Bios
Why is it important to have a terrific bio and eye-catching portrait? Because you are branding yourself — and it is the key in any marketing plan. After all, whatever product or service you sell, the people you work with want to know and trust that the leaders of the firm are honest, credible, and have experience in their field.
That’s why having an engaging bio, one filled with interesting details about your business and experience, should be the first step in this process. That’s why we make sure our Inkandescent PR clients have top-notch bios and wonderful portraits.
To book the writers and photographers at Inkandescent PR to help you soup up your bio and create a gorgeous portrait you’ll want to show off to the world, send an email to hope@inkandescentpr.com.
Because it’s never easy for a novice to navigate the home remodeling and renovation process, Northern Virginia entrepreneur Mina Fies has developed a company to choreograph all aspects of the project — from concept to completion. Her Reston VA-based firm, Synergy Design & Consulting, acts as a liaison between the designer and construction team.
“In previous jobs in the real estate industry I saw firsthand how tough it was for homeowners to remodel their homes,” Mina says. “They simply didn’t have the experience or expertise to know the right questions to ask, which designers and contractors to hire, and what a reasonable budget and timeline should be.”
So in 2008, Mina and her husband Mark — who has decades of experience in retail sales and operations management — created a company to remedy the problem.
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With a master’s degree in international studies from Harvard University, Laura Lee Williams is a businesswoman with a flair for numbers and fashion. She’s worked for Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, American Express and Apple Computer. But when she was the vp of global business with Hong Kong’s Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW), she was inspired to create a company of her own.
In 2003, she launched the luxury handbag firm Laura Lee Designs, and ever since her stylishly appealing, fabulously chic handbags have adorned the arms and outfits of celebs including Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria, Oscar winner Mira Sorvino, and Touched by an Angel actress Roma Downey.
“Each bag is handmade with Nepalese fabrics, high quality satins and swirling patterns of Japanese beads,” Laura Lee explains. “Colorful snakeskin accentuates each bag and adds functional elegance to each piece. The bags are less an accessory and more a piece of wearable art. A Laura Lee Designs handbag captures individuality and verve. You definitely can’t be a wallflower and wear one of these bags!”
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Since April 2006, Noonan has served as assistant superintendent for Cluster VII schools, including the Centreville, Chantilly, and Fairfax High School pyramids. In this position, he initiated instructional and organizational change using professional learning communities, increased accessibility to educational technology resources for students and staff members, and school leadership development to support diverse learners.
Noonan served as principal of Centreville High School from July 2004 until April 2006, where he developed a principal’s round table for aspiring student leaders, initiated a freshman transition team for rising ninth grade students, and secured funding for an Honors and Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Prior to that, he served as principal of Lanier Middle School. Noonan came to FCPS in 2001 to serve as assistant principal at Langley High School.
Prior to joining FCPS, Noonan served as dean of students, assistant principal, and principal of several schools in Albuquerque. He began his career as a special education teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in Albuquerque, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 1993.
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
Educational leader and City of Fairfax resident Ann Monday became Superintendent of the City of Fairfax Schools on July 1, 2007.
“We are pleased and excited that Mrs. Monday has agreed to become our new Superintendent,” said City School Board Chairman Janice Miller. “Her background and experience are unparalleled, and we know she will be a wonderful leader of our four schools and will continue to work with Fairfax County Public Schools to enrich academic programs for our students.”
Monday retired on June 30 as the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), a district she has worked in since 1973 when she became a teacher at Kilmer Intermediate School in Vienna. She then served as chairperson of the English department at Chantilly High School from 1976-1980, when she became an administrative aide at Marshall High and subsequently a subschool principal at Lake Braddock High School.
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
Alice Waagen, PhD, is president and founder of Workforce Learning, LLC, a leadership development company which since 1997 has provided managers and C-level executives with the skills and knowledge they need to build a more productive work environment.
Since earning a BS in Art Education from New York State College at Buffalo, and MS and PhD degrees in Art Education from Pennsylvania State University, Alice has conducted hundreds of workshops and training classes at many of the country’s Fortune 500 companies and top nonprofit organizations, as well as at government agencies in the Washington DC area. In just the last three years, more than 55 leaders from 20 regional organizations have graduated from her unique leadership development workshop series.
Giving back to the community is also important to Alice, who currently serves on the District Training Committee for Boy Scouts of America as well as on the Boards of Directors for the Human Resources Leadership Forum and for Habitat for Humanity, Northern VA.
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What do Apple, Pfizer, Kellogg, ExxonMobil, Chase, Wells Fargo, Homeland Security, USA Today and ABC News have in common? When it comes to training, developing and motivating their greatest asset, their people, they turn to Steven B. Wiley and the The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg.
“We are dedicated to serving as a resource for individuals, teams and organizations who find themselves having to perform or produce in a stressful and rapidly changing environment with limited resources and limited information,” explains Steven B. Wiley, president and founder of The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg.
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
Steven B. Wiley is an entrepreneur, author, and highly acclaimed speaker who has influenced and entertained tens of thousands of top executives from around the world. Without exception, he receives the highest ratings possible from his audiences. His business experience includes the founding of three companies: two international franchise organizations and a national chain of fleet management centers.
He has successfully negotiated multi-million dollar funding agreements for his own companies with some of the top venture capital organizations in the world. His strong leadership ability has earned him recognition in top publications including Venture Magazine, USA Today, and Entrepreneur magazine.
Steve’s speaking experience includes three years as National Spokesperson for the Quaker Oats/Pritikin Longevity Centers for whom he has been featured in television commercials and advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Over the past ten years he has conducted thousands of seminars on negotiation, sales leadership and wellness for numerous public and private sector organizations.
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
Angela Sontheimer is the Managing Director of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg. She has a background in institutional advancement and has worked extensively in events management, and is a graduate of Gettysburg College. In 2009, Angela finished her Masters degree in Leadership and Liberal Studies at Duquesne University.
Along with Steve, Angela developed and created A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg.
“This intimate, small group program explores several customized case studies of your choosing while providing participants with a unique team-building opportunity,” Sontheimer says. “The Journey actually begins long before setting foot in the Gettysburg area. Participants prepare for their experience through compelling pre-session readings and an optional battery of assessment tools.”
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional is a 250-page reference guide, published in the fall of 2008 by Career Press.
It is a must-have for everyone who deals with employees on a daily basis, believe Mitchell and Armstrong. They wrote the book because, as human resource professionals with decades of experience, they wanted to shed light on the issues that keep managers up at night.
“Human resource professionals are not only charged with resolving labor issues,” explains Mitchell, who worked for Marriott Corporation and several technology firms in the Washington DC area before launching her own company‚ The Millennium Group International‚ in 1998. “We also help acquire, train, appraise, and make sure employees are fairly compensated, while attending to their concerns about labor relations, health and safety, and fairness.”
“It’s a big job, but we make it easier by outlining guidelines and best practice recommendations in the 12 chapters of our book,” adds Armstrong, who began her career in human resources in 1985 as a recruiter/trainer in a large Manhattan law firm before launching Sharon Armstrong and Associates in 2000. “Whether you are a newly promoted manager, a seasoned business owner, or a human resources professional, knowing the ins and outs of dealing with HR issues is critical to your success.”
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Photo by Steve Barrett Photography
Bio by Hope Katz Gibbs
Sharon Armstrong began her career in human resources in 1985 as a recruiter/trainer in a large Manhattan law firm. She took over as Director of HR at the DC firm Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge in 1991, and in 1994 became the Director of HR and Administration at the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
In 2000, she opened her own firm, Sharon Armstrong & Associates, and since has consulted with many large corporations and small businesses. She has facilitated training, completed HR projects and provided career transition services for a wide variety of clients in the profit and non-profit sectors. Her firm also serves as a brokerage house for other HR professionals.
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