Tuesday, June 17, 2008 (20th Anniversary Dinner!)
Sinikka Sherwood Sr. Marketing Consultant for Cumulus Media
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eye off the goal”
Having come from Finland with her family at age 7, Sinikka learned at an early age how to take on a challenge and turn it into opportunity when she had to first learn English just to enter school. Being bi-lingual offered yet more opportunities, after school, she went to NYC to model and then became a world traveler as a flight attendant with Pan Am (The golden years of flying). Years pass as they do, and with 4 children and more responsibility, she attended Dutchess Community College and juggled the mommy/career path as she became more involved with the local community. Determined to succeed, after several stints in various careers, including Hudson Valley Magazine, marketing and advertising, ‘people’ communications is where she found her future. Joining WPDH, then owned by Rob Dyson, in 1993, Sinikka had found a home in the community, helping business owners and not for profit organizations expand and develop their ‘brands’ and awareness to grow their business.
Sometimes 2 and 3 jobs at once, Sinikka says she was determined to succeed. Learning something as foreign as the learning English, she began to embrace her new found career, often fighting the “boys club”. Today, Sinikka is one of the top producers at Cumulus Media nationwide. She and other female co-workers defeated the stereotypical boys club. At Cumulus Media she is responsible for over 60 clients at any given, millions of ad dollars and making sure their advertising schedules are reaching their target demos with the right stations and frequency. She writes the creative for the clients and listeners may best know her own voice for “Life is just better in a BMW”. Together servicing her current client base, and continuously prospecting for new business, is challenging but also rewarding. Rejection is tough for all of us, but Sinikka says her life experience has taught her how to handle it just a little better. Creating great marketing presentations, helping brand businesses, and helping them grow, is all in a days work!
She is has served as a board member for 5 years on Rehab Programs Inc. Serving for twelve years on the committee for the first women’s golf benefit for Rehab, she has chaired this event for two years. She is also on the PR committee for Rehab. Prior board memberships include The Task Force for Child Protection and the YWCA where she co-chaired the Salute to Women and had the NY state LT Governor as her key note speaker. Non profits remain a soft spot for Sinikka. At United Way for three years, she was project coordinator for the first directory of information in DC and later Director of the Information Line of DC. She is thrilled to see this program still helping people today. (and ladies this was before computers when everything was written on a typewriter and index cards, the original directory must be in a library archive somewhere. She headed the PR committee for the 100th anniversary of the DC Medical Society gala and also the fund raising committees for many non profit organizations throughout her career.
Sinikka is the mother of four children, Sonja-Liisa 35, twins Michael and Daniel 25 and Brett 21, grandmother to two girls 4 and 2. Family, she says is the light of her life, and the reason she never took her eye of the goal.
Business Phone: 845-471-1500 Email: sinikkasherwood@aol.com
Tuesday, May 20th
Kim Petro-McCrum graduated from Orange County Community College with an AAS Degree in Accounting. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Southern California University.
Ms. McCrum has over 25 years of experience in the banking industry in the areas of accounting, finance, and human resources. She is currently working as a business consultant specializing in accounting and business management. Ms. McCrum is also a Certified QuickBooks Advisor and an instructor at Ulster BOCES; teaching accounting and QuickBooks.
Ms. McCrum is a member of the American Payroll Association, Mid-Hudson Women’s Network, Orange County Chamber of Commerce, New Paltz Chamber of Commerce, Zonta, and Hudson Valley Women Business Owners.
Ms. McCrum resides in Ulster County, New York and is working on “Taking Control of Your Money II”.
She can be contacted at Kim Petro-McCrum Consulting
Tuesday, April 15th
Carol Heady is founder and president of Learning and Performance Solutions, a consulting practice providing management and leadership development programs, and executive coaching to small and mid size companies. Carol specializes in helping professional women, women business owners and entrepreneurs further develop their leadership and business management capabilities to accelerate personal growth and improve business results.
Prior to founding Learning and Performance Solutions, Carol held several corporate training and development positions at major companies including M & T Bank, Premier National Bank, MetLife, Interchange Bank, Ethan Allen, and Cablevision Systems Inc. In addition to her human resource development experience, she has an extensive customer service and operations background from a fourteen-year career with Kraft Foods.
Carol obtained her M.S. in Organizational Management and Human Resource Development from Manhattanville College. She is an Adjunct Professor at Manhattanville College where she teaches a graduate course on workplace learning, and is a certified facilitator for three international training companies, Achieve Global, Omega Performance, and Development Dimensions International. Carol is past President of the Westchester/Mid-Hudson Chapter of American Society for Training and Development. She is a member of several professional associations including: International Coach Federation, Society of Human Resources Management, Toastmasters International, and The Professional Woman Speakers Bureau. In addition, Carol is Chair of the Women’s Leadership Alliance for Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, she serves on the Board of Directors for The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Poughkeepsie, and is Vice Chair for the local SCORE, Dutchess County Chapter.
Carol is one of 25 international female authors featured in the book, "Women as Leaders: Strategies for Empowerment & Communication” published in October 2007.
Contact: Carol Heady, President
Learning and Performance Solutions
29 Ridge Road
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
Phone: 845-226-8047 • Email: carol@learningandperformance.net
Tuesday, March 18th
Joan Giewat is an accomplished marketing strategist who brings more than 20 years’ experience creating and implementing successful marketing strategies. Her professional background working for both business and not-for-profit organizations has included strategic marketing planning, sales, and management. Her professional experience also includes the managing operations and multiple budgets for several organizations.
Joan speaks frequently on the components for developing a successful marketing plan and the strategies for implementing and measuring the outcomes. Her practical approach to achieving profitable business outcomes is simple… Plan to Succeed.
She is President of Willow Pond Consulting, a consultancy with marketing services. Joan is the First Vice-President for the Business Marketing Association of the Hudson Valley Chapter serving as a Board member for two years. Joan is also an alumnus from the Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce Dutchess Leadership.
Tuesday, January 15th
Member: Pattie Simone
Pattie Simone is a Success Strategist & Communications Guru who is known for cost-effective, imaginative solutions in branding, strategy, sales, marketing and communications. Her intuitive, client-focused approach has generated millions of dollars in new revenues for countless entrepreneurs & companies.
Pattie is Author of "Small Business Myths Busted" - On Best of 2006 List for Entrepreneur Online Media; a National Columnist: for WomenEntrepreneur.com; and a regular Guest Success Expert on: ABC TV's Nationally Syndicated America This Morning, and has also appeared on FOX 5's Good Day New York shows.
She is President of Write-Communications.com, a consultancy with imaginative business building services, and Founder of WomenCentric.org- a dynamic women's speaking group which crafts and delvers lively keynotes & seminars for execs, entrepreneurs and students.
Pattie is also a Published Journalist, with over 330+ bylines in a variety of online and print venues, including the Hudson Valley Business Journal and Entrepreneur Media.
Upcoming speaking engagements include independently produced seminars in NJ, national convention in CA and entrepreneurial presentations in Denmark.
Book News:
"SNAP OUT OF IT! How to Drop-Kick Your Hum-Drum Career for Entrepreneurial Bliss!" the ultimate lifestyle guide for entrepreneurial women (due to publish in 2008). Her new E-book - Penny-Pinching Marketing Secrets - is set to publish in late December, 2007.
www.write-communications.com • ww.womencentric.org
845.362.7880
