As I reflect on Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, I’d like to recognize just a few of the women who inspire me with their intellect, hard work, and vision.
- Sheri Chaney Jones is the founder of both Measurement Resources and SureImpact and author of the award-winning book Impact & Excellence. Sheri had a vision for how outcomes measurement could be done differently and how nonprofits could improve their impact by collecting and analyzing data in new ways. She has been relentless in her pursuits, writing her book while expecting her fourth child and securing venture capital to fund her software development — no easy feat. Our clients have benefited from her expertise, but the entire sector has benefited from her vision.
- Lisa Berger is another visionary. She was a successful entrepreneur, but she was ready to create something new, and very rare — she started a bank! She and her co-founder Ilaria Rawlins were recently interviewed by Planet Money on NPR. Only 20 of the 4,000 banks in the United States are owned by women, and only three of those were founded by women. It took $20 million and three years, but Lisa and Ilaria opened Fortuna Bank in January, and I am proud to say that I’m an investor. Their vision, and the impact that they will have on women starting businesses, will be profound.
- I greatly admire the founders of the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio (WFCO), which include trailblazers like Barbara Fergus, Loann Crane, Carol Andreae, and Mary Lazarus who wanted to use the power of philanthropy to invest in women and girls, gender equity, and social change. Their vision has grown exponentially since WFCO’s founding in 2001. Under the leadership of Kelley Griesmer today, WFCO’s 2025 grant-funded programs include “32% receiving their grants for the first time, 74% focusing on women and girls of color, and 68% led by a woman of color or gender-expansive person of color.”
- The women of Mollard Consulting inspire me every day. I didn’t start out with a vision to have only women employees, but I’m incredibly proud of our team and their collective intelligence, diligence, and creativity: Lindsey, Karen, Lauryn, Laura, Kelley, Irina, Lacie, and Taylor as well as subcontractors Christine, Amy, and Anne.
Thank you to all the women who have led the way, to the women highlighted here, and to the next generation of women and girls who see the sky as the only limit on their own vision and dreams.
