Women of Business

Tampa Bay Wave is accepting applications for its 2021 TechWomen Rising Accelerator program. The 90-day program was created to help women-owned tech startups. To apply for the program, the startup must be at least 51 percent owned by a woman, have operations in Florida and a financial runway of at least three months, according to

Rita Lowman, president of Pilot Bank, received the 2021 Dottie Berger MacKinnon Woman of Influence Award by the Tampa Bay Chamber. The Woman of Influence Award recognizes a woman whose leadership has made a positive impact in Hillsborough County. It pays tribute to an individual who exemplifies outstanding professional values; demonstrates the ability to go

Welcome to St. Petersburg, Florida: home of the badass businesswoman. She’s not the official city symbol (that honor goes to the brown pelican), but perhaps she should be. Studies continue to laud the area as a boon for female executive advancement. What makes St. Pete a place brimming with possibility for its lady leaders? According

The Tampa area is home to some of Florida’s most impactful business leaders. A select few make the annual Florida 500 list, which highlights influential executives among different economic sectors. These individuals are identified by Florida Trend magazine through extensive research. Below, select women who earned the most recent honor share advice and direction. Joy

Jennifer Locklear is passionate about nurturing diverse leadership. As chief talent officer of ConnectWise, and co-founder of Fe League (alongside Keri Higgins-Bigelow), a Tampa Bay area women in leadership group to advance women in corporate roles, Locklear knows diversified leaders strengthen a company. As she explains, “you want the people you hire to reflect the

After graduating from Indiana University School of Law, Kelsie Ackman thought her work trajectory was set to “lawyer life.” Then she joined a firm where no female attorney seemed to succeed. One day, as she headed to court wearing a skirt suit, a colleague pulled her aside to admonish her choice of dress. The organization

For TBBW’s most recent “Women of Influence” event, we pulled together women working and leading the charge on cannabis businesses in the Tampa Bay area. The event was held at The Current Hotel in Tampa. Here’s a recap of the live discussion.  The discussion was moderated by Josephine Krehl, founder of MMJ Knowledge. (Photos below) Panelists

Philanthropy, real estate dealings and hotel development with a side of reality show stardom: When it comes to well-rounded influence, Torrie Jasuwan looks to cover every square inch. The St. Petersburg resident kicked 2020 off by lobbying for Senate Bill 54 in Tallahassee on behalf of Baby2Baby, the National Diaper Bank Network, and her own

In what is traditionally an extremely male-dominated industry, the Tampa Bay area breaks that tradition. With three local electric companies being run by women, this edition of the “Women of Influence” series is significant. Bridgette Bello, CEO and publisher of Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, interviewed the panelists in front of a live audience at

Meriann Metz, a longtime in-house lawyer for Publix, was promoted to vice president, general counsel and secretary in 2019. She says that one of the perks to her new role is working directly with the Publix leadership team, and retail associates alike. “The more time I spend with both groups the more excited I am

The Tampa Bay area is booming with women in sports leadership roles, which was the topic of discussion for this installment of Women of Influence, held at the Adventhealth Training Center at One Buc Place. The panel was moderated by Bridgette Bello in front of a live audience. The below transcript has been edited for

In her most recent psychological thriller, The Stranger Inside, author Lisa Unger takes readers deep into the minds of both perpetrator and victim to pose questions about crime and justice and explore whether sometimes people deserve what comes to them. Provoking contemplation between right and wrong through intricately drawn characters that grab and hold readers’