As you know, we love to brighten your Monday morning with our Woman of the Week feature. We love to share the amazing ways the women in our community are working hard to level the playing field, bring light to a cause or blaze a new trail. This week, we are thrilled to honor six women who are leaving their mark and will be honored by the YWCA Columbus as Women of Achievement for doing just that. Congratulations to Tara Abraham, Dorothy Cage Evans, Tammy Fournier-Alsaada, Dr. Susan Koltar, Elaine Roberts and Rita Soronen, and *thank you* for stepping out in front and leading the way. We can’t wait to see what comes next!

YWCA Columbus 2017 Women of Achievement

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting women who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

My Name:
Mary Lynn Foster

My Current Job/Company:
Regional Chief Executive Officer – The American Red Cross

My Work:
I help prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

My Passion:
My family, friends and community!

My Family:
Art (my husband and love of my life), Artie (my amazingly creative 24 year old son) and Allison (my incredibly compassionate 21 year old daughter)

My Hero or Heroes:
My husband who is always my raving fan 24/7 ever since we started dating in high school; my Mom, Carol and my Godmother, Mercedes (sisters) who are both now deceased but instilled in me a hard driving work ethic and belief that I can do anything I set my heart to

My Escape:
Our cabin located in the woods of Northern Michigan, at night star-gazing in front of a bonfire

My Pet Peeve:
The word “No”…there is always a place to get to “Yes”!

My Indulgence:
A single dark chocolate covered cherry…..simply the best!

My Roots:
Humbly live by the Golden Rule!

My Future:
The best is yet to come!

My Favorite Quote:
Foster Family Motto: You are strong, smart and never quit!

My Accessory:
A bright, happy smile! 

My advice to Young Women:
You can do anything you set your mind to and don’t hesitate to ask for help along the way!

How I Balance it All:
Through my amazing family support network and list of daily priorities

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting women who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

My Name:
Irina Geyfman Bilenko

My Current Job/Company:
Lean Project Manager & Coach/American Electric Power

My Work:
I coach leaders to engage their employees every day to identify opportunities for improvement and work together to solve problems. My goal as a leader is to inspire and develop others into effective leaders at all levels of the organization to work with their employees to continuously improve processes and drive more value to our customers.

My Passion:
My family and helping others to reach their full potential and achieve their dreams.

My Family:
David (husband with many talents), Rena (resilient daughter & a beautiful ice skater – 12), Benjamin (loving son and a talented tennis player – 11), Chloe (spoiled baby dog).

My Hero or Heroes:
My grandmother who was a humble and resilient woman loved and respected by everyone in the community.

My Escape:
A beach vacation, a dinner with my husband, and a weekend with my girlfriends.

My Pet Peeve:
Accepting status quo and lazy people.

My Indulgence:
Wine and sushi.

My Roots:
Immigrant. Educated and humble family with a lot of good friends.

My Future:
Optimistic and happy.

My Favorite Quote:
“Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, the word itself says I’M POSSIBLE!” ~Audrey Hepburn

My Accessory:
My watches, jewelry and scarfs.

My advice to Young Women:
Believe in yourself and always remember “I am a girl, I am smart and I am strong and I can do ANYTHING.”

How I Balance it All:
Use my mission statement to set my priorities and reflect weekly how I can do it better next week.

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting women who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

My Current Job/Company:
Director of Retail Operations, Huntington Bank

My Work:
I work with a team that supports bank branch operations – how we service customers and open accounts while meeting various regulatory and risk objectives.

My Passion:
My faith, my family, my community.

My Family:
Dennis – amazing husband, Andrew – son and sunshine – a man with a very positive outlook on life, Emily – inspirational daughter who is married and has our two delightful grandchildren.

My Hero or Heroes:
Daughter Emily – who hasn’t met a challenge yet that she cannot attain, teaches in an elementary level gifted and talented program, and is a terrific mother.

My Escape:
Devil’s Lake, Manitou Beach, Michigan – spring-fed freshwater lake. Sunshine, boating, cross country skiing and a fire…aaahhhh.

My Pet Peeve:
Driving in traffic with drivers going slow in the left lane.

My Indulgence:
Red wine.

My Roots:
My parents emigrated from Canada, my grandparents on my Dad’s side emigrated from Scotland. My mother’s father was a school principal and we’ve always been focused on working hard and valuing education.

My Future:
Enjoying my grandchildren and travel with my adventurous husband..

My Favorite Quote:
“Assume the Best” – Anonymous

My Accessory:
My FitBit.

My advice to Young Women:
Learn to laugh at and with yourself. And hire someone to help with the house cleaning.

How I Balance it All:
Prayer, grace and recognizing that I need the help and love of family, coworkers and friends.

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting women who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

My Name:
Jennifer Tscholl, MD

My Current Job/Company:
Child Abuse Pediatrician/Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics/The Ohio State University College of Medicine

My Work:
I work with a multidisciplinary team to diagnose and treat children who are suspected of victims of any type of child maltreatment. This occurs in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. I spend part of my clinical time working in a foster care clinic. I also am involved in the education of medical trainees, including fellows, residents, and medical students.

My Passion:
My family, my work, and my fun time to decompress.

My Family:
Brian (husband), daughter Zoe (6), daughter Amelia (3), and son Ozzie (14-months).

My Hero or Heroes:
My parents who have been unwavering supporters and role models for marriage, parenting, and going after your dreams.

My Escape:
Any getaway with my husband (preferably without kids!) is a great way for me to refocus, even if it is just a day date. I also cherish time away with my girlfriends, particularly my close-knit college crew.

My Pet Peeve:
Entitlement. Close-mindedness.

My Indulgence:
Great food! And dirty martinis…

My Roots:
Hard-working, honest, family-focused.

My Future:
Bright, busy, and full of possibilities.

My Favorite Quote:
I can’t say I have any one true favorite, but as an educator and lifelong learner, I do like this one…
“Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Accessory:
Smiling!

My advice to Young Women:
Do not let anyone tell you what you can’t do.

How I Balance it All:
I’m still figuring it out… But I have realized how much priorities shift through the different stages of my life thus far. My 20-year old self never could have envisioned the balancing act of my current self. It has been a learning experience to be ok with changing goals, but still recognizing that goals need to be set to achieve any growth.