BPW is an innovative organization of working women that provides leadership opportunities for personal and professional growth along with opportunities to create change in your workplace and community.
Our Members
Our diverse group is made up of seasoned and young professionals and includes business owners, executive directors and entrepreneurs. You’ll find our members at Health Care, Jackson College, Baker College, JSO, and Lloyd Ganton Retirement Centers. Members are active leaders in the community and can be found supporting dozens of Jackson’s fine nonprofit organizations.
BPW Members participate in Equal Pay Day and the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive. We provide scholarships to support professional growth and development for women and contribute to the BPW Cancer Fund.
Our local organization is part of one of the largest working women’s organizations, the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C., BPW Michigan and National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.
Leadership: Current Officers (June-May)
Robin Vafiadis, President | Mary Kay Beauty Consultant
Dana Brown, Vice President | Realtor, The Brokerage House
Lori Masters, Treasurer | Retired
Angela Machnik, Secretary | Corporate Events Consultant
Committee Service
Members support the work of BPW through committee service. Committees include: programming, publicity, legislative, finance.
Networking
We meet the first and third Monday from noon to 1:15 PM at the Cascades Manor with a business and program meeting featuring various speakers on topics of interest to our members. Information about upcoming programs are included on our Facebook page. Be sure to “Like Us”! It’s the best way to stay in touch and informed. We are also on Instagram@JacksonMIBPW and LinkedIn
Speaker Presentation Questionnaire must be filled out prior to your speaking date.
2025 Jackson BPW Events
Nov. 3 – Business Meeting/Networking
Short presentation from Salvation Army
Nov. 17 – How to Personalize Your Career – RSVP HERE
Dec. 8 (Yes 2nd Monday)- BPW Holiday Party – Nutcracker Suite – RSVP HERE
Dec. 29 – BPW FUN Day
2026 Jackson BPW Events
Jan. 5 – Business Meeting/Networking
Jan. 19 – Lifestyle Intervention for Chronic Disease – Cathy Buiten, FNP-c, Dip-ACLM – A mustard Seed Adventure Family Practice
Feb. 2 – Business Meeting/Networking
Feb. 16 – Best tips when using social media with our very own Kim West
Feb. 27 – Boss Babes and Bites at 5:30 pm. Location TBD
March 2 – Business Meeting/Networking
March 5 – Equal Pay Day 2026
March 16 – Women’s Panel – Women Achieving success in male dominated career’s. Moderated by Barb Fuller. Panelists are Chelsea Mayor – Jame Pacheco, Judge Susan B. Jordan, Becky Loveland – VP of Strategy and business planning for Dawn Foods Global and Anita Quillen, President of Diversified Engineering & Plastics.
March 30 – Fun Fifth Monday – TBD
**If you are interested in being a speaker/presenter to Jackson BPW – email JacksonMIBPW@gmail.com
We are members of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.
Learn more about membership on the Join page.
History of Leadership
Jackson BPW won the 2024 Michigan BPW Membership Award and the Anna Howard Shaw Award for Excellence in Programming.
We celebrated our chapter’s 100th Anniversary+2 in September 2022. That’s quite a milestone.
Jackson BPW won the 2016 Michigan BPW Membership Award and the Anna Howard Shaw Award for Excellence in Programming.