Meet the Expert Team

Angela De La Housaye

Angela De La Housaye founded De La Housaye & Associates over six years ago with the goal of giving clients small-firm attention and large-firm expertise. The legal professionals at De La Housaye & Associates bring extensive experience in civil litigation and business law, and a commitment to provide personal attention to their clients. A Loyola Law School graduate, Ms. De La Housaye memberships include the Contra Costa Bar Association’s Business Section, the Los Angeles County Bar and the California State Bar’s Business Section. Ms. De La Housaye began her legal career in 1989 as a civil litigator with Bodkin, McCarthy, Sargent & Smith in Los Angeles where she honed her expertise in business litigation, business entity formation, and transactional work.

Christina (“Christy”) Carlisle Jones, Key Note Speaker

Christy Jones is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Extend Fertility, Inc., a company dedicated to helping women preserve their fertility through medical and scientific advances in egg freezing. Jones is a seasoned entrepreneur with a successful track record of bringing new technologies to market. In recognition of her achievements, Jones has been honored as Ernst and Young’s 1999 National Young Entrepreneur of the Year, a “Top 100 Young Innovator” by MIT’s Technology Review, and “Top 20 Leaders Under 30” by Working Woman. Jones received a BA in economics from Stanford University, and MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ann Kent

Ann Kent has been helping companies grow for nearly 20 years.  Through a variety of senior management positions including sales, operations and strategic planning, Ann has had a direct impact on the growth of dozens of companies and hundreds of business units.  It’s what she loves to do --- and she happens to be very good at it! When growth is an expectation for a company, selling is inevitable. Ann stepped into her initial sales role somewhat resistive, but learned that you could be a good sales person, maintain your integrity and still earn bragging rights to Chairman’s Club and President’s Circle.  A great discovery! KENT Consulting Group is in the business of making good business better. 

Rebecca Kieler

Rebecca Kieler, Founder of Kieler Career Consulting, is committed to coaching women through transition, bringing insight a sense of direction and hope. Rebecca has worked with individuals and companies in career and life transition for 25 years. Bringing her passion and professional experience together Rebecca draws on various experiences as an entrepreneur, social worker and recruiter. Her approach has allowed people to develop and attain realistic goals that result in increased life purpose, satisfaction and fulfillment, both personally and professionally. Rebecca is a Certified Career Clarity Coach, Licensed Coach/Facilitator of Get Hired Now!, and Consultant with Life Moxie! and Right Management Associates.

K Janelle Lee

Janelle Lee, a health insurance broker with Specialists in Health Insurance Services, helps entrepreneurs evaluate choice to determine the best fit for now and as your business evolves. Working with companies and individuals since 1992, Janelle's passion is to provide you with a caliber of expertise and service that is hard to find. If you're dedicated to growth, Janelle's diversified background in business, twice the first woman to achieve the top national sales award in two different industries, will empower you with the critical thinking skills to evaluate benefits vs risk. janelleL@SIHIS.com     800.300.1376 ext 230

Sue Malone

Sue Malone, President of Strategies for Small Business, is the number one provider of the SBA Community Express Loan Program through Innovative Bank. Sue’s involvement began with the program’s inception in 2002. Since then, Sue has helped fund over 10,900 SBA Community Express loans. She travels the nation meeting, promoting and funding small business owners. She is fueled by her passion to help small business owners pursue their dreams.

Jenifer Madson

Jenifer Madson has been called a cross between a financial adviser and an advice columnist: her experience spans fifteen years of coaching people in the key areas of relationships and money – first as the owner of a dating business, then as a financial services broker. She now teaches people how to get what they want by improving their relationship with money. She has built multi-million dollar franchise territories for the dating industry, led award-winning branch offices for a national financial services firm and developed an international coaching clientele. She is the author of “A Financial Minute: From Money Madness to Financial Freedom, One Minute at a Time!", and her great mission is to empower and inspire people to truly be ‘financially free’!

Sheryl McKeown

As sole owner of THE ACCOUNTABLES, Sheryl McKeown is a NAWBO OWL Award nominee for both “Woman on the Way” and “Wise Woman” awards. As a recognized interpreter for financial statements, Sheryl has written “What the Heck is a Full Charge Bookkeeper?” an article published in both “Parents Monthly” and “Small Business Newsletter” published by the Sacramento Metro Chamber.   Sheryl chaired the Ambassador Committee for the SMCC and was honored with their 2001 Home Based Business of the Year award.  Now in business for over 5 years, she serves the needs of clients in a variety of industries, demonstrating her professional education and knowledge to their successful benefit. 

Tara-Nicholle Nelson

Tara-Nicholle Nelson, M.A., Esq. is a real estate broker and attorney in Oakland, California.  After the harrowing experience of purchasing her first home as a 25-year-old single mom, Tara melded insights from her expertise in psychology, business, contracts and negotiating into a system of knowledge and practices she has now used to coach hundreds of single women to success at property ownership, real estate investing, and exploding the limits of what they thought was possible for their lives.  Tara’s book, The Virgin Home Buyer’s Handbook, is due out in Fall 2006.

Katy Pletter, CPA

After gaining experience with both local and “Big Four” accounting firms, Katy Pletter established her own practice in the early part of 2005.  She boasts a wide knowledge base having worked with closely held businesses, individuals, estates, and trusts addressing both tax and accounting issues.  Most recently, Katy has focused her energies on tax planning and preparation for high net worth individuals, executives with stock options, and business owners and their related business entities. Katy holds a M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University, a B.A. from Binghamton University, and is an advisory board member of Money Management Educators.

Rachel Robasciotti

Rachel Robasciotti is the founder of Robasciotti & Associates, Inc. – financial planning firm based in San Francisco, CA that specializes in helping women make smart choices with their money. Having initially embarked upon her career inside of both large insurance and investment-focused firms (Prudential Securities and MetLife), she understands that clients want more than just advice on which investment or insurance products to buy. As a result, Rachel practices Comprehensive Financial Planning, assisting her clients with everything from budget creation and investment advising to planning for a comfortable retirement.

 
Kristy Rogers

Kristy Rogers loves to help people connect. Her company, KristyRogersConnects, makes it easy for you to get connected and stay connected.  As the Executive Managing Director of eWomenNetwork San Jose and the co-founder of Women In Networking, Kristy is very practiced with effective networking. And she is doing something very, very right.  As eWomenNetwork’s “2005 Sales Leader,” Kristy believes her success is in large part because of her follow up system. Why is Kristy a consistent top producer?  She has a follow up system and follows it regularly. Kristy teaches “I Love to Follow Up” workshops to teach participants how to create a follow up system and how to expand the system over time. Networking and follow up go hand in hand if you want more sales.

Maureen Simon

For over 20 years, Maureen Simon has successfully mentored powerful women leaders from around the globe to create and expand innovative businesses that authentically reflect their core values. Her specific areas of expertise include strategic business development, advanced communications, conflict and change integration. Maureen has worked with women representing a wide range of businesses including Fortune 100 corporations, the entertainment media industries, government, and the creative arts.  She mentors both Fortune 100 executives as well as leading edge small business entrepreneurs.  She is Founding member of the Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.  Maureen’s work has been featured in London’s Vogue, Marie Claire, Self, Women & Home, Good Housekeeping and The Financial Times.

Allison G. Sofnas

Allison G. Sofnas has over a decade of experience in the mortgage industry.  She began her career as a telemarketer in Seattle for one of the largest sub-prime companies in the country.  Within six months she was promoted to loan officer where she became the top salesperson in the company nationwide.  She continued to move her way up the ladder to a branch manager position with continued success.  After deciding to move to the Bay Area, Allison joined Wells Fargo Bank mortgage division.  Realizing she wanted to run her own business, she later accepted a mortgage brokering position with First Capital Group, Inc. where she has been helping people with loan financing for the past 6 years. 

Cindy Solomon

Cindy is passionately committed to helping organizations build long-term, profitable relationships with their customers, leaders and employees through keynote presentations, executive coaching, leadership training and strategic design.  Cindy’s work as a senior executive in corporate America and her work with hundreds of companies make her a valuable keynote speaker.  As one of Inc Magazine’s tenured leadership and customer service speakers Cindy brings her compelling insights to thousands of leaders each year. 

Cindy is president of The Solomon Group, Inc., an organization dedicated to creating high-performance leaders, highly effective employees and building customer-focused cultures.  In addition to her speaking and consulting, Cindy is completing her first book, Creating a Culture of CourageÔ.

Elka Vera

A self-taught entrepreneur, Elka started her first business in 1996. With dedication (and a dose of magic) she grew her one-woman design and writing studio into an award-winning creative services firm, focused on branding for micro-enterprises. She now coaches and consults to "soul"-proprietors using traditional tools like spreadsheets and alternative tools like hypnotherapy and tarot. www.elkavera.com, www.eastlyarts.com

Kimberly Wiefling

Kimberly Wiefling is the founder and principal of Wiefling Consulting.  Kimberly works with leaders in rapidly changing organizations to implement sensible, practical business leadership and program management processes that deliver RESULTS! Kimberly enables individuals, teams and organizations to cross the knowing-doing gap. Her work enables effective leadership and program management strategies that are proven to increase productivity, deliver as much as 30% greater profitability, increase customer delight, and dramatically improve the quality of life for both leaders and their people.”  Kimberly earned as M.S. in Physics from Case in Cleveland Ohio, has 10 years experience at HP, and 5 years experience in Silicon Valley start-ups. 

Pat Wiklund

Pat Wiklund has helped thousands of executives, entrepreneurs and professionals change their minds and their behaviors. Entrepreneurs will identify with Pat's story of rebuilding her business from scratch...doubling her income each year for three years...and then quadrupling it. Author of numerous books and self study courses, she has also hosted her own television program and is a frequent guest expert on radio and tv, including Oprah (twice!), Phil Donahue, Maury Povich, and 20/20. Headquartered in Northern California, Pat helps one-person business owners start making real money with their own businesses.