Million Dollar Women Symposium

The Symposium provides an opportunity for women entrepreneurs and professionals to see and hear the human side of successful women business owners. We hope to empower women at all stages of business to see that no matter where they came from and no matter how differently they may think, there is a role model for them.

Our keynote speaker and panelists share their stories, successes and lessons learned to an eager and entrepreneurial audience. It’s a joyful and inspiring event.

Keynote Speaker:

Rhonda Kallman, Founder & CEO, Boston Harbor Distillery

Panelists:

Rajia Abdelaziz, CEO & Co-Founder, invisaWear

Natalie Blue and Madelene Pario, Co-Founders, The Artful Life Counseling Center & Studio

Jeysi Zuniga, President & CEO, Synergy Contracting, Inc.

Founding Sponsor: North Shore Bank

Legacy Sponsors: Salem State University, Sperling Interactive , West Hill Technology Counsel

Community Sponsor: 4 Insurance, LLC, Eastern Bank

Presenter

Rhonda Kallman

Rhonda Kallman, Founder & CEO, Boston Harbor Distillery

Rhonda Kallman has nearly four decades of experience in the alcohol beverage industry and is considered one of America’s beverage industry thought leaders. Kallman was instrumental in paving the way for craft beer acceptance by making it available throughout the US while educating consumers on American craft beer superiority. In addition, as the pioneering women in the beer industry, she was able to lead the way for other women to earn the respect and credibility they deserve.

In 2012, Ms. Kallman founded Boston Harbor Distillery, creating proprietary craft spirits that integrate rich history, distinctive experiences, beverage culture and Boston pride into each bottle it produces. Housed in a pre-Civil War era building overlooking Boston Harbor, this urban distillery serves as an educational facility, event space and production facility that hand crafts Boston’s finest spirits featuring Putnam New England Whiskey varieties; Demon Seed Whiskey; award winning innovative Spirit of Boston— distilled from Sam Adams beer varieties a testament to her beer industry legacy; Lawley’s Small Batch Gin & Rum and craft disruptors Boston Harbor Maple Cream & Coffee Liqueurs and ready-to-drink Espresso Martini.

In 2001, she founded New Century Brewing Co., to produce and market innovative American craft beer styles. After losing a well-publicized battle with the FDA over adding trace amounts of caffeine to beer, New Century Brewing closed in 2011.

In 1984, she cofounded The Boston Beer Company (NYSE:SAM), now the most successful and influential craft beer company in the US. Ms. Kallman served as EVP, overseeing sales & marketing as well as the company’s human capital. Rhonda built the most admired sales organization in the industry. She was a member of BBC’s management committee, executive committee and board of directors. In addition, She innovated many of the company’s most successful styles and brands.

As a testament to her impact, she was honored by The Institute for Brewing Studies with its Recognition Award for being the “Pioneering Woman in the Beer Industry”.

A few of her distinctive awards and recognitions include being featured as “INC. Magazine’s “25 Entrepreneurs We Love (and what makes them great) along with other luminaries like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Larry Page/Sergey Brin. She’s been recognized as the Top 10 innovators in the beer industry by “Draft Magazine” and is the recipient of the 2011 Maverick Award presented by “Beer Business Daily”.

Ms. Kallman had the esteemed distinction of representing the City of Boston during 2001 Winter Olympic Games relay, she was the featured subject in a movie called “Beer Wars” and was included in books titled “Inspirational Women of Boston” and “Quench Your Own Thirst”.

Ms. Kallman is currently on the board of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and 3rd Beverage Company, as well as past-chairman of the board of The Jett Foundation, a charitable organization helping to raise awareness and funds on behalf of those afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, in addition to supporting numerous charitable organizations centered around the health and well being of women and children.

Ms. Kallman is married to Matt Shanley for >25 years. Both are entrepreneurs and lifelong residents of the Boston area. Together they have three children: Callie, Alexander and Courtney.

Presenter

Rajia Abdelaziz

Rajia is the CEO of invisaWear, a company that creates smart jewelry and accessories with safety technology hidden inside. With just two clicks, invisaWear's life-saving technology alerts friends, family, and even the police that the user is requesting help.

At the young age of 21, Rajia developed this innovative technology, turning down a prestigious job opportunity with Google to pursue her passion for making a difference in the world. Her mission was to combat the alarming statistics surrounding sexual assault, where 1 in 5 women is sexually assaulted at some point in her lifetime.

In just a few short years, Rajia has taken invisaWear from launch to over 100,000 customers, successfully raising millions of dollars to bring the product to market within 2 years. She has become one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Massachusetts, defying the odds stacked against women and minorities in the industry. Rajia has even partnered with two multi-billion-dollar companies and industry leaders in security, ADT Security and Telus Communications.

As a technology innovator and empowering female force, Rajia has been recognized by the Boston Globe as one of the Top Tech Power Players in MA, she was an honoree of BostInno's 25 Under 25 list and TechCo's Top 100 Startups. She is also a recipient of the prestigious New England Innovations Award, previously awarded to companies such as Ben and Jerry's, iRobot, and Vistaprint.

Rajia's goal as a minority female CEO is to inspire other young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams despite the naysayers who may doubt them for being too young or simply having an idea. Her success has inspired her to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs through UMass Lowell's Entrepreneurship program.

Presenter

Natalie Blue

Natalie Blue is the Co-Founder and Chief Mission Officer of The Artful Life Counseling Center and Studio located in Salem MA. The Artful Life is a unique group practice that provides an accessible, affordable, alternative to traditional mental health counseling through expressive arts therapies and other holistic interactive modalities. Natalie has practiced as a therapist on the North Shore for 18 years specializing in Expressive Arts Therapies, trauma-informed care, EMDR and Internal Family Systems. Prior to co-founding The Artful Life in 2016, Natalie worked in various North Shore community agencies such as The Northeast ARC, Family Continuity and Children’s Friend and Family Services. Natalie has also been an adjunct professor in the Psychology Department at Endicott College and at Lesley University training the next generation of therapists. In addition to managing a small clinical caseload, Natalie oversees the ‘creative vision’ of The Artful Life by building brand awareness, developing partnerships for community programs, and strengthening referral networks for new clients. Natalie also helps develop in-house staff trainings, consultation programs, and supports staff through clinical supervision and building their caseloads. Natalie and her business partner, Madelene Pario, were awarded by the SBA, Best Women Owned Business of 2023 and were a 2018 finalist in the Salem State Enterprise Center Business Plan Competition. Natalie is a newly appointed member of the Board of Directors for the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

Natalie was selected to participate in the LEADS North Shore Fellows for 2023/24. LEADS is a 10-month Executive Fellowship program that is developed and delivered in partnership with Faculty/Staff from Harvard Business School. LEADS fellows are diverse, cross-sectional leaders, already working in positions of influence and committed to making positive change in the greater Lynn, Salem, Peabody and/or Beverly communities.

Natalie has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Saint Peter’s University in NJ. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and is currently pursuing certification in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

Presenter

Madelene Pario

Madelene Pario is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at The Artful Life Counseling Center and Studio, located in Salem MA. In addition to managing a small clinical caseload, Madelene oversees the day-to-day functioning of The Artful Life including developing and tracking success metrics, supervising Client Accounts and Billing, maintaining workplace security and compliance and supporting staff through clinical supervision and meeting their benchmarks.

Madelene brings her clinical experience into developing and supporting best practices by Artful Life staff as they serve the community. She is an eclectic, person-centered therapist with 16 years of experience in the field of mental health counseling and art therapy, and has been a Board Certified Art Therapist since 2017. In addition to art therapy, Madelene is trained in EMDR, trauma-informed CBT, DBT and Internal Family Systems approaches. Her expertise includes children, teens and adults, and she has particular interest and specialization in dissociative disorders, phobias and PTSD. She is currently working towards certification in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).

Prior to co-founding The Artful Life in 2016, Madelene worked in private practice and community mental health in Salem. She also worked from 2017-2020 as an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor in the Lesley Expressive Arts Therapy graduate program before stepping away to focus on growing The Artful Life.

Madelene obtained her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and her Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art from Brown University.

Presenter

Jeysi Zuniga

Proudly born in Guatemala, from a long line of fierce matriarchs, Jeysi emigrated to Lawrence from California in 2001. She is an optimistic, driven, multifaceted entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Synergy Contracting Inc., an environmental remediation, demolition, painting and construction services company located in Lawrence, MA.

She has always been an active advocate for Latinos, especially women who have historically been underrepresented, and she is particularly committed to advancing their participation in the industry. Her professional background is in the environmental field, real estate and biotechnology.

Jeysi has been very successful in building companies from the ground up. Synergy is a unionized company that provides high paying jobs to minorities in underserved communities with access to health insurance, education, annuity and pension funds, scholarships, legal representation, and apprenticeship programs. Through key partnerships, Jeysi has secured training and the proper certifications for Synergy's workforce, and she constantly emphasizes the value of education so that individuals can advance their careers and take advantage of the opportunities available.

As the first Latina to participate in Harvard's Construction Academy Program, Jeysi's primary objective was to help create a road map for minority and women-owned companies so they learn about the procedures, logistics, and policies associated with doing business with Harvard. Jeysi is also a licensed Realtor, as well as a Certified Advanced Commercial & Pricing Strategy Advisor. Through real estate, she has been able to help dozens of families achieve their home ownership and investment dreams.