registration is now available. Please contact Tammy Christiansen at 815-708-4992 or [email protected] for more information or check out the Facebook page: Hole Hearted for Hospice.
Tired of the same old staff development workshops? Register today for “The Humor Tonic” workshop offered by RNPW members Kelly Epperson & Mary Kay Morrison as featured speakers. This exciting event will be held on April 29, 2016 at Wesley Willows Town Center in Rockford, IL from 12:00 noon – 4:30 p.m. Learn practical applications in the use of humor/laughter across a broad range of professional and work environments.
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The psychology of humor will be explored along with effective interventions for client and patient care. Side effects may include incontinence, bellyaches and exhaustion from constant laughter. Warning: this tonic is highly contagious. If your laughter lasts for longer than 4 hours, contact your health care colleagues. Four (4) Contact/Clock hours will be available through CEU of Illinois www.continuingeducationpartner.com Early bird registration fee is $59 by 4/22/16. Registration fee for groups of 3 or more is $39. To register: Cynthia Germain 773-930-3200.
Kelly Epperson is delighted to be emcee this year for WOMANSPACE’s Spring Luncheon annual event on Saturday, April 23, and she invites everyone to attend. The party is at Mauh-Nah-Tee-See from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Get tickets at www.womanspace-rockford.org/pages/programs/specialevents/specialevents.htm#friends. Kelly and her Prince Charming Jim Simmons were married at the Womanspace labyrinth on May 1, 2011. If you have not visited this hidden treasure in Rockford, please do. Womanspace is at 3333 Maria Linden.
5 Free Classes! As a way to introduce ourselves to RNPW, Jazzercise Rockford Clock Tower FCTC would like to invite any and all RNPW members to join us for 5 free classes. We will give you a great workout to help shed the stress from the day, burn calories and have FUN while doing it! Simply show up to your first class about 15 minutes early. More information available on our Facebook page Jazzercise Rockford Clock Tower FCTC. You can also call Jacquie at 815-978-0880 or email [email protected] for more information. Class times below. Hope to meet many of you in class!!
Strength45: Monday & Wednesday 5:15pm (45 minutes)Interval DanceMixx: Monday-Thursday 6:15pm (1 hr), Saturday, 9:00 am
For more than 30 years, the Rockford Rescue Mission has helped hundreds of women rebuild their lives and we are excited to announce the opening of Pitney Place, a refuge of hope for women and children–which will enable us to expand and help meet the growing needs of hurting women and children in the Rock River Valley area. On Friday, April 29, 2016 at 4:30 pm, Carol Ayars and Teresa Reeverts invite you to attend the Dedication Celebration at 715 West State Street in Rockford. The evening, sponsored by Subway, will include a ribbon-cutting, open house tours, and a celebration reception. For more information or to RSVP, please call the Mission at 815-965-5332.
Can you spell? Well, you don’t really need to in order to participate in the Cheater’s Spelling Bee! Get a team together and have a night of run on Thurs, April 28 at 6:30 pm at the Lombardi Club. Proceeds benefit the Family Counseling Center. Kathy Velasco and Mary Jo Hare and Jocelyn Hare will all be there with teams–how about you? Go to www.cheaterspellingbee.com for all the buzz!
Thanks to all the people and companies who have stepped up to support the RNPW 3rd Annual Professional Development Day workshop! It’s not too late to help out. Contact Sue Snyder at [email protected] to join the sponsor list.
Mentors vs. Sponsors: Why Women Need BothRNPW 3rd Annual Professional Skills Development Workshop
Mark your calendar now for our next Professional Skills Development Workshop! Women in business have long depended on the guidance of mentors, those generous connections who help guide our path. But how many of us have sponsors–and what’s the difference between a mentor and a sponsor?
Vickie Austin, business and career coach, will present “Mentors vs. Sponsors: Why Women Need Both” to the Rockford Network of Professional Women on April 14, 2016, highlighting the critical role of a sponsor in a woman’s career path.
Vickie’s presentation is based on cutting-edge research from the Center for Talent Innovation as well as her own interviews with successful business women-including us! We’ll learn why it’s important to include a sponsor as well as a mentor on our teams for our own business and career success.
When: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 7:30 to 11:30 amWhere: Rock Valley College - Student Center Atrium, Rockford, ILCost: $50 for RNPW Members. $55 for Non Members. Breakfast included!
Register at RockfordNetwork.org
Silver SponsorsAlpine BankIllinois Bank & TrustRockford Map PublishersSwedishAmerican
InKindHilton Garden InnRock Valley CollegeWIFR-TV
Member SponsorsJan Bowman, TLC ConstructionLindsey Gregg, Peak Medical Home CareMary Jo Hare, ServPro of RockfordKaren Keller, ProGraphicsTiffany Rodriguez, BSLBV Law FirmCheryl Schmidt, Healthcare Revenue Solutions
Greta Spencer, Rockford Area Convention & Visitors’ BureauTonya Thayer, United Way of Rock River ValleyKathy Velasco, V2 Marketing CommunicationDeanna Watts, Camelot World TravelJennifer Whiteford, The Anser Group
rockfordnetwork of professional women5411 E. State St. PMB #306Rockford, IL 61108
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Network News is written and designed by V2 Marketing Communications and printed by Midwest Mailworks.
Welcome New Members!Adrienne Head, Executive AssistantRockford Housing AuthorityP: 815-489-8750E: [email protected]
Kristen Comer, Marketing ManagerWilliams-Manny Insurance GroupP: 815-227-8910E: [email protected]
Stacy Hirsch, Executive DirectorThe AtriumP: 815-282-3340E: [email protected]
Nancy Jenkins, Executive Director Pennock Family YMCAYMCA of Rock River ValleyP: 815-489-3369E: [email protected]
Taunia May, Integrative Nutrition Health CoachP: 815-979-7703E: [email protected]
Carol Raso, Community Resource ConsultantElderwerks, Inc.P: 224-500-6673E: [email protected]
Jennifer Reisinger, Financial AdvisorEdward JonesP: 815-873-1117E: [email protected]
Kandise Rosenbaum, ChiropractorInterventional Pain ManagementP: 815-397-8500E: [email protected]
Lori Schlais, Transitional Care NurseAldenP: 815-315-3546E: [email protected] Scheffel, Executive DirectorHarlem Community CenterP: 815-633-8433E: [email protected]
Pam Timmons, Center DirectorUpper Iowa UniversityP: 815-332-1414E: [email protected]
Jacquie Waite, OwnerJazzercise Rockford Clock TowerP: 815-978-0880E: [email protected]
LaKeshia Wingo, COO, Stage Director, ProducerSirCam ProductionsP: 712-202-8592E: [email protected]
