Team Building

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Wonder Woman in Business, Rebecca Baumgartner

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Rebecca Baumgartner

Rebecca Baumgartner is the Vice President of Human Resources for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. As a champion for personal and professional wellbeing, Rebecca brings her extensive background in human resources, organizational development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to help others strengthen their personal awareness and build new skills to more powerfully navigate their journey. She draws from skill sets such as emotional intelligence, positive psychology, resilience, and courageous leadership to support others in their goals to become more inclusive and more impactful leaders to themselves and others.

Rebecca is skilled in professional and leadership development, coaching, and the strategic planning and implementation of diversity and inclusion programs, initiatives, and efforts. She has been a featured speaker for organizations such as National Association for Legal Professionals, Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, Tulane School of Law, Central Exchange, Anheuser-Busch, Hallmark, and the Professional Development Consortium. Additionally, she has contributed to and written for publications such as Forbes, The American Lawyer, Working Mother Media, and The Good Men Project. Rebecca was featured by InsightsSuccess as one of the “10 Most Inspiring Business Women in 2021.”

Rebecca sits on the board of the Northland Symphony and Orchestra, dedicated to providing music and arts education to youth in the community, as well as the Racial Equity and Inclusion Kansas City organization.  She serves on the Patron Committee for UnitedWe, is an Advisory Board Member for the Conscious Inclusion Company – a national diversity, equity and inclusion consulting organization – and is a faculty member for the Executive Leadership Institute.  Rebecca has also dedicated her time to national committees including the Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance Voting Rights Committee and the National Diversity Council.

Enjoy the podcast.

Rebecca Baumgartner

Connect with Rebecca

Rebecca Baumgartner 

Certified Diversity Executive, PHR, SHRM-SCP 

Vice President, Human Resources   

30 West Pershing Road, Suite 301 

Kansas City, MO 64108 

Phone: (816) 221-2424  

rbaumgartner@kcchamber.com   > www.kcchamber.com 

FOR A GREATER KANSAS CITY   

FreemanMeansBusiness.com

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Wonder Woman in Business, Kimberly Marcus

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Kimberly R. Marcus

Director, Supplier Diversity, AARP

Mrs. Kimberly Marcus is the Director of Supplier Diversity for AARP. Mrs. Marcus is responsible for redefining diversity, equity and inclusion within the supply chain at AARP. The AARP supplier diversity program resides at the intersection of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. AARP’s supplier diversity program is directly linked to our mission and why we exist. AARP not only seeks to work with diverse suppliers, we also serve them by helping them grow their businesses and promoting them in the marketplace. 

Mrs. Marcus comes to AARP with over 20 years of combined experience in both the corporate and non-profit worlds. Prior to AARP, Mrs. Marcus was a presidential appointee for the Department of Commerce. Mrs. Kimberly Marcus was appointed in July 2012 to serve as Associate Director for the Office of Legislative, Education & Intergovernmental Affairs (OLEIA) at the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). In this capacity, she led all Agency efforts in the areas of communications, public affairs, external relationships, outreach, research, and policy development. She also oversaw the Agency’s relationships with elected officials, as well as its advocacy and outreach strategies. Mrs. Marcus focused primarily on stakeholder outreach, with an emphasis on global business development. Fortune 500 stakeholders, both domestic and international, were key to her outreach methodology.

One of her career highpoints before her appointment was when she was the National African American Outreach Director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In this high-profile role, Mrs. Marcus worked closely with the African American community to emphasize the importance of the African American vote.

Mrs. Marcus also worked for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, serving as Executive Director of its Public Policy Institute’s Government Relations office. Mrs. Marcus advocated on behalf of urban communities and minorities by interacting with members of Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She was responsible for the creation of public forums and the development of influential coalitions, as well as the publication of relevant policy analysis and research studies.

Mrs. Marcus considered her position as Director of Economic Development for the NAACP to be an exciting turning point in her career, as it gave her the chance to tackle issues of immediate relevance to equal opportunity for people of color. Mrs. Marcus is no stranger to the world of minority-owned business, as she owned and ran her own diversity consulting firm, KC Consulting. As the Principal Consultant for her firm, Mrs. Marcus expanded on the type of work she had done for the NAACP. She continued to advise client firms on diversity initiatives, and recommended implementation strategies.

At the outset of her career, Mrs. Marcus worked as a Senior Sales Executive at the Strategic Research Institute (SRI), where she spearheaded the organization’s successful launch of African American/Multicultural conferences and seminars. At Bank of America, she established a Living and Learning Center—a cutting-edge facility designed to help employees enhance skills related to both business and personal issues.

A native of Oakland, California, Mrs. Marcus holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University. Mrs. Marcus is a recipient of the Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity Award, Top 30 Champion of Diversity Award, 2020 Best of the Best Champions of Diversity Award and 2021 Top 25 Diversity Change Leader by DiversityPlus Magazine, Women of Leadership and Power Award by MEA Magazine, Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year by Disability: IN and serves on the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC) Board, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Board, the WBEC Metro NY and WBEC Greater DMV (WBECNY/DMV) Board and is the Vice Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee for WBENC, Board Chair-Elect for WBECNY/DMV, Chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee for WBECNY/DMV, Board First Vice Chair for CRMSDC and Chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee for CRMSDC . Mrs. Marcus is happily married, with a twin son and daughter.

Enjoy the podcast.

Kimberly R. Marcus

About Kimberly…

In her own words…

Connect with Kimberly

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-marcus-b9386b7/

Email:

kmarcus@aarp.org

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Wonder Woman in Business, Laurie Forster

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Laurie Forster

Laurie Forster

The Wine Coach®

Laurie Forster is one of America’s leading wine experts and author of the award-winning book The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine. Laurie is a Certified Sommelier, National Speaker and TV personality who is not afraid to tell you her first wine came from a box. Her edgy approach to demystifying wine caught the eye of major networks and led her to guest appearances on The Dr Oz Show, FOX Morning News, Martha Stewart Living Today and ABC News at Noon.

Laurie regularly speaks across the country where she edutains a client list that includes MetLife, Discovery Channel, Microsoft, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, LG Electronics, National Association of Catering Executives, American Cancer Society and McCormick & Company to name a few. Laurie has performed her comedic wine tasting at locations nationwide including Carolines on Broadway, DC IMPROV, Caesars Atlantic City and recently as a headliner for the 2018 HBO Women in Comedy Festival.

Forster is also the host of The Sipping Point  and her mobile application “The Wine Coach” was listed as one of the Top 8 Wine Apps in Wine Enthusiast. A former software sales executive, Laurie’s wine career began in Manhattan where she studied with the American Sommelier Association to obtain her certificate in Viticulture and Vinification.  Laurie has since earned an Advanced Certificate with Merit from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET). She has also trained with the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley.

Enjoy the podcast

Laurie Forster

Contact Laurie

Laurie would love to help you demystify wine one glass at a time at your next Client Appreciation Dinner, Teambuilding Event or Wine Tasting. Please take a minute to fill out this form and Laurie will set up a time to speak with you about how she can help make your next event a sparkling success!

Laurie@TheWineCoach.com

410-820-4212

FreemanMeansBusiness.com

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Wonder Woman in Business, Raychel McBride

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Raychel McBride

CEO of Corporate KIN

Raychel McBride is a 10-year Human Resources professional advocating for diversity using data. She is the CEO of Corporate KIN Diversity Strategies, where she uses essential skills such as empathy, accountability, and long-term strategy to create culture transformation. She prides herself on being a strategist and visionary that lives in the land of what could be, not what is. In 2007, Raychel graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education and later attended Argosy University Chicago to complete her Master of Science in Human Resource Management. In 2020, Raychel obtained her Senior Certified Professional certification with the Society for Human Resource Management.

In her free time, Raychel is the Podcast Host of Freedom & Champagne - a podcast to celebrate diversity through storytelling. Raychel serves as the co-chair for the Forefront Building Board Diversity task force and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She volunteers on the NPR Illinois Advisory Board, Forefront Advancing Racial Equity Committee, Illinois Women in Leadership Equity Special Interest Group and a number of Land of Lincoln Community Foundation committees. She was named a Springfield Business Journal Forty under 40 in 2019 and is a graduate of the 2020 Leadership Illinois class. She is the wife of Rich McBride Jr., mother to Raya Johnson, and bonus mom to Dominic Mortenson. 

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Enjoy the podcast.

Raychel McBride

Connect with Raychel

Raychel McBride - SHRM SCP | CEO | Raychel@CorporateKIN.com

Corporate KIN LLC | (217) 691-3925 | www.CorporateKIN.com

Certified State of Illinois Business Enterprise Program (BEP) for Minority, Females, and Persons with Disabilities | Community Foundation Grants & Programs Committee | Building Board Diversity Co-Chair | NPR Illinois Advisory Board | Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. | SHRM Central Illinois Member |  2019 Springfield Business Journal Forty Under 40 | Wooden It Be Lovely Board Member | Forefront Advancing Racial Equity Committee 

Follow me on LinkedIn

Follow me on Facebook

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Wonder Woman in Business, Meldie Moore

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Meldie Moore, Esq.

Moore Law for Children

Meldie Moore, a former prosecutor in Orange County, California, uses her expertise in trial and negotiation to help grow and strengthen families. Moore Law for Children is a comprehensive care family law firm. Meldie lives with her husband and two sons in Laguna Beach, California.

Education and Honors

Meldie Moore graduated with honors from Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. During her college years, she volunteered as a big sister and as a teacher’s aide at a preschool for special needs children. Meldie moved to California, where she graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University School of Law. During law school, Meldie worked as a judicial clerk for California Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian and externed at the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office, Division of Children’s Services. She served as an associate editor on Pepperdine’s law review and competed nationally on the moot court team. In 2009, Meldie furthered her legal education by obtaining a Masters in Law at Chapman University School of Law. She authored a legal article that was published in the California State Bar Journal in 2011. In 2013, Meldie published an article in the Orange County Lawyer Magazine entitled “Senate Bill 115 Would Give Sperm Donors Standing to Petition for Paternity.” [Read the Article] Meldie also published a 2019 article for OC Lawyer on Special Education, titled “Learning your ABCs, 123s, and IEPs: Special Education in Public Schools.”

Career and Service

Passion for public service, and a desire to help women and children, led Meldie to a career in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. She was a prosecutor for 16 years. During that time, Meldie completed over 100 criminal trials and hundreds of preliminary hearings on felony cases. Meldie specialized in legal research and writing for a large portion of her career. She researched, wrote and argued over 250 felony motions, and she has argued before the Court of Appeal. She also developed and conducted training for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, various police agencies, colleges, and law schools. Meldie served as an adjunct professor at Western State School of Law, teaching classes on research and writing, and domestic violence. 

During the course of her career, Meldie was committed to protecting the citizens of Orange County, especially the most vulnerable, children. Her passion was helping families of domestic violence, and she was specially assigned to handle these cases at both the misdemeanor and felony level. For her outstanding service to victims and witnesses of domestic violence, Meldie was awarded the “Courts Community Service Award” by Victim Assistance Programs, CSP, Inc., and recognized for her hard work and dedication to the community by the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Meldie was also recognized as a “Diligent Prosecutor” for tenacity in the prosecution of DUI cases and sensitivity to the needs of DUI victims by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

Law Partnership Dedicated to Children

This commitment to and compassion for helping women and children led Meldie to enter the law partnership of Gurwitz Moore in 2010, a boutique law firm assisting families with children with special needs, children experiencing discipline issues at school and in the criminal justice system, and family formation through adoption and assisted reproduction. In 2012, Meldie opened her own law practice, Moore Law. Meldie continues to grow her firm, practicing with her team at Moore Law for Children, Professional Corporation, in these specialized areas.

Practice Areas:

  • Adoption

  • Assisted Reproduction Technology

  • Estate Planning

  • Family law

  • Juvenile Delinquency

  • School Discipline

  • Special Education

  • Title IX Investigations

Education:

  • Chapman University School of Law, Orange, California, 2009 L.L.M.

  • Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California, 1994 J.D.

  • Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1990 B.A.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

  • California Association of Lawyers for Education (CALE), Co-Founder and Co-President

  • Orange County Bar Association (OCBA)

  • Orange County Women Lawyers Association (OCWLA)

  • California State Bar Association

  • American Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA)

  • Academy of California Adoption Lawyers (ACAL)

  • National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

  • Past Employment Positions:

  • Gurwitz Moore, L.L.P., Partner, 2010-2012

  • Orange County District Attorney's Office, Deputy District Attorney, 1994-2010

  • Western State Law School, Adjunct Professor, 2002-2003

READ MORE ABOUT MELDIE:

“A SON’S PERSPECTIVE ON HIS MOM”

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Enjoy the podcast.

Meldie Moore

Connect with Meldie

Meldie Moore

Founder and Director, Moore Law for Children

(949) 336-7711  

meldie@moorelawoc.com

.moorelawoc.com

361 Forest Ave., Suite 201, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

www.freemanmeansbusiness.com

www.freemanmeansbusiness.com

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Wonder Woman in Business, Meenakshi Iyer

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Meenakshi Iyer

Meenakshi Iyer is a global citizen, an inclusive and collaborative servant leader, and a professional thinker and doer.  "Stop. Breathe. Think. Act." is her motto.

Born and raised in India, she has been in the US for over a decade now. She is fluent in four languages; and has lived and worked in 10+ cities in India and the US. She is passionate about democratizing access to, and opportunity for, people development across the world.

Meenakshi founded NorthStar Solutions and Services in August 2019 – as a 100% virtual business - to partner with mid-career IT/Agile professionals and leaders, and small to medium-sized businesses, globally, in designing successful outcomes for their transformation journeys, especially in this digital, VUCA economy. She partners with them to help them learn and adopt ‘Future of Work’ skills and behaviors such as: agile, collaborative, and inclusive ways of working; remote leadership; and impactful change communication.

A T-shaped servant leader with a 22-year international and interdisciplinary career in IT, Agile/Business Process Transformation, international healthcare, HR, and Training, she is a champion of cross-cultural and cross-functional leadership. Having started off in the non-profit healthcare sector in India where, among other things, she learned the inner workings of a regional eye bank, the breadth and depth of her professional experience span cultures, geographies, industries, and hierarchies.

Meenakshi is an IC Agile certified Agile Coach (ICP-ACC), and her Agile experience is in B2B product development and client implementation in the healthcare space in the US. She excels in the application of Lean and Human-centered Design in organizational and agile transformations. ​

As a professionally trained and an experienced ESL Trainer, she has helped hundreds of aspiring and working professionals become proficient in their use of business English. She is particularly empathetic towards the challenges faced by non-native speakers of English in the workplace; and has consistently worked towards making culturally competent communication central to creating inclusive work environments.

Meenakshi holds an Executive MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; a BS in Physics from Bharathiar University, India, and an Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering also from India. She has an Executive Master's Certificate from MIT Sloan School of Management in Business Process Design for Strategic Management; and is a Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster®. She is currently on her path to earning an ICF-PCC credential as a Professional Coach.

An active member of the Lean In Agile community – a professional networking group for women professionals in the Lean/Agile space - Meenakshi is on the Catalyst team for the Washington DC area Spiral group. She lives in Ashburn, Virginia in the US, with her husband. In their free time, they enjoy going on road trips to the countryside, and visiting local wineries and breweries.

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Enjoy the podcast.

Meenakshi Iyer

Contact Meenakshi

Website: https://www.northstaratwork.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meenakshi-iyer-northstar/

Twitter: @NorthStar_Nova

YouTube: NorthStar Solutions and Services - YouTube

Facebook: @northstaratwork

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