It has been a true honor to serve on the WIN Board with this wonderful group of women! I am truly saddened that some of our board members are stepping down, but I know they will continue to touch the lives of others they meet as they further their careers and personal growth!
I wanted to honor their great accomplishments while on the board and also let our WIN members know what these incredible ladies will be doing!
Kari Carpenter joined the WIN Board in 2010 and always brought her wonderful laugh and smile to every meeting! Kari was instrumental to the success of Holiday Extravaganza and helped us raise the most money ever from Holiday Extravaganza. The monies raised help us support our Outreach for Women program.
Although Kari will be stepping down from the board, she will remain a regular attendee of WIN. Kari has served on several boards & leadership committees over the past 3 years, and is taking a short hiatus from leadership. She is looking forward to spending 2011 focused on not only Handyman Matters, but starting her own home-based business. Kari assists candidates by writing professional resumes that get the attention of hiring managers. She is looking forward to seeing all of you on a regular basis next year.
Lori Pratt always brought us the most interesting real life experiences! We always said "If something could go wrong, it was happening to Lori," but she never stopped smiling nor complained about anything we asked of her as a board member! Lori served as the co-chair for our Outreach for Women and we had a wonderful and successful year with our partnership with Single Parent Scholarship of Benton County. We were able to provide 5 $1,000 scholarships to single parents furthering their education in 2010!
Lori will continue her AdvoCare business as she is passionate about helping people be as healthy as they can be. She also owns Pratt Network Systems, an Information Technology Consulting Firm based in Rogers. She loves helping small and medium businesses in the northwest Arkansas area to meet their technology needs while working with a budget! She will begin working on her masters thesis in January, with hopes of completing her masters degree in Computer Engineering next year. To top it off, Lori is expecting her second child, Bayleigh Alexis Pratt on February 23, 2011. So, she will learning to balance owning two businesses, working on a masters degree, AND having a baby in the house again!
Lori said that "Serving on the WIN board has been an absolute pleasure! I am thankful for the opportunity to have served with such amazing women. It has been a tremendous learning experience. I have also made friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Women In Networking, for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful organization!!!!"
Ann Harris has served on the WIN board longer than any of us know! Ann has acted as our very own "Godfather" as we have sworn in new board members and continued the wonderful things that the founders instituted. Ann was the smiling face you always saw as your checked into our monthly meetings, purchased raffle tickets, or needed to know what to expect at your first WIN monthly meeting. Ann has served as the WIN treasurer and always has the most positive attitude!
Ann gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Allison Leighton, on November 27th and will be thoroughly enjoying the role of mommy!!
(Photo courtesy of Steely Joe Studio)
Sarah Gladstone did an unbelievable job as our WIN President in 2010! Sarah truly is a wonderful and strong woman who is VERY organized! You can always count on Sarah's charismatic and positive attitude! She did a wonderful job leading all of our montly meetings, helping to orchestrate Holiday Extravanaganza and guide us into a successful year in 2011! However, Sarah too, will be stepping down.
Sarah will be pursing a 2nd degree in Nursing and moving to Little Rock. She is currently still employed as a full time travel agent for Destinations in Fayetteville.
We will miss serving on the WIN board with each other, but know we have forged a wonderful and lasting friendship! We look forward to hearing of the great accomplishments that Kari, Lori, Ann, and Sarah will achieve as they move on and know they will continue to empower themselves and the women they meet!
We will miss you all greatly!
