Dr. Rebecca Thomley, the President and CEO of Orion Associates, was honored November 7, 2012 by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) as the 2012 “Woman Business Owner of the Year”.

Dr. Thomley was described as follows in the NAWBO Minnesota 2012 Annual Awards Gala program:

“Dr. Thomley is President and Chief Executive Officer of Orion Associates, a social services management organization providing management services to both related and unrelated for profit and non-profit entities.

Rebecca is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, a Licensed Psychologist, a member of the National Association of Clinical Hypnosis, a member of the American Red Cross Stress Team, a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She is also the Minnesota Disaster Response Representative for the American Psychological Association, as well as the Midwest States Representative for the American Psychological Association, as well as the Midwest States Representative and was the President of the Minnesota Psychological Association in 2010. She is a Clinical Psychologist, serving a varied population and specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder, disaster response, sexual abuse, women’s issues, diagnostics, neuropsychology, minorities, people with AIDS, and crisis intervention. Rebecca maintains a private practice and published a photo essay book on breast cancer. In 2005, Rebecca founded Headwaters Relief Organization, a non-profit disaster relief organization, which has served people in need throughout the upper Mid-West, New Orleans and greater Louisiana, as well as in Haiti.

Rebecca feels that the most important things in her life are her family, friendships, and the clientele she serves. She feels that it is important to look for the commonality in understanding individuals, not to make judgments without having walked in the same footsteps, and believes that through hard work and determination anything is possible.”

NAWBO was founded in 1975 to open doors for women entrepreneurs by transforming public policy and leveling the playing field. Representing the issues and concerns of women-owned businesses at the national, state and local levels, NAWBO is in the forefront of advocating on behalf of women business owners and the issues that impact their companies.

Members of the National Association of Women Business Owners are the voice of the nation’s over 10 million women-owned businesses. A NAWBO membership offers women-owned business in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and greater Minnesota a national and local platform to tap into the power of an already established community of women entrepreneurs.

NAWBO – Minnesota focuses its programs on educating the “whole” business owner, rather than focusing just on the sales aspect. This includes programs for our members and others on a wide range of topics including managing employees, managing growth, dealing with accounting and finance issues, bank loans, international trade, etc. Deep and lasting relationships are fostered among members. These relationships provide members with a trusted group of allies to be a resource they need when their business of lives hit a crisis or time of transition.

NAWBO propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide by:

  • Strengthening the wealth creating capacity of our members and promoting development within the entrepreneurial community
  • Creating innovative and effective change in the business culture
  • Building strategic alliances, coalitions and affiliations
  • Transforming public policy and influencing opinion makers