2011
Celebration Luncheon “She Knows Where She’s Going” Award Winners
Teri Hansen
As President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice since 2002, Teri A Hansen manages the work of Florida’s largest community foundation as it inspires people and mobilizes resources to transform the communities it serves.
Under Teri’s proactive leadership, Gulf Coast recently surpassed $110 million in grants invested in the community. Teri also oversees the creation and funding of major community initiatives, such as an analysis of Florida’s 9-1-1 system that helped secure passage of a milestone public-safety law in Florida in 2010.
Teri volunteers her leadership nationally, regionally, and locally. She is vice chair of the Community Foundations Leadership Team and a member of the Public Policy Committee of the Council on Foundations. She is past-president of Community Foundations of Florida, a member of the Florida Philanthropic Network, and a board member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Teri also sits on the advisory board to USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Institute for Public Policy and Leadership, and she serves in a number of leadership positions that focus on economic development in Sarasota County.
Teri is a member of the International Women’s Forum Suncoast Chapter and in 2007 received the IWF’s “Women Who Make a Difference Award.” In 2010, she received the President’s Award of Distinction from State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and was named a “Best Boss” in the Sarasota-Manatee region by Biz941 magazine. In 2011, she was named one of the “50 Most Powerful People on the Gulf Coast” by Gulf Coast Business Review.
Prior to joining Gulf Coast, Teri was vice president for gift planning and donor relations at The Cleveland Foundation, the oldest and one of the largest community foundations in the United States. She also worked as vice president of external relations for Central Indiana Community Foundation, and she was the founding president of Legacy Fund of Hamilton County (Indiana).
A San Diego native, Teri earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Diego State University. Upon graduating, she served as a public affairs officer in the U.S. Air Force. Teri is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, having completed its Advanced Management Program.
Molly Jackson
Molly Jackson was born strong, smart and bold and those who know Molly best know that it’s how she lives her daily life. She is a perfect example of the “She Knows Where She’s Going” award, taking every opportunity to live a healthy life, with a kind heart and a bold approach. Molly graduated from Cardinal Mooney and realized after graduating from Western Carolina University and meeting her husband David of 16 years, they would return home to family and a growing community.
Molly’s career began in retail and business banking but most know her for approach to retail business, first opening the children’s store: The Snappy Turtle Trading Company in 2001 with her mother and three sisters. Shortly after, Molly and David opened New Balance Sarasota in 2002 and then later opened the University Park location in 2009. Molly needed another challenge and began working for Vera Bradley Designs, managing 45 relationships and doing business consulting with independent retail stores from Bradenton to Marco Island. Because of the birth of their 4th child, Molly took on a new chapter of her life, leaving Vera Bradley to be closer to home and opening, “Molly’s!- A Chic & Unique Boutique,” a store that exudes Molly’s cheerful demeanor and truly a labor of love for both Molly and David. And just recently, the couple announced the opening of their next New Balance store in Orlando.
Those who know Molly also know her love for her family and love for this community. Molly and David’s four children, Chip, JP, Ansley and Caroline are the center of their very active lives….active being an understatement with their ages ranging from 11 to 18 months. Molly and David have been a large part of the racing community, sponsoring dozens of races a year including the flagship New Balance Ringling Bridge Run and the newly formed Lace Up for the Cure in October. Molly’s passion for making our world a one without breast cancer, she has been a committee member and chairperson for the Susan G. Komen Lunch for the Cure. Molly became more involved in Girls Incorporated in 2009 after learning that Girls Inc. provided the Girls On the Run program in local schools. New Balance is a corporate sponsor of this afterschool running program for girls that helps develops the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being of girls and so it was a natural partnership that followed. Molly helps organize the annual Girls On the Run 5k Race and has helped develop community support for the program that is delivered currently in five schools throughout Sarasota County. Molly is active in her children’s school, a Junior League past officer and now sustainer, the Susan G. Komen affiliate, Sarasota Family YMCA and the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Beach Runs. Over the past 15 years, Molly has served on several local nonprofit boards and currently serves on New Balance’s national store advisory board and the National Shoe Retailers Organization that serves thousands of independent shoe retailers. Her latest challenge is being named the marketing co-chair of the Sarasota Area Sports Association.
Jean Cooper
This year’s Donna Brace Ogilvie “Visionary Award Winner” is longtime volunteer and Girls Inc. supporter, Jean Cooper. Jean’s goal in life is to make people smile. What a better place to daily achieve it than Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County. Jean has spent the last 18 years at Girls Inc. putting smiles on the girls faces every week. Her love for the organization began after a friend brought her to the building and she started running the homework assistance program twice a week. She remembers being the only person in the room with up to thirty-two girls at a time and bringing all of the school supplies with her. The girls would bring her their school pictures and to this day Jean has kept the notebook with their names and the school pictures. It wasn’t long after that that Jean was concerned there was not a library at the Center and she sought donations from Sun Hydraulics and a grant to give her $5,000 to build a library and each year after the inception, Jean would replenish the library from the continued support from the company.
The kitchen was the next area in the building that Jean found herself immersed in daily, feeding the girls healthy and nutritious snacks after school. “Seeing their little faces every day and being able to feed the little ones who were obviously very hungry made me feel good,” says Jean. And to her credit, Jean has remained a fixture in the kitchen for the last ten years.
To know Jean is to know that she loves the girls; loves her family; which includes her husband Jeffrey of 42 years and her two twin daughters, Helen and Suzanne and her grandkids, 11-year old Derek and 7 year old Page; and loves travelling back to her native home, Bexley Kent, England to visit her brother. Jean carries lessons she learned growing up to the girls everyday including her involvement with the “Miss Manners” program. Jean is a firm believer in good manners and says that most people are too busy to teach kids. “Good manners help you in life and the girls love the program. They like to feel like their manners are better than the girls’ next to them and to hold them to a higher standard. “
Jean believes that the girls need volunteers like herself more and more as the rate of divorce impacts the girls’ lives. She believes she was meant to be a mom and to be able to share her skills as a mom with 150 girls everyday is a perfect combination. Girls Inc. thanks Jean for her passion, commitment and endearing love for the girls. Thank you Jean!
2010 Awards
Celebration luncheon "She Knows Where She's Going" Award Winners
According to her mother, Jaymie has possessed the Strong, Smart and Bold qualities since infancy. Jaymie is known for her huge heart, bold spirit and ability to get things done. Going through periods of her teenage years where choices she made did not always lead her down the right path, she uses those troubled times to inspire others to not take the same journey.
Her early career in Sarasota involved fundraising for the United Way, Jewish Community Center and American Jewish Committee. She assisted the JCC in expanding their children’s programs. The Kids Fair was an educational outreach program for needy kids. Jaymie’s efforts resulted in a 200% increase in funding. At the AJC, the oldest human relations organization in the country, Jaymie helped them significantly increase their exposure and fundraising dollars in the Sarasota area. She is actively involved in such community organizations as American Cancer Society (helping to raise money for its ROCK program kids with cancer); UCP, Lakewood Ranch Community Fund, the Honor Sanctuary, Meals on Wheels & SMART, and donates hundreds of thousands of dollars in-kind to every organization that makes a request.
In 2004 she became involved with her husband’s restaurant business. She managed Pattigeorge’s Restaurant on Longboat Key while launching what was to become a boutique, off-site catering company. Fete Catering has grown substantially yearly and has become a major, established catering entity in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The need for banquet space and a larger catering kitchen prompted Jaymie and her husband, Tommy, to acquire a 25,000 sq ft Lakewood Ranch restaurant & banquet facility in late 2007. They moved Fete Catering to this facility and opened the Polo Grill and Bar, both becoming important anchors in the Lakewood Ranch/East County community.
Jaymie is also an avid horseback rider, polo player and loves to share her love for horses with children.
Charlie Lenger is a true example of the spirit of the "She Knows Where She's Going" award. Charlie is the founder and owner of Tropex Plant Leasing. While still a New College student, Charlie took "lemonade stand 101 theory" to a new level, with her senior thesis "Applied Entrepreneurial Theory". Charlie bought $50 in plants, borrowed an umbrella and set up a roadside plant stand.
By listening to her clients, Charlie learned the real need was forservice. Clients wanted plants and pots to blend with their decor. Clients wanted the plants maintained and replaced to keep them attractive. Clients wanted no upfront costs, only to pay a flat monthly fee. Within 9 months of graduation, Charlie had parleyed $50 into $10,000 to seed Tropex. Allowing clients to continue to teach her, Tropex has grown to a $3,000,000 a year business.
When she was a girl, Charlie's task was the family grocery shopping. Grocery money, tips earned from her mother’s second job as a waitress, was seldom abundant. Charlie would load her cart, total her purchases, and then put items back on the shelves to stay within budget. At age 16, Charlie defined "rich" for herself. "Rich" would be shopping at Publix and keeping all the items in her cart. Today her standard of defining her material wealth hasn't expanded much beyond that. Winston Churchill's quote, "we make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" is her touchstone. Her focus is what she gives to her clients, her staff and her community.
Charlie is a strong supporter of Girls Incorporated dating back to the days when Girls Inc. was Girls Club of Sarasota. As the 2008 President of Zonta Club of Sarasota, Charlie secured Girls Inc. as the beneficiary of the ArtZ girls fundraising project.
2009 Awards
Celebration luncheon The "She Knows Where She's Going" Award Winners
Senator Lisa Carlton
After hearing Senator Lisa Carlton’s life story there is no doubt that she’s always known where she’s been going. Raised on a 17,000 acre ranch on the outskirts of Sarasota County, born to Mabry and Barbara Carlton, you could say leadership was in her genes. Mabry, a judge and a county commission, made a notable impact on his two daughters, teaching them about community involvement and a love for the land. Barbara, Lisa’s mother, took over the ranch after the untimely death of Mabry in 1989 and has since carried on the family’s management of the ranch. Senator Carlton learned at a young age a love for agriculture and a love for the community.
The most notable attribute of Senator Carlton’s extensive career was in 1995 when she became the newest and youngest delegate to represent Sarasota, which by the way was achieved by winning the seat from a 10-year Republican incumbent, State Representative Dave Thomas. Senator Carlton served in the Florida Senate for 10 years until she was term-limited. While there, she became the second highest-ranking post of president pro tempore.
Senator Carlton accomplished much while in Tallahassee, serving in a variety of leadership roles on educational and fiscal committees. At the same time, she was raising three small children and co-managing the Mabry Carlton Ranch with her mother and sister.
Senator Carlton has always played an active role in the Sarasota community from the Board of the Sarasota Agricultural Fair to the Taxpayers Association and the School-to-Work Shadowing Program. She currently serves on the board of the Education Foundation in Sarasota.
Senator Lisa Carlton serves as a role model to all girls, demonstrating a commitment to the community, while raising a family and running a family enterprise.
Sally Schule
Born in Clinton, Iowa, Sally Schule knew early she wanted a career in fashion. After completing her degree from Northern Illinois University with a BS in fashion merchandising and a minor in journalism, Sally began her career at Saks Fifth Avenue. You could say her business experience has taken her full circle as she made her way through Neiman Marcus, Jacobson’s and then back to Saks. Working first as the public relations manager, she was then promoted to assistant general manager and then all the way to the top as General Manager, where she has held that position since 2005.
Along the way, Sally has set a clear example of how to manage and support a staff while dealing with difficult family challenges at home. Sally’s daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy and while working a full-time job, she quickly became her daughter’s medical advocate, searching for how to best approach her daughter’s medical condition. Sally was constantly dealing with emergency calls from school and caregivers after Kalie’s seizures. Kalie is now 19 and seizure free. Sally’s husband of 22 years, Bradd, and her 15- year old son, Tyler are part of Sally’s support team at home, as Sally stays busy with not only her daily work schedule but also her contributions to non-profits and fundraising all over Sarasota County.
Sally provides an excellent example of how hard work and dedication play a paramount role in her ability to give back to the community; all while raising a family and being a wonderful role model to our girls
Visionary Award
Kristine, Steve, Tim and Marlene White
This year’s Board of Trustees’ “Visionary Award” winner is the Steven and Kristine White family. Kristine White has volunteered with Girls Inc. for the past four years and she has made volunteering a family affair. When Kristine is not able to come in to work in the Kids Café program, Kristine’s daughter, Marlene, comes in. Kristine goes above and beyond her volunteer role, assisting in many other projects at Girls Inc., including the Celebration Lunch, etiquette lessons and work done at the center during the holidays. Namely, Project Claus that involves the entire White family and dozens of volunteers each year purchasing and passing out holiday gifts for hundreds of families. Their contributions as a family to our community are an inspiration to us all.
Girl of the Year
Kiana Brown
At 11 years old, Kiana Brown is undecided about whether she wants to be a judge or work in the television industry. A 6th grader at Booker Middle School, Kiana does know that she is strong, smart and bold. She is a 4.0 student and is an outstanding girl at Girls Inc. Kiana works in the television venture as a producer, anchor, photographer and editor and quickly learned the equipment and the ability to put a half hour television show together. Kiana loves to read, especially mystery novels, and to take long walks. Kiana dreams of travel and adventure, someday hoping to live where it snows. Kiana knows that after she has an established career, she will return to Sarasota and visit Girls Inc. and give back. She thinks that there is something very special about Girls Inc. and wants others to know what a great place it is.
2008 Awards
Winner of the WEDU Be More ...Brillant
Described as an award for the organization that displayed the most imaginative, creative, and innovative use of original ideas to achieve organizational goals. Girls Inc. was able to earn this prestigous honor for our MicroSociety Program a microcosim of the real world within the walls of Girls Inc.
The city is called Dream Harbor and the girls are learning important real life skills. Each girl has a voice and choice as a Dream Harbor citizen. They construct their own learning and shape their learning culture. The MicroSociety program design teaches girls how to build and run a miniature society through the creation of businesses (ventures) and government agencies and the wealth of jobs within them. The entrepreneurial spirit motivates dynamic learning and pursuit of new ideas and opportunities. Young entrepreneurs produce goods and services, elected officials establish laws, Peace Keepers enforce these laws and reporters track down stories. All citizens earn wages, invest in products, deposit and borrow ( Micro dollars) money from “Micro” banks, and pay taxes, tuition and rent. Opportunities for leadership, meaningful decision-making and responsibility are vested, aligned and accounted for at every level. Teachers take the role of facilitators enabling their students to effectively run their own businesses and government agencies. Sarasota is one of the first after school programs to implement a MicroSociety into their after school programming.
2007 Awards
Winner of the WEDU Be More... Entertaining (Outstanding Achievement in Special Events)
In a community where hundreds of social and fundraising events take place each week, Girls Inc, dedicated to separate itself from the pack by doing what it does best. The event entitled "This One's Fore The Girls" - a very appropriate title - featured a myriad of components. Hosting more the 800 guests at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, the event hosts a young lady served by Girls Inc. seated at each table. The event included the presentations of 3 awards honoring women in the community who are inspiring girls to be precisely the organization's mission statement...to be strong, smart, and bold.
Excellence in Action Award
Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County recently received huge national recognition as the first recipient of the "Excellence in Action Award - Outstanding Affiliate of 2008". The award was presented March 31, 2008 at the National Girls Incorporated conference in Newport Beach, CA. Girls Incorporated of Sarasota was the only agency to achieve this award from among 83 Girls Incorporated member organizations.
Excellence in Staff Leadership
Dawn Wiley from Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County was awarded "National Program Staff of the Year" honor. Dawn has been with Girls Incorporated for 3 1/2 years. Over this time, she has continually taken on new tasks and responsibilities. Her nomination letter describes her behavior and attitude, in both her personal and professional life, as representative of the Girls Inc. mission and values. Dawn is instrumental is maintaining a cooperative environment for staff, volunteers and girls and she works throughout the community to advocate for the rights and needs of all girls.
Strong, Smart & Bold ® Alumna
Nancy Cason from Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County was awarded "National Alumnae of the Year" . Nancy gives back to the organization that helped her as a young girl by providing leadership to fundraising events and committees. She is a founding member of the Girls Inc. Alumna Association, and is helping this group plan a career fair for the Girls Inc. members as well as a fundraising project. Through her professional role as a local attorney, Nancy has committed to donate a minimum of 20 hours of legal work to families of Girls Inc. members. Nancy is a partner, Attorney at Law with Syprett, Meshad, Resnick and Lieb.
Celebration luncheon April 16th, 2008
The "She Knows Where She's Going" Award was presented to two amazing role models.
Susan T. Danis
"She Knows Where She's Going" Honoree 2008
The first recipient was Susan Danis, Executive Director of the Sarasota Opera. The Sarasota Opera recently re-opened its door at the beginning of March after a $20 million renovation of its 1926 historic Opera House. Not only was the successful $60 million campaign Susan's idea but the opera's budget has grown from $3.2 million to more than $8 million during her tenure.
Judi Gallagher
"She Knows Where She's Going" Honoree 2008
The second recipient was Judi Gallagher, a multi-media chef and culinary consultant business owner. Judi spices up our television and radio airwaves as well as writes for several local publications. She does this all while generously seasoning the culinary world with her consulting business for high-end restaurant clientele like Beach Bistro, Fleming's, Roy's, Venture Hotels and others.
Visionary Award Honoree 2008
Jaime L. Wallace
The 2008 Board of Trustees' "Visionary Award" winner was presented to long time Girls Inc. supporter Jaime Wallace. Joining the firm of Icard, Merrill in 1985, Ms. Wallace became the first woman shareholder of the firm in 2006. Jaime was the first chair of the Girls Incorporated's "Celebration Luncheon" in 1989, has served as President of Girls Incorporated's Foundation Board and has served on the National Girls Incorporated Board of Trustees.
"Girl of the year 2008"
Alexis Smith
This impressive young girl is the first mayor of Dream Harbor, our Girls Incorporated MicroSociety. During her term, Alexis has had the opportunity to represent Girls Inc. at several community events and shadow Sarasota's Mayor, Lou Ann Palmer. She has learned that the most important quality of being a good mayor is to listen to other girls' opinions. She has enjoyed working with Mayor Palmer, Vice Mayor Kirschner, Jude Riva and Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent. In addition to being the mayor, she also serves as the Post Master of Dream Harbor. One of her favorite parts of MicroSociety is the opportunity to spend micro dollars at the micro market.
Dawnyelle is a Graphic Designer and Girls Inc. staff member. Her motto is "Every day in every way, my life is getting better!" 
Nancy is an attorney in Sarasota, Fl. Her motto is "work hard, play hard, be honest and be true to yourself." 
Alicia owns her own business, Horizon Title Services. The most exciting thing in her life is her son, Colt and her life motto is "Live Well, Laugh Often, Laugh Much". 
