Watch Monday, March 13th at 7pm on WVIA TV.
Women are rapidly becoming a driving force in entrepreneurship and business leadership. Keystone Edition Business delves into the challenges facing women in the workplace, especially in leadership, and what resources are available to give them a head start on the road to success.
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Panelists
Paula Rochon Mackarey
Paula Rochon Mackarey has been the publisher of Happenings Magazine for the past 29 of its 54 years. Throughout her career she has had the opportunity to interview hundreds of individuals across a wide variety industries, many of whom were leaders in their fields.
Paula is a graduate of Marywood University and was on the adjunct faculty of The University of Scranton. In 2006 she was recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business. She served as board chairman of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce from 2011-2013, the second female in the organization’s 160 year history. Other honors include the 2013 Award for Alumni Excellence from Marywood University and the Silver Medal (2014) from the American Advertising Federation for outstanding contributions to the advertising industry. She is also an ATHENA award recipient. She continues to study leadership topics and has been a contributor to regional business publications and organizations.
Paula resides in Scranton with her husband John, and 15-year-old daughter, Madeleine.
Dr. Katie Leonard
Dr. Katie Leonard started at Johnson College in 2007. After a nationwide search, Dr. Leonard was selected as Johnson College’s 8th President & CEO in January of 2018. Since then, the College joined the rankings of premiere technical education, being ranked #10 on Forbes Top 25 Two-Year Trade Schools; enrollment increased by 18% over the past six years; six new academic programs were added; and more experiential learning opportunities for students were added through the College’s industry immersion program. Most recently, the College announced its first-ever satellite campus, Johnson College at the CAN DO Training Center, to serve the greater Hazleton region,beginning in August 2023.
Dr. Leonard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from York College of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts degree in organizational leadership from Mansfield University, and a doctorate of education from Capella University. Before bringing her talents to Johnson College, Dr. Leonard held multiple positions in York, PA, working with government officials and non-profit organizations. Prior to moving to NEPA, the last position she held in York was as the Executive Director of Downtown Inc., York’s Main Street Program.
Ayana Ife
Ayana Ife is a modest fashion designer with over fifteen years of experience dressing women of all sizes. Ife helps underserved women feel beautiful, comfortable, and heard, by empowering them with uniquestyles that represent their values.
Ife learned to sew at age six and sold her first garment by ten. At thirteen, Ife offered made-to-measure looks and styling advice for the women in her community, and as she got older, women would approach her for help with their clothing because they liked how she was dressed. Modest, stylish, according to her values. Ife loves innovating and finding creative solutions.
In 2015 Ife graduated with honors from MTSU earning her Bachelors in Textiles Merchandising and Design. By 2017 she starred on Project Runway, a talent-based reality show where sixteen fashion designers compete for funding to launch a brand. Ife debuted a fully modest collection at NYFW and finished as runner up on the show. Now, she is creating a sustainable sportswear brand for modest consumers called Ayana Active.
She has been featured and mentioned in prevalent magazines such as Marie Claire, The New York Post, and Harper Bazaar Arabia.
Ife continues dressing women and listening to their concerns. Now, she advocates for them. She has spoken at galas, conferences, and colleges, to students, youth, and colleagues, on tenacity, finding your tribe, and the importance of a modest fashion category in today’s mainstream clothing market.
In 2020 Ife earned her master’s degree in business with a specialized focus on the fashion industry from Politecnico di Milano in Milan Italy, then interned with Zac Posen in Manhattan NY.
Ife is a modest fashion consumer herself. This gives her unique insight because she feels the industry deficit firsthand.
Ayana Ife believes modest fashion provides an especially important wider variety for the industry and is committed to establishing a permanent place for underserved women who need modest apparel.