New Roles
Chicago Tribune Statehouse Bureau Chief
Mac Strategies Group, a twenty-five time, award-winning strategic communications, public affairs and government relations firm, announced today that former Chicago Tribune Statehouse Bureau Chief Monique Garcia will join the firm as its vice president of public and media relations.
In this newly created role, Garcia will be developing effective communication strategies for clients’ issue campaigns, while simultaneously using her experience to help navigate the Statehouse pressroom along with media outlets statewide. he has been recognized as one of the “best state capitol reporters in America” by the Washington Post, so she offers an invaluable blend of skills to successfully execute a variety of media and public relations campaigns. This role is a natural progression for Garcia who has chronicled the political process of hundreds of public policy issues in Illinois, having served as a key reporter and leader in the Chicago Tribune’s organization over the last decade.
“This is a wonderful new chapter in my career, as I have long watched the smart, hard work of the team at Mac Strategies Group and am excited to join their ranks. I look forward to using my experience in the newsroom to help connect clients with journalists across the state in order to drive meaningful conversations about very important public policy issues,” Garcia said.
Funding
Social Capital Leads Seed Round
WeeCare, a company revolutionizing early childcare access for families via a platform that helps caregivers start and manage successful curriculum-based home daycares, recently announced $4.2M in funding. The seed round was led by Social Capital, with participation from Fuel Ventures. Funds will be used to support growth and deepen roots in the startup’s native Southern California and assist with expansion into new regions – with two additional cities to be announced this year.
“We’ve focused on building a seamless platform that allows home daycare providers to effortlessly run their business right from their phone,” said Jessica Chang, CEO and cofounder of WeeCare. “With this fundraise, we now have the ability to truly affect the early childcare market and scale our solution to communities all over the U.S. that desperately need affordable and convenient childcare options.”
Awards
Technical Leadership Abie Award
ThoughtWorks, a global software and digital transformation consultancy, is proud to announce that its chief technology officer, Dr. Rebecca Parsons, will be honored as the 2018 recipient of the Technical Leadership Abie Award from AnitaB.org as part of the Grace Hopper Celebration — the largest gathering in the world of women technologists.
“Anita Borg declared women need to assume their rightful place at the table creating the technology of the future,” Parsons said. “My curiosity and passion for technology, along with my willingness to seize opportunities has allowed me to be an impactful technologist. I am honored and humbled to be recognized for my contributions by AnitaB.org.”
Notable Women in Healthcare 2018
Diane Beastrom, president and CEO of Koinonia Homes, is named as one of the Notable Women in Healthcare 2018 by Crain’s Cleveland Business. The elite class of awardees includes prominent female leaders and executives in Northeast Ohio’s healthcare industry.
Beastrom is recognized for her deft guidance of Koinonia Homes from a small, intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) agency operating a handful of group homes to one of the region’s leading community-based provider organizations. Koinonia Homes employs 600 staffers and operates 21 licensed residential homes, 51 supported living sites, as well as day, vocational and career services. Under Beastrom’s leadership, Koinonia has grown to a $30 million enterprise, serving 600 individuals with ID/DD in Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Geauga and Medina counties.
Where Should Female Entrepreneurs Live?
MagnifyMoney‘s new study says the top 10 best place for female entrepreneurs to live is:
1. San Francisco
At No.1, San Francisco ranked at the top largely due to having the highest business incomes earned by women working there. The median business income is $10,378 among women in this city, and women’s average business income is $31,880.
In addition to their higher business incomes, women entrepreneurs are also more common in San Francisco. Just over 10% of San Francisco’s women earners work for themselves. Looking at business owners, 41.7% of the city’s self-employed workers are women, and 32.1% of incorporated businesses are owned by women.
2. Austin, Texas
Women’s business earnings in Austin were on the higher end in terms of dollars, with the median at $8,262 and the average at $25,345.
But they’re among the highest when comparing women’s business income with the women’s earnings through wages. The average self-employed woman or business owner in Austin, for instance, makes nearly half (48.1%) what the average income for women in the city.
3. San Jose
A neighbor to San Francisco, San Jose is a similarly ideal place for women entrepreneurs. The city has one of the highest average business incomes for women, at $30,344 per year.
San Jose also has higher rates of women who are self-employed (41.1%) as well as incorporated businesses owned by women (32.2%).
4. Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis stands out for the higher median business incomes; most women entrepreneurs make around $9,068 in business income, second only to San Francisco. Plus, Memphis women have the highest business incomes when compared with local women’s earned income, earning about 25% of a typical woman’s wage in this city.
However, the average business income for women in Memphis is just twice as high as the median, “suggesting that the range of income isn’t that great,” said Kali McFadden, senior research analyst at MagnifyMoney.
5. Nashville, Tenn.
Next is another Tennessee metro, Nashville, which is a standout when it comes to average business incomes for women. At $23,373, self-employed women in this city make just under half a typical women worker’s earned income. This is a sign that striking out on their own is a viable way for women to earn a decent living in Nashville.
That’s great news, given that Nashville has fewer women working for themselves and incorporating. Seven percent of women workers are self-employed, but just one in five of self-employed women have an incorporated business.
6. Los Angeles
Then there’s Los Angeles, which has the highest portion of self-employed women workers of any city on this list — 10.9%. Women entrepreneurs in LA can also expect a business income on the higher end, with the median at $7,758 and an average of $20,945.
7. San Diego
The next major California city to make the list is San Diego, which offers women a similarly attractive business landscape. Among women earning a business income in San Diego, the median is $8,060 and the average is $20,949 (both slightly higher than what LA’s women entrepreneurs bring in).
San Diego also has high rates of self-employment among women. One in 10 women workers in the city is self-employed, and 39.3% of self-employed workers are women.
8. Sacramento, Calif.
Sacramento lands at No. 8 by faring above average in most ranking factors, showing it’s a solid place for women entrepreneurs to take the leap into starting a business.
Take women’s business incomes as proof; the median at $7,053 and the average at $23,596 show Sacramento’s women entrepreneurs are able to outearn similar cohorts in other major U.S. cities.
9. Seattle
In Seattle, the average income for self-employed women is five times higher than the median — $22,713 to $4,534, respectively. “[This] suggests that while most self-employed women aren’t making much money, those who are are doing well are doing very well,” McFadden said.
Another factor backs up this insight: Among the top 10, Seattle has the highest rate (30.6%) of self-employed women who are incorporated. Plus, the city has high rates of parity in women business ownership: 42.1% of self-employed workers are women, as are nearly one-third of incorporated businesses owners.
10. Cincinnati
Rounding out the list of the best cities for women entrepreneurs is Cincinnati. Self-employed women earn decent business incomes in this Ohio city, with the median at $7,556 and an average of $21,432.
These earnings are high enough to compensate for lackluster rates of women working for themselves. Just 5.4% of Cincinnati’s women workers are self-employed, and these women account for 35.4% of all self-employed workers in the city.
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