A mother of three, Kim founded her own practice in the first place so that she would be available for her children when they were young. Her experiences caring for her grandparents provided further motivation to focus on elder law and estate planning. She saw firsthand the difficulties her grandparents faced in being uninformed about Social Security, the lack of effective, up-to-date planning, and countless other challenges that face today’s seniors and accompany the aging process.

These personal experiences, together with her mastery of the law, make Kim uniquely qualified to help seniors, families and individuals plan for the future and cope during times of crisis. She understands what her clients are going through and is dedicated to treating every client with the compassion and respect he or she deserves. Kim derives particular professional satisfaction from providing a range of enhanced services that allow her to offer a fuller, more personalized level of planning.

Website: www.hegwoodlaw.com

Website: LiveAtChoice.com
Phone: 281-859-0677

What is it:

Grant for tuition, books and fees up to a maximum amount of $1500 (or $2000 if criteria met for early application) to applicant that meets the qualifications below and is chosen by independent committee chosen by local participating ABWA chapter/network. Outright grants are not to be repaid.

Deadline for Applicants: January 15, 2011

Download information on the Stephen Bufton Memorial Education Fund

Qualified applicants – Guidelines as set up by ABWA/SBMEF:

• Female US Citizen
• Completed 45 credit hours or more when applying for funds
• Sponsored by an eligible ABWA Chapter/Network
• Members and Non Members may apply
• Achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.
• Attending an institution authorized to confer degrees at the baccalaureate level or higher in the US
• Student may apply for funding in subsequent years as long as they meet eligibility requirements

How to apply:

Applicant must contact Tamara Granger before December 31st to be set up with a  username and password
Tamara Granger
Regional Account Executive
Elavon Merchant Services
(832) 875-6765
scholarship@swapen.org

• Applicant will then receive an email directing them to online application site
• Applicant must complete online application by January 15th
• Provide current official transcript
• Complete biographical summary
• Obtain three current professional letters of reference.

Please mail transcripts to:
2103 Blue Willow Drive
Houston, TX 77042

Lisa Giesler is the energized and self-motivated owner of “A Time and Place for Everything”, LLC and the author of, My Life Is a Mess: Organizing 101. Lisa gets to the heart of the matter of disorganization. She enjoys helping people to organize their homes, offices and schedules in a fun and simple manner as well as guiding them in achieving personal and business goals. A Time and Place for Everything is also available to help the new homeowner to unpack and organize their new home.

Her humorous and informative speaking style entertains and encourages while educating various groups who seek organizational and time management skills. Lisa has enjoyed writing organizing advice for different publications including Fort Bend Independent Newspaper. Her current endeavors include a series of audio tapes and tip booklets for a variety of organizing topics.

Activities that Lisa has been and is involved with include: Katrina relief with Convoy of Hope, board member of SCCHE, member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Faithful Organizers’ Speaker Directory, and her local Chamber of Commerce. Lisa has worked on fundraisers for Fort Bend Lawyer’s Care, Casa de Esperanza, participated in YMCA Healthy Kids Day, Fort Bend Women’s Shelter, worked as a mentor for Houston ISD and a volunteer staff for Faith and Action, located in Washington, D.C.

Her continuing education include: diplomas from the Emerging Leaders Institute, Berean School of the Bible and various courses in the organizing field. These give Lisa the ability to encourage and lead others to achieve their goals. Lisa holds credentials through Evangelical Church Alliance.

Diane M. Elko is President and Owner of Improve It! Consulting & Training, in Fulshear, Texas. After working in manufacturing management and quality for a turbo machinery company, and as a quality consultant and product manager in banking, Diane moved to Texas in 1990 to direct quality improvement for a mutual fund company. She later worked as a vice president of customer service and quality for a national staffing company. In all of these positions she collected the best practices “package” of services that promotes performance excellence. As a certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, she now integrates these practices into effective management systems across the Greater Houston business community.

Building teams and measurement systems are key elements of her practice. An advocate of maintaining simple approaches such as mapping processes that are the heart of the business and implementing continual improvement processes, Diane coaches business leaders and teams on how to reach their highest level of achievement, and these efforts include award-winning results. She taught management courses at the University of Houston and Seton Hill University, and published many articles related to quality management, team building and customer service. She facilitates problem-solving teams and enjoys speaking at conferences nationwide. Diane is certified in personality profiles analysis, and offers motivational and communication seminars. She received the BA degree from Seton Hill University and an MBA from the Katz School of Management, University of Pittsburgh.

Time: 5pm to 7pm
Place: Trustmark Bank, 1845 Hwy. 6, Sugarland, TX
Refreshments will be served.

Through her speech, “Conquering Fears and Self Limitations,” Veronica Wasek draws upon her own experience losing two jobs to the economy, starting her own business, getting into top physical shape, and finding her full potential while facing her greatest fears and self-limiting thoughts.