Gloria Petersen

Gloria Petersen Profile

Gloria Petersen has a 30 year legacy of teaching others how to bring their best self to meetings and events. As the Founder and President of Global Protocol, Inc., Petersen works with professionals on their personal image and business etiquette, turning them into masters of first impressions and professional connections.

Petersen evolved her line of work from her eclectic background in fashion and corporate America. She is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington®, a Certified Protocol Professional, and the author and creator of the book and training series, The Art of the Professional Connection. Her products and services are used religiously by several Fortune 100 companies.

Petersen was host of the FOX reality series Image of Success. She has also appeared as an “etiquette judge” on The Learning Channel and as a guest consultant on many mainstream news programs.

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  Multidimensional Expert

  Gloria has touched many lives over the years. Through her talks and presentations, her consulting and training programs, thousands have unearthed the secret to projecting their personal presence with charisma, power, and poise in their business and personal lives. She has created an arsenal of programs and speeches that have and will continue to inspire people to see life’s obstacles as opportunities to grow and emerge stronger, smarter, and more determined than ever to live life to the fullest.

  Prior to 1985, she spent sixteen years in corporate America. Then, during her early years developing Global Protocol, Inc., she studied and conducted seminars on business protocol, professional etiquette, and personal image. These experiences gave her the groundwork needed to develop her company, Global Protocol, Inc.

  Persevering Entrepreneur

  A question Gloria constantly hears is: “How did you get into this business?” Her response: “I evolved into it.” It was not a profession for which you say, “When I grow up I want to be. . . .” Life does not always work that way. Detours in the road cause us to reroute our goals and our ambitions. The challenge becomes to stay focused on an outcome that works for you, not against you, whatever the odds. First, you have to tap into your unique abilities (your gifts); from this you identify your passion. Next, you create your plan. (Read Gloria’s “Upfront and Personal” blog to learn more about her journey and how you can use her experiences to enhance your own career goals.)

  Gloria has always been an achiever with great work ethic reviews. When bad times and corporate cutbacks left her dangling in 1980, literally, she decided to focus on being a full-time mother. To fulfill her ambitions and her need to be engaged with people, she became involved in volunteer work at the YMCA and YWCA. Then, as she helped the YWCA develop “lunch and learn” programs, an idea emerged.

  In 1985 she launched a company known today as Global Protocol, Inc. She used her fashion-design schooling, cosmetic training, and color-analysis expertise to get started as an image consultant and debuted a series of fashion workshops for both men and women. But something was missing, so she researched and found The Color Studio in Richardson, Texas; The Professional Image Institute in Atlanta, Georgia; and The Protocol School of Washington in Washington, D.C. The only training available at that time was in the form of certifications from these institutions. She completed all of them—sometimes more than once. Then Gloria formulated her own version of this new and emerging industry. Of course, it took years to make this all happen. She started in 1985 but her plan did not fully come together until 1994, when she landed her first major retainer with AT&T—you can be sure that a lot happened in between.

  Exemplary Survivor

  Recuperating, Gloria continues to share her knowledge.

  Gloria has overcome many challenges in her life, both personal and professional. Her first serious personal challenge happened when she was stabbed in a senseless act of violence in 2004 at an upscale Chicago department store. She stopped the attempted theft of a mink coat. She was told she would never regain full use of her severed left thigh muscle. She didn’t listen and instead focused on rebuilding her leg muscle. She was still alive! The rest was up to her. Beating the odds, she is now fully recovered and has full use of her left leg. With the help of her faith, determination, and physical therapy regimen, she walks proudly today with no sign of a limp—even in high heels! She is now able to talk about the healing process from this senseless act of violence as an inspiration to others.

  If that was not enough, in January 2010 she was hospitalized for emergency surgery and learned that she had a rare form of cancer (carcinoid cancer). She thought she had been living a very healthy life! She ate right, exercised regularly, maintained a healthy weight, did not smoke, and rarely drank alcohol. Her response: “If I am going to contract cancer, of course, it is going to be a rare one!” Instead of letting this unexpected illness consume her, she fought back with her faith, diet, and exercise. She is winning the battle without radiation or chemo. While in the hospital, she made the decision to record the wisdom she acquired through her years of work (her legacy) in a four-book series entitled, The Art of Professional Connections, which is now available in soft-cover and ebook (Kindle) formats. These books were released in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

  Overcoming obstacles is what inspires her: achieving dreams against the odds. These personal traumas have made her a stronger person and an inspiration for many.

  Dedicated Mother and Grandmother

  Gloria has a son and a daughter (both in their 30s), who have blessed her with eight grandchildren (ages ten and under). Although they live in two different states (Arizona and Virginia), she is there when they need her to help with the children. Whether it is watching the children while their parents enjoy a vacation or taking the children on an adventure.

  It only took one phone call in the spring of 2007 from her daughter to inspire Gloria, without hesitation, to move from Chicago to Phoenix in November of 2007—a move that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She arrived in time to experience the amazing birth of her daughter’s twins (Adam and Allison). Her daughter, Serena, now has four children (Jonathan, Adam, Allison, and Janie). Her son also has four children (Aiden, Hannah, Kate, and Lauren). They keep her spirit young!

  Giving Volunteer

  Gloria has served on numerous fundraisers, benefiting organizations like The American Red Cross, Lutheran Social Services, and the Serenity Hospice. These campaigns involved organizing fundraising events, commentating fashion shows, and arranging for donations. There are just not enough hours in a day to “give” time to all the charities in need. Therefore, on her globalbusinessprotocol.com website, she designated a monthly blog called “In the Spotlight” to spread the word and promote “good works.”

  Her professional memberships include the National Speakers Association, American Society of Training and Development, Association of Image Consultants International, and local Chambers of Commerce, to name a few. Whatever the membership, she always takes an active volunteer role. These roles can range from being a people mover at a national convention to organizing chapter programs and speakers.