Karel brings to her position an extensive and wide-ranging educational background, including a bachelor’s degree in business-finance, another degree in creative studies, a certified meeting professional certification, career development through business organizations and even a 200-hour yoga training certificate. Prior to joining IEEW, she spent 20 years with an Oklahoma-based meeting and incentive travel company, serving as an independent planner who helped corporations and associations conceptualize and organize major programs and events. Much of Karel’s time involved working with suppliers from around the world, and many of those people were from emerging countries. She had the opportunity to watch several of the latter individuals grow their businesses over the years.

Coming from a long line of empowered women, both of Karel’s maternal great-grandmothers ran away from their husbands and started their own businesses to make ends meet. Her grandmother ran her own business until she married at age 26, and her mother, a valedictorian, went to college at age 49, the year of the Oklahoma oil bust. Her mother, who is now 71, is still working and volunteering.

Karel and her husband are members of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Myriad Gardens, and enjoy going to the movies and stage productions.  Her leisure pursuits include teaching three yoga classes per week;  cycling, kayaking, boating and fishing with friends; reading books; traveling; and trading healthy, superfood inventions with a few close friends.

Sherrie has spent the last two years away from the traditional workforce to pursue her passion of being an artist working in oils and traveling through Europe. She was not planning to go back to full-time work, but found IEEW’s mission very intriguing. Additionally, as fate would have it, in 1976, while attending Southwestern Christian University, she found her first job through Terry Neese Personnel.  Sherrie found that position, which was at Traveler’s Motor Club, to be a great introduction to the world of business and great training, and was eager to work with Dr. Neese once again to support the economic empowerment of women at IEEW.

After her son was born, Sherrie became the administrative assistant to the chairman of the board of Scrivner, Inc., an Oklahoma-based food wholesale and distribution center that generated $6.6 billion in sales. In 1994, when Scrivner was sold to Fleming Foods, she went to work as the administrative assistant to the vice president of sales and marketing for CIRCOR, Inc., an energy-based business that manufactures valves for the oil and gas industry. Sherrie began taking classes in oil on canvas at the Fire House Arts Center in Norman, Okla., in 1999, which led to her temporarily leaving the corporate world until joining IEEW.

An avid reader, Sherrie belongs to two book clubs. She likes to travel the United States and Europe with her sisters and friends, and makes frequent trips to visit her son and his family near St. Louis. Sherrie enjoys yoga and kayaking, as well as socializing with her many wonderful friends.

IEEW welcomes these women and looks forward to their contributions in helping the organization prosper and fulfill its mission of encouraging the empowerment of women economically, socially,  and politically in order to bring democracy and peace through business models to civil societies.

As a fitness advocate and aerobic dance pioneer for more than 40 years, Ms. Missett continues to break new ground through innovative class formats, exciting customer/instructor conventions, and broad-reaching community service programs. In addition to leading her international franchise business, she oversees more than 7,800 instructors and employs 260 support personnel from Jazzercise, Inc.’s Carlsbad, Calif. headquarters.

Ms. Missett continues to choreograph new routines every 10 weeks for franchised instructors, teach Jazzercise classes weekly, stars in Jazzercise home workout DVDs and “Jazz Cardio Strength Stretch,” a half-hour

work-out program designed specifically for local public access cable stations. She spearheads activities to give back to the community, travels extensively as a guest presenter for fitness events and philanthropic causes, and conducts media interviews and appearances. Her passion for bringing the joy of fitness to thousands of individuals has led to great success and numerous honors, among them in 2012 a No. 13 placement on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500, top spot on the San Diego Business Journal’s “Top 50 Women Owned Businesses in San Diego List” and a Lifetime Achievement Award from San Diego Business Journal.

A native of Iowa, she attended Northwestern University, earning her bachelor’s degree in theater and radio/television in 1966. She worked as a professional dancer throughout college and after graduation. While teaching traditional jazz dance classes in Chicago, Judi turned her students away from the mirror and created a special “just for fun” class which marked the beginning of Jazzercise. In 1972, she and her family moved to Southern California. Five years later, she began training new instructors, which led to the rapid spread of Jazzercise around the globe.

Over the years, Jazzercise has acted upon Ms. Missett’s philosophy of giving back to the community. She and her legion of instructors have raised more than $27 million for a wide range of charities by leading special large-scale workout classes, performances at major sporting events, and local benefits. Jazzercise created “Kids Get Fit,” a free workout program designed to help school districts promote fitness as a way of life to children. A passionate supporter of the arts, she developed an in-house art gallery and innovative art lease program at the Jazzercise corporate office, and she hosts art receptions to help budding artists get exposure. In addition, Jazzercise worked with the International House of Blues Foundation to sponsor a series of art workshops for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and disabled adults.

Maj. General Aragon retired as a U.S. Air National Guard two-star general in 2006 before assuming her present role to support Oklahoma’s military and veterans, including serving as liaison to the governor for all the state’s military and veterans’ issues, and participating and facilitating the Oklahoma Military Strategic Planning Group that helps ensure the stability and growth of the communities and facilities of the state’s five military installations. Among other honors, Maj. Gen. Aragon was the first female commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, the first female to command a state’s Air National Guard and the first female of Native American Ancestry to become a general officer.

She is a member of the boards of Integris Health Edmond, Pros for Vets, Folds of Honor Foundation, Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma, Women and Genders Studies for University of Oklahoma, and Star Base. Maj. Gen. Aragon acts as senior military advisory for the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, and has served on the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts, Juliette Lowe Leadership Society. Her community involvement includes participation in YWCA Purple Sash, Edmond Fine Arts, Go Red for Women for American Heart Association, the White House Commission on Military Leadership Diversity and the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Military Task Force.

The General’s awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with two devices, Air Force Commendation, Army Commendation, Global War on Terrorism, Humanitarian Service Medal and others. Maj. Gen. Aragon has been recognized as Oklahoma’s Woman of the Year by Journal Record, Oklahoma Woman Veteran of the Year, Leadership Fellow Oklahoma Christian University, Leadership Resident University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond Hall of Fame, Valley Forge Freedom Award and Diversity Journal’s 100 Women in America to Watch.

Born and raised in rural Oklahoma, Maj. Gen. Aragon had no indoor plumbing until she was 12 and no telephone at home until she left for college. She worked her way through college and became an elementary teacher. When Maj. Gen. Aragon became a single mother of two daughters (ages 1 and 2 ½), she joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard to better support her family financially. She believes it was one of her best decisions, as she gained strength from professional, physical and personal development and education that the U.S. Air Force offered, as well as found support in the men and women who serve our nation and in turn grew in ability and independence. Maj. Gen. Aragon considers herself blessed to engage in the lives of so many Americans and to touch the face of humanity around the world.

To attend 7^th annual PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® International Women’s Economic Summit and hear Judi and Maj. Gen. Aragon speak in person, register at the SHEconomics registration page.

Dear Friends:

The old song from the musical Carousel claimed that “June is busting out all over,” but I have so much activity to tell you about now that May is definitely giving next month a run for the money! First, I am proud to tell you that IEEW is now partnering with Network for Good, a distinctive donation program that will provide many convenient new options for our associates, sponsors, partners, and friends to use.

Network for Good will take contributing to IEEW to the next level, allowing you to initiate and renew your relationship with us by ordering tickets for events, sending  thank you gifts, and determining what level of support you want to provide for our programs. Its many features include the ability to make recurring donations, mobile giving, and social sharing. You can contribute anonymously or have it acknowledged in honor of someone else. Network for Good system will also allow us to offer an instant receipt for your donation. The system processes donations from all major credits in a secure setting for your transactions, and an email signup makes it easy to receive updates and our newsletter!  You can already see the work Network for Good is doing for us in our event registration for July’s Summit and in the coming weeks we will roll out a completely redesigned donation page.

Second, summertime means Summit time for us at IEEW, and like the season’s longer daylight hours, this enjoyable event will appear quicker than you might think. Registration for the 7^th annual PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® International Women’s Economic Summit and Graduation in Dallas is already  open, and although Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30 may seem far away right now, I would encourage you reserve your spot now. This is always a popular event, and we have two additional guests  that will be big attractions for attendees. I am pleased to announce that our distinguished keynote speakers for The Summit will be Judi Sheppard Missett, the founder and CEO of Jazzercise, and Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, Oklahoma’s first female Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

As a fitness advocate and aerobic dance pioneer for more than 40 years, Ms.Missett continues to break new ground through innovative class formats, exciting customer/instructor conventions, and broad-reaching community service programs. In addition to leading her international franchise business, Ms. Missett oversees more than 7,800 instructors and employs 260 support personnel from Jazzercise, Inc.’s Carlsbad, Calif. headquarters. Maj. Gen. Aragon retired as a U.S. Air National Guard two-star general in 2006 before assuming her present role to support Oklahoma’s military and veterans, including serving as liaison to the governor for all the state’s military and veterans’ issues, and participating and facilitating the Oklahoma Military Strategic Planning Group that helps insure the stability and growth of the communities and facilities of the state’s five military installations.

Ms. Missett will speak at the summit’s 9 a.m. session on July 29, while Maj. Gen. Aragon’s address will be at the luncheon . More information on the history of these trailblazing women can be found in this newsletter, and I encourage you to read their inspiring stories. To register for the summit, visit the SHEconomics registration page.

Third, we are excited that both Ernst & Young and Southwest Airlines have joined us as sponsors. Read more about these organization’s involvement with us in this month’s newsletter.

Finally, I want to welcome to IEEW headquarters two new employees, Karel Ford and Sherrie Phillips. You will find their full bios in a separate article in this newsletter.

Whew! We have a lot going on, but that’s what happens when you are with IEEW – you take responsibility for the world. We plan to make it a productive May, and we hope you will join us, too.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Terry Neese

For those of us who appreciate how IEEW cultivates the empowerment of women overseas, Plaid for Women extends that same opportunity for growth by offering knowledge and skills we can use in our everyday lives here in the United States. With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that as co-founder and president of Plaid for Women, our organization is honored that we are promoting increased cross-communication efforts with IEEW this year.

This agreement has already produced several beneficial results for both organizations. IEEW CEO Terry Neese will submit an article for readers of our May newsletter that ties into the themes that bond Plaid for Women and her organization. Plaid for Women has become a media sponsor for IEEW. In the future, we will be sharing information on our websites and social media outlets to let members of both organizations know about our activities, and we look forward to strengthening our ties.

As the leader of Plaid for Women, I can testify to how this program meets the needs and desires of 21^st century women. Content appears digitally via our official website (www.PlaidforWomen.com), radio show with podcasts available for listening 24/7, videos and live events, helping us to be as accessible as possible and reach a wide audience. The information presented includes articles for women by women on career management, business, finance, relationships, travel, home life, health and fitness, and other topics. We distribute weekly newsletters updating our subscribers on the latest news and features we are offering.

The philosophy behind Plain for Women is that by merging our talents, experience, and respective bodies of work and visions, we will make substantial progress for all women to move forward collectively. We call our movement Plaid for Women because women’s lives are complex, multi-layered, multi-dimensional, multi-colored, multi-faceted, multi-tasking, and regularly irregular – much like a plaid pattern woven of yarns of different colors, textures, material, lengths, widths, and thicknesses. While no size fits all women, all women fit.

I encourage you to visit our website for more information, including our stories of success and inspiration, to learn how we as women can help each other grow into the powerful beings that we know we can be. You can read, listen and watch a multitude of provocative pieces designed to educate and motivate you to improve all facets of your life, whether you are a grandmother, business woman, stay-at-home mom, single millennial or whatever designation you have for yourself.

At Plaid for Women, our slogan is that “We are about the business of life.” We believe your life can be enriched immensely by taking part in the great resources we have to offer you, and we hope you will investigate what we have to offer and agree with us.

Thanks again for IEEW for partnering with us – we cannot wait to see what else develops between our organizations!

Amb. Arellano with student Zahra Ahmadi

We are excited to announce that our PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® Program participants in Rwanda and Afghanistan have graduated from the in-country portion of the program in their respective countries. Each country had 30 participants who participated in our eight-week training course. Students from Rwanda graduated on March 26, and students from Afghanistan graduated on March 30. More than 200 guests attended the in-country graduation ceremonies, including the Rwandan Minister of Gender in the Rwanda ceremony, and Ambassador Arellano, the Afghan Investment Support Agency’s president, as well as Parliament Member Shinkai Karokhel in the Afghanistan ceremony.

We would like to thank Marion Marshall and Darcie Harris, two women who have been great supporters of our program for many years, for taking time out of their schedules and traveling to Rwanda to participate in the country’s graduation ceremony. We greatly appreciate their support and dedication to the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® Program. They met with government officials, visited businesses, taught leadership classes and did so much more. Thank you both for being global leaders.

Rwandan Graduates

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we move forward to the next step of the program and welcome the top 10 graduates from each country to begin the mentorship portion of the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® Program. This part of the program involves a weeklong “Business Boot Camp” at Northwood University in Cedar Hill, Texas, featuring high-level discussions with experts on specific business, leadership and public policy topics. We are pleased to announce that in addition to our traditional track of classes, AT&T has graciously offered to host an afternoon of technology classes in its downtown Dallas headquarters. We cannot think of a better place for our students to get firsthand knowledge on the newest business technologies. Thank you, AT&T, for a great opportunity. Our students will also have the opportunity to live and work with an American mentor to gain hands-on business experience before graduating from the second portion of the program on Tuesday, July 30.

This year’s participants in the mentorship program and their respective names of their businesses are:

Afghanistan:

• Zahra Ahmadi, Setayesh Handicrafts
• Najiba Alavi, National Park Guest House
• Sadaf Hafeez Ullah, Sadaf Travel Agency
• Sajia Hossain, East Meridian Construction & Engineering Co.
• Hasina Ibrahimkhil, Ladies Construction Co.
• Massoma Jafari, Future Hope Kindergarten
• Zuhal Latif, Arts Association Center
• Fatima Mazari, Refah Technology Co.
• Shilla Qiyam, Social & Cultural Self Sufficient Association
• Shayesta Yousofi, Blue Diamond

Rwanda:

•  Linda Akeza, GL Cleaning Co., Ltd.
• Winnie Atukunda, Shades Corner
• Jessie Gakwandi Benimana, Sail Ltd.
• Emily Butare Mutoni, Adonai Ltd.
• Clarisse Iribagiza, HeHe Limited
• Anne-Marie Kantengwa, Hotel Chez Lando
• Anna Mazimhaka, Illume Creative Studio
• Georgette Mukeshimana, Western Cruise Agency
• Emelienne Nyiramana, Cocoki Cooperative
• Grace Umulisa, Sabana Safaris

We look forward to having these talented women join us here in the United States for the Boot Camp and mentorship portion of the program. Thank you to all of our wonderful mentors and hosts who have offered up their homes and expertise to help our participants develop their leadership and entrepreneurial skills as well as further develop their individual businesses to reach new levels of success. We hope to see all of you at the International Women’s Economic Summit and graduation on July 29-30 in Dallas!