The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Kyra Ashley Cochran

Kyra Cochran was born on April 30, 1993 in Oklahoma City to Shane Cochran. She has attended ASTEC for six years.

Kyra is interested in music, history and the ministry. She plans to attend Oklahoma Baptist University with a major in music and a minor in ministry. She will be the first in her family to attend college.

Kyra is a member of ASTEC Student Council and is a junior class officer. She attends Youth Leadership Exchange Leadership Skill Training and enjoys organizing events and public speaking. Kyra received achievement awards in geometry, and scored “Advanced” on the Biology End of Instruction exam. She has already earned college credit by scoring a 3 on her Advanced Placement European exam.

Kyra considers herself as kind, generous, outgoing, and a hard worker. She is also very excited to be a part of this program.

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.

Cindy Cortinas

Cindy Cortinas was born on October 30, 1990 in Oklahoma City, to Rosa Garcia. She has been attending ASTEC for seven years.

Cindy finds English and Technology as her most interesting subjects. Cindy plans to earn certification in Child Care and Information Technology and someday open her own childcare facility.

Cindy received an Outstanding Student award in English. She enjoys hand on projects and taking care of children.

When asked, “How do you want to be remembered?” she replied, “I want to be remembered as an outgoing person who never gives up!”

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.

By Martin Bishop, AllAfrica.com

Published March 29, 2010

Kigali — 30 women entrepreneurs were over the weekend awarded certificates after completing a two-month training in business and leadership conducted by the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW).

Speaking during the ceremony, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, hailed the government for its drive in empowering women.

Congratulating the graduates, the minister urged them to reflect the knowledge they have acquired through their deeds in society.

“When you empower women, you empower the whole family and the whole nation,” Mujawamariya said.

She advised the women to work hand-in-hand with their husbands.

The coordinator of the program, Dr. Holly Hixson, said that they believe “a country that is economically sound has a greater capacity of peace”.

Of the 30 women who were trained, 15 were selected to go for further training in the United States.

“It is our mission to empower women. The women receive training both in the country and in the United States, through classes and mentorship,” Hixson said.

This program was initiated in 2007 and extended to Rwanda in 2008. The next intake is slated for June.

To view original article, click on the following link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201003300127.html

Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women
Dr. Terry Neese, Founder / CEO
2709 W. I-44 Service Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-943-4474

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: March 24, 2010
Contact: Becca Colbaugh
Office: 405-943-4474
E-mail: [email protected]

Idaho Falls businesswoman supports the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women through $15,000 sponsorship

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MARCH 24, 2010 — The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women has announced the addition of Sylvia Medina, president and founder of North Wind, Inc., to its ambassador sponsorship level with a donation of $15,000.

“Sylvia’s one of the most dynamic businesswomen I’ve ever met,” said Terry Neese, founder and CEO of the Institute. “She has managed to build a multi-million dollar company from the ground up, while successfully balancing her family life.”

The Institute, a 501c3 organization, created the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, which provides long-term business training to female entrepreneurs from Afghanistan and Rwanda. Education is provided in both countries, as well as in the United States. Since the program’s inception in 2006, 150 women have been directly trained and educated.

Medina has been involved with the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program as an enterprising member of the 2010 Leadership Development Committee. The committee formulates curriculum for Leadership Development. She will teach a marketing workshop at this year’s conference.

“I am proud to be involved with the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program – anything that helps empower women in business,” Medina said. “The concept of marketing is not always something Afghan and Rwandan women are familiar with, but these skills are essential to running a successful business.”

North Wind, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CIRI, is an Alaska Native Corporation that provides technical and construction services in the environmental, engineering, sciences, and waste management fields; expertise in remediation technology development and implementation; and professional support services in the cultural resource, natural resource, and geographic information system arenas. North Wind provides engineering, scientific, and regulatory support to numerous federal and state agencies and a variety of private clients.

Before Leadership Development, PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS students participate in In-Country Education, an intensive eight-week business course taught to 30 women in each country that culminates in the development of a business plan. Fifteen women are then selected to travel to the United States for Leadership Development for higher-level business and leadership training, as well as a weeklong mentorship with an American woman business owner and an International Women’s Economic Summit, a two-day conference focusing on the strength and contribution of women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda, the obstacles they face, and the free economy solutions to peace. Each student is then committed to Pay it Forward, where students pass on for one full year the blessings and knowledge they have received through the program to their fellow countrymen and women.

For more information about the Institute and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.ieew.org.

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About The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women:
The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women is a 501(c)3 non-profit empowering women to grow their businesses, pursue greater entrepreneurial ventures and become more active public policy advocates. The Institute accomplishes this mission by focusing on education, mentorship and coaching women in the United States and abroad who are seeking to acquire entrepreneurial skills to help start and grow a business.

About North Wind, Inc.
North Wind, Inc. is an environmental consulting firm founded by Medina in 1997. They are a leader in the environmental, engineering and construction service industries, serving from 20 offices nationwide, with the headquarters in Idaho Falls, ID.

FROM STAFF REPORTS | Oklahoman

WASHINGTON — Terry Neese, the Oklahoma City founder of a group to empower women economic-ally, said Monday she plans to attend a meeting Friday of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in Dallas.

Neese is a member of the council, a public-private partnership created in 2002 to help Afghan women and children. Neese said former first lady Laura Bush, an honorary adviser to the council, and Melanne Verveer, U.S. ambassador at large for global women’s issues, will also attend.

Also speaking to the council, Neese said, will be Andeisha Farid, who established several orphanages in Afghanistan and attended a program, Peace Through Business, that is part of Neese’s Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women. The meeting is to be held at the George W. Bush Institute at Southern Methodist University.