Meet the IEEW Team
Dr. Terry Neese
Anna Rohwer
Director of Global Operations
Amy London
Get to Know our Oklahoma City Team
Dr. Terry Neese
Founder & CEO
Serial entrepreneur Dr. Terry Neese is a lifelong Oklahoman and has spent over 30 years finding careers for men and women. She is the founder of Terry Neese Personnel Services (TNPS), National Grassroots Network, Women Impacting Public Policy and the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW). Terry’s daughter, Kim Neese, is now the President/Owner of Neese Personnel.
IEEW operates the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® program which educates and empowers women entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their dream of financial independence, community involvement, and political activism. Since its creation in 2006, the program has educated just over 700 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda, who have in turn employed over 13,000 of their countrymen and women.
A member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, and past national president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Dr. Neese is known as a small business expert and was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “Power 30”—the most influential small businesspersons in Washington, D.C. She has been featured throughout several media outlets including MSNBC, FOX News, CNN, SBTV, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times and The Washington Post.
Terry is an inductee into the National and Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame; her involvement with women business owners and family issues is well documented through her participation with Women Impacting Public Policy and the National Center for Policy Analysis.
A successful businesswoman, Dr. Neese 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 named an Outstanding Business Leader by the Northwood University Board of Trustees in 2006 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in 2008. In 2013 she received the Enterprising Women Legacy Award, the National Women Business Owners Corporation Leadership Award, and the Journal Record’s “Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO.” In 2014, Dr. Neese was only the second woman to be honored with the Oklahoma Sister Cities Global Vision award. Other notable accolades include NAWBO’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Dr. Neese was honored as one of 100 Oklahoma Women Trailblazers, by the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma, in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Oklahoma women winning the right to vote.
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. Current and previous roles include:
- Board of Director to the Euro-American Women’s Council
- U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, through which she traveled to Afghanistan in 2006
- National Advisory Council on Indian Education
- Les Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM) Regional Commissioner for the Americas
- National Women’s Business Council (a bipartisan federal government council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President and Congress)
- Advisory Council for the United States Committee for United Nations Development Fund for Women
Terry is also a pilot and a former basketball phenom in Southwestern Oklahoma and Northern Texas. Daughter, Kim Neese, Neese Personnel, is the proud mom of Emily and Erin. They reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Contact Dr. Terry Neese at tneese@ieew.org
Anna Rohwer
Director of Global Operations
Anna comes to the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women with 10+ years of international development experience focused on global non-profit and for-profit operations, programs, and communications. Anna’s work has spanned continents and sectors, with professional experience in girls’ empowerment, education, global health, safe water and refugees. Having spent the early years of her life in Nigeria, Anna knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a globally-focused career that would benefit others. Through her extensive travels, she has become a seasoned cross-cultural communicator and collaborator with a desire to foster greater understanding and compassion across borders.
In this role, Anna will support the organization in the areas of general operations, strategic planning, program expansion, budgeting, and partnership development. Anna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Economic Development from the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University and a Master’s Degree in Globalization and Development from the University of Manchester. She is also a graduate of Salt and Light Leadership Training’s Young Leaders Program and Leadership Oklahoma City’s LOYAL Program.
Anna lived all over the U.S. and world before moving to Oklahoma City six years ago. Her hobbies include international travel, photography, live music, reading, cooking, and hosting gatherings. She's a proud mom of her dog, Elliot Moses, and aunt of her niece, Praise Aspen.
Contact Anna Rohwer at arohwer@ieew.org
Get to Know our Team in Afghanistan & Rwanda
Manizha Wafeq
In-Country Facilitator, Afghanistan
Manizha has 19 years of experience in development, 15 with a focus on women’s empowerment and gender equality working with international, government and non-governmental organizations. In addition to being a mother, an advocate, and an entrepreneur, she earned an MBA from the American University of Afghanistan in 2017. She co-founded several organizations to advocate for women's economic empowerment, including the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® Network and Leading Entrepreneurs for Afghanistan’s Development (LEAD), a predecessor organization to the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI). Her persistent and influential lobbying skills resulted in the transformation of LEAD into a women’s chamber of commerce, which garnered more attention and influence to businesswomen around the country. In just 1½ years of AWCCI’s life, several policy recommendations were incorporated and approved. Among them, a 5% preference clause in the national procurement procedure of the government and 15-25% of industrial parks to be allocated to small, medium and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park’s policy.
Manizha Wafeq graduated from the inaugural PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® class in 2007 and is currently teaching her 14th year of PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® training in Kabul as the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women’s In-Country Facilitator for Afghanistan. In this role, she has taught and mentored more than 500 Afghan businesswomen from Kabul and over 17 provinces.
She is co-author of a training manual on Business Start-ups and a “Gender and the Legal Framework of Afghanistan” training manual.
She is the Winner of several awards such as the Enterprising Women Award Global Award, Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women's Network and the Afghan Lower House of the Parliament.
Manizha has stablished gender units within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and trained their staff. She trained more than 500 government employees on gender concepts in Kabul and other provinces.
Manizha also founded the Bibi Khadija Award; An annual award honoring successful businesswomen and role models in Afghanistan. The award is named after the Prophet Mohammad's wife, the first Muslim woman trader.
Contact Manizha at mwafeq@ieew.org.
Chantal Munanayire
In-Country Facilitator, Rwanda
Chantal Munanayire is a successful businesswoman born in Rwanda. She is married and a mother to four beautiful children. Chantal holds both Rwandan and Canadian citizenships.
In 2014, Chantal graduated from the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® Entrepreneurship Training Program and was named an Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women Magazine of USA.
Since 2015, Chantal has taken on the role as In-Country Facilitator Rwanda for the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women’s PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® program, where she teaches the entrepreneurship training program for 30+ women, and facilitates the top 15 women to go to the USA for mentorship and leadership development in July every year.
In 2016, Chantal received a National Business Association Leadership Award in Dallas, Texas during the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® Leadership Development Summit.
In 2017, Chantal was honored with an Award by the American Embassy as a Women of Courage for her entrepreneurial spirit, leadership and commitment to improve the lives of low-income women and girls to support them with the resources they need to be successful.
Chantal was elected as Chairperson of the Chamber of Arts and Crafts and as a Board member of the Private Sector Federation of Rwanda in 2018.
Chantal serves also as the Board of Directors of Gasabo Investment Company, a public company providing various business activities, including the development of property/real estate projects.
To contact Chantal, email her at cmunanayire@ieew.org.