Marichu Valencia arrived in the US from the Philippines and blazed a successful career for herself. Her career in interior design led her to become the Senior Interior Designer in the US Department of State where she designed US Ambassador’s residences in diplomatic posts representing America’s face in the world; after having worked as an interior designer for Marriott International on their Hotels and Resorts. Now she serves as a philanthropist and activist working with organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, Ronald McDonald House, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and on the University of Delaware, President’s Leadership Council.  Marichu stories remind us all that success is like climbing a mountain – one step at a time gets us to the top.If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Donna M. Fontana built a tremendous career in finance, then followed up by making contributions through philanthropy and volunteering for issues she cares about. She drew on her greatest strengths as a woman to become a Senior Vice President and one of the top sales people at Fidelity Investments and then she decided to shift her career. She has served as a volunteer Citizen Teacher in East Harlem serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Delaware. This episode is filled with insightful and inspiring stories from Donna’s journey. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Melissa Reinking overcame fear and took risks throughout her career. By pushing beyond her comfort zone, she navigated to leadership roles overseeing a multi-million dollar marketing budget at the market leader in flowers in FTD, heading sales and marketing at banking giant HSBC, and taking on marketing and revenue leadership in some powerful startups. Along the way, she learned what it meant to be a good leader, a collaborative leader, and a leader that could effectively bring out the best in employees even as they navigate challenging moments.  Melissa truly reflects the practices and approaches that we teach as effective leadership at the Women’s Leadership Initiative  and we hope you will be as inspired by this interview as we are. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

The indomitable Bebe Coker sparks change wherever she goes. Born in Jacksonville in the racially segregated South, Beatrice Bebe Coker lived through systemic racism. Her parents  however taught her critical life lessons of knowing and valuing who you are, speaking up for what is important and being able to focus on the critical things that will make change. As a result, while Coker is a playwright, poet and lyricists – she successfully advocated for programs that enable equal education opportunities in the State of Delaware and across the United States. Her efforts earned her the John H. Taylor Education Leadership Award, the prestigious University of Delaware Medal of Distinction.If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Jennifer Cohan is currently CEO of Leadership Delaware, after spending 31 years of public service and government in the state of Delaware. Cohan served as Secretary of Transportation under two different governors, having worked her way up to be the first woman to head the Department of Motor Vehicles in Delaware. Listen to how she managed her career, what inspired her, and how she navigated her trajectory. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Robin Morgan is a power house female leader – who knows how to integrate compassion and competence. Robin is an expert scientist making major advances to understand viruses and vaccines in animals, specifically with chickens and poultry. She then moved into leadership roles, ultimately becoming the 11th provost and first female provost of the University of Delaware. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Carolyn Burger spent her career at Bell Atlantic Delaware, becoming the chairwoman and CEO from 1991 to 1996. She was the first female to lead a phone company and was one of the few female CEOs in the country at that time. Learn more about her experiences and how she navigated this pioneering role. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode we talk with Tabassum Salam. Dr. Salaam served as the American College of Physicians' vice president in the Division of Medical Education and she is currently the chief learning officer for ChristianaCare Hospital system.  This conversation will enlighten anyone who is asking how they can grow in new roles that they never anticipated, and inspire anyone stepping into the uncertainty of new roles and impact. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

Welcome to Inspiring Women of Today and Tomorrow, the podcast of the University of Delaware’s Women’s Leadership Initiative. At the Women’s Leadership Initiative, we believe that the world is a better place when we integrate diverse voices, perspectives, and insights. Our mission is to advance gender equity from the classroom to the boardroom. In this podcast, we interview successful women, identifying the challenges they faced and the strategies they used for success. We uncover surprising insights, intriguing stories, and deep wisdom that can help all of us – male, female or non-binary – to be more effective in our careers and impactful in our lives. If you enjoy this podcast, feel free to follow us to learn more about how we advance gender equity for executives, faculty and students on LinkedIn at the Women’s Leadership Initiative at UD; or on Twitter at @udwomenlead. Thanks for listening. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Theresa L. Hughes. Theresa serves clients as an individual independent trustee in Delaware for Pinion, in association with Santora CPA group.  Listen to her speak on how she learned to use her female traits for success in the trust management world, instead of hiding them away like she was told to by many of her male bosses in the past. She also describes what trust management is, and why she enjoys it as her career. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Terri Kelly. Terri is the former CEO of W.L. Gore & Associates and a member of the Women's Leadership Initiative Advisory Board at the University of Delaware. Listen to Terri describe how she navigated her way up from an engineering position at Gore, a job she received straight out of college, to the CEO of the company. Hear how she faced various challenges throughout her lifelong career in one company, and what her current board positions entail. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Desa Burton. Desa is the Executive Director of Zip Code Wilmington,  a non profit, software development bootcamp. She is also a UPenn Law school graduate, a Florida International University MBA  graduate and a prior US Navy Surface Warfare Officer. Listen to her discuss how she gave up her scholarship to MIT to instead attend the US naval academy to achieve her late fathers dreams of becoming a naval officer, and how to choose your own pathway instead of listening to what others think you should do. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Nicole Jeter West. Nicole is the Head of Marketing and Brand Engagement for the LA 2028 Olympic Games. She has also hosted various webinars for our Ascend student program at the University of Delaware. Listen to her discuss how important it is to know your value, no matter where you are in your own career journey. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Bonita E. Penn. Bonita is a family nurse practitioner in Delaware and is a member of the Women's Leadership Initiative's Advisory Board. Listen to her talk about how to navigate nursing school as a single mother, and how being a healthcare provider can be challenging but also extremely rewarding. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

This episode outlines the purpose of Hear Her Story: Inspiring Women Leaders of Today and Tomorrow. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.

On this episode of Hear Her Story, we welcome Jennifer Rowland. Jen is the CFO of Girls with Impact, an online entrepreneurship program for young women. She is also a University of Delaware and Lerner College Alumni, and a great friend of the Women's Leadership Initiative at the University of Delaware. Listen to her talk about how she brushed off countless "nos" and pushed through to find success in her current role. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu. If you like our content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin, and visit our website. If you would like to contact us, email us at womensleadership@udel.edu.