Friends For Life: Shared Beginnings

Launching Women’s History Month with a conversation with 4 women who were the first members of my Village. We have known each other since we were a twinkle in our mothers’ eye. And this conversation is about how those shared beginnings and shared values built a bond that has been a foundation and support as we have moved through our lives. It’s about women supporting women!

About the Guests:

Natalyn Daniels

Born in Odessa, TX  to Napoleon and Temple Daniels, Natalyn attended First Baptist church pre-school (where she and Laurel first met), Burnett Elementary,  Bonham Jr High and Permian High school. After high school, she left Odessa and moved to Houston to attend Texas Southern University. Natalyn has been working in the Pharmacy industry for 34 years. With the years of experience she has, her passion for ensuring the right medication every time and her philosophy that it is important to care about the patient first, 2-legged and 4-legged, she is now entering entrepreneurship. Stay tuned!  2022 is the year.

Valaree Tisa Hawkins

Valaree Tisa Hawkins was born in Odessa, Texas. She attended Permian High School (Mojo) and graduated in 1986 where she was the first black female president of a senior class. Tisa received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of North Texas and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Special education is near and dear to her heart. She was a special education teacher for nine years. After that, she was an assistant principal and principal for a total of ten years. She had an opportunity to return to special education a few years ago and is currently serving as a special education supervisor for the Ector County Independent School District. 

Tisa is passionate about community service. She has been a member of the Junior League of Odessa, Inc. since 1998. In 2007-2008 she led the organization as its first and only black president. Tisa is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and has held several leadership roles in her local chapter, including president. Tisa does her best to live by a quote from Dr. Maya Angelou which states, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Jannifer Mays

Although Jannifer’s educational background and work experience led her on a winding path of engineering and project management, her heart for meaningful “quality above quantity” relationships supersede worldly perspectives of success…so, who is Jannifer Mays?

Yes for 6 years (during and after college), she worked for an engineering/design firm and then 18 years for a major construction management company resigning to start her own business of consulting in the same industry which she now totals 30 years of design/engineering/ construction experience.  After resigning from corporate, in addition to consulting, she took a role as women’s ministry events coordinator for a church congregation of 1000’s while also managing new and renovation construction projects at the same church.

She has received exemplary accolades for her detailed project management and event planning skillsets, but what she holds most rewarding in the highest regard as her major life accomplishments are her relationship roles as a wife, daughter, sister, niece, cousin, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, bonus mom/mimi and FRIEND!!

Wrenee Whitaker-Terrell

Phelicia (Wrenee) Whitaker-Terrell.  Is currently serving in the greatest capacity every – being a caregiver for her 80-year-old mother.  Before taking care of her mom, Wrenee was an Elementary School teacher teaching 1st grade for 22 years & 2nd grade for 1 year. Wrenee continues to exercise her creativity in her incredible craft room. Having become a master seamstress by making a good majority of her clothes as she grew up, she now completes creative projects for family and friends and has shown her crafts at a number of arts and craft shows. She has been married for 10 years to her Wonderful Husband Kenyon Terrell who is a Supply Chain Manager of an Oil & Gas company Penthol.  They reside in Richmond,Texas.

About the Host:

Laurel Rutledge’s human-centered approach, empathy, and understanding of individual needs make her a top-notch personal advisor and women’s leadership coach.

Her care and compassion have made her an indispensable guide for countless women navigating the next phases of their lives and careers. Add to that her intimate knowledge of the HR landscape, and it becomes clear why her HR clients have had such transformative experiences. Just as Rutledge has helped countless others get out of their rut and off of the ledge, so too can she help you.

After receiving her MBA, Laurel moved from accounting and consulting to human resources, driven by a desire to do good in a business environment. It quickly became apparent that the switch had been a good choice — she flourished professionally and became happier, satisfied with the difference she could make through her work.

After a 30-year career, she left the corporate world, but her passion for HR and helping others has only grown. Now, she works one-on-one with clients, leveraging her experience in leadership and personal development to help them get the most of out their lives and careers.

From her beginnings as a consultant at Deloitte to her time as VP of HR at Covestro, Laurel has seen more sides of the business world than most. She’s achieved technical mastery of HR, with a deep knowledge of the rules and regulations that must be followed.

She’s also a people person, perceptive and outgoing, with a sixth sense for helping others to see the difference between what they want and what they need. The culmination of this is in her personal philosophy: “lead with your heart, act with your head.”

Find out more at: https://laurelrutledge.com

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