Jayme grew up in a family-owned, small business where her love for providing a warm and welcoming customer experience developed. Shortly after graduation, Jayme joined a non-profit in Cape Girardeau with a small team who helped her develop skills in marketing, sales, and relationship management. After 13 years in non-profit and moving to Central Missouri, Jayme reinvented herself with a major
career change transitioning to for-profit, by joining a local car dealership as a Customer Experience Manager. During this time she was taken back to her roots and was given the opportunity to participate in a life-changing training through the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. As a lifelong learner, Jayme was eager to implement the customer experience training she received and continues to share this
knowledge in each of her new roles. Jayme was a leader in healthcare sales and then, and then most recently, emerged as a natural leader within her business banking team quickly grasping services and solving customers needs. Though her roles have changed over the past 20+ years, her love for her family and community has not. She still enjoys sharing her time and talents with organizations that are
near and dear to her heart and loves to meet new people, and listen to them share their life story. Jayme’s passion for connecting people and resources, along with her problem solving skills, will make her a great addition to the Missouri Women’s Business Center team.
Jennifer is in charge of community connections, training, and coaching in our Cooper, Howard, and Moniteau county areas.
Jennifer grew up in the Dallas, Texas area, and attended college at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, earning a BA in international business and Spanish. She started her career at IBM Dallas in Global Marketing, and quickly realized she is an entrepreneur at heart, starting her first business at age 23. A serial entrepreneur, Jennifer has started several businesses from the ground up including a children’s bedding and accessories boutique that transitioned into a line of wholesale baby furniture and bedding. She and her husband also owned and operated an ice cream franchise in the Dallas area before moving to Mid-Missouri in 2010. She also has years of corporate experience in operations and marketing along the way.
Currently, Jennifer is the chief connector of The Connection Exchange, a welcome service that connects new businesses and new residents with the resources, products, and services they need in Mid-Missouri and beyond and provides software to other welcome services nationwide.
Cindy Baker a serial entrepreneur, chronic reader and lifelong learner opened her first successful business, ErrandRunners in 2012. In 2017, Cindy won first place in the Show-Me Innovation Pitch Competition for her business concept, KACO- The Kitchen, which she opened shortly after winning. Learning that sometimes a good idea is not enough, that national trends don’t always work in a small community, and how pulling the plug on a business can be harder than opening. Cindy decided to close KACO-The Kitchen resulting in moving her office to the downtown Brick District in Fulton. Her new office building came with a sliding window to the popular brick district getting her entrepreneurial spirit thinking about the possibilities. During the 2020 pandemic, The Spot was opened selling cotton candy and lemonade through that very window. To assist with developing the workforce of the future, she employees local high school students at The Spot teaching them about scheduling, compiling payroll, creating operating procedures, and increasing efficiency.
Cindy has proudly served her community as Co-Chair of Entertainment and Fundraising for the Fulton Street Fair, The Art House Board of Directors, Personnel Board for the City of Fulton, Past President and Parliamentarian for the Fulton Garden Club, Member of the Audrain County Master Gardeners, Tenant Representative for FCCA, Parade Committee for the Independence Chamber of Commerce and Flower Show Chair for the Fulton Garden Club and is a current Ambassador for the Callaway Chamber of Commerce.
When she is not working on her own business, she assists other entrepreneurs through her role as a Business Coach for the Missouri Women’s Business Center in Callaway and Audrain Counties.
Shaunda Hamilton is the owner of Heart and Home Professional Services LLC, a State Certified Minority and Women Business-Owned Enterprise, where she has contracts with federal and state agencies for different project-based needs, transportation and courier services, and provides others subcontracting opportunities.
Shaunda is also the co-founder and executive director of Boone County Community Against Violence (BCCAV), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. BCCAV is committed to providing advocacy in and throughout the community to those who have been affected directly or indirectly by violence, grief, loss, and traumas. This is done by providing support aimed at empowering others through quality training, unification projects, and valuable supports to inspire a strengthened community.
Shaunda has over 20 years of quality management and process improvement experience, a degree in health information management, and she’s a Certified Victims Advocate and a Certified Non-Profit Executive.
In her spare time, Shaunda enjoys spending time with family, especially her three grandsons.
Eryn maintains the day-to-day operations of the Missouri Women’s Business Center.
She was born and raised in Kansas City, and is excited about her recent move to Columbia, Missouri. Eryn has a passion for entrepreneurship and helping others achieve their goals. Growing up, Eryn watched her mother work non-stop as a single mom while also starting her own business. As she saw her mother succeed, she too wanted to follow in her footsteps and help others do the same. Eryn is in the process of getting a degree in Business Entrepreneurship and plans to own her own business someday.
Eryn is currently studying for her Bachelor's at Columbia College.