WISE business women receive scholarships at annual conference in Montgomery County

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Three local women were recently honored with scholarships at the 2017 WISE Conference.

The annual conference is designed to inspire, support and empower women in a fun, upbeat networking environment. Carol Gooch and Kiki Koymarianos started the conference in 2012.

This year’s scholarships were awarded to Rita Wiltz, Karlie LeBlanc and Cassandra Pennington.

Wiltz, a Conroe resident, is an active volunteer and community member, perhaps best known through her nonprofit organization Children's Books on Wheels. She said she will use her scholarship to enroll in training that will enhance her career and to travel to an upcoming business conference.

LeBlanc said she will use the scholarship to expand her Huntsville-based business, JAKK Farms. "My vision is to grow my barn and continue to instill confidence in people of all ages through horsemanship," she said. "I will use the money to do some minor upgrades to the facility to make the farm a safer and happier place. Along with the few upgrades, I would like to allow some children the opportunity to ride at my facility that may not have been able to afford riding lessons."

Pennington, a resident of The Woodlands, will use her scholarship to attend a nursing program at Lone Star College in January of 2018.

Scholarships were awarded based on the recipients’ personal vision and community service. WISE offers scholarships to deserving women with a desire to further their careers through education, expand their business or start a new one.

The total scholarship package was $1,755 for each winner, including $1000 from WISE, and annual memberships to the Business Women Forum and the Montgomery County Association of Business Women.