March NSME Dinner

"Success Doesn’t Come Easy" - Panel Discussion: Women in C-Suite

Panel:

Success Doesn’t Come Easy…Overcoming Challenges Can Be Even MORE Challenging!

NSME is excited to have three VERY successful female entrepreneurs in the same room presenting to participants. This panel discussion will engage the audience, cover several topics and provide some personal stories on each of their paths to working hard and succeeding! Included in this panel presentation will be the following along with an opportunity for participants to ask direct questions:

• What were some of the hardest challenges to overcome?
• Was being female a disadvantage at times and what adjustments did you make to overcome the challenges?
• It has been said that at times being female can give you an advantage perspective…is that really true?
• What was the one or two best decisions and/or worse decisions each panelist made in their individual careers?
• Success tips for participants!

 BIOS:

Theresa Carter is the President of OMNOVA Solutions Foundation, a $27 million endowment supporting local communities throughout OMNOVA’s footprint worldwide. Her passion for bringing communities together and creating tomorrow’s leaders is reflected in her role in the Foundation, which in 2017 provided nearly $1.5 million in support to educational initiatives, civic investments, health and human services, and the arts.

Theresa’s purpose-driven mission is to inspire volunteerism and empower others to give back to the community. She is active in her church and serves on a number of non-profit community boards, advisory councils, and committees including the Greater Akron Chamber; The NAACP Akron Chapter; the Akron Urban League; and Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center. Her committee involvement includes Summit County Children Services; The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve; The United Way of Summit County; Project Grad Akron, and the Warrensville Heights School District task force.

She has been honored with many awards and recognitions including most recently the OMNOVA Solutions Chairman’s Award (the Company’s highest honor) and the 2016 Lieberth Community Vision Award through Leadership Akron.

A native of Demopolis, Alabama, Theresa graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications from the University of Alabama. She’s the proud mom of two daughters, Erin and Cesily.

Julie Brandle:

Julie Brandle is the President and a Founder of Metis Construction
Services, a female-owned commercial general contractor located in
Kent, Ohio. Metis performs renovations, ground-up construction and facilities maintenance
throughout Northeast Ohio with a particular focus in office, restaurant, retail and camp
segments. Metis employs 57 team members, including two registered architects who provide
clients with in-house design/build capabilities. Metis has been featured by Crain’s Cleveland
Business in 2019 as #28 in women-owned companies and #18 in construction companies and is
a recipient of the 2013 Cascade Capital Growth Award, 2014 Medical Mutual Pillar of
Community Service Award, 2014 GACC SBC Emerging Business Award, 2017 City of Kent Tree
City Award, 2018 AFPNEO Small Business Leadership Award, 2018 Black Pages/Summit
Magazine Business Advocacy Award and 2019 Kent Chamber of Commerce IMMY Award. Metis
is certified through NWBOC as a female-owned and operated business.
With over 25 years’ experience in sales, marketing, and public relations, Julie oversees these
areas of expertise for Metis along with being an integral part of the management team that
designs and manages the overall business strategy for Metis Construction Services.
Julie volunteers with Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity and the Girl Scouts of
Northeast Ohio, where she is a recipient of the Women of Distinction Award and the Thanks
Badge for exemplary volunteer service to Girl Scouts. She serves as President of the Board of
both Portage Development Board for Economic Development and Immediate Past President of
CREW Greater Akron-Commercial Real Estate Women. Other current board service includes the
Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Akron Urban League, Akron Civic Theatre, and Rotary
Club of Akron where she is Immediate Past President. Julie is a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10k
Small Businesses, Leadership Portage County Class of 2015, and Scalerator NEO 2019.
Julie is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a double major in Interpersonal and
Public Communication and Soviet Studies. She resides with her husband Steven, a BGSU
College of Business graduate, in Brimfield Township. Their daughter, Kimberly, is a Junior at
Bowling Green State University as an Intervention Specialist Education major.

Danielle Kimmell – Principle BMF CPA

With nearly 20 years of public accounting experience, Danielle focuses on serving large, middle-market, privately held companies in a variety of industries including manufacturing and distribution.

She also has significant experience in the area of employee benefit plans, as well as consulting on issues arising in middle-market business settings, including audit, compliance and tax issues.

Professional and Civic Memberships and Activities

Awards and Accolades