Women's Financial Connection
Financial Literacy for Girls and Women
Mary Claire Friesema
who lives in Denver, Colorado, describes herself as a “serial entrepreneur”, and is the owner of Red Boots Limousine. She wanted to balance raising two children with creating an income and started her first business, a secretarial service, in Chicago. This was before home-based businesses were considered “real businesses”. Her other business activities have been in in association management, commercial real estate investing, and commercial property management. Mary Claire earned a B.S. in Communications with a minor in Women Studies from the Women’s College at Denver University. She is passionate about helping women thrive both personally, professionally, and financially. She is the founder of Fit Frog Foundation, Inc., Denver, Colorado, which provides fitness and nutrition services for women in crisis. Mary Claire is a cross fit athlete. She also is a mom, grandmother, friend, and mentor to many who have worked with her in her businesses.
Elizabeth Ortiz
lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is an entrepreneur. Prior to moving to New Mexico, she lived in Aurora, Colorado. Elizabeth is passionate about learning, empowering women, and became an investor and a student of financial management as a young woman. She graduated in 2013 from the University of New Mexico with dual degrees in Finance and International Business. Elizabeth owns and operates an e-bay business which allows her time to balance being a wife and the mother of two daughters, with the demands of having a business. Elizabeth is all about healthy living and enjoys cooking and Yoga. She is a talented artist and also is fluent in both English and Spanish. Elizabeth currently has the shortest biography because she is our youngest board member, but that will change quickly.
Greta Daniels
lived most of life in Port Isabel, Texas, which is in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and situated near the Gulf of Mexico, until a recent move to Tennessee. She earned an Associate Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Lehigh University, Allentown, PA. Currently she is the Branch Manager of Doggett Heavy Machinery Services in Brownsville, Texas. Greta is the mother of one daughter and has been a single working mom for most of her grown daughter’s life. She has been a mentor for other younger members of her extended family while also caring for elderly parents. Greta has seen the ups and downs of being financially self-supporting for her entire adult life, and understands the importance of financial literacy for girls and women. Her professional skills include bookkeeping and accounting along with operations management, customer service, and leadership. Most of Greta’s career has been in a male dominated industry and she is aware of the challenges that women face in the workplace and in financial management. She graciously volunteered her time and expertise to support her local church as the treasurer.
Debra Hadsall
is the founder of The Women’s Financial Connection. She lives in Kerrville Texas. Prior to that she resided in Port Isabel, Texas, and spent most of her adult life in Aurora, Colorado.
Debra attended Kansas State University for three years and graduated later in life from Regis University, Denver Colorado where she earned a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Economics.
Delia Sanchez
(Dede) joined the Women’s Financial Connection Board of Directors in 2019. She is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Hill Country of Texas. She is a graduate of Fredericksburg High School and her son (who is now an adult) attended Fredericksburg schools also. Her interest in financial management is admirable. As a single mother she raised her son and has been self-supporting for many years. She has been a big supporter of what the Women’s Financial Connection offers and can accomplish. Dede works full-time in a retail business located on the well-known Main Street of Fredericksburg which is a busy tourist destination. We at the Women’s Financial Connection appreciate her customer service, business, and sales skills along with her knowledge of local Hill Country cities along with her passion for empowering women. Sales skills are important to us. Sometimes we have to sell the value of financial literacy. It doesn’t just happen! Dede is a community volunteer and part of several initiatives in the local area that are of service to women. These revolve around domestic violence and human trafficking. Dede is also a volunteer mentor for a group life skills mentoring activity for girls and young women in Fredericksburg called Lunch Bunch. Being a talented jewelry artist, she created necklaces which were given to a group of middle school students one year. Her artistic abilities and high energy approach to getting things accomplished are very exciting. She is also the Registered Agent for the Women’s Financial Connection. We appreciate her energy, knowledge of the local Hill Country Community, and her willingness to share what she learns about financial literacy with others and thank her for joining us.