Teresa Lawrence, Owner and CEO, Delta Personnel Inc.

A flight to escape the grip of communism changed the trajectory of Teresa Lawrence’s life. She fled Cuba in 1973 with her mother, grandmother and brother, taking the last Freedom Flight out of the country and into the United States. They eventually settled in New Orleans, where Teresa grew up.

Fifteen years after arriving in the United States, Teresa married David Lawrence, whose father owned a 20-year-old staffing company called Delta Temporaries. When he became ill and could no longer run the company, Teresa became the majority owner and CEO and renamed it Delta Personnel Inc. Earlier this year, she became the majority owner and CEO of a new company, Delta Administrative Services LLC, which streamlines and supports human resource processes, such as safety training, benefits management and payroll administration.