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Born and raised in the greater Kansas City area, Hailee Bland-Walsh, returned to the Midwest in large part to contribute to a community that welcomes entrepreneurs to pursue their passions. Hailee spent eight years in the San Francisco area honing her fitness and business acumen and then upon her return to Kansas City took her passion, drive, and expertise to the next level with the opening of City Gym KC in 2011.

Over the course of eight plus years, membership has grown 50% each year, with over 2,000 members to date. City Gym—Waldo, underwent a $250,000 expansion in January 2014 and currently has 11,600 square feet of space.

City Gym KC employs 60 full and part time employees, as well, as 15 personal trainers including Hailee herself. City Gym KC has been named “Waldo’s Best” twice by the Waldo Business Association, “Best Studio” by KC Fitness Magazine and was awarded, “25 Under 25” by Thinking Bigger Business. Personal accomplishments include, Hailee being named, “Best Female Trainer in KC” by KC Fitness Magazine and “Best Trainer” by KC Magazine, twice. Hailee was named to the 2017 class of, “Women Who Mean Business.”

In addition to her work with City Gym, Hailee is an entrepreneurial consultant working with individuals and companies looking to grow themselves and their businesses. Hailee is also an engaging speaker on topics ranging from fitness to company culture.

Hailee was a Division I student-athlete at the University of Minnesota in soccer. After time in the professional ranks, Hailee turned her attention to her true calling – connecting people to their best selves through healthy lifestyles.

Hailee drives to break barriers as one of only a handful of female gym owners in the nation. The creation of City Gym KC has been one of Hailee’s greatest accomplishments so far, yet her work is not done.

Meredith Suarez is a dedicated nonprofit leader with over 10 years of experience in the sector. For the past six years, Meredith has been part of the growing team at Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City, joining the organization in 2013 as a Development Officer and promoted to her current role as Director of Development & Marketing in 2016. She currently serves as on the senior leadership team at Junior Achievement and has raised over $5M in revenue during her tenure to advance the future of KC kids. With her roots in the performing arts, Meredith holds a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Arts Management in Nonprofit Management from Columbia College Chicago, and is a 2017 graduate of the Central Exchange Emerging Leaders Program. In addition to her professional experience, Meredith enjoys reading, nerding out on NPR, and attending family-friendly events with her husband Alberto and dynamic 7-year old son.

Gloria Squitiro is the birth mother of Tara and Andrew, and the cosmic mother of Alex, Nick, Pipo and Anna.

Squitiro has an INFJ personality (introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging). She is an advocate and a dreamer who takes concrete steps to realize her goals and make a lasting, positive impact. Helping others is her purpose, but not through charity. Her passion is to get to the heart of issues so people need not be rescued at all.

Gloria has been married to her husband (Funk) for over 40 years. She became his campaign manager by default, and has the rare distinction of being the only First Lady in America that was legally banned from the City Hall office where her husband, the mayor, worked.

Squitiro has a bachelor’s in psychology and is published in Harper’s Magazine. Her memoir, May Cause Drowsiness and Blurred Vision: The Side Effects of Bravery, is the first in her three-book C’mon Funk series. She lives in Washington, DC, surrounded by some of her flock

It’s her calling to make every husband on earth feel grateful they’re not married to her.

Michelle P. Wimes serves as the Chief Diversity and Professional Development Officer at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms. In her role, Michelle leads the firm’s efforts to attract, develop, retain, promote and advance a diverse group of attorneys across the firm’s national platform of 53 offices in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Additionally, Michelle leads the firm’s attorney training and professional development efforts. She is based in Ogletree Deakins’ Kansas City office.