Stacy Brice

Stacy Brice is an American entrepreneur and pioneer of the Virtual Assistance profession. She is also the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Assist University, a Baltimore, Maryland-based organization committed to training, professionally coaching, supporting, and certifying Virtual Assistants, as well as to providing referrals for clients who want to work with them.

History and Philosophy

Throughout the 1980s, Stacy shaped her own role as an executive travel planner. Going beyond industry standards, she also supported her clients with many non-travel related tasks such as appointment bookings, e-mail management, faxing, and many other administrative tasks. In 1992, she moved out of a brick-and-mortar business and established a home-based business, providing travel planning and executive assistance.

As her methodology strengthened, she began to visualize an archetypal administrative assistant role that defined an independent businessperson working in long-term, collaborative partnership with carefully chosen clients. She also became involved with Coach U, and her vision gelled into a calling to coach women to live deeply authentic lives, while assisting others through virtual partnership.

Stacy formalized the Virtual Assistance profession in 1997 when she created AssistU– the first organization of any kind for Virtual Assistants (VAs). She also created the first-ever certification for VAs through AssistU: the CPVA¹ (Certified Professional Virtual Assistant) and CMVA (Certified Master Virtual Assistant).

AssistU’s Virtual Training Program (VTP²) incorporates a business model based on the feminine aptitude for inclusive support, team work, cooperation, sharing, intuition, and a view to the long-term best interests of everyone involved.

Contributions, Acknowledgements, and the Media

Stacy has been awarded the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce (VACOC) InnoVAtive Award for the past 2 years (2006 and 2007) for her pioneering work and leadership in the virtual assistance profession. Additionally, VACOC recently named AssistU as their preferred educational provider.

Brice is a widely-recognized expert in the fields of Virtual Assistance³, self-employment, SOHO, technology, work/life balance, and building communities on and offline. A frequent guest on talk radio shows such as Hayhouse Radio and Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show, Stacy and her organization AssistU have been featured in other television-based media such as MSNBC©. She has also been written about in numerous on-line and print publications such as the Los Angeles Times⁴ BusinessWeek, Changing Course.com, Woman's Day, and many others. Stacy is a past member of the Board of Directors of Women's U—the first virtual educational community created by, for, and about contemporary women—as well several other industry-related organizations.

Brice has served as the resident virtual work expert for AllExperts.com, OfficePRO magazine, eWorkingWomen.com, and as an expert for Westaff's "Ask Carmen Courtesy."

External Links

AssistU
Virtualosophy
Virtual Moxie
Moxie Coach
The Virtual Wire
AllExperts.com
OfficePRO Magazine
eWorkingWomen.com

References