Articles about women leaders

Love Letters from Dallas Food Trucks to the Arts District’s Veletta Lill

posted by George Lewis | October 2nd, 2012 5:13pm | filed under Dallas Must-Do List, Farmers Markets, Food Trucks, History of Dallas Food, I Hate it When That Happens, women leaders | 2 Comments »

Amazing Progress in the Dallas Arts District

On September 19th, a collective “oh, nooooooo” went up from the many food truck owner/operators who have parked in the Dallas Arts District.  On that date, it was announced that their leader, their protector, their mentor, Veletta Forsythe Lill, the Executive Director of the Arts District would leave after her post. Lill spent the last four years overseeing significant changes in the Arts District. She also spent eight years on Dallas City Council.  Since the food trucks first started showing up in the Arts District in mid-2011, Ms. Lill has carefully vetted each one to ensure that visitors were receiving the highest quality fare.  I’ve seen her work tirelessly, even during vacations, to ensure agreements among the food trucks, permits departments, and Dallas City Hall.

I thought Executive Director to revitalize the Dallas Farmer’s Market would be a great new challenge for Ms. Lill.  Jump for Love Letters from a few of the food truck owners, where Randy Wolken pleads for Mayor Lill. Continue reading "Love Letters from Dallas Food Trucks to the Arts District’s Veletta Lill"

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Southwest Foodservice Expo: Women Leaders Provide Inspiration to Next Generation

posted by Caitlin Giddens | June 26th, 2012 12:15pm | filed under Events, women leaders | 1 Comment »

Sharon Van Meter, Robin Lee Allen, Estella Martinez, and Gina Puente. (photo by Caitlin Giddens)

Robin Lee Allen (Nation’s Restaurant News), Estella Martinez (Matt’s Rancho Martinez), Sharon Van Meter (SVM Productions), and Gina Puente (La Bodega Winery) prove that the restaurant industry is no longer just a man’s world. It’s theirs, too.

As part of the Southwest Foodservice Expo at the Dallas Convention Center yesterday, these four prominent women in the food and hospitality industry hosted “Providing Leadership and Inspiration to the Next Convention.” As monitor Robin Lee Allen of Nation’s Restaurant News clarified, this session was not a man bashing. Rather, the workshop served to educate women how to lead in the industry.

Today, 58% of first-line supervisors and managers are women. But this was not always the case, as Sharon Van Meter of SVM Productions lived first hand.

“Back in 1974 when I started at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, I was blown away because I didn’t speak English, being 16 years old and dumb, and there were no girls.” Van Meter said. “There were 573 students and I was the only girl.”

Continue reading "Southwest Foodservice Expo: Women Leaders Provide Inspiration to Next Generation"

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