WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW HER: Tomallo founded Fit Technologies alongside Micki Tubbs, her partner of 18 years, earning them Ernst and Young's Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2008. She's also the board president of Plexus, the chamber of commerce for the LGBT community and allies, and responsible for helping to start Cleveland's first LGBT-Owned Business Registry.
FIRE STARTER: Tomallo has considered herself a political activist since she was 18 years old and isn't afraid to start from the bottom. "There's all that grass-roots work that needs to be done — whether it's going door-to-door and getting signatures on a certain issue, holding small fundraisers at our home, working a phone bank or driving people to the polls on Election Day," she says. "It's really good use of volunteer time to help educate people and be a part of the change we want to see."
NETWORK SOLUTIONS: Plexus has 110 members and is one of 52 affiliates nationwide of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. "The idea of Plexus and the work that we're doing is obviously to create a network for LGBT business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals as well as allies," she says. "The nice thing about Plexus is that there's this automatic affinity that comes from knowing people are progressive in their thoughts, are supportive of diversities and inclusions — that makes a real difference."
GAME ON: Plexus will be a lead community partner for the Gay Games, and while the festivities are only here for a week, she's determined to bring about long-term effects. "The really important thing is that those connections, those collaborations and those relationships that have been started and cultivated over the last three to four years are going to remain so that we can continue to mobilize the LGBT community."
