SHE IS A CEO Entrepreneurship Academy, Conference & “Fish Tank” Pitch Competition
“Fish Tank” Pitch Competition
One Wish Community Service
SHE IS A CEO (for the) DAY
SHE IS A CEO With Culture
STEM Sells!
SHE IS A CEO Entrepreneurship Academy, Conference & “Fish Tank” Pitch Competition
“Fish Tank” Pitch Competition
One Wish Community Service
SHE IS A CEO (for the) DAY
SHE IS A CEO With Culture
STEM Sells!
Mrs. Mair is an active member of The Links, Incorporated and currently lives in Houston, TX with her husband, Dorian Watford-Mair.
Julia is a graduate from the University of Houston-Downtown with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management. She is a born and raised Houstonian, married with two beautiful kids. She enjoys helping her community and meeting new people. Julia strives to give the best service to all her clients and is excited to service all your insurance needs.
Her career in the insurance industry began with Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2016, and she possesses more than 10 years of experience in customer service and fostering meaningful client relationships.
Nikki has experience in professional development, management consultation, strategic implementation, project management, & team building. Her client relationships have earned her 5-star raving reviews. Nikki is a hard worker dedicated to clients. She is known to go the extra mile with the best attitude. Nikki grew up in The Woodlands where she continues to reside with her family. On weekends, Nikki enjoys spending time with her husband, five children, and two German shepherds. Outside work, Nikki keeps busy with her children’s school and sports activities. A believer of God and family, she keeps close contact with her mom and sister.
The foundation partners with schools to promote and encourage girls to create small businesses. Each girl must complete a rigorous entrepreneurship and character education curriculum that is designed to assist them in building the character of a CEO and creating their first business plan. Upon completion, 50 girls are selected to participate in a full day conference packed with breakout sessions, motivational speakers, and activities to help them strengthen their business plan & pitch.
If your school is currently hosting an entrepreneurship academy, and you are in 6th, 7th or 8th grade you can access the APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE here!
Girls are partnered with CEO mentors to assist them in perfecting their business pitch. Successful CEO judges (“Big Fish”) will either fund their idea or encourage them by other means. Girls who complete the program satisfactorily will receive funds to start their first small business (i.e. custom greeting cards, babysitting, friendship bracelets, lawn or chore service etc.). Funding will initially range from $100-$1,000 and are provided from the generous donations of our “Big Fish” Sponsors. The “Fish Tank” program, will create a fun and challenging environment for girls to share innovative ideas, interact with/receive guidance from successful female CEOs, and develop a love for business ownership.
The One Wish program, was developed to reward little girls who are often overlooked due to overwhelming responsibilities. We are partnering with schools, social and faith-based organizations, as well as community outreach programs to nominate girls who excel in-spite of underprivileged circumstances and weighted responsibilities in their household. The One Wish program will grant wishes to deserving little girls for amazing day trips and experiences, back-to-school shopping sprees, and a day of pampering and/or similar requests.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, our little CEOs have elected to find deserving girls and their families who have been detrimentally impacted. Girls helping others is what we’re all about. They are excited to be a blessing to others.
For one day, our girls will be partnered with a successful CEO. She will be prepped for the day with pre-makeover, business attire and given her formal agenda for the day. She will attend board meetings, have lunch, and have an “All-Access Pass” to a successful CEO for the day – a priceless experience for our little CEOs in-training.
Girls will participate in math, science or technology camps or activities that promote STEM related business fields. The foundation will partner with existing STEM organizations to expose girls to exciting STEM experiences. Funds will be raised to send girls to various experiences at no cost to them. In prior years we have selected 30-50 girls from NASA’s Girls Stem Academy to participate in this program.
Fern Carty Dawkins is the owner of JM Carty Holdings, LLC, a franchise management company in Houston, TX. JM Carty Holdings currently owns and operates two Smoothie King stores, with two more of the same in development for early 2018. Fern earned her Bachelor’s degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, AR. Prior to forming her company, Mrs. Dawkins practiced law in-house for Walmart Stores, Inc. as a healthcare transactional attorney supporting the company’s pharmacy and vision center businesses. Fern is an active member of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the Houston Lawyers Association, the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce, the Pearland Chamber of Commerce, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
In addition to its business endeavors, JM Carty Holdings, is a dedicated community partner, placing emphasis on giving back to the communities in which it’s stores operate.
Lyndsey Brantley, a Texas native, received her degree from Lamar University in 2008 in Civil and Structural engineering. She currently works full time for Fluor Corporation in the strategic sourcing department as a Principal Sourcing Strategist where she handles over 5.5 Billion dollars in Material Management Scope. In addition to her engineering degree she is also a certified Medical Aesthetics Practitioner.
After many years of practicing skincare and research she launched the Camellia Alise brand in 2016 and has gone on to be featured in Ebony Magazine, Houston Style Magazine and was the winner of the City of Houston Lift Off Business Pitch Competition where she won over $10,000 to market her skincare line. The brand had over 800 product placements in the Super Bowl and has been quickly gaining popularity in the skincare realm. Her products can now be found on Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
Lyndsey is also a loving, wife and mother to her 4 year old son Daniel and has a true passion for helping those around her to succeed.
Dr. Ashandra Batiste is the owner of Elite Dental Wellness, a cosmetic dental office in the Galleria area. As a native Houstonian, she graduated from Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas and loves her hometown. Dr. Batiste then moved on to graduate from The University of Texas at Austin where she received a BS in Child Development and Family Sciences. Dr. Batiste decided to leave her home state of Texas and obtain her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington D.C. Dr. Batiste has also had the life changing opportunity to be a cast member of Married to Medicine Houston that aired on Bravo in 2016.
Urica Chevis is a Pharma professional of almost 20 years and is the CEO of In-Demand Concierge, a concierge and personal service company. Urica is a proud graduate of the University of Houston and member of Alpha Kappa Sorority Inc. She serves as the Board Secretary of the SHE IS A CEO Foundation. Her hope in working with young girls is that she will be an inspiration showing them that corporate ambition can be a stepping stone to entrepreneurial success. And, that no matter what path they take, they will have the support of other CEO women to propel them.
Yassmin Ibrahim was born and raised in Ethiopia until she was 12 years old. As a refugee, her family sought safety and stability in the US where she has made Houston, TX her home.
Yassmin is the co-owner of Flash Refund Tax Services, a full service tax preparation company with multiple locations, and CEO of Yazhair, a beauty and hair extension company. Yassmin is not only an Entrepreneur, she is also a Philanthropist, Eternal Optimist, and most importantly she is the proud mother of her beloved six year old son.
She believes the key to her success is her connection to her community and her hands-on involvement as a volunteer and activist. She is proud to serve in leadership roles that allow her to inspire girls from all ages and all walks of life. Her dynamic vision, intensity of purpose, and total commitment to improving the lives of others, distinguishes her as a role model and girl champion.
Yassmin is an excellent example of the power that exists in each of us and how a single person can make a resounding impact on the world when committed to a cause.
Johnte’ Archer, JD is the CEO/Founder of the She Is A CEO Foundation. She is also the CEO of J. Archer Insurance Group/Archer Commercial Insurance Group, a multi-national independent insurance brokerage that provides both personal and commercial insurance solutions. Her company is a sought after diversity solutions broker-partner to some of the world’s largest insurance brokers, most notably Arthur J. Gallagher who selected her firm as only 1 of 23 Gallagher Connect partners in the country.
Johnte’ is a proud graduate of the University of Houston and Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, CA. With all of her business success, Johnte’s work with the She Is A CEO Foundation is what she is most proud of. Johnte’ started the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization looking for a way to give back to the girls that reminded her most of herself. Girls who defy odds by excelling in spite of undue hardship or adversity.
“The greatest gift I can give to any girl is the spirit of entrepreneurship, from the passion to the freedom it provides and everything between; I want bottle it up and hand it out to every girl I meet.”
Supporting her community, girls and other women in business is Johnte’s passion. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and has a distinguished background as a Legislative Aide for the US House of Representatives and law clerk with the Children’s Law Center in Los Angeles, CA. Named as one of the Top 30 Influential Women in Houston, Johnte’ actively supports charities that give to those with the least and enrich the lives of others including the Bread of Life, Inc., Temenos CDC/II & III (board member), Heroes for Children, Yellowstone Academy, and The Houston Furniture Bank to name a few.
Johnte’ is married to Ike Adotama and stays grounded by the daily adventures of their 3 year old son John Christopher.