The Women’s Business Center at Florida Institute of Technology announced the winners of the 2015 Women’s History Month Awards including, left to right, Joni Oglesby, Kati Brunson, Susan Glasgow and Lisa Rice. Also selected was Shannon Ferry. (Images for SpaceCoastDaily.com)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — The Women’s Business Center at Florida Institute of Technology is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Women’s History Month Awards.
The recipients will be honored at a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Hilton Rialto Place in Melbourne.
The luncheon theme is, “Weaving the Story of Women’s Lives.”
Local leaders are nominated by their peers and the general public in one of four categories: Entrepreneur of the Year, Excellence in Leadership, Emerging Leader, and the Joan Bixby Award.
This year’s winners are:
• Entrepreneur of the Year: Susan Glasgow, president and CEO, Kegman, Inc. The Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes a local female who creates the products, services and jobs that fuel our economy and help our community grow.
• Excellence in Leadership Award: Lisa Rice, president, CareerSource Brevard. The Excellence in Leadership Award recognizes a female community leader who advocates for positive social change to create a more equitable society.
• Emerging Leader Award: Kati Brunson, senior project manager, Rockwell Collins.The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a female under 30 who demonstrates high ethical standards, commitment, confidence, the ability to inspire, intuition and creativity in a leadership capacity, and who is a role model for members of her community.
• Joan Bixby Award: Joni Oglesby, vice president for support services and Title IX coordinator, Florida Institute of Technology; and Shannon Ferry, chief instructor, F.I.T. Aviation. The Joan Bixby Award generally recognizes a Florida Tech faculty or staff member and a student (male or female) who enhances the climate for women’s participation and development on campus.
The Joan Bixby Award generally recognizes a Florida Tech faculty or staff member and a student (male or female) who enhances the climate for women’s participation and development on campus.
Wanda Lipscomb-Vásquez
“It is important to host this event each year because it spotlights the hard work of female leaders in our community,” said Melbourne Women’s Business Center Director Wanda Lipscomb-Vásquez.
“We are honored to recognize such hard-working, deserving women and we hope that this event provides inspiration for the next generation of local leaders.”
The Women’s Business Center at Florida Institute of Technology announced the winners of the 2015 Women’s History Month Awards, who will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, March 19 at the Hilton Rialto Place in Melbourne. The luncheon theme is “Weaving the Story of Women’s Lives. (Florida Tech image)
Winners were selected based on public nominations solicited through the Women’s Business Center.
Beth Gitlin
“The Women’s Business Center is focused on ensuring Central Florida business leaders receive the recognition they deserve,” added Women’s Business Center Executive Director Beth Gitlin.
“There are so many stellar business owners and executives in our community and we look forward to taking this opportunity to shine the spotlight on just a few of them during this event.”
The Women’s Business Center at Florida Institute of Technology accelerates growth for female entrepreneurs by providing customized coaching, business education, mentorship and networking programs.
The Women’s Business Center has three Central Florida locations (Melbourne, Rockledge and Orlando) and is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
For more information, or to register for Women’s Business Center courses and mentorship programs, visit http://wbc.fit.edu or call (321) 674-7007.
The Women’s Business Center has three Central Florida locations in Melbourne, Rockledge and Orlando.
The recipients will be honored at a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Hilton Rialto Place in Melbourne.
