Cohort 4
Cohort 3

Pamela Connors
Auditory IQPamela became interested in artificial intelligence and the intersection between language and technology in her theoretical linguistics program at University of California, Santa Cruz. Post college, she received an opportunity to work for the Oregon Graduate Institute on emerging speech technologies. Pamela started with the Center for Human-Computer Communication, but was recruited by the Center for Spoken Language Understanding (CSLU) to be an on-site researcher at a local school for deaf children under an NSF grant whose goal was to explore the uses of CSLU’s speech toolkit technologies (speech recognition, dialogue systems, and synthetic speech) in the education of children with language delays related to hearing loss.
As she observed the teachers and students using the tools, she began to conceptualize and prototype software programs that made their technology use easier and more targeted toward supplementing what they needed. Pamela continued this work for over a decade, even after the institute merged with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). After the merger, she was the principal investigator on five NIH SBIR funding opportunities at a company partially owned by OHSU. In 2017, she chose to start her own company, Auditory IQ, LLC. Auditory IQ creates and markets auditory rehabilitation products that are commercially viable and readily available for people with hearing loss.

Amy Fox
AltarCassie and Amy have been partners and owners of Altar for five years. Both women are particularly inspired by the creative aspects of the company, but it also seems that their major strength as business owners is continued innovative approaches to marketing and branding. Each with a different background in manufacturing, soft goods and metal-smithing, they bring expertise to the retail setting and have an eye for on-trend/ahead-of-trend curves. In their personal lives, they are great friends who have built a lot of the company ethos around women supporting women. This has been a point of pride in their partnership as major life events such as motherhood, marriage, health care, and everything in between have happened amid the challenges of running the company.

Cassie Ridgeway
AlterCassie and Amy have been partners and owners of Altar for five years. Both women are particularly inspired by the creative aspects of the company, but it also seems that their major strength as business owners is continued innovative approaches to marketing and branding. Each with a different background in manufacturing, soft goods and metal-smithing, they bring expertise to the retail setting and have an eye for on-trend/ahead-of-trend curves. In their personal lives, they are great friends who have built a lot of the company ethos around women supporting women. This has been a point of pride in their partnership as major life events such as motherhood, marriage, health care, and everything in between have happened amid the challenges of running the company.

Sonya Sanford
Beetroot Market and DeliSonya Sanford is the executive chef and owner of Beetroot Market & Deli. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Sonya is the child of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union. Sonya began her culinary education with the cooks in her family. From them, she learned to pickle, preserve, garden and forage and to prepare the recipes that have been passed down for generations. Propelled by this appreciation for great food, Sonya worked in restaurants while attending college in Portland, Oregon. It was during those formative years that Sonya discovered and fell in love with the richness of Pacific Northwest produce and local ingredients. In her early twenties, she moved to Los Angeles for a job in the entertainment industry, though she quickly found a way to put her passion for food at the center of her work. While in Los Angeles, Sonya worked as a personal chef and caterer to Hollywood executives and producers, and later as a food stylist, culinary producer, and food writer. As a chef, Sonya specializes in Jewish food from around the world and is particularly interested in exploring how Jewish dishes have evolved to incorporate the influences and ingredients of countries across the Jewish diaspora.

Torri Wright
BEHCATorri’s background is in Special Education with a strong emphasis on challenging behavior. She has more than two decades of experience working with staff development, training professionals in the educational setting as well as foster, group home and biological families. Torri is also the founder/CEO of another business (Wright Behavior: Consulting and Advocacy LLC) focusing on consulting, speaking engagements, workshops/trainings, and thought leadership. She has written a book (See Beyond Behavior) and has a podcast series (also, See Beyond Behavior). Human behavior is large part of our communication, therefore Torri’s expertise has been developed in behavior linguist and building bridges in challenging situations.

Maret Thatcher
Bevel SpaceMaret is a feminist futurist with a vision for spatial and ambient computing. Formerly a lawyer, curmudgeon, and Virtual Reality Skeptic, her career path forever altered when she agreed to five minutes of wearing a silly VR headset. Five minutes became forty as she realized how immersive experiences like Virtual and Augmented Reality can persuade, inform, and delight. She co-founded Bevel in 2017 which develops custom design communication tools for architecture and construction. Her favorite reality is Real Life Reality which she enjoys with her friends, family, and dogs.

Genevieve Brazelton
The Bitter HousewifeGenevieve is a restaurant industry veteran having held roles from prep cook to bar manager. She escaped the dinning room floor to work with wineries and distilleries on PR and marketing, however there was still something missing in her career path. It was while developing what she hoped would be a lifestyle brand centered around home entertaining that Genevieve discovered making bitters and saw the glimmer of a product and what the market was missing. Now she creates all the flavors and manage the brand of The Bitter Housewife.

Monique Menesi
BreadloversMonique came to the United States in 2014. It was difficult for her to get good organic sourdough bread, like she was used to from her old home country Germany. After Monique had started to bake fresh homemade bread for her husband and her kids every day, she was looking for ways to simplify the daily process and started preparing baking kits for herself. Now, she simply had to add water, mix and bake. After a friend in Germany gave her a baking mix in a jar, Monique had the idea of selling her own bread baking kits to everyone in the US. The idea of Breadlovers was born. In 2017, Monique and her family traveled through the United States with their camper van, to visit a number of mills and find the perfect ingredients for their bread baking kits. Each one of the 6 bread baking kits which are now sold online and several Grocery stores in the United States are either named after the place they were baked at for the very first time or after a place they were inspired by.

Catherine Ryan Gregory
Catherine Ryan GregoryBesides brief childhood dreams of becoming a zookeeper or astronaut, Catherine has always wanted to be a writer. She counts herself fortunate every day that she has the opportunity to ask deep questions, interview experts, explore the world and see where the story takes her. Catherine worked as an editor at SELF Magazine before freelancing full-time. She has contributed to publications including Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Glamour, Real Simple, Bloomberg Business Week, Travel Portland and many more; she also ghostwrites for people with big ideas but packed schedules, landing their thought leadership in outlets including Entrepreneur, Ad Age and others. Catherine writes a family travel blog, To & Fro Fam, where she shares family travel hacks + kid-friendly destinations to help overextended parents spend more time with their kids—with less stress. Catherine loves nothing more than spending time outside and exploring the world with her husband, two kids, and Kooikerhound rescue pup Finn.

Allyson Strowbridge
ctrl+shift+spaceAfter spending many years in branding and marketing, plus facilities and office management, Allyson realized her calling was to make a difference in people's everyday lives through improving work environments. After several years spent managing accounts in the world of commercial furniture and interiors, it became crystal clear that there was a need to create an improved experience for people and businesses going through workplace transitions. So Allyson built ctrl+shift+space with the goal of adding a human-centered touch to the process of changing office environments.

Kim Campbell
Dare HeartKim Campbell is the Founder and Designer of Dare Heart™, a movement brand to empower women through ultra-comfortable and steadfast cotton underwear. She is folding her decades of being a mother, partner, sister, friend, and business founder into this new fashion venture. Born into an entrepreneurial family and educated in philosophy (BA) and art therapy (MA), she is the third generation to own and operate a business in Oregon. Kim holds the fundamental belief that we should all be seizing our opportunities to live by our own choices. In 1995 she started Campbell Salgado Studio, a well-regarded boutique photo studio in Sellwood-Moreland. After decades of crafting bespoke imagery, she has witnessed first hand the challenges and expectations society places on women — prescribing how they should look — and how this affects their self-esteem and confidence. Her powerful antidote is to create a clothing brand that embraces women in their current beautiful bodies. Making self-care and personal-empowerment her priorities, this native Oregonian loves to create gorgeous outdoor spaces for spending time with family and friends, practice yoga, shape new or upcycled fabric into clothing, and try new recipes from places where she’s traveled. Active in her community, she volunteers with her local business alliance and mentors future entrepreneurs and artists. As a fine art photographer, her latest body of work entitled ‘Enrobed’ tells a personal love story between her late mother and herself through her mother’s gifts of hand-made clothing. Dare Heart™ will resonate with women who value personal authenticity over societal expectations. By offering a product that lifts women up, she hopes Dare Heart™ inspires individuals to be courageous in big and small ways. Kim firmly believes in the collective power of women to turn ripples into waves.

Shannon Gee
EcdysiastShannon was born in Seoul and has lived in the PNW for most of her life. She has one daughter who just graduated high school. Shannon cofounded Ecdysiast in 2008.

Alisia Ford
GloryAlisia Ford is the Founder and CEO of Glory, a skincare and wellness brand for women of all hues. She is inspired to make skincare services more inclusive and reflect the diversity we see in our communities. Before starting Glory, Alisia, a trained attorney, led negotiations and managed license agreements for Nike and the dedicated advertising agency for Apple. Prior to that, she managed legal compliance for Mazda, worked for several law firms, and held various roles at some of the most premier sports, entertainment, and marketing organizations. Alisia is a graduate of USC-Marshall School of Business and Seattle University School of Law.

Shari Chin
Heel Me BabyShari, Founder of Heel Me Baby, brings a diverse group of skills and life experiences together to form this unique concept. She graduated from Emory University with a degree in Economics and has worked as a Project Engineer in the construction industry for the last five years, helping to construct from 82 story to 7 story buildings in both Miami, Florida and Portland, Oregon. Shari is a strong believer in positive thinking and entrepreneurship. After regularly watching retail trends, she decided to combine her love for shoes and fashion, with her Economics background and project engineering skill-set to found HMB. When Shari is not working you can find her on the dance floor with friends dancing to bachata and salsa; or decompressing in her garden watching the plants grow.

Katie Deming
MAKEMERRYDr. Katie Deming is a board-certified radiation oncologist and founder of MAKEMERRY. For years, Katie watched as my patients struggled to find bras that felt soft against their sensitive skin. Not finding them, Katie would alter their own bras to make them more comfortable during radiation. Unfortunately, these little hacks were ineffective and anything but sexy. So she decided to take the plunge—pun intended—and design the perfect bra. Katie’s passion project turned into six years of researching the best fabrics and designs, prototyping, patenting, wear testing, not sleeping, and ultimately, developing MAKEMERRY’s unique design. Although Katie never intended to design clothing, MAKEMERRY has become an extension of her own oncology practice and a gratifying way to impact not only her patients, but also women worldwide.

Vanessa Matson
Hey BabeVanessa Matson, Founder of Hey Babe, LLC is dedicated to overcoming the common misconception that eating an all plant-based diet is boring or challenging. She is also committed to creating real change in the world by producing plant-based food products that taste awesome, are easily accessible, and have a giveback component. Part passion project and part food innovation company, Hey Babe was founded on the belief that if there were just as many vegan options available in the marketplace, as their “traditional” counterparts, that a shift would happen, and this amazing plant-based lifestyle would become the norm (or at the very least, people may choose it more often). Which is a win for the environment and millions of farm animals!

Julie Neilson
Neilson OrchidsHaving grown up in the lush Pacific Northwest as a flower farmer's daughter, plants were Julie's first love. She went on to study Film, Art and languages at Bard College and holds a degree in Philosophy from Portland State University. With a diverse work background that includes specialty grocery management and scientific research grants coordination, applying much of the resulting skill-set in carrying on the family business – and helping people succeed with plants - is a natural and exciting next step.

Natalie Fairchild
Pacific Perks CoffeeNatalie is the Founder/Owner of Pacific Perks Coffee, LLC and grew up right here in the Pacific Northwest. The business was created with the notion of delivering a great service to companies and at the same time allowing our family the ability to balance life. Natalie contributes to the success of Pacific Perks by surrounding herself with the right people, doing what they say they are going to do and being committed to a balanced life.

Rebecca Knutson
Sweetbody LaboratoriesRebecca is the cofounder and CEO of Sweetbody Laboratories, Inc. A massage therapist by trade, Rebecca has spent the last decade or so building a successful private practice with her partner, Sweetbody's other cofounder, Debi Mann. Rebecca also has a BS in Business Admin/Logistics/Supply Chain, specifically logistics of information and where Marketing and Supply Chain Management intersect. Rebecca had 20+ years customer service experience and experience working in both large corporate and startup environments before she and Debi incorporated Sweetbody Laboratories.

Cindy Capparelli
Portland Bitters ProjectIn 2014, Cindy founded Portland Bitters Project with the vision to create the best bitters on the market. Now her bitters are enjoyed around the country and internationally to make expressive, delicious cocktails. Cindy teaches at two Portland colleges and visits private groups, distilleries and maker's spaces to spread the gospel of high-quality ingredients and time-honored technique. She gives people the confidence and knowledge to stir up a drink at home, experiment with tinctures or just more fully enjoy their food and beverage experiences.

Sohpia Treyger
Radical PleasuristAs co-creator of Radical Pleasurist, Sophia is a Relationship & Intimacy Guide supporting courageous humans in having amazing relationships & intimacy with ease, joy, and pleasure. Sophia uses her passion and skills as a Yoga Instructor, trained therapist, master communicator, and community organizer to give her clients programs that completely re-program their nervous system, mind, body, and belief system. As a result of working with Sophia, you change your relationship with yourself and everyone around you so you feel free and courageous to be yourself and receive more love and joy. She has been creating events since 2014 and has changed the lives of 100s of people through her Radical Pleasure programs. [Heather will provide her biography as well]

Emily Stutzman
RECOHilary Shirk and Emily co-own Reco. They both work in marketing (Hilary is a marketing manager at adidas and Emily is the Business director at Happylucky). They excel in building strategic relationships and working to create and deliver the best possible product or service.

Astrid Scholz
Spaera SolutionsDr. Astrid J. Scholz is Managing Partner and CEO (“Chief Everything Officer”) of Sphaera, a system design and technology firm dedicated to co-creating global, distributed, democratic infrastructure for mobilizing data, innovations, and capital to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Astrid was previously President of Ecotrust, a conservation-based development organization with $150M in AUM, where Sphaera was incubated. Astrid is a founding director of the XXcelerate Fund, a revolving loan fund and mentorship program created for and by women entrepreneurs that is piloting in her home state of Oregon, USA. She is also a founding director of Zebras Unite, a growing global community of founders, investors, and allies who are creating a more ethical, inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable approach to building businesses. Astrid holds degrees from the University of St. Andrews, the University of Bristol, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Debi Mann
Sweetbody LaboratoriesDebi is the Cofounder and President of Sweetbody Laboratories, Inc. A massage therapist by trade, Debi has spent the last decade or so building a successful private practice with her partner, Sweetbody's other cofounder, Rebecca Knutson. Debi also has a BS in Public Health, with a minor in Athletic Training. This education has aided Debi's massage skills in helping her clients stay active and reduce pain with massage. Sweetbody Laboratories was originally created to help our massage clients, and now we get to share it with everyone.