The Spirit of Women in Business 2022
The Spirit of Women in Business (SWIB) Conference is an annual event hosted by the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The conference brings together women from diverse professional backgrounds. The event will be held virtually every Friday in March!
2022 SWIB AWARD RECIPIENT
Veronica Cook-Euell, M.A., MBA, M.Ed.
President and CEO, Euell Consulting Group, LLC
FEATURING
2022 KEYNOTE SPEAKER | NANCY GIORDANO
Founder/CEO of Play Big Inc., a Strategic Inspiration Company
Described as endlessly optimistic, Nancy Giordano is a strategic futurist with a drive to help enterprise organizations and visionary leaders transform to meet the escalating expectations ahead.
Recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, she has spent her career building, shaping and guiding a portfolio of $50 billion worth of major global brands.
With growing conviction of what will (and needs to) shift, executives value her unique abilities to sense and synthesize the terrain ahead and guide those ready to build more relevant and sustainable solutions.
Giordano built a formidable career at several of the most influential ad agencies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles and for more than a decade has been the Founder/CEO of Play Big Inc., a strategic inspiration company. Her current work dives deeply into the emerging intersection of tech, business and society.
Giordano has a rich history of advising and learning with some of the top companies in the world, including Nestle, Brinker International, The Coca Cola Company, Sprint and Acumen. More recently, she has helped build the team for an artificial intelligence start-up, produced a conference on the seven most disruptive technologies for enterprise, is board member for a non-profit trade organization focused on the future of retail, and is working with a leading fintech/martech provider to ensure the survival of community banks and credit unions nationwide. She also helping usher in the world of distributed applications and computing by championing emergent cryptographic technologies Holochain + Holo.
A frequent panelist at South by Southwest, global keynote speaker, Singularity University guest lecture, and world’s first TEDx licensee, Giordano is committed to advancing societal structures and new mindsets necessary to effectively harness the significant technology innovations heading our way… and ensure a safe and thriving future for us all.
EVENT HOST - DEBORAH F. SPAKE, PH.D.
Dean, Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Deborah F. Spake, Ph.D. was appointed Dean of the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship in January 2013. She has served as President of the MidAmerican Business Deans Association, past-Executive Director of the Society for Marketing Advances, and former editorial review board member for the Journal of Business Research. Prior to her academic career, she was the Marketing Research Director of a publishing company and, later, worked for consulting firms specializing in marketing research and strategic planning.
As dean of the College, Spake provides leadership over college departments, academic programs, operations and budgets and leads the college’s strategic planning process. She recently led the effort to secure the largest single gift in Kent State’s history from Ambassador Edward F. Crawford to name the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship and construct a new business building, Crawford Hall, on the university's Kent campus.
GERALDINE NELSON
Leader across academic, community, and non-profit organizations
“The Authentic Me: A Seat at the Table”
Geraldine Hayes Nelson is a recognized leader across academic, community, and non-profit organizations. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Masters, Curriculum and Instruction, and a Doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from . She is a certified trainer in Diversity and Inclusion. Her leadership path intersects with diversity, community engagement, and program development aiding in creating spaces and opportunities for success for women, special emphasis for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color in leadership. She is a strong advocate on issues concerning single parents, women, racial justice, tolerance, and giving voice to today’s youth, via intergenerational interactions, teaching tolerance and inclusive initiatives. She is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions.
Nelson has served in various leadership roles including Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies; Associate Vice President, Diversity, Outreach and Programming; Executive Director Employee Engagement, Training and Development and President of Portage County NAACP. She continues to be a “Change Agent” and champion in identifying and enhancing recruitment and retention support to women, young parents and employees in the workplace.
Nelson has served on various institutional and community boards and committees across Northeast Ohio. She developed effective partnerships to address education, economic, and social disparity. She has partnered with various school districts, The Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Ohio, is a board member for United Way of Portage County, Education Chair for Ohio Conference of NAACP Chapters and is running for a seat as County Commissioner in Portage County.
EVENT HOST - ROBERTO CHAVEZ
Director, Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship Graduate Programs Office
Chavez serves as Director of the Kent State Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Graduate Programs Office. He holds MBA and Bachelor of Science in chemistry degrees from and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Kent State. As Director of the Graduate Programs Office, Chavez oversees all graduate level business programs from admission to graduation. Chavez previously worked in the College’s Undergraduate Programs Office for nearly 10 years.
AMALIA MUNTEANU
Vice President Creative Partnerships - Advertising Sales, NBC Universal
“The Balancing Act: Navigating the Changing Nature of Work, and Finding Success in a Hybrid Work Environment”
Munteanu is an integrated marketing and advertising executive with 20 years of media industry experience across digital and television. Her expertise is in building brands, driving revenue through partnerships, strategic communications, building high-performing teams, and establishing organizational systems, workflows, and structures that create collaboration across divisions. She’s an award-winning marketer who’s led integrated partnerships for shows such as This Is Us, Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Parks & Recreation and built campaigns for many brands including Google, T-Mobile, AMEX, State Farm, Microsoft, Lexus, Samsung and more. She graduated summa cum laude from Honors College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and an MBA. She resides in New York City with her husband Craig and son Jax.
EVENT HOST - VANEET KAUR, PH.D.
Assistant Professor, Management, Stark Campus
Vaneet Kaur, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Management at at Stark. Before joining Kent State, Kaur worked at University of Texas at Dallas, delivering instructions in the areas of organizations, strategy, and international management. She earned a Ph.D. in Management, MBA in International Business, and Bachelor of Commerce from University of Jammu, India. She is a President of India Gold Medal Awardee and one of the youngest Ph.D.’s of her region. She is the author of the book “Knowledge-Based Dynamic Capabilities.” She has authored research papers in top-tier journals and continues to share her expertise by serving on the editorial boards of academic journals.
ROSANNE POTTER
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, The Cleveland Foundation
“Advancing Diversity and Social Impact Through Endowment Management”
In her current role as SVP & CFO, Potter manages the finance function for the Cleveland Foundation and their $3 billion endowment. She co-leads the foundation’s new headquarters construction project, manages a $20 million budget and co-leads the social impact investing program. The Cleveland Foundation is the oldest community foundation in the United States.
Prior to joining the foundation in April 2016, Potter was responsible for managing $10 billion of global retirement assets for Eaton Corporation in Cleveland. She also held the position of treasurer for five major companies including the Lubrizol Corporation, RTI International Metals, Inc., and Dexter Corporation.
Potter was recently honored with a 2022 YWCA Woman of Achievement Award presented to a select group of northeast Ohio women who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments through career success. Potter serves on the boards of Walsh Jesuit High School and the Twinsburg City Schools Foundation. She is a former board member and founding chairperson for the Cleveland American Heart Association’s Circle of Red and the Vision and Steering Committee for Go Red Goes STEM Cleveland. Past board service includes the Northeast Ohio Make a Wish Foundation, Adoption Network Cleveland and In Counsel with Women.
EVENT HOST - SANDRA MORGAN
Director of External Affairs & Communications, College of Arts & Sciences
Sandra Morgan is Director of External Affairs and Communications for College of Arts and Sciences. She develops relationships and creates opportunities that support the strategic goals of the college and university and leads the communications team. Morgan is a native Clevelander. She is Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom in Ohio and a board member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the Ohio Consular Corps. She is the granddaughter of Garrett A. Morgan, a Cleveland inventor and entrepreneur noted for his inventions contributing to public safety.