Athena Golianis: CEO, Creator PINKK LLC and President, Founder of AGW Idea Group, Inc. She continues to lead her agency management team and has worked on venerable blue chip brands like Arthur Andersen, Sears, Kraft Foods, Wal-Mart Sam’s Club, Hillshire Farms, Sara Lee, Midas, Alberto Culver haircare brands, (Unilever) Beltone, City of Chicago in addition to name a few for many formative years. In 2005 she became a dedicated entrepreneur and opened her own agency AGW Idea Group and has successfully run her marketing consulting and branding agency for over 17 years and continues to do so. She has launched start ups and helped to grow and rebrand others like: VENeffect, BreatheAmerica, Precison HealthCare, Citadel Healthcare, Kiva Recovery, Diamond Bank (now Wintrust) and currently consulting with Aspire Bakeries on veneralbe brands such as Otis Spunkmeyer and new brand repositioning in the portfolio.
She uses her understanding of building brands and running her business to create PINKK using her experience and knowledge to empower and inspire others in the PINKK community and beyond.
She is currently doing speaking engagements for universities and organizations globally on the Power of Kindness in Navigating Change and The Power of Brand Storytelling.
Kathy Jo Van: Advisory Council Leader & Mentor
In July 2017, Kathy Jo Van retired from a long career in the electrical industry to start another chapter of her life. She now provides coaching and mentoring workshops that empower individuals to understand the value of mentoring and how to take a very intentional approach to capitalize on the benefits.
She was recently awarded the 2018 NAED (National Association Electrical Distributors) Women In Industry Trailblazer in recognition for the positive impact she has on supporting women in her industry. (an industry that, by the way, is 89% white male).
She volunteers on the board of the American Marketing Association Chicago Chapter.
She is an amazing mentor and coach!
Tita Arroyo: Mentoring Program Manage 2021 PINKK Woman of the Year
National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach at LIFE LOVES Health Coaching and Sr. Procurement Specialist at Intelsat. Tita’s varied corporate career includes managing customer accounts for Emerson Electric, Mars Incorporated and currently Intelsat (formerly Gogo Commercial Aviation). Her true passion lies in cultivating a natural and healthy lifestyle while maintaining a positive mindset, and empowering others to do the same.
As a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach trained in Functional Medicine her mission is to empower and equip you with education and resources to help you take control of your health and make lasting change. Functional Medicine uncovers root causes to disease and allows your systems to function optimally through lifestyle changes in nutrition, sleep, exercise & movement, stress reduction and relationships. Her Health Transformation Program offers coaching, community and connection which are proven keys to accountability and long-term success. You can create a renewed, better, healthier version of yourself in as little as six weeks.
Tita stays active in the community as our PINKK Mentoring Manager and as Associate Board Member and Engagement Chair for Facing Forward to End Homelessness. She lives in Chicago with her energetic Boston Terrier/Boxer mix Moonpie.
mycoach@lifelovesco.com
linkedin.com/in/tita-arroyo-68168431
DEBBY PETERS, 2021 PINKK WOMAN of the YEAR and Advisory Board Member
Debby Peters is the go-to person for networking questions and practices in Northwest and Northeast Ohio. Her goal is to make it so that each person gains a positive result from the time spent on these types of activities.
But let’s take a step back in time to when Debby was a young, wet-behind-the-ears, sales person. She was working for a telecommunications consulting firm and the office atmosphere was rabidly competitive because there were no set territories and all the sales people were commission-based. It was a combination of dog eats dog and the wild, wild, west! A co-worker, John Steele, an older gentleman, who had already had a successful career in sales and sales management, took Debby under his wing and mentored her each and every day without saying the word, mentor. One day they were both at a trade show and Debby had just finished talking with two bankers and scheduled an appointment for the next week. As they walked away, John said, “Debby, you’re good, you’re damn good.” Those six words were the first time anyone had said that she might be good in sales and as a result Debby started in believing in her success. She continues to pay if forward as a way to thank John for the impact he made on her life.
In 2019 Debby published, “Tell Me Exactly What to Say: 33 Conversations That Will Make a Huge Impact on Your Networking Life.” This book came about when a student in one of her classes asked how he could get back in front of people he had already met once. When she demonstrated the conversation she might have, he asked her to slow down so he could take word-for-word notes. He wanted her to tell him exactly what to say!
It can be purchased at Amazon at this link. https://open.spotify.com/show/3etypSBKpmOadt27sPel6k
In 2001 Debby was recognized for the YWCA Milestone Award. This is given to six women each year who are making a difference in their community. There have been numerous other awards over the years, and while those are nice, Debby really likes it when someone she talked to years ago, reaches out to tell her what a huge difference she made in that person’s life. That’s all she needs. Well there is one thing more! She has taught her four granddaughters to climb trees and that makes her smile.
She teaches us ALL how to climb in so many ways and that makes ALL SMILE.
Lt. Jill Brown is a Public Affairs Officer assigned to the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) in Millington, Tennessee. She is the Executive Engagement Department Head responsible for coordinating executive outreach for Senior Leaders. She arrived at NAVCO in 2020 and previously served with the United States Fleet Forces Command.
While serving with USFF for five years, she participated in several high-profile exercises worldwide, supported hurricane relief efforts, and oversaw the public affairs desk in the Maritime Operations Center. She prepared daily briefs for the USFF Commander, a 4-Star Admiral that were critical to operational analysis and influencing the decision-making process.
Lt. Brown was selected as a Media Relations Officer assigned to Joint Task Force-National Capital Region supporting both the 58th and 59th Presidential Inaugurations. She facilitated numerous media engagements, media roundtable event, and a press conference that was nationally televised.
She was selected as a direct commission Public Affairs Officer in August 2013 and completed Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland, in 2014.
Brown began her Naval Reserve career in 1992 as an enlisted naval aircrewman assigned to VR-59 at Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas. She continued her flying career for more than 20 years transporting military members and cargo worldwide. She supported humanitarian missions to New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina.
Her personal awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal (two awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medals (six awards), Navy Good Conduct Medal, Naval Reserve Meritorious, Service Medal Silver Star, National Defense Service Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Saint Leo University and has earned event and program management certifications from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She also holds the Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) certification. She recently completed a Project Management Certification Course in 2021 to help prepare for the PMP certification.
As a civilian, Jill Brown is a Flight Attendant for United Airlines based at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for more than 20 years. She was previously a management employee for United Airlines in Chicago, working in the employee engagement department. She recently affiliated with Conference Direct as a Global Project Manager with the conference management team.
She led our PINKK Military Panel and was a leadership mentor in our 2022 Mentoring Program and was an active and kind participant in so many PINKK events!
Wow! Thank you JILL for all you do!
