P.B. Fitzwater said that character is the sum and total of a person’s choices. Lee’s choices have been varied and the experiences gained cherished.
For the last decade, Lee chose to support a venture capital firm that specialized in organically grown, B2B technology. The portfolio companies she managed solved common small business problems in a variety of areas, including human resources, executive training and development, market research, strategy and execution, and sales. It was Lee’s job to take big ideas and turn them into workable businesses solutions – solutions that would increase revenue or reduce operating costs. She found creative and innovative ways to make businesses thrive. She recently decided to step away to focus entirely on the small business and faith-based markets, two areas that occupy a very special place in her heart.
Prior to the VC experience, Lee was the VP of Curriculum Development for a privately-held training company where she designed and deployed technical, soft-skill, and custom executive training for companies such as Chik-fil-e, Kimberly Clark, Emory Healthcare, Novartis, Georgia-Pacific, and others. Again, it was her job to find solutions to common business challenges, write training so others could implement the solution, and then make it happen.
You might not identify Lee right away as a political junkie and entrepreneurial spirit, but she is. In fact, she was once asked what business experiences were the most valuable to her. She replied, “Working in politics and being laid off. Both were character-defining.” She added that the political arena was a fertile proving ground for discipline, problem-solving, consensus building, teamwork and insightful decision-making. Lee served as a top legislative aide in both the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives, has hosted her own political talk show, and has run a variety of local campaigns. She was once laid off from a college teaching job and she began her own business in response. She has never looked back.
Lee holds an M.A. in Applied Politics, a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in business and is a Certified Performance Technologist. She sings with her husband in a Southern Gospel Quartet, Ezekiel33 (http://www.Ezekiel33.org), serves on the board of trustees at her church, volunteers with the Chamber of Commerce and loves animals.
A fifth generation Floridian by birth, she now in lives in the Atlanta area, but visits her hometown beach every chance she gets.