Kim Neese, Terry Neese Personnel Services

Kim Neese is owner/president of Terry Neese Personnel Services.  Since joining the firm in 1998, revenue has increased by more than 75 percent.  The firm is a recipient of the 2006 and 2007 Oklahoma City Chamber Top Metro 50.

The company was established in 1975 by her mother, Terry Neese.  Kim oversees all company staff and operations.  She is actively in-tune to labor issues specific to the Oklahoma market, and works with local and national companies, as well as, government agencies.

Kim is a survivor of the Oklahoma City Murrah Bombing, as she was working in the Oklahoma Water Resources Board just north of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.  She was a team member of the initial planning for the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

She is on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma State Chamber, is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Women Impacting Public Policy, Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Staffing Association, Francis Tuttle Advisory Board, Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) Committee and the Oklahoma City Downtown Rotary Club,

Active with causes of March of Dimes, the Salvation Army, American Heart Association, various political campaigns, and served as Co-Chair of the Oklahoma City Sports Headliner Banquet for several years and is a volunteer for the Canadian Valley Football Club.

She is married to Buddy Belt and is the mother of two daughters, Emily and Erin who attend Yukon Public Schools.

Kim Neese is a native Oklahoman, with Cherokee ancestry.  She received a bachelor of arts in public administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.

MaryAnn Rodriguez, Rodriguez Law Firm PLLC

MaryAnn Rodriguez graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Criminology from the University of Texas Permian Basin.  She then obtained her Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University.

MaryAnn is now a criminal defense attorney in Oklahoma City.  She worked at the Public Defender’s office for two years as an Intern.

Then, she worked for another attorney for one year after passing the bar exam and before starting her own company—Rodriguez Law Firm PLLC.

Rodriguez Law Firm PLLC has been in business for two years and is still growing.  Ms. Rodriguez practices in the area of family law, criminal defense, and immigration law.

She is a strong supporter of Restorative Justice and education behind bars.

Mina Acquaye, Excell Home Care & Hospice

Mina Acquaye is the CEO of Excell Home Care & Hospice.  She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma School of Nursing in 1982 and the University of Oklahoma in 1988 with a Masters Degree in Public Health Administration.

She started off her career as a Registered Nurse, later became the Nursing Quality Assurance Coordinator and the Director of the cancer program all at Southwest Medical Center.

In 1996 she founded Excell Home Care and later added the Hospice component in 2002.  She currently has over ninety employees.

She is a Certified Home Care & Hospice Executive.  She is currently serving on the Oklahoma City Community College Foundation board, is a member of Women of the South a philantropic women’s organization and is also a member of Rotary International.

Nancy Hyde, Hyde & Company CPA’s, P.C.

Nancy Hyde is President of Hyde & Company CPA’s, P.C. an accounting firm located in Oklahoma City established in 2002.

Nancy has extensive experience with individual and small business tax clients covering a variety of industries for over thirty years. She frequently represents and assists clients with the Internal Revenue Service examinations and other issues. Nancy’s specialties include individual and business tax and compensation planning, retirement plan design and administration.

Nancy’s prior experience as a court appointed trustee for individual and business debtors in bankruptcy included responsibility for management, protection and liquidation of assets. These duties require direct coordination with business owners, creditors, lending institutions, court employees and bankruptcy judges.

Nancy’s active involvement with the Oklahoma Society of CPAs reflects her current membership as a member of the Small Firms Committee.  She previously served as the Oklahoma Society of CPAs President, past Chair of Nomination’s Committee and Committee on Taxation.  She has also served as Chair of the Internal Revenue Service Liaison Subcommittee.  Nancy was inducted to the Society’s Accounting Hall of Fame. She was honored for her innovative leadership of the Small Firms Committee with the OSCPA Presidents award in 2003.  Nancy was a finalist in the 2003 Journal Record Woman of the Year “50 Making a Difference”.  She is also a member and past president of the Oklahoma City Chapter of American Woman’s Society of CPAs and a current member of the Executive Women’s Forum.

Current activities with the American Institute of CPAs reflect Nancy’s active involvement as a past member of the Tax Executive Committee, the governing body for the AICPA Tax Division. She has also served as Past Chairman of the Tax Forms Committee and Member of Relations with IRS Committee, National Task Force on Restructuring the IRS, and Group of 100 Committee. Nancy received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma. Nancy is also a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Nancy is also a qualified expert witness in United States District Court for Western District of Oklahoma, District Court of Oklahoma County and District Court of Cleveland County, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Nancy has served the community as a member and Past President of Church of the Servant Foundation and Chaired the Finance Committee. She volunteers her time to speak to numerous business and non-profit organizations on income tax, business and management topics.  She has hosted international college students from Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. In August, 2009 Nancy participated as an instructor in the Peace Through Business Program at Northwood University, Dallas, Texas.  She also serves as a mentor to an Afghanistan Woman Business Owner.  She is involved as a co-chair of the Peace Through Business Oklahoma City, Peace Pal Program.  Nancy is committed to mentoring at the local, national and international levels.

Pam Guffey, Gold Star Graphics

Gold Star Graphics, a screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products family business was founded in 1987 by Pam Guffey and her husband, Stan Guffey. Gold Star creates custom t-shirts, bags, sweats, hats, as well as other products from ink pens to high-end golf accessories.

Gold Star began as a contract screen printing company and has grown substantially, acquiring a diverse customer base ranging from elementary schools, churches, and major universities, to global, corporate, and retail enterprises.

Customer satisfaction is the number one priority at Gold Star. She feels that purchasing apparel, accessories, and promotional items should be an enjoyable experience, free of pressure and free from stress. Her account representatives work closely with customers to help create the perfect product for their business. With 22 years of experience assisting customers with custom imprinted goods, Gold Star Graphics is a fundamental resource for business marketing needs.

In addition to her business acumen, Guffey is very active in her community and was recently elected to the Oklahoma State Board of PEO. A devoted member who is committed to the PEO sisterhood, Guffey is serving the organization as treasurer for the current year. She was appointed as chairperson for the Program for Continuing Education and Oklahoma Continuing Education, and was the representative on the 2009 State Convention Hostess Board, on which she served as treasurer. Additionally, she was the delegate to the International Convention in 2007. Guffey’s PEO heritage is long and rich, having had a grandmother and mother serve the same chapter, as well as numerous other family members.

As an active member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Guffey donates time and talent chairing the decorating committee. Pam and Stan are always willing to help with church functions in any way possible.

Married to Stan for 38 years, Guffey lives in Oklahoma City with her husband. They have two sons, Lance and Kyle. Lance works in the family business, while Kyle is an entrepreneur.

About Gold Star Graphics
Gold Star Graphics has greatly evolved from its beginnings as a contract screen printing company 22 years ago; to the company it is today. Still providing screen printing, Gold Star Graphics also provides embroidery and discharge custom imprinted services, as well as promotional products from insulated mugs, pens, and padfolios to belt buckles, tool sets, and golf gear.

Gold Star is located at 8812 S. Bryant, just south of I-240. Additional information about Gold Star is available at www.goldstarok.com.

Ronda Mikles, Mikles’ Marketing & Management, Inc.

Ronda Mikles is the president of Mikles’ Marketing & Management, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in customer relations seminars, staff development workshops, sales and motivational conferences as well as retreats.

Her workshops have taken her all across the United States from San Francisco to Philadelphia, Chicago to Denver, as well as Washington, D.C. and Kodiak, Alaska.

She is past president of the Oklahoma City chapter of American Women in Radio & Television, has served as a judge at the National Commendation Awards in Washington, D.C. for outstanding radio and television programming nationwide, has been named by Oklahoma Baptist University as a recipient of its prestigious Profile in Excellence award, and is a past president of OBU’s Alumni Board of Directors.

Ronda was the General Sales Manager of the Oklahoma News Network for over five years and was named one of the top two sales managers of the year for Clear Channel Communications.

Debra Murray, Blue Spring International, LLC

Debra Murray is the President and Managing Member of Blue Spring International, LLC. Ms. Murray has over 25 years of sales, consulting, and management experience in real estate, retail, and health and wellness. Ms. Murray’s primary focus in recent years has been in the restructuring of privately-owned companies after severe market impacts.

As an active member of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), Women’s Business Enterprises (WBE) Southwest, and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Ms. Murray works to further opportunities in the world of business for women. Because of her passion for empowering women, she has received numerous awards and public speaking invitations, both in the US and abroad.  Ms. Murray is also dedicated to educating consumers on natural health and wellness.

To further her goals, she has been or currently is a member in good standing of several prominent trade organizations in the health and wellness industry. Ms. Murray is determined to take Blue Spring to the forefront of natural health and wellness. Her passion and dedication shine in everything she does, both personally and professionally. She uses her vision and leadership to motivate her team to take Blue Spring to The Platinum Standard

Terry Neese, Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women

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. In 2008, Northwood University bestowed Terry with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

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.

Terry is also a pilot and a 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.

Sharron Jackson

Sharron is Director of the Business Development Center-North, at the Business and Industry Services Division for Metro Technology Centers.  She has been with Metro Tech for over nine years starting as a Consultant and Trainer before accepting the position of Training Coordinator then Director.  Her responsibilities have included working with companies on all of their training and employee development needs and now providing business coaching for start up and existing small businesses.  Sharron is the host and creator of “The Bis Coach” radio show on AM 1140, Perry Broadcasting Company. The show airs on once a week and is podcast on iTunes.

Sharron has a very diverse background in human resources, financial and budgeting management, fund raising, leadership and coaching management, along with sales and marketing.  She is also the owner of Complete Business Solutions, LLC.  The company provides business coaching, business plan writing, strategic planning and marketing / branding services.

She is a Certified Trainer and Facilitator, Executive Coach, and Certified Program Planner

Memberships and Associations: Active member of Oklahoma Consortium for Minority Business Development, Inc., Volunteer for YWCA battered women’s shelter.  Co Chair of the Economic Development committee for Operation Nehemiah, and Board Member for the Capitol Chamber of Commerce.