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Photo by Katie-Marie Fickling

Picture from the WOP induction ceremony held on April 21, 2011 at Edens Lounge. (Pictured l to r.-Teresa Johnson Greene, Alicia Pryor, Eric Stewart, Katie Fickling, Thea Washington. Stellar Award winner Jessica Greene and Qi Lola.) These ladies were honored for their part in making Pampering With A Purpose a success by giving 15 very deserving local woman a makeover and a new lease on life.

The Women Of Power Network honors those extraordinary women making a difference in Baltimore. Check out this evening’s honorees.

Carnitra White, a resident of Baltimore, serves as the Executive Director of the Maryland Department of Human Resources’ Social Services Administration. She has been employed by the Department of Human Resources for nearly 18 years, starting as a caseworker. As Deputy Executive Director and Executive Director of the Social Services Administration, Carnitra has lead Maryland’s child welfare system in practice reforms; improved use of data and increased accountability. During her tenure, Maryland’s Child Welfare reform efforts that have resulted in over a 23% reduction of the number of children in foster care; a more than 50% reduction in the number of youth group care placements; and record numbers of children leaving foster care with positive permanency exits. Carnitra is an Annie E. Casey 2010-2011 Children and Family Fellow. She is also a member of the First Mount Olive Freewill Baptist Church and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Carnitra has a B.A. in Communication Arts from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland.

Michele Blanchard has been designing and producing fine fashion for over two decades. Her company, Michele Blanchard Design Gallery is located in the historic Mt. Washington area of Baltimore, Maryland. This Baltimore native started designing and making clothing very early in her life. She was inspired by her mother, the late Delores Barnes, an accomplished seamstress and dressmaker in her own right. Michele, a freelance stylist and designer, has created and tailored numerous gowns for weddings, proms, and other special events. She uses virtually every kind of fabric and textile in her designs, in every color and hue, including some sensational formal, casual and crocheted beachwear. Having designed her own clothing for years, Michele’s talent has been featured in upscale fashion shows and events while introducing many of her signature pieces. Michele’s latest accomplishment was creating a couture gown for Baltimore actress Nicole Ari Parker for the 2010 Emmys. This show-stopping, red-carpet gown was also pictured in the September 20, 2010 issue of Jet Magazine. With Michele’s passion for fashion, she considers herself to be poised, polished and professional and her design style can be described as classic and sophisticated. Each piece she creates simply becomes a labor of love.

Monokia Tyson-Nance, founder of Artistic Mirror Marketing & Design, Inc., is a creative arts enthusiast who combined her passion for the arts. With over a decade of experience in youth development, she reaches young people of all ages as well as their families. Realizing that many families currently consist of single mothers, catapulted her on a journey to focus on women; as a result she Co- founded Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation, Inc. a 501 (c)(3) federally recognized, not-for-profit organization, that promotes holistic wellness for women and families through education, physical and mental health, economic and self-empowerment. Mrs. Nance currently serves as the Executive Director. While pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations at Morgan State University, Mrs. Nance has had the opportunity to cultivate her skills, both nationally and internationally. Her company has serviced a wide variety of clientele ranging from institutions to local businesses such as: University of Maryland Poison Center, Baltimore City Public School System, The After-School Institute, Gypsy Soul and Be FRAMED. Mrs. Nance has made it her life’s work to create lasting changes in the lives of, to advocate for, and nurture the growth of youth and their families by planning and implementing school, community, and religious outreach programs. Co-Author of Because I am a Queen…100 Affirmations for Daily Living, Mrs. Nance travels throughout the nation motivating and encouraging people to “ Love Life and Live in Happiness” For more information on Mrs. Nance and Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation please visit http://www.partofthecure.org.

Deneen Fassett-Banks is currently the United States Postmaster of Randallstown, Maryland. Deneen began her Postal career in 1995 as a letter carrier. Her commitment to the job as well as her desire to move beyond her position, led her to seek acting supervisor positions, where she excelled. She was Supervisor in both the Owings Mills and Reisterstown Post Offices. In 2003, Deneen was accepted into the Associate Supervisor Program and after successfully completing that program was promoted to Supervisor of Customer Service at the Reisterstown Post Office. Continuing to strive to excel, in 2004, she was accepted into the Officer in Charge Program and became the OIC of Reisterstown. In 2008, she was reassigned to OIC of Randallstown where she was officially promoted to Postmaster. As Postmaster of Randallstown she oversees the delivery, retail, and administrative operation of not only Randallstown, but also the Marriottsville communities. Her office service over 13,000 deliveries. Deneen’s goal is to mentor other young women. She wants to encourage and inspire them to become Postal Supervisors, Managers, and/or Postmasters. She not only donates her time, but also her resources to helping others donating this year; a dozen gowns and shoes to her alma mater City College for the school’s prom boutique, soliciting and donating shoes for Haiti, and is a volunteer for the American Cancer Society breast cancer walk. Deneen’s strongest belief is that as a black female, as you move forward and achieve your goals and aspirations, you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, reach back and help someone else to achieve theirs.

Baltimore City native, Beavette H. Loney is CEO of Kingdom Living, Inc a nonprofit organization, developer of Creative Elements an event planning entity specializing in unique centerpieces and Executive Pastor at Greater Temple of Praise. All of which she housed under one umbrella called Purpose & Destiny Community Center opened in 2010. “Best Selling” co-author of The Queens Legacy, at a young age, she became familiar with the effects of poverty in her hometown. As she grew older, she became more conscious of the living conditions and issues related to the Baltimore impoverished population. Through an intimate relationship with God and life experiences, her purpose began to unfurl. Beavette soon realized she was being equipped with the ability to provide assistance to those in need especially (teenage mothers, single parents, families of individuals lost due to street violence, young widows, the homeless and disenfranchised). Beavette has participated in diverse educational pursuits, licensing and community activities. Serving on various Boards, she trained through Associated Black Charities’ More in the Middle Community-based Board Development Pipeline. An advocate of self-determination, she is commitment to being an activist for social change. Kingdom Living, Inc. overall goal is to provide a comprehensive program of education and services designed to effectively promote the stabilization and social/economic advancement of the destitute in the localities in which they reside. “Restoring Lives and Rebuilding Communities”.

Monique Reed is the owner of Young Money Bail Bonds; I’ve been a bail bondsman for two years. I got into the bail business as a way of getting additional income; I didn’t know that I would like it this much and that I would start my own business. The women of W.E.B. really pushed and encouraged me to start my own business. I’m also employed at Johns Hopkins University doing HIV research; I can actually say that I love my job at Johns Hopkins because I’m giving back to the community by educating people about HIV. I do a lot of donating to various charities for the homeless and for the House of Ruth. Before I resigned as Laboratory Coordinator at Maryland Baptist Aged Home, I would have donation drives for the residence at the home because a lot of them are alone with no family or friends, so I would have people donate shoes and clothes to them.

Tiger dawn creates her success on the belief of “Ask and It Is Given”. Her positive attitude towards life has enabled her to achieve many successful dreams and goals in her life. At age 7 her childhood dream of becoming an actress was embarked upon in 2005 when she began self study that lead to her enrolling and studying at Morgan State University for Theatre Arts. Since 2005 she has become a seasoned actress and director noting such acting performances in stage plays, commercials and independent films and documentaries. To name a few: “Born Yesterday” lead actress/director, “Fences” director, “Kitchen Princess” actress, “Crossing a deep river” actress, “The Power the passion and the Pulpit” lead actress, “Buyer’s Market” director, “the Meaning of Christmas” director, “Where Can a Good Man Find a Good Woman” actress/director, “Honor Amongst Thieves” actress/assistant director, “My first love” director, and “Charles Bowman” One woman show. In 2004, Tiger Dawn studied as a minister and founded her own mime ministry, W.O.W. Ministry of Mime (W.O.W – Way of Worship) which allowed her to minister to others and appreciate a form of worship by seeing, hearing, and feeling true praise. She is currently the Associate producer and Assistant Director of the relationship talk show “The Y Factor” that airs on the Comcast cable network as well as an actress in the long running documentary “Judge Smartt”, now used as a housing counselor tool for Baltimore City first time home buyers program. Tiger has volunteered her creative artistic abilities by cooking for the Hannah Moor Shelter and painting two murals in the playroom of Interim Transitional Housing for Women. She believes that success is achieved by doing what you are passionate about whether you are compensated for it or not because the love comes from the giving, the doing…not the receiving.

Tawana Tiller

BIO

Tawana Tiller is a Senior Cosmetologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Her craft of hair care blossomed while attending Carver Vocational High School. After graduating, Tawana honed her craft in hair care, cut and color as a professional stylist. Later, as a Platform Artist, she traveled extensively demonstrating her perfect passion for hair while developing stage presence. Tawana later served on an advisory board as a Panel Approver/Rater with the State of Maryland’s Board of Cosmetologists. She continues to teach and coach others on how to achieve the same success. Tawana is no stranger to the Beauty industry, having spent 30 years as a beauty consultant and entrepreneur. This role has taught her the importance of healthy hair and sound business acumen. Tawana realized her goal of offering women across the country the tools to healthy hair. In 2008, she created a professional hair care line under BeauticinaFind LLC, which includes beauty care products for the hair, scalp, and body. Through imperial research, Tawana designed a three-step spa hair treatment (invigorating shampoo, conditioner, and detangler) Tingle-Tingle, as the name suggests, is touted as the ultimate spa sensation at an affordable price. The spa line for the body Elegant Cleanse is an exceptional outer body experience. In August 2010, Tawana became affiliated as an account executive for The Power Magazine. Eventually the magazine will provide a salon and spa directory listing professional beauty care suppliers, as well as fashion retailers within the Maryland and Washington D.C. corridor. The Power of Beauty will be affiliated with The Power Magazine that provides Christian resources and has been in circulation since 1985.

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