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> Research & Knowledge > Accelerating the Growth of Businesses Owned by Women of Color > 2008 National Symposium > National Symposium CoChairs
National Symposium CoChairs
Faye E. Coleman, PhD |  | |
President and CEO of Westover Consultants, Inc.
In October of 2007, WCI was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Minority-Owned businesses.Dr. Coleman was similarly honored in May of 2006 by the Maryland Daily Record as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women. She was also named one of Enterprising Women magazine's 2005 Enterprising Women of the Year. Among her other awards are the 2004 "Crystal Monument Award for Entrepreneurship" from the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, the 2001 "Woman Of Distinction Award" from Soroptimist International, and two awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the "Distinguished Award of Excellence" and the SBA Administrator's Award of Excellence. For three consecutive years, WCI was rated by the Washington Business Journal as one of the top 50 woman-owned companies in the greater Washington Metropolitan area. Also in May of 2006, SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie awarded WCI the "Spirit of Recovery Award" for its outstanding work in providing behavioral health services to the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Dr. Coleman is an internationally recognized trainer and planner with more than 30 years of experience in managing large-scale training, research, and evaluation projects. She has worked throughout the United States, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe with Federal, State and community-based organizations and with managers of small to mid-size corporations, associations, nonprofit groups, government agencies, and fortune 500 companies, designing client-specific culturally relevant materials and training programs that meet the complex and diverse needs of a rapidly changing global market place.
Among WCI's largest contracts are a 5-year, $30 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to manage a worldwide project that provides subsidized quality child care for dependents of active-duty and Air National Guard and Reserve members on 71 bases around the world, and a $12.5 million contract to identify and deploy over 600 behavioral health specialists to the Gulf Coast states to offer life-saving mental health counseling services to the victims of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita. WCI also implemented another contract with the Air Force to create and implement a worldwide public education campaign to heighten awareness among service member families about the availability and benefits of Air Force Family Child Care.
Faye serves on numerous professional and community boards, commissions, and civic organizations, including Chair of the MassMutual Women's Advisory Board for the West Financial Group, the Advisory Council for the Washington District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), past Chair of Leadership Washington, Inc. and of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Early Childhood Development. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Trustees, Southeastern University; Board of Directors, Quantum Leaps, Inc. The Advisory Councils of the Center for Women's Business Research and Enterprising Women Magazine; and the Corporation of her undergraduate alma mater, Simmons College. Listed in Who's Who of American Women for her contributions in the fields of education and human development, Dr. Coleman holds a B.S. degree in Sociology from Simmons College, a M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in Education/Human Development from the University of Maryland.
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Maria de Lourdes "Lulu" Sobrino |  | |
Founder & CEO Lulu's Dessert Corporation
Maria de Lourdes Sobrino is Founder and CEO of Lulu's Dessert Corporation.Established in 1982, Lulu's Dessert , is ranked among the fastest growing Hispanic owned businesses in the United States. As Jim Hopkins from USA Today wrote she is "the queen of ready-to-eat gelatin and a force in the surging number of Hispanic entrepreneurs."
Born and raised in Mexico City, Ms. Sobrino's first business was in the tourism industry. She later expanded her business to a travel agency, which grew so rapidly that she decided to open an office in Los Angeles. In 1982, Ms. Sobrino had to close her Mexican travel business due to unstable economic conditions in Mexico; however, her entrepreneurial spirit grew stronger and she began to explore other passions and ideas.
Ms. Sobrino came up with the great idea of ready-to-eat gelatin when looking for the popular dessert while living in the U.S. A staple in her native Mexico, the concept was new to the U.S. and a novelty when she introduced it to American grocers in California. Ms. Sobrino recognized a need, filled it and revolutionized the food industry by creating the first-ever ready-to-eat gelatin category, based on her own mother's recipe.
From the initial production of 300 cups of gelatin a day, Lulu's Dessert has overcome many challenges and obstacles to become a leading maker of ready-to-eat desserts.
Ms. Sobrino's leadership also gained her recognition and an invitation to be part of President George W. Bush's, Economic Forum in Waco, Texas to represent "Small Businesses". She lent her expertise to identify obstacles to increase jobs and the economy in America. Ms. Sobrino's business, leadership, community efforts and dedication to supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses have won her much recognition by many corporations and the media.
The Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advance Study at Harvard University honored Maria De Lourdes Sobrino (Lulu) in the National traveling exhibition that reinterprets the History of American Women and American Business. "Enterprising Women, the Businesswomen of America: 1750-2000" 250 years of History of American Women Entrepreneurs. Among 40 intriguing women who helped shape the landscape of American Business such as: Meg Whitman, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey among others.
Currently, she is on the advisory board for Nawbo-LA, Co-Chair for the (CWBR) Center for Women's Business Research National Symposium, Rancho Santiago Community College Foundation, The Institute of Women Entrepreneurs (IWE) in Orange County, NAFIN (Nacional Financiera an investment bank in Mexico) and Latina Style Magazine in Washington DC. Ms. Sobrino is also a founding member of the Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFMM) steering committee.
In her first book Thriving Latina Entrepreneurs in America she shares her story along with seven other outstanding Latinas and their successes. The book is available through Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers nationwide.
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Joyce Takiguchi |  | |
President, ComStar International
ComStar International manufactures environmentally safe, industrial strength, chemical products for the air conditioning, heating, plumbing, precision cleaning and construction industries. Joyce assumed various marketing positions in diverse industries such as finance, telecommunications and sports in New York and Japan before forming ComStar Intl. in 1990 with her husband to acquire Industrial Petrolic Corporation.
Since then, the company has grown to produce over 300 chemical products distributed internationally. Most recently, ComStar established a joint venture in Zhuji, China to manufacturer and distribute chemical products to the Chinese market.
Joyce and her husband live in Connecticut with their two sons, Alexander, age 7, and John-Paul, a six year old. She has served on the board of St. Mary's Foundation for Children, is a founding member of the Women Presidents' Organization and serves on various committees at her sons' private school. Joyce received her BS from Arizona State University, performed post-graduate work at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and received her MBA with honors from Fordham University.
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