PHOENIX, AZ – Sept 2023 – Televerde Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides personal and professional development opportunities to women impacted by incarceration so they can attain meaningful and rewarding careers upon release, is pleased to announce that Kay Kienast, CMO of GROW Powerful, and Brenda Kay, Global SVP of Business Development at Precisely, have joined the Televerde Foundation Board of Directors.
“I am excited to welcome our newest board members, Kay Kienast and Brenda Kay” said Michelle Cirocco, CEO and executive director, Televerde Foundation. “Both these women bring a wealth of experience in business development, marketing and technology to help us further our mission helping women impacted by incarceration find success in the global workforce.”
Kay Kienast held senior marketing and operations positions at some of the industry’s most innovative infrastructure companies, including GE, Seagate (Evault), Adobe, Cisco, and Dell Computer Corporation. Kay’s track record of creating and building world class enterprise solutions, coupled with her two years on the Televerde Foundation advisory board, propelled her to be voted on as a member of the Board of Directors. Kay worked directly with women who worked for Televerde and said, “I was amazed at the skills and abilities of the Televerde women with storage, backup, and recovery that I often stated they knew more than our internal sales staff!” Kay was the recipient of the 552 Leadership Development Award from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare allowing her to earn her Doctorate degree from East Texas State University. Since, Kay has published numerous articles, including Forbes Community and awards, and was featured in LA Weekly as one of the top 10 Disruptors to watch out for in 2023.
Brenda Kay, Global SVP of Sales at Precisely, manages Business Development and Inside Sales, but her experience does not stop there. Brenda has worked for major tech companies like IBM and Pitney Bowes where she was dedicated to supporting women in technology while consistently surpassing sales performance goals. Brenda was a Women in Technology (WIT) nominee in 2020, named on the INvolve Top 50 Role Model Advocate List in 2022, and won the prestigious WIT “Ally of The Year” Award in 2022, which was partially accredited to her work inside correctional facilities helping women learn professional business skills. Brenda has been involved with Televerde for over 5 years, donating time to teach business development skills, and has hired many graduates to work within her organization. “I believe in serving the community, and I am truly passionate about the mission of Televerde and the Televerde Foundation,” said Brenda. “I believe the skill set I bring to the board is sales experience, the passion for service, and real life hiring and engagement with the Televerde graduates.”
Televerde Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of individuals from the business, academic, and volunteer communities. It is the board’s purpose to provide counsel and guidance that helps further the foundation’s mission to help women impacted by incarceration join and succeed in the global workforce.
Televerde Foundation
Televerde Foundation’s mission is to provide currently and formerly incarcerated women with the personal and professional development programs necessary to successfully join and advance in the global workforce. Our approach inspires creativity, imagination, self-confidence, and social skills while addressing issues that cause recidivism. We enable women to break the generational cycle of poverty and incarceration by becoming positive role models to change the lives of future generations and build stronger communities. Learn more: https://www.televerdefoundation.org/.