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Sarah
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team for Europe, the Middle East ated were comprehensive — vineyard
and Africa. visits, Gregorian music demos, culinary
Hielema was atwitter. The position lessons taught by Italian chefs, Renais-
was stationed in Brussels, Belgium, a sance art instruction and studies of
city known for its mélange of cultures, Etruscan history. “It was just a wonder-
and she’d have the chance to work on ful, amazing experience that I will always
her master’s degree in management. value,” she says. It may also explain her
After backpacking through Europe dur- current love for all things gastronomic.
ing college, she had been determined “It opened my eyes to the artistic
to return someday and completely world,” says Hielema. “It was in Italy
immerse herself in the culture. Here that I became inspired. I love the qual-
was her opportunity to do so. ity of life. Your senses are so heightened
“I wanted to experience it from a because of the natural beauty, the smells
local standpoint,” Hielema recalls. “I of the food, the time they take to talk
worked hard to find opportunities that with one another, the time they take for
would lead me to Europe. I held onto their meals. You feel very much alive.”
that dream.” The ever-gregarious Hielema fit
Years later, Hielema branched out right in.
on her own, launching an international Still today, colleagues say she con-
consulting practice. The globetrotting tinually has an extremely personable
continued clear across Germany, France approach. “I’ve never seen her in a situ-
and Italy. “Leslie is a risk taker,” says ation when she was not able to strike up
Kathy DeGuilio-Fox, business develop- a conversation with the person standing
ment manager for the Purdue Tech- next to her,” comments DeGuilio-Fox.
nology Center of Northwest Indiana, a “Leslie is very easygoing, calm even
business incubator, where Hielema was a in the most stressful situations, and
client. “Although her risk is calculated. always ready to listen and put someone
I don’t believe she jumps into anything at ease.”
Leslie Hielema: “I’ll focus on creating a platform to enhance the ability of companies to start, grow Even during a holiday dinner snafu
without first thinking it through and
and succeed in Central Florida.” Bottom left: shown with Nancy Graham, Chamber community
information specialist, and Jacob Stuart, president of the Central Florida Partnership. Bottom right: weighing the pros and cons.” she was even keeled. “When I first
shown with Jim Lewis, founding board member of the Central Florida Partnership. At top: shown with moved to Italy, I wanted to have a big
Alex Martins, 2010 chair of the Central Florida Partnership; Pat Engfer, 2009 chair of the Chamber; Under the Tuscan Sun Thanksgiving dinner for my friends,”
Des Cummings Jr., 2008 chair of the Chamber; and Lewis. With the Chamber under the Partnership’s
While adjusting yet again to unfamil- she recalls. “I went to order a turkey
wing, each of those leaders will play a role in Hielema’s work.
iar surroundings, a new partnership from the butcher shop. I said it was for
idea surfaced, inspired by the Italian 16 people, but he must have thought I
said a 16-kilo turkey. When he brought Phi Phi Island in Phuket, Thailand, Stateside Again she was hired at the Center for Indiana
it out it was the size of a large dog. The during an impending hurricane, she With two master’s degrees complete, Partnerships. As director, she reached
whole time I was in Italy they called me wasn’t fazed. She simply called her boss newfound inspiration in check and a out to the community, alumni and
‘Turkey Lady.’” to say she wouldn’t be in for work Mon- passport cluttered with stamps, Hiele- industry leaders to build a mentoring
Even when Hielema was trapped on day and hunkered down. ma’s next stop was Indiana. In 2002, network for students. The program was
19
a hit and still exists today in part because
of her “inclusive” leadership. “She’s
thoughtful enough to include others
in the process and persistent enough to
make it happen,” says John Keller, dean
<:IDC7D6G9 of students at St. Joseph’s College in
Rensselaer, Ind.
While in Indiana, she also became
DE:C=DJH: involved in several community board
LZaXdbZDjgCZl8]VbWZgEgZh^YZci groups, like the Engineering Advisory
;dgi]ZÄghii^bZ^c'*nZVgh!i]ZDgaVcYdGZ\^dcVa8]VbWZgd[8dbbZgXZ]VhVC:LEgZh^YZci Council and the Computer Informa-
6cDeZc=djhZl^aaWZ]dhiZYWni]Z7dVgYd[<dkZgcdgh!BZbWZghd[i]ZHZVgX]8dbb^iiZZVcYi]Z tion Technology Council, to help keep
8]VbWZgHiV[[idXZaZWgViZi]ZVgg^kVad[djgcZl8]VbWZgEgZh^YZci!AZha^Z=^ZaZbV#AZha^ZWg^c\hV children interested in science and
lZVai]d[ZmeZg^ZcXZiddjg8]VbWZg!djgXdbbjc^inVcYdjgHjch]^cZHiViZ# train students to be able to go into the
BV`Zi^bZidhide^cVindjgXdckZc^ZcXZWZilZZc-/%%V#b#VcY+/%%e#b#dcLZYcZhYVn! marketplace with the skills needed by
CdkZbWZg&'!'%%-#A^\]igZ[gZh]bZcihl^aaWZVkV^aVWaZi]gdj\]djii]ZYVn# local industry.
6aa8]VbWZgBZbWZghVcYbZbWZghd[i]ZXdbbjc^inl]dl^h]idbZZiAZha^ZeZghdcVaanVgZ Notably, she also served her local
lZaXdbZidYgdeWn# AZha^Z=^ZaZbV Chamber and promoted businesses to
EgZh^YZci
GHKE^hcdigZfj^gZY#;dgbdgZ^c[dgbVi^dc!eaZVhZXdciVXiEVb8aVcXnVi)%,#-(*#')-+# DgaVcYdGZ\^dcVa
both the community and visitors.
L]Zc/ LZYcZhYVn!CdkZbWZg&'!'%%- 8]VbWZgd[8dbbZgXZ
-/%%V#b#"+/%%e#b# Forward Thinking
L=:G:/ DgaVcYdGZ\^dcVa8]VbWZgd[8dbbZgXZ As the first new president of the
,*Hdji]>kVc]dZ7djaZkVgY Orlando Regional Chamber since
DgaVcYd!;A('-%) Jacob Stuart took the job 24 years ago
(he now leads the Central Florida Part-
nership), Hielema has big shoes to fill.
This will hardly be her first challenge,
7JH>C:HH57G:6@;6HI though. With her two master’s degrees,
I]Z7Zhid[i]Z7Zhi###HigViZ\^Zhid=ZaeNdj7gZV`DjihdNdj9dci7aZcY>c a string of successful businesses and
HVb=dgc^hVcVlVgY"l^cc^c\`ZncdiZheZV`Zg!WZhi"hZaa^c\Vji]dg!gZheZXiZYXgZVi^kZXdchjaiVci! global trekking under her belt, she has
VcY^c"YZbVcYbZY^VgZhdjgXZ#H]Z]ZaehXa^ZcihXgZViZVhide"Zb"^c"i]Z^g"igVX`hWgVcYVcYV already created a reputation that spans
dcZ"d["V"`^cYbVg`Zi^c\VeegdVX]i]Vi\Zihi]Z^gXdbeVc^Zh!XVjhZh!egd\gVbhdgegdYjXih 17 countries and five continents and
cdi^XZY###[dgVaai]Zg^\]igZVhdch#>ci]^h[Vhi"eVXZYhZhh^dc!HVbl^aah]VgZhdbZd[]Zg[Vkdg^iZ that now includes Central Florida.
i^eh[gdb]ZgWZhi"hZaa^c\Wdd`hVcYVlVgY"l^cc^c\egd\gVbh!^cXajY^c\]dlid/ Plus, her history of pushing boundar-
>YZci^[nndjgEd^cihd[9^hi^cXi^dcE#D#9#hidY^hi^c\j^h]ndj[gdbndjgXdbeZi^idgh# ies, coupled with her savvy entrepre-
I]^c`dcndjg[ZZiVcY`cdll]ViidhVnl]ZcndjYdci`cdll]ViidhVn# neur-minded ideals, will doubtless give
LVa`^cidVgddb[jaad[higVc\ZghVcYijgci]Zb^cid[g^ZcYhVcYXa^Zcih# HVb=dgc her an edge. And having the fortitude
8gV[idcZ"d["V"`^cYZaZkVidgheZZX]Zhi]VibdkZeZdeaZidhVnIZaabZbdgZ 6lVgYl^cc^c\ to raise a young daughter mostly alone
HeZV`ZgVcY6ji]dg
Ndjl^aaaVj\]djiadjY!gZ"i]^c`i]ZlVnndjgZYd^c\Wjh^cZhh!VcYVeegZX^ViZ]Zg^cX^h^kZ^ch^\]ih" certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
l]^X]XVcVeea^ZY^bbZY^ViZanidgZVegZValdgaYgZhjaih# “You can tell when you talk to her
L=:C/ I]jghYVn!CdkZbWZg&(!'%%- that she has a depth of experience,”
'%8DCC:8I>DCH>C'=DJGH
,/(%"-/%%V#b#GZ\^higVi^dc!CZildg`^c\VcY8dci^cZciVa7gZV`[Vhi BV`ZNdjgE^iX]###;Vhi
says Keith Kirkpatrick, executive direc-
-/%%"./%%V#b#Egd\gVb CZildg`l^i]jeid)%di]Zg8]VbWZgBZbWZgh
Yjg^c\i]^h[Vhi"eVXZYild"]djg;VhiE^iX]
tor of Leadership Northwest Indiana,
IB
./&*"./(%V#b#CZlBZbWZgDg^ZciVi^dc heZZYcZildg`^c\ZkZci#:meZg^ZcXZl]VidkZg a community nurturing program in
&%!%%%egd[Zhh^dcVahcVi^dcl^YZVgZXVaa^c\
./(%"&&/(%V#b#;VhiE^iX]CZildg`^c\HZeVgViZGZ\^higVi^dcGZfj^gZY ¹i]ZegZ[ZggZYlVnidcZildg`#ºA^b^iZYHZVi^c\ which Hielema participated. “She has
lll#[Vhie^iX]cZildg`^c\#Xdb$ZkZcih$
L=:G:/ I]ZEaVoVI]ZVigZ HeZX^VaI]Vc`hidDjgHedchdg ZkZci#X[b4ZkZci>92&*)' a reference point for nearly every topic
)'*Cdgi]7jbWn6kZcjZ!DgaVcYd!;A('-%( or issue.”
8DHI/ &*#%% >cY^k^YjVaegZeV^Y Having worked in so many different
'%#%% >cY^k^YjVaYVnd[i]ZZkZci cultures, she says, opened her eyes to “all
the solutions and ways of doing things
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