[225] Magazine's Women Making an Impact

S P E C I A L A DV E RTI S I N G S E C TI O N

Women Impact MAKING AN

Creating change, setting an example, mentoring others, ensuring a family legacy … there are many ways to make a difference, and these women do it in their professions, their workplaces, their homes, and their community.

SPONSORED BY

A public awareness campaign for the Iris Domestic Violence Center was made possible in part by the support of the women featured in this special section. 225 chose to publish this special advertising section to celebrate Women’s History Month.

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

EXECUTIVE & MENTOR

Susanne Hall UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Susanne is vice president for Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED’s west region and has been with the company for 25 years. The New Iberia native graduated from University of New Orleans with a degree in accounting. She and her husband Steve are parents to daughter Caroline.

PASSION AND PURPOSE She says her passion is servant leadership, and she is a role model for women in business as she is one of the highest-ranking female operators in the country for her company. She is proud to be able to mentor other women, she says, “so they can reach their goals and achieve their dreams.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Susanne is very driven, goal-oriented and focused to achieve, but she is also authentic, sincere and giving.

She has such a great heart for others, her community and workplace and with her many accomplishments, she remains humble and that is truly an inspiration.”

— Joya Crawford, co-worker

FAVORITE • Place: Her second home in New Orleans, where she loves spending time with her family and enjoying the New Orleans culture

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Always push to be better.

Never be content.”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER RUM & SUGARCANE ENTHUSIAST

Olivia Stewart UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Olivia comes from five generations of cane farming and sugar production in Pointe Coupee Parish. After pursuing an art career for 10 years around the world, she moved back home in 2020 to take over her family’s latest pursuit: distilling rum at her company Three Roll Estate.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Olivia’s roots run deep in the fertile soil of the Mississippi River valley. Born and raised in the sugarcane fields, she has dedicated her life to improving the status quo. Her dedication to Louisiana shows in her striving to improve the quality and equality in the agriculture and spirits industry.

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Olivia’s leadership style and approach to each of her tasks at work shows what a caring person she is. Striving to uplift the local community is always on the forefront of what she is doing, because Louisiana’s culture and people are so important to her. Olivia truly is the sweetest girl I know (pun intended).” — Matt Street

FAVORITE • Way to spend a weekend: Riding horses and tinkering around on the family farm with my fiancé

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”

— Coretta Scott King

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

PHYSICIAN & ACTIVIST

Katherine Dronka UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Katherine is a full-time optometric physician and owner of a state-of-the-art vision and medical practice. Her private practice, Eagle Eye Care in Denham Springs, is a salute to her late father, Colonel Paul Dronka. She practices full-scope surgical optometry, including laser procedures such as glaucoma treatment and the removal of secondary cataracts.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Katherine hopes to continue her medical mission trips, especially to Spanish-speaking nations, as she is bilingual in medical Spanish. She also plans to continue learning sign language to provide ocular health assessments to the deaf and hearing-impaired. “I believe in the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth,” she says. “To never stop learning, growing, or challenging yourself. There is far too much in this world to explore to be bored. You will never know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Dr. Dronka is a treasure to all her know her, personally and professionally. She is a true pioneer for full-scope surgical optometry care and especially for women in her industry. She treats all of her patients with the utmost respect and quality care.” — Laura Smith, coworker and friend

FAVORITES • Band: Death Cab for Cutie • Way to spend a Sunday: Going hiking with her dogs • Passion: Selfless service

“

”

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Enjoy the journey.

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

BUSINESS OWNER & ADVOCATE

Ellen Pino UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Ellen, a Baton Rouge native, is the owner of Avant Tous Beauty, as well as a wife and mother to three young daughters. “We are a cheer (leader) family and spend countless weekends traveling with cheer events,” she says. “When we’re not competing, we travel as a family to experience new adventures as much as possible.”

PASSION AND PURPOSE Ellen supports many charitable organizations, but cancer awareness is close to her heart because through her work, she is able to help many women feel “normal” again. “Women battling cancer lose a huge part of their identity,” she says. “Many lose not just their hair, but also their eyebrows and lashes. We can help them with extensions, enhancing new growth or microblading. Handing them a mirror and seeing their tears of joy and their feeling of rebirth … it’s truly magical.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “When I think of Ellen, I think of a bright light. She is always happy, motivating, encouraging, and able to bring out the absolute best in others.” — Sarah Smith, friend

FAVORITES • Place: “Anywhere new! There is so much life to live and world to see.”

• Way to spend a Sunday: “Church with my family, a great lunch on a patio somewhere with live music, followed by tennis with friends.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

God did not put you where you are by accident...

perhaps this was the moment in which you were created. So if not you, who? If not now, when?”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

REALTOR, MANAGER & ADVOCATE

Jennifer Waguespack UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Jennifer has worked in real estate since 2000, and credits her success to the fact that she loves every aspect of the industry and surrounds herself with great people. She and her husband Todd have two sons (Charlie and Jack Henry), and busy careers. As director of sales at Level Homes, Jennifer works with Todd, who is a partner in the company—so work, life and family balance can be tough.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Jennifer is on the executive leadership board for the 2022 Capital Area Heart Walk. “To be able to help save a life by sharing the AHA’s message and statistics for everyone is so powerful. Knowledge is power, and together we can help our community become healthier and stronger,” she says. She is also passionate about mentoring. “I try to help someone on my team every day learn something new and become better at what they do.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Her passion and commitment to our mission of building healthier lives has provided great momentum in the Capital Area.” — Kerin Spears, vice president, Greater Louisiana, American Heart Association

FAVORITES • Book: Grit by Dana Buckworth • Song: Forever Young by Rod Stewart • Way to relax: “I enjoy golfing with Charlie, cooking up a great dinner with a glass of wine, or if we’re in Grand Isle, I love fishing with the family.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Time is a thief.

At the end of the day, yesterday is gone, so don’t look back.”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

INNOVATOR & PEER MENTOR

Ursula White Chapman UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Ursula is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Science at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. She and her husband Troy are the proud parents of a baby girl, Ava.

PASSION AND PURPOSE As the director of the Physiology of Human Adipose Tissue Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical, she is committed to understanding the triggers and health consequences of chronic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Her mission, she says, is to make a sustainable impact on humanity through providing service to her peers as well as supporting and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Ursula is a great colleague and a great asset to many research teams. She is highly intelligent and driven, and a natural leader.

She is well-respected, and her research is internationally recognized.” — Jacqueline Stephens, PhD, colleague, mentor and friend

FAVORITES • Book: Just about any autobiography.

• Way to relax: “Decluttering and reorganizing my thoughts and ideas to recharge for the days ahead. I love family gatherings, spontaneous getaways, and trips to the beach.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

You reap what

you sow.”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

2021 LOUISIANA STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Nathalie Roy UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Nathalie teaches Roman Technology and Myth Makers at Glasgow Middle School. Merging STEM and the ancient classical world, her classes reproduce the products, processes and stories of the Greeks and Romans through hands-on labs and experimental archaeology. “I target curious students who want to learn about classics in a unique way,” she says.

PASSION AND PURPOSE “Staying in the classroom as a teacher is a conscious choice for me. I love spending my days with young people … they are infinitely funny and inspiring. I’ve been recruited for higherpaying administrative jobs in education, but I feel strongly that teaching, loving and building relationships with students is the best service I can do for my city, state, country and world.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Ms. Roy makes everyone around her strive to be the best version of themselves because she believes in them.”

— Erin Carter Howard, principal at Glasgow Middle School

FAVORITE Way to relax: Researching and traveling to our nation’s National Parks and historic monuments. “Every one of the hundreds I’ve visited has been a deeply moving experience.

Our country is full of so much history and hope,” she says.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours. Because for all our outward differences,

we all share the same proud title:

Citizen.” — President Barack Obama

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

BUSINESSWOMAN & MENTOR

Jerry del Rio UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Jerry loves people. She has been married for 63 years to her high school sweetheart, and they have four children and 13 grandchildren. She briefly worked as a registered nurse, but found that her true calling was real estate. “To be successful, you must be available 24-7.

That’s just the truth,” she says.

PASSION AND PURPOSE “I am a hands-on leader,” Jerry says. “I enjoy providing oneon-one guidance to each of the 15 agents within my company and passing along what has helped me to become successful over the years. One day when I retire or sell my business, I want to know that I have trained them well so they can succeed as professional agents themselves.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Jerry is devoted to her agents and clients. She is their biggest cheerleader and a huge mentor to her realtor family. She exudes unparalleled market intelligence in real estate.” — Robert Johnson, office manager, Del Rio Real Estate

FAVORITES • Way to relax: Reading. “I’m an avid reader, and I read a book before I go to bed every night to help me fall asleep.”

• Book: Century Trilogy Series by Ken Follet

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

The Golden Rule:

In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

ENTREPRENEUR & MENTOR

Rachel Eggie Gibbs UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Rachel will never forget the year 2020. Less than a month before opening her first salon, EGGIE Salon Studio, she found out she was pregnant with her (and husband Micah’s) first child. Though some may consider this highly stressful, Rachel thrives on chaos and enjoys the blessings this life gives us. Addison is their first child of hopefully many more, she says, and her Goodwood salon location is also only the beginning of what she has envisioned for her company.

PASSION AND PURPOSE “I have such a passion for growing stylists and teaching them that you can build the life you want to live in the cosmetology world,” she says.

“By empowering them, they are better stylists behind the chair and they can give that confidence to our clients.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Rachel is a born leader, and her positivity and passion radiate throughout the salon every single day. Her love for her work extends beyond the chair, beyond the salon doors, and beyond our community.

I am proud to be a part of her talented team.” — Mimi Sommers, EGGIE Salon studio manager and best friend since high school

FAVORITES • Book: Shut up and Listen by Tilman Fertitta and The Five Love languages by Gary Chapman • Song: Currently This Is Me from The Greatest Showman • Way to spend a Sunday: “Going to church and relaxing the rest of the day as a family. Our weeks are go, go, go, so to have that family day is my favorite.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Stop being afraid of what could go

wrong and start

getting excited

about what could go right.”

— Tony Robbins

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

ENTREPRENEUR & MOTHER OF FOUR

Jarratt Haviland UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL As owner of Sugar and Bronze, Jarratt Haviland operates her own business in addition to teaching master classes on sugar hair removal both in-house and at conferences around the world. She has served as the International Director of Education for Ke Ko Botanicals for two years and just recently purchased the company. She supports many local charitable organizations and philanthropic events, including BUST Breast Cancer.

PASSION AND PURPOSE “Making an impact starts in your own circle,” she says.

“Teaching our children how to treat others by embodying kindness and generosity, teaching our employees that every person who walks through the door is the Queen or the King and should be treated as such, making sure people know they matter … that’s where it all begins. Every big wave starts with a small ripple.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Jarratt is one of the hardest working women I know! She runs an amazing business while balancing her life of being a wife and mom so well. She has such passion for what she does and as a boss, her generosity to her employees is admirable. I’m proud to call her a friend.” — Rachel Eggie, friend

FAVORITE • Thing to do: “Watch my kids do something they love. From soccer, to silks, to swim, I love their confidence and joy when they’re engaged in something they’re passionate about.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Expect the best. Prepare for the worst.

Capitalize on what comes.”

— Zig Ziglar

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

BAKERY OWNER & ENTREPRENEUR

Robyn Selders UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Cupcake Junkie owner Robyn Selders recently received a message from a customer that read, “You can tell when bakers and chefs cook with love … that’s what you do.” It touched her because this is exactly how she wants her customers to feel. “I want my ‘Cupcake Junkies to taste the love and effort I’ve put into preparing their sweets,” she says. “It’s a way to play a role in their joyful occasions. I carry that in my heart as I prepare my orders each day.”

PASSION AND PURPOSE Robyn is happy to relieve some of the stress from her customers when they are planning their events. After all, in south Louisiana, the food or cake is often the centerpiece of the celebration, so that’s half of the planning. Robyn also appreciates it when people in her community say they are proud of her. “I’m happy to be an example to others that dreams come true through faith and hard work.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Robyn has a beautiful heart and generous spirit. I am always inspired by her determination, talent and mentorship of the next generation of local bakers.” — Danielle Mack

FAVORITES • Way to spend a Sunday: Worship, eat fabulous food, and watch movies • Way to relax: Play with my handsome and loving schnoodle, Cubby!

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Taste and see that

the Lord is good”

— Psalm 34:8

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

ENGINEER & ADVOCATE

Jessica Reich

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Jessica has an electrical engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh and has held various roles at ExxonMobil. She lives in Baton Rouge with her husband Kevin, also an engineer.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Jessica is president of the Women’s Interest Network (WIN) with ExxonMobil in Baton Rouge, which aims to support and empower professional women.

WIN hosts a yearly event called “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” where girls from local schools come together to learn about STEM, meet women from ExxonMobil, and enjoy a variety of science and math activities. The event is incredibly rewarding and always a lot of fun!

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Her impact is much more diverse and far reaching than many would expect. Not only does she help set the mission and vision of our Baton Rouge area WIN—which supports ExxonMobil employee members—but she also sets the direction for how and where we spend our time in the community, ensuring that we share our experiences, role model our opportunities with STEM, and serve those around us with a positive and encouraging spirit.” — Kristin D. Thomas-Martin, Plant Manager, Baton Rouge Plastics Plant

FAVORITES • Book: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah • Song: Speechless by Day + Shay • Way to spend a Sunday: Walk around the LSU lakes and have dinner with friends and loved ones

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Happiness is the journey, not the destination.”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

BUSINESS WOMAN & ROLE MODEL

Haley Herrington UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Haley owns the Baton Rouge HerringStone’s Boutique, which carries trendsetting, stylish women’s fashion items. The company was founded by her mother and aunt in 1989 in their hometown of Monroe. After earning a degree from ULL, Haley spent four years in Los Angeles, then moved to Baton Rouge in 2019 to take her place in the family business.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Celebrity stylist was her original goal, but being away from home was harder than she imagined.

“I learned to love what I do by seeing how passionate my mom and my aunt are,” she says. Today, Haley enjoys building confidence in others and serving as a role model for young women in the fashion industry and the retail business.

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Haley is one of the hardest working, most persevering women I know. She brings such a positive energy and overwhelming light to any room she enters … she is a giving, thoughtful and creative person who shines when she is faced with a challenge.” — Brittany Barkley, friend

FAVORITES • Book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven • Way to relax: Sitting by a fireplace and looking out at snowy mountains

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

“

Breathe…

it’s all going to be okay.”

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

AESTHETIC EXPERTS & ROLE MODELS

Brittany Lipoma MPAS, PA-C

Amanda Brackin

CERTIFIED LASER TECHNICIAN

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL These women from Aesthetic Medicine & Anti-Aging Clinics of Louisiana make an impact on many people’s daily lives.

They care for their patients with passion, strive to give them the results they seek, and help them feel better about themselves.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Brittany, Amanda and Ellen are role models for other women in their industry. They take pride in their work and research new treatment techniques to help bring patient experiences to the next level—with results that speak for themselves. Aside from their professions, they support many charitable causes, including the American Cancer Society, Companion Animal Alliance, National Alopecia Areata Foundation and others.

WHAT OTHERS SAY Their patients have described them in this way: (About Brittany) “She brings a bright, kind and always progressive touch to her amazing work.” (About Amanda) “She is an experienced, loyal, and comforting expert in all things skin and aesthetic.” (About Ellen) “She’s fun-loving and a positive light to all she guides in her work.”

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion

come together.”

Ellen Radle LICENSED AESTHETICIAN, CERTIFIED LASER TECHNICIAN

SPE C I A L A DV E R T I SI NG SE C T I ON

BUSINESS OWNER & MENTOR

Danielle Brecheen UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Danielle began working in the family business in 1985, helping her mother with typing and filing. Over the years, her responsibilities increased from generating orders, to purchasing, to sales. When her sister left the business in 2017 and her parents passed away a few years later, Danielle took over Brecheen Pipe & Steel. She currently serves as president of the corporation.

PASSION AND PURPOSE Very few women sold industrial products to chemical plants and refineries when Danielle began her career. “I had to work faster, harder and smarter than my competitors to prove myself,” she says. Today, she helps other women succeed in this male-dominated industry by sharing her experiences and helping them make connections with customers.

WHAT OTHERS SAY “Danielle is fantastic in her knowledge and the work that she does. When it comes to certain materials in the refinery industry, she’s one of the first people I think about.” —Stanley Favalora, Valero

FAVORITE • Way to relax: Barbecuing in my back yard, sitting in my rocking chair and rocking away. I also enjoy going to Saints and LSU games.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY:

One never achieves success by watching time pass by. One must engage

never stop improving oneself

&

to meet the never-ending challenges that life brings our way.”