The Tempe Chamber of Commerce recognized three finalists and announced the winner of the 23rd annual Business Woman of the Year award at the recent 2018 Leadership Conference & Expo. The award recognizes an individual’s excellence in their chosen field and demonstrated leadership within the community. The award honors those who serve as a positive role model to others and are active in community and Tempe Chamber programs. The winner and the finalist for the 23rd annual Business Woman of the Year award are:
Business Woman of the Year 2018: Darin Sender
Darin A. Sender is an AV-rated zoning attorney and president and founder of Sender Associates based in Tempe. She received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. In addition to her work as a zoning attorney, she also teaches zoning and land use law in the Master of Real Estate Development program at the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU. Sender was awarded as the legal Leader of the Year in 2017 by the Phoenix Business Journal. She was a member of Tempe Leadership Class 15 and has served with the Downtown Tempe Community board and the City Planning Commission.
Finalist 2018: Tracy Bullock
Tracy Bullock is the president of Bullock Training and Development and brings 30 years of business development experience to her Sandler Training business, winning four awards of excellence for business performance. She builds and delivers programs for companies of all sizes in Tempe and across Arizona. Bullock is currently on the boards of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, iCommand, and is the Chairman of the Board of Ubora, IT. She is the facilitator of the Coffee Connections Leads Group 1 and is an active member of the Chamber’s Women in Business Council. Bullock was noted as a Top 101 Industry Experts by Cambridge’s Worldwide Who’s Who for her work in Global Management Training Development.
Finalist 2018: Melody Elkin
Melody Elkin is the owner and founder of Sweetest Season Bakery Boutique. Elkin played basketball for ASU, where she celebrated a successful career from 2000–2002. After a brief stint with the WNBA, she returned to Tempe in 2008 to begin a career in nonprofit leadership and later opened Sweetest Season Bakery from her decades of baking. She opened the brick-and-mortar bakery in December 2016 and has seen triple-digit growth since its opening. Elkin continues to be heavily involved in community engagement, including Tempe Leadership Class 28, serving as the executive director of the Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow, and being a board member of Friends of the Tempe Center of the Arts.
