Enterprising Women Names Jenny Zhu, Melissa Harrison and Tameka Payton to its Advisory Board

RALEIGH, N.C., March 11, 2024 – Monica Smiley, CEO and publisher of Enterprising Women magazine, has appointed Jenny Zhu, Melissa Harrison and Dr. Tameka L. Payton to the Enterprising Women Advisory Board. Zhu will be one of two inductees into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame at the 22nd Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Conference, April 7-9 in Orlando, Florida. 

“Jenny, Melissa and Tameka each are leaders in their fields, bringing proven expertise and a passion for serving their clients and communities.  In recognition of their excellence, we are enormously proud to name them as part of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board,” said Smiley.

Enterprising Women, the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners, chronicles the growing political, economic, and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women in 185 countries.

Jenny Jing Zhu, Founder and CEO of Lush Décor Home, is an award-winning entrepreneur, business pioneer and motivator-in-chief who inspires a diverse, powerhouse team to create, produce, market and deliver top selling home décor.

Zhu’s visionary perspective earned her opportunities a less keen eye would have missed. Armed with a degree in textile and surface design from the Fashion Institute of Technology and work experience in home textiles, Jenny envisioned a better way of doing business – one where the company delivered more than was expected.

In 2008, she founded Triangle Home Fashions (THF) determined to be a game-changer in a nascent e-commerce market. Zhu invented a company culture of leadership and innovation that not only originates impeccably detailed, accessible home decor for every room, every lifestyle and every life stage, but one that also manages global production, comprehensive warehousing and a direct distribution network for fast delivery. In 2023, with plans to expand the Lush Décor platform, THF began operating as Lush Décor Home.

As a champion for female entrepreneurs, Zhu serves as the Founder of USPAACC's Women Initiative Strategic Empowerment (WISE) and the Founder of the Jenny Jing Zhu Collective in partnership with Gold House. Additionally, she holds the position of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) DEI Officer and Garden State Board Member.

Zhu earned EY’s New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year Award and a national nomination in the consumer category in 2019.  She had the distinction of being named a recipient of the 2021 Enterprising Women of the Year Award. In 2021 and 2022, the company was named a 50 Fastest Growing Women Owned/Led Companies by WPO. Inc. Magazine named Triangle Home Fashions | Lush Décor a 2022 Top 500 Fastest Growing Company. http://trianglehf.com/about-us/lush-decor/

Melissa Harrison is CEO and Founder of Allee Creative, a marketing agency based in Minnesota. She has been a leader in the content marketing space for 20 years starting in higher education and nonprofits until she founded her agency at the age of 26. What started as a one-woman shop based heavily on traditional print content and marketing strategy grew to a full-service agency supported by a team of senior-level professionals with an international book of clients.

Harrison leads marketing strategies for brands across the globe through creation, curation, content execution and metrics analysis.  She has been published in BizWomen, Lioness Magazine, Minnesota Business Magazine, Content Marketing Institute and the Star Tribune, among others.

Her accolades include such distinctions as a 2023 Enterprising Women of the Year Award recipient and a 2022 Notable Marketing Leader (Twin Cities Business Magazine). Harrison has also been named a Top Content Marketer by the Content Marketing Institute, is a 4-time recipient of the Hermes Creative Award and was inducted into the DeForest Area High School’s Alumni Hall of Fame for her career achievements.

Harrison speaks internationally on topics of digital media and content marketing strategies, educating audiences about best practices. Her notable clients of record include: 3M Littmann Stethoscopes, Capella University, Endeavor Air (a Delta company), Lifetouch,  SPR Therapeutics,  State of Minnesota's Office of Higher Education, UnitedHealth/Optum, University of Minnesota School of Public Health and YMCA.

She has held leadership positions for several other boards in the Twin Cities area, is an Alzheimer’s Association Longest Day Committee volunteer, and is a member of both the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and First Friday Women in Marketing. 

Harrison lives in St. Michael, Minnesota with her husband and four children. 

https://alleecreative.com/

Dr. Tameka L. Payton is the founder and chief executive officer of Psychometric Solutions, LLC, a human services research and data analytic firm that aims to advance social and educational equity by providing culturally sensitive assessments, program development, program evaluation, and data analysis services.

Under Dr. Payton’s leadership, the organization creates, manages, and evaluates assessments, programs, and policies that advance special populations, including persons with disabilities, returning citizens, and youth involved in the criminal justice system. Since 2017, Psychometric Solutions has secured multi-million-dollar contracts with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Department of Human Services, the Delaware Department of Education, and the Virginia Department of Corrections. The company has also assisted several not-for-profit organizations and small businesses with telling compelling stories with their data.

Dr. Payton is a winner of the 2023 Enterprising Women of the Year Award.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Management, a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling, and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Development, with a graduate certificate in Educational Leadership. In 2016, Dr. Payton earned her doctorate in Psychometrics from Morgan State University.   

Dr. Payton deems her life work as being able to inspire others to reach their highest levels of success to help them live their best lives. As such, Dr. Payton is the co-founder of EXEMPLAR Community Services, Inc-- a grassroots agency aimed at connecting with individuals in their current state to facilitate a successful transition throughout life by EXcelling, EMpowering, PLanning, and ARriving.

She also serves as the Chief Operation Officer of Women in Measurement, whose mission is to advance gender and racial equity in educational measurement leadership. WIM amplifies the diverse voices of all women and provides structures of support for career advancement. https://www.psychometricsolutions.org

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ABOUT ENTERPRISING WOMEN MAGAZINE:

Enterprising Women, with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, is the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners that chronicles the growing political, economic and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women. The magazine provides a friendly meeting place, a public forum and a national stage for the critical issues confronting women’s businesses and daily lives from the unique perspectives and experiences of entrepreneurial women. Published in both print and digital editions, the online edition of the magazine reaches one million readers in 185 countries. For more information, please visit https://enterprisingwomen.com or call (919) 362-1551.