FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Pasquale Giordano
305-205-6545
sherry@sftgassociates.com

MIAMI, April 1, 2011 – Sherry Thompson Giordano, co-founder of the business management consulting firm S.F.T.G. Associates Int’l and Executive Director of ITWomen, has been honored for her contributions in science and technology to the Miami-Dade County community.

Sherry Thompson Giordano

Ms. Giordano is one of 12 women recognized by the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department (MDPR) and the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women at the 23rd annual awards celebration, In the Company of Women, held March 31, 2011 at the Biltmore Hotel.

In the Company of Women Awards Ceremony recognizes women that were nominated by the community and chosen by a panel committee of judges to be honored for their outstanding accomplishments as residents of Miami-Dade County. These distinguished women were recognized for having exemplified Professional Development, Community Responsibility, Leadership and Vision, Contribution to Women’s Progress, and Promotion of Pluralism throughout their careers and lives.

As Executive Director of ITWomen, Ms. Giordano initiated and manages the ITWomen Role Model Speakers Program, which brings IT and Engineering professionals into classrooms and educational programs to encourage girls 8 to 18 to pursue technology and engineering careers. She is also responsible for executive partnerships with the leading businesses and nonprofit organizations in South Florida.

During Ms. Giordano’s acceptance remarks she encouraged all at the Ceremony to volunteer as a role model – just once a year. She stated, “If you positively change one child’s attitude and outlook – you have hit a home run!”

Sherry Giordano was selected by ITWomen in 2005 to provide executive management services.

About the Miami-Dade Park & Recreation Department
Nationally accredited, a three-time winner of the National Gold Medal Award, 2009 Florida Governor’s Sterling Award winner for excellence in management and operations, MDPR is the third largest county park system in the United States.

About the Commission for Women
The Commission for Women is part of the Office of Community Relations located in the Office of the County Manager. Its 26 members are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to serve in an advisory capacity to them, to the community and to all agencies and persons in Miami-Dade County “with respect to all matters pertaining to the status of women.”

About S.F.T.G. Associates Int’l.
S.F.T.G. Associates Int’l is a 12-year-old business management consulting firm based in Miami, Florida, that offers a proven approach to creating tangible and sustainable value.
S.F.T.G. Associates has extensive experience in working with non-profit and for-profit start-ups and on-going organizations to effectively develop and plan long term strategies and provide leadership in the implementation and execution of the provided plans. For more information please go to www.sftgassociates.com

About ITWomen
ITWomen is a not-for-profit, grass-roots organization dedicated to advancing women in IT and engineering in South Florida, from Miami-Dade to Broward and Palm Beach counties. The mission is to increase the number of women in technology and engineering careers, foster career advancement through professional development and education, and provide a supportive network for women in technology. For more information please go to www.itwomen.org

Welcome to our first Blog!!  S.F.T.G. Associates is an 11-year-old Business Consulting firm. We work with companies and nonprofit organizations to focus on best practices and how they can be best implemented throughout an organization – large or small.

There is a discipline of process and procedure that define best practices.  Most Fortune 500 companies follow their defined practices and yet that is not always the case in mid-size to smaller companies, and often neglected in smaller nonprofits.  This is because most nonprofit employees and volunteers are overwhelmed with the day-to-day struggle of keeping their programs going and for some, just keeping their doors open.

These are the organizations that have the greatest need for the implementation of best practices incorporated into their day-to-day operations.  Capacity Build is another term for this and is widely used today. The definition and organization of what needs to occur in a smaller faith-based or community-based nonprofit takes time and thought.  It is worth it.  Capacity Building should be tied to “learning” how to implement a strategic plan, keeping a Board involved and proactive, and creating an optimized organization.  It is good to have a consultant provide such services as Strategic Planning, Board Development, and Organizational Development, but this is all meaningless if one is not taught how to:

• go about implementing a plan
• creating measurable milestones that are then monitored for completion
• know when a plan is off track or not and…
• how to get it back on track.

The organization needs to be fortified and left stronger and more independent than when the consultant was retained.