Fifteen women were inducted into the WE Hatch Honor Circle, a cornerstone of WE Hatch, a Horn initiative that aims to empower innovative and entrepreneurial women.
“The WE Hatch Honor Circle is important because women are greatly underrepresented in innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Dan Freeman, the founding director of the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship. “They receive something like 2% of venture capital, but they certainly have no shortage of great ideas.”
Bold names are UD alumnae. This year’s inductees:
Shinera Adams and her husband, Jhalil, founded His and Hers Cleaning & Utility LLC in Wilmington, Delaware. “Whether you need a one-time deep clean, regular housekeeping services, or assistance with handyman tasks, our team of skilled professionals has the expertise and attention to detail,” she writes on the corporate website.
Sarah Baker Andrus is the founder of Avarah Careers . “I’ve spent my entire career immersed in everyone else’s careers – working on all sides of the hiring equation – as a career counselor, directing a recruiting team, and serving as a hiring manager in the corporate world, she writes on the corporate website. She is also assistant director for Career Services at UD and is an adjunct at the Lerner College of Business.
Rachel Cossar is the founder of Choreography for Business, a nonverbal communication consulting firm, and co-founder of Virtual Sapiens , which uses patented, real-time behavioral AI coaching to empower teams' presence and communication.
Taylor Drainer is the national strategic communications manager at Trinity Health and a longtime leader at the Junior League of Wilmington. She holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing Management from Goldey-Beacom College and an BA in Mass Communications from George Mason University.
Wanda Guyton is the founder of Coffee Rendezbrew , Delaware’s first coffee brand owned by a Black woman. It has a store near Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and its coffees are sold at multiple locations in Delaware.
Jenn Halweil began Go Beyond to tell stories about science, money and innovation. “#GoBeyond started as an Instagram account documenting a different woman in STEM everyday but it has quickly grown into so much more,” she writes on her website.
Kristen Isaac is the founder of Project Solved, a change management consulting firm, a dynamic change management and team dynamics consulting firm specializing in crafting strategic solutions for organizations. Kristen earned her Bachelor of Science from Howard University and holds a Master of Public Health from Thomas Jefferson University.
Gertha Jean, who is based in Georgetown, Delaware, is the chief brand officer for BLB Global and CEO of One Way Insurance Group. “In a world full of noise, it’s easy for your brand to feel lost in the dark,” she writes on the corporate website. “That’s where I come in.”
Kristina Kambalov is the executive director of First State Ballet Theatre in Wilmington. She enjoys her role as teacher, coach, and ballet mistress for the company and the First State Ballet Theater school. In 2023, Kristina was named among the most impactful leaders in Delaware by Delaware Business Times.
Stephanie Johnnie (AS10) is the executive director of the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. Having made significant contributions to various non-profit organizations in Delaware, Stephanie joined the staff of the PDFF in 2021 and works to bring together thought leaders and doers to identify bold ideas, connect resources, and collectively engage in supporting the vision for making Delaware a better place to live, work and raise a family.
Meghan O’Donnell (BE06) is the co-founder of empowHERed, which is designed to connect female students and young professionals with exclusive opportunities, relationships, and resources to help break into and navigate a male-dominated industry.
Michelle Parsons is the physician at Renove Medical Spa in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “We have a treasure trove of medically-approved procedures for women and men who wish to refresh and enhance their appearance without a lot of ‘down time’ or risks and complications of surgery,” she writes on the corporate website.
Lisa Savage-Phillips, who is based in Newark, is the founder of the Center for Child Development, the largest Black-owned practice in the country, and Clinicians of Color, an online directory and training resource for therapists of color.
Diante Simmons is the founder of Cabernet Candles, in New Castle, Delaware. It exemplifies her “concept of fostering community through artistic expression,” she writes on the corporate website.
Samantha Sullivan (’24) owns a franchise in Hockessin, Delaware, for Graze Craze, which creates charcuterie boards and boxes. She is a 2024 graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in Organizational Leadership.
Congratulations to these hardworking and innovative women who continue to inspire other women across all generations and professions. Horn Entrepreneurship is proud to welcome them into the WE Hatch Honor Circle and its growing network of leaders and business professionals.
The WE Hatch Honor Circle is part of the WE Hatch initiative, launched in 2020 to unleash the potential of creative, innovative and entrepreneurial women through curriculum, programming, mentorship and venture funding support. WE Hatch leverages Horn Entrepreneurship’s network and expertise to benefit University of Delaware students and women in the community.
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the U.S., horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.