Miriam Muley - DSWA Diversity Center Director

Welcome to the New DSWA Diversity Center"

by: Miriam Muléy, Chair
DSWA Diversity Advisory Board

The Direct Selling Women’s Alliance (DSWA) is honored to launch the formation of the DSWA Diversity Center as a business-building resource tool for its members. The DSWA Diversity Center recognizes that your ability to relate to people—to their age, culture, race, gender, disability, orientation, and religion—is at the heart of business success. And, as our nation becomes increasingly diverse, the racial and cultural diversity of our customers and independent distributors must continue to be one of the key drivers of success. With over $1 trillion dollars in consumer buying power and an additional $230 billion dollars generated as entrepreneurs, women of color—Latina, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American women—are essential to the growth and vitality of our industry. Moreover, with $3.7 billion in spending, women--boomer women over the age of 60 and Gen X/Y women under 30--are core business segments.

Therefore, we have launched the DSWA Diversity Center with the intent of being the premiere source of information, business-building tools, videos, articles, books, webinars, presentations, and teleconferences dedicated to helping you grow your sales among diverse customers. The Center is dedicated to helping you, as an independent distributor, advance in your knowledge, skills, and ability to recruit, market, and sell to multicultural audiences—Latina, Black, Asian, Native American—to customers over the age of 60 and to those under 30. We want to make “a difference in the professional lives of our members and grow direct sales among diverse customers as a result of this key initiative”.

I am proud to serve as Chair of the new DSWA Diversity Center and Diversity Expert Advisors. As CEO of The 85% Niche, a marketing consultancy firm focused on women and women of color, it gives me great pleasure to provide strategic direction to the efforts of the Diversity Center. The entire DSWA panel of Diversity Expert Advisors, which is comprised of distinguished members dedicated to lifting up women and providing them with tools, information, and a network unlike any other network, to help them grow and build very successful micro enterprises. It’s an honor to partner with such a distinguished board:

Look for exciting teleconferences with leaders in the diverse markets, articles, CD’s, e-books, and other support tools to help you grow your business with diverse customers. Also, the DSWA Celebration 2009 will feature several panels and presentations on diversity that you will not want to miss. Make sure you register for the conference and participate in the diversity events.
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The DSWA is committed to your personal success and to diversity. Join me in this long term partnership of economic growth as we partner and build your sales among diverse audiences. And, if you believe the service we provide has been valuable to you, please spread the news about the DSWA Diversity Center to your colleagues, networks, corporate leadership, and friends. Our fundamental goal is to help you grow to higher heights of success with diversity.

Highest Personal Regards,

Miriam Muléy
Chair
DSWA Diversity Expert Advisors

The DSWA Diversity Expert Advisors

Miriam Muley - DSWA Diversity Center DirectorMiriam Muléy, Director DSWA Diversity Center
Miriam Muléy is on a mission to drive women and women of diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds to automotive showrooms, consumer electronics stores, home improvement centers, department stores, mass, food and drug stores. And she's uniquely equipped for the task. As a woman of Puerto Rican ancestry with an MBA from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, her 25 years of hands-on brand management and advertising experience at premiere companies like General Motors Corporation, Avon Products, Inc., Clairol, Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Company, and UniWorld Group Advertising give her the advantage in selling products to women and to women of diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Miriam is the author of "The 85% Niche" soon to become a best-seller!

Nicki KeohohouNicki Keohohou – CEO, DSWA
Nicki Keohohou is the founder and CEO of the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance. Nicki began her career as a direct seller more than 30 years ago. Today she teaches and motivates direct sellers around the world through her workshops, seminars and tapes.
She has been a successful distributor, corporate executive and consultant for hundreds of corporations including many of the industry’s leading companies. Nicki’s passion for diversity begins with her origins as a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Nation.

British Ford HillBritish Hill, Author, Entrepreneur, Direct Selling Leader- British Ford-Hill is Certified Coach and District Representative with The Compass Coaching Network. Prior to joining the direct sales industry, British worked on the Home Shopping Network as an on-air show host. Along with successfully building her business and supporting her growing team of sales consultants and customers, British speaks, writes and trains passionately on the importance of celebrating diversity in the direct selling profession. British is the creator and author of MLM Black Woman.com, a blog operated in partnership with the DSWA Diversity Center and the online resource specifically designed to educate, celebrate and inspire women of color to succeed in direct selling.

British specializes in educating and inspiring women of color to succeed and reach the top ranks of their direct sales companies; and helping direct sales leaders and their companies market to and sponsor more women of color into their businesses.

Elianne RamosElianne Ramos, Author, Corporate Leader, Entrepreneur and Producer - Elianne Ramos has 13 years of Creative Direction, Copywriting, Editing, Public Speaking, Public Relations and TV Commercial Production experience in the advertising and direct sales industries. As a Hispanic Communications Consultant, she partners with companies to develop comprehensive communications plans for targeting the complex Hispanic market and Works with distributors in developing their process for engaging the market as customers and team members.

Elianne was the VP, Creative Director and partner for i3 Creative Group, a TV commercial production company, where she led the strategic development and implementation programs for clients and successfully managed teams working concurrently in the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina. She has also developed brand-building communications campaigns for clients such as Procter and Gamble, Panasonic, SlimFast, and HSBC Bank.

Her direct selling experience includes managing the Hispanic creative team at Princess House, a direct sales company. During her tenure, Elianne led the development of the companys re-branding efforts for the Hispanic market with printed and online materials for internal and consumer communications geared to the Hispanic market, as well as training materials for the companys over 12,000 Hispanic direct sales distributors.
Linda Lucas

Linda Lucas, Corporate Leader, DSWA Area Chapter Program Director -
Linda Lucas is a multi-talented business woman having achieved the top of her field with her company and serves as the DSWA Area Chapter Director and is a contributing Author in "BUILD IT BIG" the best selling DSWA book on Network Marketing Book.  Linda began her career in direct sales when black and white TV was all the rage! She has always had a passion for developing others. She has spent an intermixed 24 years on the corporate level and 20+ years in the field developing her own teams. During her field career, Linda personally sponsored over 1000 people and held over 3000 parties. In 2000, Linda was named Minnesota’s Working Woman of the Year, has been included in Who’s Who of American Women, former president of TCNN, past member of Zonta, and held various board positions.

Gale BatesGale Bates, Direct Selling Leader and author of www.mymentorbiz.com

Gayle helps entrepreneurs in direct sales create a profitable and successful business to maximize the income they desire. She is passionate in helping Leaders develop skills and ideas to reach the top leadership position in their company. Gayle is dedicated to the belief that direct sales is one of the best opportunities for women to grow and prosper in today's world, both personally and professionally and is a contributing Author in “BUILD IT BIG” the best selling DSWA book on Network Marketing Book.

Awyna Boam, Direct Selling Leader and host of DSWA's Generation Now Blog

A direct selling professional for nearly five years, Awyna brings a fresh perspective into what the under 30 generation wants.  She is the host of http://nowwomen.blogspot.com/, the DSWA Diversity Center Blog for Women Under 30 or as we like to say "Generation Now!"

Peggy O'Neil, Women with Disabilities Community
Known as "The Tiny Speaker Who Empowers You to Walk Tall!", Peggy has captivated audiences for over 10 years with her poignant message of personal empowerment, triumphing over challenges and celebrating diversity. Coming from the field of psychotherapy, Peggy inspires and enlightens the minds and hearts of people from all walks of life. Working with both groups and individuals, she uses insight, captivating storytelling, powerful questions and humor to support us all in breaking free from whatever is holding us back--keeping us "small inside"-- and to realize, embody and express our inherent magnificence ... so we can live life to it's fullest, professionally and personally! Peggy is the author of two books: Walking Tall and Little Squarehead as well as the creator of many other "Empowerment Tools" (see our "Store") Peggy celebrates her daily life, with her husband, Brad Laise, an actor, and their Samoyed dogs in Los Angeles, CA.

LaDonna Greene-Brock, Women with Disabilities Community
LaDonna been in direct sales for 12 years as an consultant and team leader. In spite of living with what some would see as a disability, direct sales has afforded her a wonderful opportunity. LaDonna lives by her belief that “attitude overcomes adversity!” LaDonna adds the strength in the word “ability” to the word disability. Contact LaDonna at: Byweelzigo@aol.com

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