DR. TERRY NEESE is founder and CEO of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW). She leads the organization to accomplish its mission via two programs, both domestic and international training for women business owners in the area of public policy and entrepreneurial education.Peace Through Business – educates and empowers women entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their dream of financial independence and community involvement as a woman owned business. Since its creation in 2007, the program has trained over 150 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda.Empowering Women – a book and training program authored by Dr. Neese that encourages women business owners to affect change through involvement in public policy. Training sessions have been held in more than 15 states.
Founder of Terry Neese Personnel Services, and an inductee into the National and Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fames, Terry is a past national president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the largest women’s association of its kind. Terry’s involvement with women business owners and family issues is well documented through her participation in the following:
- Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP); Co-Founder and Past President – WIPP joins together a membership across the nation totaling over half-million women entrepreneurs and executives and serves as a voice for women in business at the United States Capitol.
- National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA); Distinguished Fellow – Terry led the organization’s Family Policy Center, where she developed policy ideas that helped women, families, and small businesses keep more of their earned money, and make better financial and health choices. In addition, Terry conducted bipartisan briefings on family issues with congressional leaders and their staffs and has regularly testified before the U.S. House and Senate.
A successful businesswoman, Terry made history in 1990 when she became the first woman nominated by a major political party for the seat of Lt. Governor of Oklahoma. She was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “Power 30” – the most influential small businesspersons in Washington, D.C. She was named an Outstanding Business Leader by Northwood University Board of Trustees in 2006 and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the university in 2008.
Terry is recognized as a national expert on economic issues that affect women and families. Her articles have been published in the Chicago Sun-Times, Entrepreneurial Women Magazine, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Journal Record, the Oklahoman, Washington Examiner, and the Washington Times. Terry is a recurring guest on Fox News, CNN, CNBC, SBTV, as well as on local TV and radio stations.
Terry has been appointed to numerous councils and positions with nominations by prominent leaders, such as Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, including:
- U.S.-Afghanistan Women’s Council, through which she traveled to Afghanistan in 2007
- National Advisory Council on Indian Education
- Les Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM) Regional Commissioner for the Americas
- National Women’s Business Council (a bipartisan federal government council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President and Congress)
- Director of the United States Mint
- Advisory Council for the United States Committee for United Nations Development Fund for Women
Terry is also a pilot and a former member of the Ninety-Nines. She is married to Earl N. Neese. Their daughter, Kim Neese, is CEO of Terry Neese Personnel Services and is the proud mom of Emily and Erin. They all reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Contact Terry Neese at tneese@ieew.org
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LIN STUART is the Director of Development for the Institute. Raised in Oklahoma, Lin comes to the Institute with an experienced entrepreneurial spirit and strategic planning background.Owning and operating seven ServiceMaster franchises for 11 years in the Oklahoma City area, she hit the ground running, going from an initial 2 employees to over 75 employees. During the first year, she received the Gold Eagle Rookie of the Year award for the highest volume.
The business collected every award ServiceMaster offered on a state, regional, and national basis. Due to her success in all milestones of quality, service, and leadership, ServiceMaster bestowed the responsibility and honor of Oklahoma Master Franchise for 2 years before she sold the business.
Lin became involved in the Oklahoma Wing Civil Air Patrol as a community service volunteer, providing for youth leadership and mentorship. She soon found herself working at the state level in administrative and finance areas as State Finance Officer, where she managed the Wing’s assets and implemented procedures that are still being used today. Learning to manage and motivate volunteers is a skill she perfected during her time at Civil Air Patrol bringing her the Meritorius Service Award and the Commander’s Accommodation for her continuing service with the youth programs. Women business owners hold a special place in Lin’s heart. She worked her way to the Executive Director position of an SBA Women’s Business Center in Oklahoma City where mentorship, business education, networking, and financial opportunity for women entrepreneurs were nurtured and cultivated.
As Director of Development, Lin has the vision, drive, and focus to bring to life the mission of international women business programs to the forefront of public policy. “I feel as if all of my life experiences have been designed to prepare me for this opportunity to serve women. I am honored to work with such intelligent women as they strive diligently to contribute to their families, their communities, and their countries.”
Lin is a very proud parent of three grown boys who are a constant source of love and inspiration. In her spare time, she enjoys a wide variety of activities including running, gardening, cooking, and home improvements. With her parents as a sounding board and Terry Neese her mentor, Lin brings a sense of organization with a “nothing is impossible” attitude to a fast paced industry of constant change.
Contact Lin at lweigel@ieew.org
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LINDA MARES serves as Director of Media Relations, where she oversees all aspects of the Institute’s press interactions, social media campaigns, media, marketing and informational materials – all in the overall goal and effort to raise local, national and international awareness about the Institute both on and offline.
Linda joined the Institute in January 2011, but is no stranger to the media business. She has reported for several television news stations and hosted educational videos for a national distribution company.
Linda landed her first journalism job in Abilene, Texas, as the morning anchor/reporter. While there she received a Champion for Children media award for her work with the state’s Child Protective Services department. Linda also worked as a reporter for KWCH-TV in Wichita, Kansas, where she also covered extensive stories on the state’s child welfare investigations. In Oklahoma City, Linda storm chased more times than she likes to remember and was even caught in a tornado, which she captured on her Blackberry drawing national attention!
Linda holds a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television from the Dan Rather School of Communications at Sam Houston State, as well as a minor in business marketing.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Linda says she’s always had an interest in current events and has dreamed of being a journalist ever since her 8th grade journalism class put two school desks together, created an anchor set, and produced a weekly school newscast.
“As a journalist I was taught to hold the powerful accountable and give a voice to the voiceless,” she says. “My goal is to continue practicing those principles in a different capacity. I am still contributing to society by helping women who live in war-torn countries.”
Linda admits to being a “news junkie” and spends several hours reading and watching news from around the world. She has volunteered with several groups including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Association, St. Eugene’s Youth Group, OKC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Child Protective Services Community Partners.
Contact Linda at lmares@ieew.org
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Manizha Wafeq is the In-Country Facilitator in Afghanistan.
Manizha received her education in Business Administration at Kardan Institute of Business Administration in Kabul. She has experience in project management, administrative and financial affairs and is a proficient translator of English, Dari and Pashto.
Manizha has held positions at several international companies, including financial and administrative assistant for the International Foreign Aid Agency in Kabul and program and monitoring officer for the German governmental aid agency, GIZ-GM Women Employment Project. She was promoted to GIZ-GM’s Gender Unit under the Ministries of Commerce, Industries, and Economy for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan where she co-authored a gender mainstreaming training manual. Manizha also was involved in the establishment of the Afghan Women’s Social Islamic Foundation (AWASIF), which aids Islamic female religious scholars in defending women’s rights.
Her commitment to empower women and particularly, to improve the status of Afghan women has led her to writing and finalizing a training manual for start-up businesses and training more than five hundred government officials in gender mainstreaming concepts in order to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality within the public sector.
Manizha is a 2007 graduate of the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program. In 2009 she was hired by IEEW to be Afghanistan’s in-country facilitator, training and coordinating the program’s Afghan students. Manizha now teaches curriculum jointly developed by IEEW and Northwood University, assists in the selection of students, grades coursework, and accompanies the selected students to the US for Leadership Development training.
Kimberlie Yoder is the Media and Marketing Associate for the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women. Kimberlie joined the IEEW media and marketing team in May of 2011. Kimberlie brings 17 years’ experience in event planning, as a project coordinator, in marketing and media relations, and in office and fiscal management from her work in the for-profit sector that brings a well-rounded vantage to the position and to the organization.
Kimberlie’s foremost priority is to affect transformation in her community through her own positive actions: by career choice, by leadership example, and by unwavering advocacy for those who need empowerment. Her passion is serving people and finding ways to meet the needs of the community. She spends her weekends and downtime with her husband of fifteen years and two children performing various community service projects.
Kimberlie is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Leadership and Ethics at Mid-America Christian University where she is due to graduate in the fall of 2013.
