Today, we honor Angela Pace as our first official

Presents
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Makoy Center
5462 Center St.
Olde Hilliard
www.damesbond.com
Laura Butler, President of WorkLife for Women
As president of WorkLife for Women, Laura guides
women in finding their unique WorkLife voice.
Laura’s experience in a variety of industries,
including healthcare, educational enrichment and
customer service, gives her a multifaceted
perspective that cuts across all industries to provide
out-of-the-box creative and inventive solutions to
everyday struggles. Laura is a member of the
International Coach Federation, and is a certified consultant in the
use of the Birkman Method, a comprehensive methodology for
human understanding and organizational performance.
A.J. Casey, CEO of A.J. Casey Companies
A.J. is an author, speaker, trainer and
consultant. In 2006 she established A.J. Casey
Companies to specialize in helping people and
organizations develop into stronger, bigger and
better supported versions of themselves. For more
than 20 years, she has been a consultant for
leading organizations and consulting throughout
North America. Her very popular workshop series
Make Ya Wanna STOMP! has been presented with
rave reviews throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Ann Fisher, Executive Producer and Host of All Sides
with Ann Fisher
Ann is executive producer and host of All Sides with
Ann Fisher on WOSU 89.7 NPR news station. She
moved from her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich.
in 1987 to work for the Toledo Blade. She moved to
Columbus to cover state government and politics
two years later. In1998, Ann joined the staff of The
Columbus Dispatch, where she worked as a reporter,
editorial writer, editor and columnist, before being named to her
current position in 2009.
Karen Hough,
Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge
Karen is the author of “The
Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and
Radical Collaboration at Work” and “Yes! Deck.”
She speaks nationally on diversity, negotiation,
leadership, sales, presentation and women’s issues.
She trained with Chicago’s Second City and
enjoyed a career in stage and film, performing in
more than 100 live and filmed productions. ImprovEdge has a
presence in six cities nationwide and a client list, that includes JP
Morgan, Turner Broadcasting, Coach, OhioHealth, Jones Day and
Nationwide Insurance.
Shelly Hunt, Social Media Success
As a social media consultant and trainer, Shelly
specializes in working with her clients to define their
existing online footprint and create a roadmap to
social media success, and trains her clients to
administer plans to maximize impressions, target
market reach and return on investment. When not
exploring a new technology, studying social media,
or facilitating a presentation, you will find Shelly
reading, gardening, interior decorating, traveling or spending time
with family.
Shawn Ireland, The Shawn Ireland Show
Shawn’s voice and face have been familiar to
Central Ohio for many years. In fact, Shawn has been
heard on different Columbus area radio stations for
more than 25 years, and has been the co-host on
WNCI’s Morning Zoo, Shawn & Starkey in The Morning
on 93.3 Lite FM, and more recently, Dino and Shawn
in the Morning on Sunny 95. Currently, she is pioneering the Shawn
Ireland Show entertainment enterprise, which includes a 30-minute,
daily podcast on www.ShawnIrelandShow.com; a weekly “live”
radio show; and S.I.S. Club.
Melanie Martin Jones,
Porter Wright Morris and Arthur
A partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP,
Melanie’s practice includes both domestic and
foreign protection and transfer of intellectual property
as well as general business law. Melanie is a member
of the Columbus Intellectual Property Law Association
and Ohio TechAngels, and is chair of the International
Trademark Association's Classification committee, co-founder of the
Women’s Council of Central Ohio, a member of the Governing Body
of Athena PowerLink-Columbus, and the current president-elect of
the National Association of Women Business Owners-Columbus.
Inna Kinney, CEO of Economic
Community Development Institute
Inna founded ECDI, a Central Ohio-based
community development non-profit organization, in
2004. Her experience with fundraising and
management provided the foundation for the
development of ECDI as an organization focusing
on small business development, home ownership,
post-secondary education and access to capital for all. Inna’s
passion for economic development began in 1974 as she and her
family became the first family resettled in Columbus from the former
Soviet Union.
Elizabeth Lessner, CEO & Founder of The Columbus
Food League
Liz is the CEO and founder of the Columbus Food
League, which includes Betty’s Fine Food and Spirits;
The Surly Girl Saloon; Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails;
Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace; and the Jury Room. Her
restaurants have received local, regional and national
attention for their green initiatives and creative food.
A social entrepreneur actively engaged in downtown
development and community affairs, Liz also is co-owner and vice
president of Eartha Limited, a restaurant recycling and hauling
company specializing in greening Central Ohio restaurants.
Mary Persichetti-Gallegos, Assistant Vice President/
Branch Manager/Key4Women Champion at Key
Bank
Mary has more than 15 years of banking experience
and is passionate about helping women business
owners and women in business. She and KeyBank
Walton Parkway Branch Manager, Lisa
Dempsey-Wanner, started the local Key4Women
Chapter in Central Ohio in January 2010. Since
that time they have grown their local group from 15 women business
owners/women in business to more than 350. Key4Women provides
education and networking to the women in their group.
Carrie Saba, Carrie Saba Health Coaching
Carrie helps her clients get back on their priority list
and practice self love. She is a lifestyle change
expert and empowers her clients to overcome their
challenges and fears to achieve their personal
wellness goals. Carrie is certified through the
American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She
believes everything feeds our spirit, including how
we think, what we experience and what we eat.
Her clients are energized by her insightful and upbeat coaching style
and she believes everyone should know their brilliance and enjoy
life!
Mary Slane, Financial Coach at Slane Financial
Services
Mary is an independent investment consultant
focused on helping professional women and small
business owners Dream. Plan. Achieve. She helps
busy people realize both their professional and
personal aspirations by prioritizing their financial goals
and offering practical solutions using investments and insurance resources. Mary specializes in changing her
client’s attitude about money from “fear and scarcity to confidence
and abundance” by helping them gain a better understanding of
their unique needs.
Pat Snyder
Pat is a lawyer who’s transitioned into coaching
lawyers and other high achievers who would like
more balance in their lives. She also writes the
long-running humor column “Balancing Act,” which
appears in Suburban News Publications, speaks on
life balance, and this fall began the Master of
Applied Positive Psychology program at the University
of Pennsylvania. Her own positive psychology
program – Laugh Away the Chaos – is featured in her first book, “The
Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips From An Overbooked Life.”
Our Emcee
Leslie Slaughter,
Leslie is a professional
spokesperson, on-camera host and voice-over
artist. She’s been informing and empowering
audiences for the past 14 years while representing
clients such as General Motors, Procter & Gamble,
McGraw-Hill and Victoria’s Secret. From
corporate videos to trade shows, commercials, live events and
voiceovers, Leslie delivers empowering messages in an intelligent
and credible style that clients and audiences appreciate. Her
previous roles have included working as a consumer news segment
producer for WSYX-TV. Leslie is currently producing a series of
documentaries on women’s empowerment and conscious
evolution.
“The most successful business owner is one who is plugged
into her community through organizations.Cities that
have a lot of those opportunities, are going to be the cities
with people and businesses that rise to the top.”
- Julie Weeks, president and CEO at WomenAble
Keynote -Celebrating Her Success
Debra Fink Bachelder,
Owner Binding Arts, LLC/DFB City Street Gems
Debra is a designer, book artist, painter,
photographer and mixed-media artist. She is currently
the Artist-In-Residence and founder of You Gotta
Have HeART at Buckhorn Children and Family
Services of Kentucky/Tri State Youth Academy, a
residential treatment facility for boys ages 10 to 18,
and the Lance Armstrong Foundation
Artist-In-Residence at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
in the Hematology, Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Debra
also is a member of The Ohio State University’s Medical School’s
Medicine in the Arts Roundtable and a frequent presenter for NYC’s
Creative Center at Gilda’s Place.
Today, we celebrate Debra’s first patent on a jewelry
design called Be Kind!
Cheryl Bassitt, CEO and Founder of Kitchen Table
Conversations
Inspired by her own family’s journey, Cheryl
created a movement to bring families together.
Cheryl is often referred to as the Common Sense
Coach and is the author of several interactive
workbooks that teach individuals and their families
the core values needed to live a healthier life. Her
most recent work includes the “101 Creative Ways
To Save Money Workbook,” “How To hold a Family
Meeting for Real,” as well as, an interactive
family meeting placemat that gives a simple, yet powerful, tool to
assist families in having meaningful and positive communication.
Today, we celebrate Cheryl for being the runner up for one of the
best ideas for humanity!
Kathlene Mullens, MLHR, SPHR, Female Equality Matters
Kathlene is the founder and CEO of
Female Equality Matters®, The “No Glass Ceiling”
Certification/Brand©. With more than a decade of
human resources experience for four Fortune 100
companies, Kathlene is using that expertise in
recruiting, line HR, diversity, training, employee
development and technology to help leverage the power of
consumer spending to yield more women with more equitable pay,
in the C-suite and board rooms of companies, non-profits, and
colleges and universities around the world.
Today we celebrate Kat for the creation of Female
Equality Matters.
Kay Shabazz, Carbon2Carbon Press
Kay specializes in marketing, public relations and
event planning. She manages Event Planning and
Membership Support for TechColumbus where she
focuses on membership retention, connecting
businesses within the community and planning more
than 120 professional development and networking
events during the year. The author of “Holding on to Somewhere”
and a public speaker, Kay delivers talks on family stability and
domestic violence.
Today we celebrate Kay for authoring her first book.
A Moment of Inspiration
Janella Rodgers
Janella is an E-Marketing/Marketing major at Franklin
University. Janella grew up in the South and now
resides in Central Ohio.
Janella is an artist and poet with poetry published in
The National Library of Poetry, Winston Salem Journal
(North Carolina) and on several online sites.
Today we celebrate liberating women. “No matter what size we are,
we should embrace and accept our own bodies.” Janella Rodgers
The 2011
Premiere Grand Dame
Angela Pace,
Director of Community Affairs for WBNS-10TV
Angela Pace cares about the community. As a
TV journalist, she used her visibility for the
benefit of many important causes. As a
resident, she has an extensive record of
volunteerism and community involvement.
Angela serves as a liaison between
WBNS-10TV and the Central Ohio community.
She was raised in Columbus where she
attended Columbus Public Schools and
Capital University, and has worked in Central
Ohio throughout her career. These kinds of roots
give rise to her unflagging dedication to the area in which she grew
up.
Angela anchored the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. editions of 10TV Eyewitness
News for 13 years, beginning her on-air duties in March of 1993.
Her list of accomplishments and honors reflect her tireless
commitment to the community. She currently serves on the board of
directors for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, the Lincoln Theater Association,
the Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Columbus Association for the
Performing Arts and the Jazz Arts Group. She was a board member
for “I Know I Can” for 17 years. Angela is a member of the National
Association of Black Journalists (Columbus Chapter) and National
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Ohio Valley Chapter.
Angela’s awards and honors would well exceed the pages of this
program, but it is important to note the following: Angela was
inducted into the 1992 Columbus Public School Hall of Fame and
received the 1994 Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA of
Central Ohio. She received the 1996 Toastmaster’s International
Leadership Award, the 2006 Community Service Award from the
Columbus Urban League and the Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Columbus Association of Black Journalists. In 2011, she was
inducted into the NATAS Ohio Valley Silver Circle for broadcasters
with more than 25 years in the industry. The Columbus Bar
Association has established a foundation in her name. A large
portion of the funds from that foundation was used to help build the
Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children’s
Hospital. Angela has won three Emmys and a regional Telly award.
Today, we honor Angela Pace as our first
official Premiere Grand Dame for all she
has done to support and celebrate
women and girls.
“A boyfriend who was breaking up with me gave me
some of the best advice I ever got: ‘Put your own
oxygen mask on first.’ You can’t be good for
anybody else until you’re good for yourself first.”
– Angela Pace
www.DamesBond.com
About the Founder & CEO of
Dames Bond
Mary B. Relotto
Professionally speaking, Mary B. began her career in Central Ohio in
1988 after graduating from Ohio University, where she received her
Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Public Relations.
With more than 20 years in marketing, fundraising and event
planning, her passion today is championing women in business and
in transition. She strives to help women make the right connections to
people and resources. She started Dames Bond in 2006.
In 2011 She received the SBA’s Women in Business Champion Award.
She was one of Sunny 95’s 20 Outstanding Women You Should Know
in 2010 and was recognized by Forbes Woman as having one of the
“top 10 career sites for women.” She received the Women Business
Owners Networking Woman of the Year in 2009.
Mary B. is a member of the Women’s Council of Central Ohio.
Personally speaking, Mary B. was born in Biella, Italy and adopted
at the age of 3. Growing up, she always embraced adversities and
fought for the underdog. She knew early on that by making the
right connections and surrounding herself around positive people,
she’d overcome any obstacle.
Mary B. loves to sing, emcee, cook, spend time with her family,
movies, poker, great wine and traveling.