The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is dedicated to our mission, to educate, engage, enrich and empower women of all generations. One way we empower women is through our Wonder Woman recognition, where we honor female leaders within our local community who have made outstanding contributions in volunteer and/or professional activities in the areas of Business, Community, Leadership, Education, Healthcare, Entrepreneurship, or Lifetime Achievement.

On April 15, 2020, WRC is hosting their annual Spring Legacy Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency starting at 11:30 am. The WRC and Event Chairs Amanda Horne,  Heather Kasten and Umbreen Khalidi-Majeed will celebrate the legacy ofGloria Milstein Flanzer and honor four trailblazing Wonder Women; Rae Dowling, Lisa Krouse, Victoria Stultz, and Marilyn Thompson.

Rae Dowling is the Area Manager in our Southwest service territory for Florida Power and Light. She joined Florida Power & Light Company in 1984 after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Florida State University. Rae has held numerous positions in Customer Service, Commercial/Industrial Accounts, Information Management, Distribution Power Systems and External Affairs. In her present position, she is responsible for government affairs and community relations in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Highlands and Hardee counties on Florida’s West Coast.

Ms. Dowling currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Argus Foundation, United Way Suncoast, Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida, Sarasota EDC and The Parrish Foundation. She is the Past Chair of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on many boards including: Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, United Way Suncoast, United Way Sarasota, Economic Development Corp of Sarasota, Bradenton Area EDC, Parrish Foundation and Goodwill Manasota. 

Lisa Krouse is a Board Member, Executive Vice President, and Chief Administrative Officer at FCCI Insurance Group, a super-regional property and casualty insurance company headquartered in Sarasota. During Lisa’s 15-year tenure at FCCI, she has been responsible for corporate social responsibility, public relations, marketing, corporate communications, human resources, shared services, all facilities management, security, and business continuity management. Since joining FCCI in 2005 she has been cultivating a culture of excellence. There’s always an air of excitement around Lisa. She views every day as a gift, and she brings that zest for life to FCCI, positively impacting the teammates she engages ensuring that FCCI attracts, retains and develops top-notch talent.  

She is a Past Chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and is only one of five women to have held that position since its founding over 100 years ago. She currently sits on the Board of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Sarasota County. Throughout the years, she has served on numerous boards including Habitat for Humanity, Career Source Suncoast, Teen Court, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, All Faiths Food Bank, and the advisory boards of the University of South Florida, Florida State University and Doctors Hospital. She served as District Director for HR Florida (an affiliate of the Society For Human Resource Management) and is past president of the Sarasota/Manatee Human Resources Association. 

Originally from Boston, Victoria Stultz has been working in the real estate industry  for over 19 years. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Northern Kentucky University in Alexandria, Kentucky.

Victoria obtained her business experience in Cincinnati, where she worked in sales for a Fortune 500 company for several years before transitioning into real estate with a prominent brokerage. In 2001, she and her husband purchased a national real estate franchise in which they bought and sold over 150 houses. After selling her business five years later, Victoria relocated to Florida and continued her real estate career in the Sarasota area. 

Her effective negotiating skills, extensive business experience and vibrant personality have resulted in a proven track record including a record-setting sale for $14.5 million in 2015 and ten consecutive years winning the Five Star professional real estate award. 

Victoria’s passion and dedication for the community extend beyond selling real estate. She serves on many nonprofit boards and committees including chair of the board of directors for the Venice Chamber of Commerce, South County Tiger Bay Club, Venice High School Foundation, Debutante of Sarasota and is a former board member of the Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club.

Marilyn Thompson is a retired Human Resources Executive with more than thirty years of global human resources management experience at General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline,  and Johnson & Johnson. 

For 23 years, Marilyn worked in the consumer and pharmaceutical businesses at Johnson & Johnson and has extensive experience in leadership development, talent management, culture change, coaching, and training.  She has been recognized for her outstanding leadership in partnering with business leaders to build organizations that are strengthened and empowered by effective human resources management systems, policies, and practices.  In her last position at Johnson & Johnson, she was global head of Diversity and Inclusion for pharmaceutical business at corporate headquarters. The company received numerous awards for best practices in driving business results and embedding diversity & inclusion into its workforce, workplace, marketplace, and external relations. 

Since retiring to the area from New Jersey in 2012, Marilyn has been a volunteer at a number of impactful local organizations including the Gulf Coast Chapter of the U.S. National Committee for UN Women,  YWCA Y Achievers, Take Stock in Children of Sarasota, and Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC). In 2016, she joined the CSFC Board of Directors and is currently the chair of the board’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. Marilyn is a member of the Bradenton/Sarasota (Fl) chapter of The Links Inc. and serves as the Services to Youth Facet Chair. In this role, she initiated the development of a National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr. Chapter at Booker Middle School. She is a founding member and current President of Masala Giving Circle, a group of philanthropic women with a passion for giving back, helping others, and creating positive change in the African-American community of Sarasota and Manatee counties.  Since it was created in 2014, the circle has awarded grants to 14 nonprofits and its membership has soared to over 60 women.

The Spring Legacy Luncheon will take place at Hyatt Regency Sarasota on Wednesday, April 15th at 11:30am. Get your tickets at MyWRC.org/SLL to hear from these successful women yourself!