Heather Wentler, Executive Director and Co-Founder
Heather is also the founder of Fractal and the founder
of Madison SOUP.
Heather has always encouraged others to
reach for what they want
to become. Through teaching
early-childhood through middle
school in disadvantaged
schools, her role was more than
just teacher for the
students and co-workers she spent her
days with. She became
a parent figure, role model, coach
and educator all rolled
into one to make sure the lives
she was touching were
creating impact on their futures.
Heather’s passion for entrepreneurship and supporting women in business became more prevalent in her career as she was founding Fractal and transitioning out of teaching in a traditional classroom. Heather is an active leader and organizer of entrepreneurial efforts across Wisconsin. She has provided leadership & organizational level support for Forward Fest, the Launch Wisconsin conference, judged various business plan competitions across Wisconsin, sat on the WEDWisconsin and Early Stage Symposium Advisory Boards, as well as the B Corp Wisconsin Movement committee.
Heather serves as the President & Treasurer of the
Doyenne Board of Directors.
Amy Gannon, Co-founder
{In Memoriam} Dr. Amy Gannon was a change agent dedicated to identifying and unleashing entrepreneurial talent, particularly in places where others weren’t looking for it. Her work focused on building pathways to entrepreneurship for those traditionally ignored by existing entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Dr. Gannon co-founded Doyenne. With more than 10 years experience working with startup businesses, Dr. Gannon had expertise in moving entrepreneurs through the idea validation, launch and growth stages. She designed, planed and facilitated developmental opportunities for entrepreneurs, within Doyenne and with other organizations in the Madison area including the Social Good Accelerator, Madison Urban Ministry (MUM), and others.
Dr. Gannon's passion for supporting all women and lifting them up to reach new hights and beliefs in themselves and the ventures they run is truly missed within our community, but never forgotten as she lives on through all of the work she did while here and the impact she's made on all she touched.
Dr. Gannon and her daughter were tragically killed in a helicopter accident while on a family vacation in Hawaii on December 26, 2019. While she is no longer physically with us, she is felt within every aspect of Doyenne and continues to influence the work we do and how we create impact in communities.
Amy's torch has been passed to all of us and we will continue to honor and move the dial on the vital work she did throughout her life.
