Women in Business Breakfast
Everyone has a story to share, especially when it comes to being a woman in today's business world. Join us on August 11th and hear female leaders from diverse industries have an honest and authentic conversation about their journey to leadHERship. Be prepared to be inspired, empowered, and ready to take on the world!
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Douglasville Conference Center
Meet Out Panelists!
Rita Fasina-Thomas - Rita Fasina-Thomas began her long-term career in operations and training as a partner of Pennycook Supermarkets, Inc. She hails from Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, WI and was educated at Rosary Academy and Syracuse University. After completing her education, she worked for the Federal Government in Rome, NY and in Madrid Spain.
Upon returning to the US, Rita began a 25-year career with Burger King Corporation,
where she was recognized for her ability to lead and train teams to achieve exceptional results.
After her career with Burger King Corporation, Rita decided to rekindle her passion for being an entrepreneur and founded Distinctive Ops Services LLC, a business consulting company specializing in operations, training, teaching workshops and seminars. She led this business for a little over ten years and retired November 2021.
Rita served as the Chairman of Keep Douglas County Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and she served as the Vice-Chair of the College and Career Institute of Douglas County. Rita currently serves on the Douglas County Board of Assessors and is the Chair of the Douglas County Education Foundation.
Rita founded The Ademola A. Fasina-Thomas, Jr. Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that awards $1500.00 scholarships to well deserving and economically disadvantaged youth who have the desire for a university education. On February 5, 2018, the AAFT Foundation, Inc. was awarded Resolution 1045 from the Georgia State House of Representatives for “its diligence… in supporting the academic futures of students in Douglas County”.
In her spare time, Rita likes to spend quality time with her family and she likes to garden.
Monique Carruthers - Monique Carruthers is the Founder and Executive Director of ZEST Preparatory Academy Charter School. She found her passion in education 20 years ago as a paraprofessional in a high school special education classroom. Most recently, she was a National Fellow with BES, the Georgia Charter Schools Association, and High Tech High's New School Creation Fellowship. Ms. Carruthers previously served as the Executive Director for the Innovation Fund Foundation, Inc at the Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) where she also held roles as a Development and Adult Learning Facilitator, and Language and Literacy Specialist. In this role, she supported five urban and two rural Georgia school systems to improve literacy instruction in grades K-3 by collaborating with district leaders, school administrators, and teachers. Ms. Carruthers also has extensive experience as an National Educational Consultant, Assistant Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, and elementary school teacher. Her teaching experience includes traditional, virtual, and charter school settings. She is active in her community and serves on a number of boards and committees including the Douglasville Public Arts Commission, the Board of Directors for the Douglasville Boys and Girls Club, and is the Community Service Chair for the West Georgia Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The Douglas County Chamber of Commerce named her a Top Ten Young Professional of 2020. Ms. Carruthers earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California San Diego, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, and she is completing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
In her personal time, Monique enjoys volunteering, gardening, photography, and reading. She is passionate about all things literacy and civic engagement. Monique partners with Leadership for Educational Equity through their Policy Leadership Academy and Governmental Board & Commission Appointment Programming to support other change agents as they positively impact the lives of children. She is married to an entrepreneur in the food and logistics fields. They have three amazing school age children and are proud residents of Douglasville, GA.
Breezy Straton - Breezy Straton serves as Vice President for Elevate Douglas Economic Partnership. She is a native of metro Atlanta. She graduated Summa Cum Laude at Mercer University where she earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree with concentrations in History and Religion and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia where she received a Master of Public Administration degree with concentrations in Federal Social Policy and Quasi-Government Entities. In recent years she has served on several community boards including the Boys and Girls Club, United Way and the START Foundation, most recently she was appointed to the Board of Directors for Metro Atlanta Exchange for Workforce Solutions. She has been recognized for her dedication to inclusive economic and workforce development including receiving the 2017 Regal Award given by the Douglas-Carroll-Paulding Counties (DCP) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the 2019 Taking Care of Business Award from National Skills Coalition. She has been recognized as a Douglas County Top Ten Young Professional twice and as a West Georgia 40 under 40. Most recently she earned the elite designation as a Certified Economic Developer, making her one of approximately 1100 economic developers in the world holding the certification. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Brenton and their two girls, Layla (18 years old) and Charlotte (7years old) and three dogs Lincoln, Teddy and Blue.
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Date and Time
7:45 AM - 9:00 AM EDT
Location
6700 Church St.
Douglasville, Ga 30134