How Diamondback’s General Counsel makes sure women receive equal recognition.

May 13, 2017 | Business, Diversity & Inclusion, Events, leadership, ppwa 2017, Women

How Diamondback’s General Counsel makes sure women receive equal recognition.

“Though you haven’t seen her tote a bat and ball, Nona M. Lee has been a big part of many Valley sports teams. Combining her love of sports with her profession as a litigator, she has worked for almost all of the Arizona sports teams, including the Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Mercury, the Arizona Rattlers and, currently, the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Source)”

On Saturday Evening June 10, 2017, Nona M. Lee, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Arizona Diamondbacks will receive the 2017 Positively Powerful Woman Award for Global Leadership, a recognition reserved for women who are making a particularly remarkable and distinct international impact. Sports, law, business and women’s rights join forces through her commitment.

How does she activate women’s rights?

She is a successful negotiator and team member. Nona was a key part of the team that assisted in the negotiations with FOX Sports Arizona on a 20-year extension that began in 2016 and is the largest financial transaction in franchise history.
She has powerful role models. When asked, Nona said she was most inspired to be the positively powerful woman that she is by Billie Jean King. Nona served on the board of Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation in New York, dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.
She continues as a leader in sports and law. Nona also serves on the board of the Sports Lawyers Association, a non-profit, international professional organization whose common goal is the understanding, advancement and ethical practice of sports law; and on the Pepperdine Athletic Board.
And she is active in the community. She is the founder of the Phoenix Women’s Sports Association, an Arizona non-profit organization that helps girls and women find their power through sports; the board of Florence Crittenton, a local non-profit designed to help at-risk girls overcome issues of abuse, neglect, teen pregnancy, teen parenting and behavioral and/or mental problems; the Board of the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission, the mission of which is to “enrich our community through sports.

Nona goes beyond the call of duty to make sure that women receive equal recognition in the area of sports and community development. She has proven her commitment to women in sports and has been instrumental in ensuring organizations that support women and girls are at economic development table.

The Positively Powerful nominators aren’t the only ones who have recognized Nona. She is a past recipient of the YWCA of Maricopa County’s Sports Leader Award, was recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the Women in Business honorees and was also an Athena Award honoree. She has received the Joyce Holsey Award of Excellence from the Black Women Lawyer’s Association and has been recognized as one of the Arizona Foothills Magazine’s “Women Who Move the Valley.” The public is invited to celebrate Nona’s global leadership as well as all of the 2017 Positively Powerful Woman Award recipients: Lisa Loo, the first woman of color to be President of the Arizona Bar Association – Social Justice Leadership, VP of Legal Affairs and Deputy General Counsel at Arizona State University; Janet West, Consulting with Invictus International Holding, formerly VP of Marketing and Sales at Cox Communications – Marketing Leadership; Jackie Wszalek, owner of Splash Printing and Marketing, Founder WOWOB – Entrepreneurial Leadership; and Rhonda Peters James, Senior Program Manager, Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategy External Partnerships Group, Intel Corporation – STEAM Leadership.

The June 10 Awards Gala will be held at the Desert Botanical Garden (1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix) beginning with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the 2017 awards presentations and special recognition of all previous years’ honorees. Register Now

The 2017 10th Anniversary celebration also includes the Global Women World Café to be held on June 9, 9:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m., at the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, 1130 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix. The Global Women World Café is a structured conversational process that facilitates and encourages discussions in small groups and then links groups’ ideas within a larger group to access the collective knowledge and wisdom of participants in the room.

Dr. Joel P. Martin

The Positively Powerful Awards and Programs are hosted by Founder and Executive Producer, Dr. Joel P. Martin, President of Triad West, Inc. which provides corporations with specialist support in executive coaching, leadership development, diversity, inclusion and cultural competency.

2017 Positively Powerful Woman Awards Sponsors

How this technology leader is increasing ethnic graduate degrees in STEM.

May 9, 2017 | 2014 PPWA, Business, Diversity & Inclusion, Events, leadership, positively powerful woman, PPW Awards, ppwa 2017, STEM, techology, Women | 3 comments

Meet Rhonda Peters James, Senior Program Manager in the Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and External Partnerships Group at Intel Corporation. Join us on June 10th, at the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden when Rhonda will receive the 2017 Positively Powerful Woman Award for STEAM Leadership.

Rhonda is fiercely committed to her work and to creating more graduates in technology.

She’s been with the company for 16 years, has held positions in engineering, marketing research and competitive intelligence, community management, and product marketing at the company. As an integral figure at Intel, Rhonda collaborates with external organizations and support programs that deliver results that increase the number of underrepresented minorities graduating with technology and engineering degrees in the United States.She serves as a mentor to several high school girls and women in business and engineering at Intel and other companies.

“Don’t limit your thinking by what you see. If you want something even though you may not see it today, that is an opportunity for YOU to create it! YOU have the opportunity to create your future! Go after it!” Rhonda Peters James

Rhonda knows what it takes to be challenged and not give up. That drive is what is behind the “Why You Should Stay With It™ ” video series she created, directed, and produced providing college engineering students and summer interns with relatable stories from Intel employees with engineering and computer science backgrounds. More than 20 episodes were filmed with over 800,000 views. she manages the overall strategic direction and tactical execution of the Stay With It™ Inspired by Intel Program. Stay With It is also an online community that delivers engaging content about engineering in the workplace, academic resources, internship information, and encouragement to engineering students so that they will stay enrolled in their engineering majors and graduate. Rhonda is one of the individuals at Intel who is “expanding the pathway for more underrepresented technical talent.”

She is an active volunteer in local organizations as well as a member of the National Society of Black Engineers Professional Member, National Action Council of Minorities in Engineering Board Liaison, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Association of Professional Women and Dillard University Alumni Member.

She earned her MBA from Arizona State University, Master of Science – Electrical Engineering: Semiconductor Devices from the University of Missouri and Bachelor of Science in Physics from Dillard University.

2017 Positively Powerful Woman Awards Sponsors

Carrie S. Young, SRP Senior Director, Corporate Operations Services, to receive the Positively Powerful Global Leadership Award

May 25, 2016 | Business, leadership, positively powerful woman, ppwa 2016, STEM, Women

Carrie S. Young, SRP Senior Director, Corporate Operations Services, to receive the Positively Powerful Global Leadership Award

Carrie S. Young, a multi-faceted leader with decades of experience impacting individuals in the corporate sector, community service arena, and United States Air Force, will receive the Positively Powerful Global Leadership Award this June 25. Selected for her unwavering commitment to the inclusion of veterans, minorities, and women in business and technology circles, Ms. Young also exemplifies a truly global character through her 20 years of service in leadership positions with the Air Force.

Designed to empower not only the recipients but also women and men worldwide through the honorees and ceremony proceedings, the Positively Powerful Global Leadership Award is reserved for an individual who embodies the very best, most selfless approach to touching lives globally. There are no national or community borders for this type of individual. Ms. Young has proven herself time and time again a true community servant, not affected by socioeconomic classes or outside influences.

Ms. Young devoted 20 years of her life to perfecting, coordinating, and bettering the United States Air Force in System Analysis. She led several project teams for both classified and unclassified projects and earned numerous awards and honors throughout her tenure including the Meritorious Service Awards, 56th OSS Outstanding Woman of the Year, and 56th OSS Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Ms. Young applied her extensive education, a Master’s Degree in Information System Engineering from Western International University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Chapman University, to her leadership roles with the United States Air Force.

Women’s interest and participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields today is staggeringly low, which is what makes Ms. Young an even rarer gem.

carrie young srp Women’s interest and participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields today is staggeringly low, which is what makes Ms. Young an even rarer gem. Her longtime commitment to information analysis and computer science development has followed her throughout her career, landing her as the Senior Director of Corporate Operations Services at Salt River Project (SRP). It is there that Ms. Young truly harnessed her inner calling for developing veterans’ initiatives. Currently the Executive sponsor of SRP Veterans (SRPVETS), an SRP employee interest group focused on leadership culture and promoting the understanding of military culture, Ms. Young is able to coordinate and participate in veterans fundraising, Madison Street Veteran programs, clothing drives, partner with Luke Air Force Base cookie drive for deployed veterans, Operation American Patriots, Patriot Guard Riders, Adopt-A-Troop, and Honor Flight volunteer.

Ms. Young’s community outreach doesn’t end there. She also works tirelessly to ensure women stand a chance to get hired and attain leadership positions at SRP. She upholds the highest diversity standard with the makeup of the business body and stands up for minority inclusion at every decision-making level.

Ms. Young is a true visionary with a passion. Her decades of commitment to service for something greater than herself has undoubtedly landed her in a position to oversee veterans, women, business, supplier diversity and minority development at SRP.

It is for these accomplishments, and many others, that Ms. Young is the perfect Honoree for the Positively Powerful Global Leadership Award.

Join us in honoring Ms. Carrie S. Young and our other recipients at the 9th annual Positively Powerful Woman Awards, Halle Heart Museum, Tempe, AZ, June 25th 5pm to 9pm. Register and learn more by clicking here. The event is open to the public. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, click here.

2016 Positively Powerful Woman Awards Sponsors

Tyler Butler, GoDaddy Director of Corporate Social Responsibility to receive 2016 Positively Powerful Woman Technology Leadership Award

May 24, 2016 | Business, leadership, positively powerful woman, ppwa 2016, STEM

Tyler Butler, GoDaddy Director of Corporate Social Responsibility to receive 2016 Positively Powerful Woman Technology Leadership Award

Today, though the numbers are changing, female participation in tech and STEM-related fields remains woefully low compared to their male counterparts. Schools, universities, and activist groups have identified the lack of women in technology roles and are offering scholarships, incentives, and education on why STEM fields are a great potential industry for women to harness.

tyler butler, godaddy There are a few women trailblazing the path through technological developments with a computer, engineering, and science perspective. These are women who move ahead of the pack; the women who set the standards; and the women who aren’t afraid to explore unchartered waters.

Ms. Tyler Butler, an exemplary role model for women looking to harness technology’s untapped capabilities, is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when women step out of their comfort zones and grab technology by the horns.

As the GoDaddy Director of Corporate Responsibility, Ms. Butler has overstepped boundaries and used her philanthropic nature, eye for quality detail, and passion for technology to ensure GoDaddy updates itself in alignment with women and minority rights. Ms. Butler works tirelessly to ensure women are treated equally and fairly on a daily basis at GoDaddy while also helping the company to devise a public platform for altering the misogynistic perception it had developed. Ms. Butler chose to work at a company not known for its inclusiveness and decided to carve a niche for women on her own.

During Ms. Butler’s tenure at GoDaddy, the organization has become a publicly traded company (GDDY) and entered the market up more than 30% from the IPO price. In the Phoenix region and beyond, GoDaddy has come to encapsulate an encompassing and accepting work environment enticing to women looking to pursue their technology passions and interests.

Additionally, Ms. Butler founded the GoDaddy employee resource group, Women in Technology, which serves to unite women and allies at GoDaddy to ensure there is an ongoing dialogue about equality, as well as resources and opportunities to guarantee every woman at GoDaddy is valued and recognized based on their contributions.

Ms. Butler envisioned, developed, and implemented a corporate social responsibility platform that has launched GoDaddy into the 21st-century economy, ready to flourish and excel. From her unique efforts, GoDaddy is now being named by the Anita Borg Institute as one of the Top 13 Companies for Women Technologists to work for in 2015.

Additionally, Ms. Butler’s selflessness and visionary attitude don’t just stop at work. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Arizona Science Center, the board of governors for the Greater Scottsdale Boys & Girls Clubs, the Arizona Governors Commission for Service & Volunteerism, the board of directors for Phoenix Suns Charities, the advisory council for Scottsdale Leadership and the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Above all, Ms. Butler is known for her fierce tenacity, her infectious passions, her empathic, understanding nature, and her community inclusiveness for all women looking to break the technology mold worldwide. Ms. Butler is without a doubt a powerful leader in the technology industry.

Because of her many contributions, Tyler Butler will receive 2016 Positively Powerful Woman Technology Leadership Award.

Join us in honoring Tyler Butler and our other recipients at the 9th annual Positively Powerful Woman Awards, Halle Heart Museum, Tempe, AZ, June 25th 5pm to 9pm. Register and learn more by clicking here. The event is open to the public. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, click here.

2016 Positively Powerful Woman Awards Sponsors

Charlene Tarver, Esq. to receive Inaugural Positively Powerful Woman Human Rights Leadership Award

May 17, 2016 | Business, Diversity & Inclusion, leadership, positively powerful woman, ppwa 2016, Women

The Positively Powerful Woman’s Awards are held every year to distinguish the leading women who set a precedent so formidable and groundbreaking that their accomplishments will never fade. These women trail blaze their way through a system stacked against female success and victory. It’s important to bring these kinds of women together for a day of acknowledgment, empowerment through mentorship, community networking, and friendship.

One woman who undoubtedly exemplifies excellence in her academic background and specialized legal training, selflessness in her activism on behalf of all who face injustice, dedication in the chartering of the Phoenix Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and devotion as the single mom of two teen girls would be Ms. Charlene Tarver. In line with this year’s theme “Transformation, Wealth & Health,” Ms. Tarver’s philanthropic nature tied to her successes and accolades as an attorney have established her as a leading community activist near and far to her Phoenix, law firm, The Tarver Law Group, PLLC.

Through her community empowerment work designed to equip other women with the skills, information, and entrepreneurial resources to set out and flourish in the business sector, Ms. Tarver has touched many lives.

Focused on helping the women torn down by adversity, ignorance, and misinformation in today’s world, her presence in Phoenix is likened to that of Fannie Lou Hamer during the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Tarver is a revolutionary and she works tirelessly to ensure a better future for all women and men regardless of their racial background.

As a Human Rights Leader, this piece cannot possibly cover how much Ms. Tarver has done for the advancement of equality in today’s world. She is an advocate for the disenfranchised, a local coordinator for Town Hall gatherings when Black individuals are unjustly shot by law enforcement, a co-presenter on behalf of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, co-producer of a series of Racial Profiling Symposiums in support of families whose children have been killed by gun violence, and above all, a caring, loving, and supportive community member ready to stand by the fallen and downtrodden at any moment.

Ms. Tarver is a shining beacon in a world ravaged by violence and injustice. Her exemplary lifestyle and incomparable activism have made her the clear recipient of the Inaugural Positively Powerful Woman Human Rights Leadership Award.

Join us in honoring Charlene Tarver and our other recipients at the 9th annual Positively Powerful Woman Awards, Halle Heart Museum, Tempe, AZ, June 25th 5pm to 9pm. Register and learn more by clicking here. The event is open to the public. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, click here.

2016 Positively Powerful Woman Awards Sponsors

Making Choices

Apr 5, 2016 | Coaches Corner, Coaching, leadership, positively powerful woman

Having to make a decision can be tough work. Making choices is even more difficult. I am one of those people who see decisions as something that is brought to me and choices as something that is in me to take some action … or not. We don’t necessarily think deeply about the choices we are about to make, and we should. The things that haunt you and I are the choices that we wish we hadn’t made. The choices that were made absent-mindlessly. Like that tweet, released.

Here is my cheat sheet on Making Choices.

Choose from the goal you have in mind. Then do it.
If fear steps in after the choice, do your best to follow through anyway. Fear is just a feeling.
A choice is something that is yours, no one can take it away from you. “It is not what you call me, it is what I answer to” is one of my favorite quotes about a choice.

If you are up to something (goals, vision, dream, etc.) and we all are, let your choices be consistent with what you say you are about, the story you tell in your imagination about the future you want to live.

Need help to align your STORY with your LIFE? Does any of the following ring true for you? Then let’s talk:

Life is good but I expected more.
I’ve lost the rhythm, I can no longer hear the music in my life.
I’m the best at what I do at work, but does it really matter?
Could a coach help navigate through all of “this”?