Breaking Barriers: Women Leading the Way
Tuesday, May 14 | 6-8 PM | Paradiso Ristorante
$25 members | $30 non-members | cash bar | appetizers
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
Jenna Dolan
Program Manager, GE Aerospace
Jenna Dolan is a colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and former fighter pilot. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, she became the first woman to fly the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II aircraft in combat. The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, recognized Dolan’s transition from the military to civilian workforce as an example for others to follow.
Jenna has been leading the GE Aerospace Lynn Services team, as the Executive Product Manager, since September 2021. She is responsible for managing the customer relationship with Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), ensuring profitability on >$600M in annual revenue, developing the aftermarket strategy for our engines including F414, F404, J85 and TF34 product lines, and coaching and developing her team of six contract performance managers and repair leaders.
Jenna joined GE in 2009 after 13 years active duty in the US Marine Corps as an AV-8B Harrier pilot. Previous roles at GE include JOLP, T700-401C PM, T408 Development PM, and F414 PBLs PM with GE Aerospace and GE4GE Client Manager with GE Energy Connections.
As an eighth-grader in Minnesota, Jenna Dolan was dreaming big. She knew she wanted to be a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. Even her middle school classmates could see she was always up for a challenge: In their school yearbook, they voted her most likely to accomplish her goals. Dolan didn’t have to look far for her career inspiration: Flying is in her family’s DNA. Her father served as a Marine Corps pilot during the Vietnam War era, flying the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, a single-seat attack aircraft. After he retired from active duty, he became a commercial pilot for Northwest Airlines.
Andrea Gayle-Bennett
Colonel (Ret.), Deputy Secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services
Joining the Massachusetts National Guard in 1983, Andrea rose through the ranks and held such positions as state surgeon, deputy commander and chief physician assistant. In 2019, she earned the rank of brigadier general (MA).
Andrea also has a distinguished career in medicine spanning more than three decades, including 37 years as a physician assistant at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston, where she demonstrated exceptional skills delivering comprehensive medical care. She holds a doctorate in medical science from the University of Lynchburg, a master’s of education from Lesley College and a bachelor’s in allied health from Sophie Davies School of Medicine in New York City.
Andrea serves on the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Services, and serves as the corporate secretary with the Veteran Business Owners Initiative.
In 2023, State Veterans’ Services Secretary Jon Santiago appointed Andrea as the first-ever deputy secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS).
Suzanne Iovanna
President & CEO, Pride Motor Group
October 19, 2014 is a day Suzanne Iovanna will never forget because it was the day her husband Michael died in a car accident. It was also the day she became a single mom to teenagers Michael Jr and Alexandra, and the owner of Pride Motor Group in Lynn, Massachusetts. A Periodontal Surgical Assistant and stay at home mom, Suzanne admits she knew nothing about how to run a large car dealership that includes Pride Hyundai, Pride Kia, and Pride Chevrolet. She decided the best way to honor her husband was to dive into trying to run the family business.
An invitation from Hyundai to begin training as a Dealer Principal in Korea was gratefully accepted, followed by joining a “NADA 20 Group” where dealers meet to learn from each other. Soon after, she enrolled at the National Automobile Dealers Association Academy in Tysons, Virginia for intensive instruction in automotive sales, service and finance, earning her NADA certification in 2017.
The President of Pride Motor Group and a Dealer Principal for Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet, Suzanne is among a very small group of women car dealership owners in the United States and she is on a mission to promote women in her industry. “At the end of the day, my goal is to learn every single thing I possibly can. It’s kinda like a boxing match. Every time someone thinks, oh, she’s out, I come bouncing right back up again. I just want to prove to myself that I can do this.”
