We would like to Thank our Winners and Sponsors

2015 Women Entrepreneurs Awards

Entrepreneur of the Year: Carol Levalley, Rustic Bakery
Innovator of the Year: Xiaofan (Grace) Tang, TryOnApps
Breakthrough Business of the Year: Wendy Lieu, Socola Chocolatier
Women's Advocate Award: Sharon Miller, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Members of the Year: May Pon & DeeDee Towery
Golden Gate Lifetime Achievement Award: Margo Souza
Sponsor of the Year: Terry Lachenbruch, Wells Fargo
Keynote Speaker: Kara Goldin, Hint, Inc.

What People Had To Say About Our Signature Event

We were delighted and honored to be chosen as the Entrepreneur of the Year by NAWBO for 2015. It is a thrill to be selected by your peers for such an honor and we were excited to attend the gala and accept the award. The venue was spectacular and it was an evening team Rustic Bakery will always remember. Thank you again for the award, we hope to continue to be involved with NAWBO and its efforts to promote female owned businesses in the future. - Carol Levalley, Rustic Bakery, winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year

In my role as Director of Supplier Diversity and Development for Union Bank, N.A., I am frequently invited to attend numerous events highlighting the achievements of diverse business owners. We were recently invited to participate at the NAWBO-SFBA 2015 Aspire Women's Award Gala in San Francisco. Having the opportunity to listen to successful business owners motivate other women to realize they can count on this organization for assistance in growing their business was truly inspirational. In fact, I was so inspired I, publicly declared to double down on our sponsorship commitment in 2016. If you are looking for a positive ROI as either a corporate sponsor or a woman owned business, look no further than NAWBO-SFBA. – Richard Chacon, Union Bank – Gold Corporate Sponsor

Being an active member in NAWBO proves as beneficial to the success of ProActive Business Solutions as exercise benefits my personal health. As I would not miss my afternoon walk, I would not make an important business decision without input and guidance from my trusted NAWBO friends. The days of feeling alone and/or vacillating between which direction to take are over due to my participation in this wonderful organization! - DeeDee Towery – NAWBO Member of the Year, President/CEO, ProActive Business Solutions, Inc.

I feel blessed and lucky to be living in a time where being a female entrepreneur doesn't mean that you have to constantly prove your worth. Instead, being a female entrepreneur is something I have been able to derive strength and inspiration from. Thank you NAWBO for this award. It's because of organizations like this that entrepreneurs like myself and all the other amazing women can find success because we are women. Thank you! I look forward to attending future NAWBO events! The awards ceremony was so beautiful and wonderful! - Wendy Lieu, Chief Chocolatier & Owner – Breakthrough Business of the Year Award, Socola Chocolatier

I am grateful for this award. I am so inspired by women entrepreneurs: their vision, hard work and courage are remarkable. It's truly an honor to be in a position to provide the support women need to compete and succeed in business. I'm humbled by the recognition and couldn't be more excited about celebrating this award with so many accomplished women," says Sharon Miller, CEO of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. "At Renaissance, we share NAWBO's vision by carving paths and creating opportunities for women who want to take charge of their financial futures and realize their dreams of business ownership, regardless of their socioeconomic background." - Sharon Miller – Winner of NAWBO Women's Advocate Award

I am very honored that NAWBO has named Wells Fargo Sponsor of the Year and to be part of this remarkable group of women. NAWBO continues to be an important organization for women owned businesses and mirrors the vision and values of our commitment to supporting the small business community, said Terry Lucido, business banking leader for the Greater Bay and Oregon region. "As a Wells Fargo team member, I'm proud to work for a company with a culture of caring and understanding women are a vital part of our marketplace and our company. We continue to work hard helping our small business customers grow, expand and add jobs which will help our communities thrive." - Terry Lucido – Wells Fargo Bank – Sponsor of the Year

We are delighted to sponsor the NAWBO Aspire Awards," said Leslie Barber, Small Business Engagement Officer at Intuit QuickBooks. "We are committed to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. We congratulate the Aspire Award winners and we celebrate the success of all NAWBO members." - Leslie Barber – Intuit – Gold Corporate Sponsor

Very nice event last night. Congratulations! - Sandra James, President of Private Eyes, Inc.

Aspire Gold Sponsors:

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"In-Kind" Sponsor:

Special Thanks to Our Educational Speaker Series Sponsor!