WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Women in Business - J . E . W . E . L
Jonathan Swift said , “ Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others .”
Having a heart for women in leadership , Stephanie McClendon ’ s vision became reality in 2020 . Katherine Quinn Leibfried ’ s conviction that every woman has a voice and deserves a place at the table is Stephanie ’ s belief as well . Partnering with the Suwannee Chamber , JEWEL ( Join Exceptional Women Excelling in Leadership ) was born .
Stephanie ’ s vision was to create a network for working women , moms , and leaders in our community . Women often lack the resources and networking opportunities in rural areas . Stephanie wanted to make a difference in our community by laying the foundation for a legacy that would benefit not only these women , but those who will follow in their footsteps . Stephanie ’ s desire is to see Jewel as on-going initiative , making a bigger impact and supporting up and coming leaders .
On March 10 , 2020 our first JEWEL meeting was held at the Suwannee Chamber . Twelve women from local businesses and organizations attended . Stephanie Esposito , Director of Advancement at Meridian Behavioral Healthcare and 2019 recipient of Meridian ’ s Leadership Award , presented “ Leadership Lessons Learned along the Way .”
Little did we know that the very next week , our world as we knew it would drastically change . We were introduced to new words and a new way of living ; COVID , social distancing , masks , stay at home orders . Store shelves were stripped bare of items that once were so easily accessible . We no longer gathered for morning meetings , lunches , and water cooler breaks . Our connection was all but lost .
COVID would not stop JEWEL ! Thanks to Lisa Hutcherson and Lacey McCarthy with First Federal Bank , JEWEL resumed via Zoom .
Inspiring and engaging women with First Federal Bank challenged us with Work / Life Balance ( Stephanie
McClendon , Chief of Retail Community Banking , ), Knowing our Value ( Wendy Wynn , Culture Experience Officer ), and Emotional Intelligence ( Lisa Hutcherson , Director of Human Capital Strategies ).
We kicked off the fall session with Lynne Brown , John Maxwell Certified Speaker and Coach . In her podcast , “ GRITTY Women ”, Lynne consistently drives home to her listeners the importance of controlling our thoughts , knowing what we are thinking and being aware of those limiting beliefs .
We ended our first year of JEWEL with Jill Adams , CFO and Ethics and Compliance Officer at Lake City Medical Center . Jill is a John Maxwell Team Certified speaker and coach as well as certified financial coach with Dave Ramsey Solutions . Her passion is to equip , empower and encourage people to do and be all they were created to do and be .
The Chamber was so grateful to be a part of this wonderful series empowering women in our community . Although challenging at times , the women who participated in the series persevered . We hope to make JEWEL a permanent series for women in the Suwannee County community .
114 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2021-2022