Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn is an owner and Vice Chairman of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the largest Coke bottler in the U.S. Ms. Ahmad-Llewellyn is a founding member of both Jazz at Lincoln Center where she serves as Vice Chair and The New 42 Street Corporation where she is also Vice Chair. Ms. Ahmad-Llewellyn also serves as Vice Chair of the National Constitution Center and is the Chairman of Peace Games. She served as the first Vice Chairman of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth, an organization founded by Secretary of State Colin Powell. In addition, she served as Co-Chair of The Northside Center for Child Development and Vice Chair of the New Jersey Nets and Devils Foundation. Ms Ahmad-Llewellyn is a former Presidential appointee to the Board of Governors of the International USO and served on the Board of WNET Channel 13 (the local PBS station). Ms. Ahmad-Llewellyn has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Temple University.

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Joanna Barsh is a Director in McKinsey & Company's New York office. She serves as a leader of McKinsey's Private Equity, Consumer, and Retail Practices. Her client experience spans mergers and acquisitions, development of corporate growth strategy, and performance and operations transformation. She also spearheads McKinsey's Innovation Practice and directed the launch of the "Management Innovation Lab", a program to radically accelerate the evolution of management knowledge and performance.

Since joining the firm in 1980, Joanna has served a broad range of consumer-facing clients. Her work has included shaping the growth strategy of a lagging specialty retailer; devising a transformation roadmap for a leading consumer brand; assisting a global consumer company to design, prototype, and train a next generation promotion capability; helping a multi-divisional retailer explore organizational synergies across divisions and geographies; and guiding an alternative assets investment firm in honing its organizational, leadership, and professional development models.

Joanna is a strong advocate for women at McKinsey and beyond. In 2002, she was appointed to the New York City Commission on Women's Issues by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She is also created "Living Portraits", a digital video archive of her interviews with women leaders from around the world. Additionally, she began the McKinsey Leadership Project, an initiative to provide guidance and inspiration to young women with business leadership aspirations. She is the recipient of the Girl Scouts Council Woman of Distinction Award, the National Council for Research on Women Achievement Award, and the New York Women's Agenda STAR Award.

A dedicated contributor to the New York community, Joanna has served the Partnership for New York City, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Manhattan Theatre Club, as well as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Alaska Conservation Foundation. She has been a trustee of Sesame Workshop, the educational organization responsible for Sesame Street, for more than 14 years.

Prior to joining McKinsey, Joanna held positions at Macy's and at Bloomingdale's. She is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in English literature. She also holds a master's degree from the University of Chicago and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.

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Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez was confirmed as the 65th Secretary of State [of NY State] on March 6, 2007. Secretary Cortés-Vázquez is the first Hispanic to hold the position, since its establishment in 1778.

Secretary Cortés-Vázquez comes to the New York Department of State with an extensive background in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors that spans over 27 years.

Prior to her appointment, she was Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Cablevision Systems Corporation. In the '90s, Secretary Cortés-Vázquez gained national recognition for her distinguished work in the non-profit sector as the Executive Director of ASPIRA of New York, the oldest and largest non-profit youth leadership development and education advocacy agency in the nation. Later, as President of the Hispanic Federation, a non-profit network of 90 Latino health and human service agencies, aiding more than two million Latinos annually, she coordinated the "Latino Fund Collaborate," a national coalition of eight regional organizations that create endowments and individual donor campaigns.

Secretary Cortés-Vázquez also has extensive experience in government. In 2001, she was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents, a position she held until 2007. As chief of staff to former New York State Assemblyman Roberto Ramirez, she oversaw the Puerto Rican Hispanic Task Force and the annual Somos El Futuro Conference. Secretary Cortés-Vázquez also worked at the New York City Department of Aging for 14 years, becoming Chief of the Bureau of Program and Resource Development.

A graduate of Hunter College, Secretary Cortés-Vázquez has a master's degree from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She has certificates from Harvard University's Women and Power Program and from Columbia University's School of Non-Profit Management.

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Katie Couric is anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and also a 60 Minutes correspondent and the anchor of CBS News primetime specials. When the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric debuted on Sept. 5, 2006, Couric became the first female solo anchor of a weekday network evening news broadcast. Couric completed a 15-year run as co-anchor of NBC News' "Today" on May 31, 2006. While at NBC, Couric was also contributing anchor for "Dateline NBC." She was a "Today" substitute co-anchor from February 1991 until taking over the job permanently two months later. Couric joined NBC News in 1989 as deputy Pentagon reporter before serving as its first national correspondent in June 1990. Her NBC tenure included two stints covering the Gulf War.

A recipient of numerous awards and accolades including six Emmys and an Associated Press Award, Couric received the George Foster Peabody Award for her March 2000 series on colon cancer. After losing her husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998, Couric embraced the fight against the country's No. 2 cancer killer, helped establish The National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance as well as the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. She was born in Arlington, Va. Couric was graduated with honors from the University of Virginia in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in English and a focus on American studies. She lives in New York with her two daughters.

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Stephanie A. Cuskley is currently on the board of directors and chair of the audit committee of Insituform Technologies Inc. She is a member of the Resources Development Committee for United Way of New York City. Ms. Cuskley was previously a managing director with JPMorgan Chase where she most recently headed Investment Banking Coverage for the firm's mid-cap clients located in the Eastern US. Ms. Cuskley joined JPMorgan Chase in 1994 and spent seven years in High Yield origination, focusing primarily on media and telecommunication clients. Subsequently, she spent two years leading a global culture and leadership development initiative named LeadershipMorganChase sponsored by the firm's CEO and Executive Committee. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Ms. Cuskley was an Executive VP with Integrated Resources, a large NY-based financial services company, and advised on their financial restructuring. She started her investment banking career in the mid-'80s at Drexel Burnham Lambert as a corporate finance generalist. Ms. Cuskley is married, has three children and has her M.B.A. from Cornell and her B.A. from the University of Toronto.

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Ronnie Eldridge hosts Eldridge & Co, a weekly show on CUNY-TV, Channel 75. From 1989 to 2001 she served on the City Council representing the west side of Manhattan. During the seventies and eighties her public service included years as Special Assistant to Mayor John Lindsay and Deputy City Administrator, Director of Community and Government Affairs at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a member of Governor Mario Cuomo's Cabinet and Director of the Division For Women. Ms. Eldridge was also the Director of Special Projects at MS Magazine and the first Executive Director of the MS Foundation for Women. She also was the Executive Producer of WOMAN ALIVE, a feminist series on network public television. She lives on the west side of Manhattan with her husband and has three children, five stepchildren, and soon to be eleven grandchildren.

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Laura Ensler is a consultant to public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the field of early care and education. She provides assistance to program managers and administrators instituting change management strategies, assessment and evaluation. In addition, she facilitates and coordinates trainings and support for early care and education professionals. Prior to her consultant work, she was the Director of Community Development and Outreach for Children and Family Services of the Visiting Nurse Service (VNSNY) of New York and was the Director of VNSNY's Early Head Start Program in Rockaway, Queens. Prior to joining the VNSNY, she worked at Beth Israel Medical Center for PANDA, an early intervention program for drug-exposed newborns and their families and was the Director of the Family Center at Brooklyn Friends School. A frequent lecturer on the subject of the use of literature with young children, Ms. Ensler has taught at the NYU School of Continuing Education and the Bank Street College of Education. She is active in several national organizations including Reading Is Fundamental and the National Faculty of the Ounce of Prevention Scale Assessment Training. Ms. Ensler is a Trustee of the Brooklyn Public Library and is a Board member of Child Care Inc. She received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College and her Master's in Education from the Bank Street College of Education.

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Patricia Fili-Krushel is Executive Vice President of Administration at Time Warner, Inc. In this role, she works closely with the other members of Time Warner's senior management and its operating divisions on a variety of organizational, developmental, and diversity issues. Her responsibilities include oversight of corporate human resources, employee development, and growth, compensation, and benefits, worldwide recruitment, diversity, corporate philanthropy and social responsibility, real estate, facilities, and security. Before joining Time Warner, she was CEO of WebMD Health and President of the ABC Television Network. Previously, she was Group Vice President of Hearst/ABC-Viacom Entertainment Services. In 1998 Fortune Magazine named her one of its "50 Most Powerful Women." She currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Public Theater of New York and The Board of Trustees of the Paley Center for Media. She received a B.S. degree from St. John's University and an M.B.A. from Fordham University.

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Vivian Fox was appointed Executive Director of the 1199SEIU Employer Child Care Fund and President of the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation in January 2006. She brings over three decades of experience in creating and overseeing innovative health and social service programs, on both the local and national level. Ms. Fox joined the Child Care Fund after six years as President and CEO of the National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF). NMF was established in 1946 to change the face of medicine by providing financial support and other incentives to minority medical students; and to articulate the vital role minority physician's play in the well being of our nation. Ms. Fox joined NMF after six years as the first African American woman to become Executive Director of the YWCA of the City of New York where she distinguished herself as a leader. The YWCA of New York City is the largest and oldest women's organization in the United States.

Ms. Fox has held several high level positions including Executive Director of the New York City Private Industry Council and Managing Director of the prestigious New York City Employment Committee, (NYCEC). Under her leadership the NYCEC designed several innovative programs including the highly acclaimed Office of the Future Training Laboratory. While employed at the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), Ms. Fox held several senior positions including Program Officer and Corporate Secretary. In 1971, as Associate Director of the African American Institute's "Educators to Africa" program, Ms. Fox led over 150 American educators on a series of study tours in West Africa. Ms. Fox has served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation where she evaluated the viability of several major national organizations. She is active on several Boards and Councils including the Harlem Hospital Advisory Board, New York Women of Distinction, and the New York Chapter of National Political Congress of Black Women. Ms. Fox is a former president of the Association of Black Agency Executives and an officer of the Greater New York Chapter of the Links. Ms. Fox holds a B.S. in Political Science from Hunter College. In 1989, she was inducted into the prestigious Academy of Women Achievers. In October 1995, the First Lady recognized her at the White House as one of the Nation's outstanding non-profit CEO's. In 1996, Ms. Fox became an ASPEN Scholar and recently completed the Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management series at Harvard University School of Business.

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Ester R. Fuchs is a Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at Columbia University. After receiving her B.A. from Queens College, C.U.N.Y., she went on to receive her M.A. from Brown University, followed by a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. She served as Special Advisor to the Mayor for Governance and Strategic Planning under New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg from 2001-2005. While at City Hall, Dr. Fuchs coordinated three significant mayoral initiatives: the restructuring the City's delivery of Out-of-School Time (OST) programs to children, youth, and families; the Integrated Human Services System Project (Access New York) to streamline the screening and eligibility determination processes, case management, and policy development and planning functions within and across the 13 human services agencies through the use of technology; and the merger of the Department of Employment with the Department of Small Business Services to align the City's workforce development programs with the needs of the business community.

Dr. Fuchs was also appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to serve as Chair of the 2005 NYC Charter Revision Commission. She was the first woman to serve in this capacity. Before going on a public service leave to join the Bloomberg Administration, Dr. Fuchs was Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Chair of the Urban Studies Program at Barnard and Columbia Colleges, and founding Director of the Columbia University Center for Urban Research and Policy. She continues to serve on the NYC Economic Opportunity Commission, the Workforce Investment Board and the Mayor's Sustainability Advisory Board. She was recently appointed to the Committee on Economic Inclusion of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and is a member of the Boards of the Fund for the City of New York and the Citizen Union. Dr. Fuchs lives in Manhattan with her husband, Daniel Victor, and their three children.

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Rosa M. Gil, D.S.W. is the founder, President and CEO of Comunilife, Inc. a non-for-profit community based organization. The Agency's mission is to expand access to the continuum of behavioral health care, social services, and affordable housing for all New Yorkers including persons living with mental illness or HIV/AIDS. Dr.Gil has had a distinguished career in the fields of health, mental health, social services, and higher education. She is the former Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation, as well as, Health Policy Advisor to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and University Dean for Health Sciences at the City University of New York. She served as Commissioner on the Commission of Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century; Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Commission on Women Issues; Governor George Pataki's Adult Homes and the Mentally Ill Task Force; the Surgeon General Report on Mental Health; the National Advisory Board Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency of the U.S. Department of Mental and Human Services; Board of Trustees of Group Health, Inc.; EmblemHealth, Inc.; and the Pfizer Women Advisory Board. She is a founder and past President of the Hispanic Mental Health Association. Dr. Gil has written numerous articles on mental, ethnicity, and child welfare and gender issues. She is the co-author of the "Maria Paradox", the first authoritative book on self-esteem and Hispanic women.

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Natatia L. Griffith is a Commissioner, New York City Commission on Women's Issues (appointed by Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City), a member of the Advisory Boards of Equality Now - NYC, Ogilvy Mather North America, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a member of the Board of Directors, National Coalition of One Hundred Black Women. She is also a recently appointed member of the Friends of the New-York Historical Society and Co-Chair, Government Affairs, the New York Women's Agenda.

Natatia presided over the New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, Founding Chapter for two consecutive terms (2004 - 2007). Under her leadership, the Coalition moved on a very progressive agenda - it launched a go-green tree planting initiative, erected permanent signage as a tribute to the founders of the Coalition at 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell/New York State Office Building, established and awarded over $80,000 in scholarships, enhanced the Coalition's signature college-based mentoring Role Model Program, kicked-off the P.O.W.A. Program - a new mentoring initiative with a particular focus on pre-high and high school girls, established the Beacon Awards, as well as "A Conversation with..." - a series of intimate interviews with industry leaders and celebrities. Substantive forums were also hosted -- on Darfur, alternative treatments to cancer and on the depiction of youth in America, to name just a few.

Natatia led the Coalition in successful collaborations that resulted in the passage of legislation that eliminated the statute of limitations on rape and sex crimes in New York, the placement of Automated External Defibrillators in police cars and government buildings, the establishment of the nation's most stringent penalties against Sexual and Labor Trafficking in New York State. Most recently and on behalf of the New York Women's Agenda, Natatia helped organize a forum on the issue of Equal Pay, which featured Lilly Ledbetter as a panelist, and was instrumental in gathering support for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law on January 29, 2009, by President Barack Obama, the first piece of legislation of his administration.

As Assistant Director with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), she is part of a team that oversees a budget in excess of $11 billion dollars and played a role in MTA's efforts to develop transportation policies on and sustainability projects for reducing carbon emissions.

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Cynthia Hayes is President and Founder of Hayes Strategies, an independent consulting firm focused on strategic leadership development. Since 1993 Ms. Hayes has brought a combination of strategic vision and operational savvy to her clients, helping them develop the strategies, leadership strengths and operational structures needed to respond to changing market conditions, maximize new opportunities and manage transitions. Hayes Strategies has worked across a number of industries with prestigious clients such as American Express Company, JPMorgan Chase, The Walt Disney Company, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Discovery Communications, Inc. Prior to starting her firm she spent three years at McGraw-Hill, as an internal consultant and strategic planner for the company's media businesses, and started her career in a similar role at Time Inc. In addition to her consulting work, Ms. Hayes has developed and taught a number of executive training workshops and seminars. Based on her strategic leadership expertise, these courses provide client companies with a means of developing internal strength in strategic and analytical thinking, managing change and effective communication. She has also taught graduate level courses in management at New York University Sloan School of Business. Cynthia received her M.B.A. from Harvard and her B.A. from the Wellesley College.

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Mary Henwood-Klotz is Director of Development, Stamford Hospital Foundation, the fund-raising arm of Stamford Hospital. Since 1998, Henwood-Klotz was vice president for the Manhattan Region at the American Cancer Society, New York City. Prior to that, she was a patient satisfaction director at the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System. Before that, she was Eastern regional sales manager at Boise Cascade Corp., New York City. Henwood-Klotz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from American University and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.

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Katherine S. Kahan serves as Vice-President for Public Affairs on the board of Citizens' Committee for Children of New York, a research and advocacy group that champions the cause of children throughout the five boroughs. In 2001-2002 she was Honorary Chair of The New York Women's Foundation, a cross-cultural alliance of women helping low-income girls and women achieve sustained economic self-sufficiency and self-reliance. In addition, she was a long-time board member of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a settlement house that provides services for New Yorkers of all ages Ms. Kahan received a B.A. degree in Art History from Smith College and an M.A. in English from Teachers College at Columbia University.

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Meryl R. Kaynard is the global Director of Diversity & Special Counsel at the law firm of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. In addition to her responsibilities leading the firm's forward thinking and award winning diversity initiative, Ms. Kaynard is a member of the firm's Employment Law Practice. In her capacity as Director of Diversity, Ms. Kaynard is responsible for creating and implementing programs and policies designed to ensure that Orrick is successful in hiring, retaining, and promoting diverse lawyers in order to provide the clients and communities it serves with superior resources and legal services. In her capacity as Special Counsel, Ms. Kaynard is a practicing attorney and her focus is on the proactive aspects of the firm's Employment Law practice, including affirmative action and diversity programs, internal and other self-audits and various compliance matters. Prior to joining Orrick, Ms. Kaynard retired from JPMorgan Chase after 20 years in various senior employment law positions, including Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel and Co-Head of the Employment Law and Employee Benefits Group in the Office of the General Counsel. The group serviced every line of business and the Corporate Human Resources function, providing full advice and counseling services with respect to all employment and benefit matters, and had the distinction of handling much of the firm's employment related litigation in house. Prior to joining Orrick and JPMorgan Chase, Ms. Kaynard was an associate at a management labor and employment firm, Assistant General Counsel for the New York City Law Department, and a Judicial Clerk to a Federal District Court Judge.

Ms. Kaynard is active on numerous diversity related initiatives as well as external boards and professional organizations, is a longtime advocate of increasing diversity in the legal profession, and has a special interest and focus on issues impacting women. She was a founding member and Chair of WIN - JPMC's women's leadership employee networking group, co-led JPMC's Women's Task Force, was on the Steering Committee for the Office of the General Counsel's Diversity Council, and was of-counsel to JPMC's Supplier Diversity Program. Among the not for profit Board and Advisory Boards on which Ms. Kaynard serves or has served are the following: Legal Advisory Council and the Family Initiative Advisory Board for Legal Momentum, Corporate Advisory Board for the Corporate Circle at the National Conference of Research on Women (NCRW), Co-chair of the Corporate Board of Advisors for Women Work!, the Academy of Women Achievers Advisory Board for the YWCA of New York, the Board for New Alternatives for Children (NAC), and co-chair of the New York Women's Bar Association Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity for Women. Ms. Kaynard was inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers in Industry in 2000 and was an Adjunct Visiting Professor at the Hofstra University School of Law, teaching "Advanced Issues in Labor and Employment Law" inaugurating the Samuel M. Kaynard Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Labor and Employment Law.

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Nancy Kolben is the Executive Director of Child Care Inc., a leading early care and education policy and advocacy organization in New York City. CCI is working to promote quality early learning, healthy development and care for children, birth through school-age. Ms. Kolben is a co-convener of Winning Beginning NY, a statewide coalition to promote quality early learning opportunities for children from birth through school age. She serves on the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board appointed by the Governor. She is a coordinator of the Early Childhood Strategic, a New York City based partnership of 20 organizations and individuals working in partnership with the public sector to expand early education opportunities across the city. She also served as President and Founding Board Member of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, a national network of organizations promoting quality child care. Ms. Kolben has guided the development of numerous publications on all aspects of early childhood policy and has spoken extensively on a comprehensive vision for early care and education.

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Marcia Brumit Kropf is Chief Operating Officer of Girls Incorporated, a nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Dr. Kropf oversees the implementation of the organization's strategic plan and has direct responsibility for the National Services, Program & Training Services, Research, IT, and Human Resources departments. She heads the organization's IT Council, is leading a six year initiative to address the needs of Latina girls aged 6 to 18, and managed the process for developing the Girls Inc. 2007-2011 business plan. Dr. Kropf is a member of the Expert Advisory Panel for New Moon, as well as an advisor to the Jeannette Rankin Foundation and the Purdue University Center for Families. She serves as co-chair of the K-12 Alliance for the National Council of Women in IT and as co-chair of the COO Peer Network for the National Human Services Assembly. Previously, Dr. Kropf spent 12 years at Catalyst, the premier nonprofit research and advisory organization working to advance women in business, as Vice President of Research & Information Services. She oversaw the Research Department of the Information Center, a library focusing on women and work, as well as Catalyst's efforts to advance technologically in the 21st Century. She led the Work and Family team of experts, the group advising companies on a range of topics including flexible work arrangements, leaves of absence, and childcare. Prior to her work at Catalyst, Dr. Kropf spent over 20 years working in public education in a variety of positions, from classroom teaching to software design, focusing primarily on curriculum design and evaluation. Dr. Kropf earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, her Master of Arts in Teaching from Oberlin College, her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Research Education from Syracuse University, and her Ph.D. in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University.

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Ellen Levine was appointed Editorial Director of Hearst Magazines in 2006. In her role, Ms. Levine will be responsible for strengthening current titles, developing new titles domestically and internationally, and evaluating opportunities for brand extensions, books, and digital alternatives. Ms. Levine made publishing history in October 1994 as the first woman to be named Editor-in-Chief of Good Housekeeping since the magazine was founded, in 1885. During her tenure, she was instrumental in launching new titles at Hearst Magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine in 1999, the most successful magazine launch ever. She has also worked on the development of titles such as Weekend and Quick & Simple. During Ms. Levine's role as Editor-in-Chief at Good Housekeeping, the publication received a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) in 1999 and was nominated for a National Magazine Award in general excellence in 2005. The magazine has also received many industry accolades, including Adweek's "The Hit List" in 2005, "The Big List" in 2003, and "The Hot List" as one of the top ten magazines in 2002. In January 2004, ASME and the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) inducted Ms. Levine into the Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame. Ellen Levine currently serves on the charitable boards of the New York Restoration Project, Bette Midler's effort to revitalize parks in all boroughs of New York City, and the Board of Advisors of New York Women in Communications. Her corporate boards include Gaylord Entertainment and Lifetime Television. Ms. Levine appears regularly on Good Morning America. She is the author of numerous books and articles, and her work has appeared in many publications, including the New York Times. She began her journalism career at the Record in Hackensack, New Jersey, following her graduation from Wellesley College. Ms. Levine resides with her husband, a physician, in New York City. They have two sons.

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Carolyn Buck Luce is the Global Pharmaceutical Sector Leader at Ernst & Young LLP (E & Y). She is responsible for acting as a business adviser to and coordinating the E & Y worldwide relationship with global pharmaceutical corporations in the areas of accounting, risk management, regulatory compliance, tax advisory, and finance effectiveness. She also serves as the Co-Chair of E&Y's Professional Women's Network. Prior to working at E & Y, Ms. Buck Luce spent 17 years in lending, investment banking, consulting, and government service where she was involved in a diverse range of capital market activities for both public and private companies in a wide variety of industries. She received her B.S. from Georgetown University where she graduated magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and she received her M.B.A. from Columbia University. She currently serves on the boards of the New York Women's Foundation, the Center for Work-Life Policy, and the Blair Academy and has served as a director on various corporate boards. She is the chair of a multi-company task force exploring "The Hidden Brain Drain — Women & Minorities as Underutilized Assets" and is the co-author of the recently published articles in the Harvard Business Review, "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success", "Leadership in Your Midst – Tapping the Hidden Talents of Minority Executives" and "Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the 70-Hour Workweek". Carolyn is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of International and Public Affairs where she teaches a course entitled "Women and Power".

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Terry J. Lundgren is Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Federated Department Stores, Inc. Terry Lundgren assumed the title of Chairman, President & CEO of Federated Department Stores, Inc. on January 15, 2004. Prior to this, he served as President & Chief Operating Officer, a title he assumed in March 2003 after having served as President & Chief Merchandising Officer since May 1997. Federated is the parent company of Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Lundgren began his retailing career in 1975 as a trainee with Bullock's, a Los Angeles-based division of Federated. In his capacity as Chief Merchandising Officer, Lundgren was credited with effectively easing the merger of Federated's and Macy's merchandising functions, and initiating the strategic development and marketing of a strengthened private brand program within Federated. As Chief Executive Officer, Lundgren led Federated's acquisition of The May Department Stores Company in August 2005, again nearly doubling the size of the company. Today, Federated is a premier national retailer with more than 900 department stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Gaum. Lundgren is a native of Long Beach, California, and a graduate of the University of Arizona where he gave the commencement address to the graduating class of 2000 and was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He was also awarded the honorary Doctor of Commercial Sciences degree from Suffolk University in 2001. Lundgren has been appointed Commissioner on Women's Economic Development by the Mayor of New York. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization, serves on the membership committee of the Economic Club of New York, and is involved with the New York City Principal for a Day Program. Lundgren has two daughters and resides in New York City with his wife, Tina.

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Debra Martinez is the CEO of DM Associates whose company provides management expertise. As President of the Grand Council of Hispanic Societies in Public Service, she represents Hispanic Societies of the Fire Department, Transit Authority, Corrections, Parks, Sanitation, Taxi & Limousine, Auxiliary Police, NYC Housing Authority, NYC Department of Transportation, Triboro Bridge and Tunnel and the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women. Previously she served as Chair and Executive Director of the State Consumer Protection Board. Ms. Martinez received a B.S. degree in Psychology from Tufts University and an MS in Education from the Lehman College of the City University of New York. She is a graduate of the CORO Leadership Program sponsored by the NYC Partnership.

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Melissa Mendez-Garcia is the Director of the Catalyst Program at City Parks Foundation. The catalyst program focuses on three-four parks across the city and dedicates resources and support over a span of four years. The program is dedicated to encouraging community re-investment and to fostering community building activities that foster local stewardship. Formerly, Melissa was the researcher and program director at the Women of Color Policy Network at NYU Wagner. At the Network she developed and administered the Beyond the Window policy program, which aims to cultivate a new generation of advocate-researchers who are young women of color. She earned her MPA from NYU Wagner (2003) and her B.A. from Columbia College-University (1995). Melissa also served as the Chief of Administrative Services for Manhattan at NYC Parks 1999-2001.

She has been an adjunct instructor at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and for the College Now program at Medgar Evers College, CUNY.

She is an advisory board member for the Striplin Foundation and for the Asian American Student Advocacy project at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families.

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Mary C. Muphree is a Senior Advisor at the Sloan Center for Innovative Training & Workforce Development, Center for Women & Work, Rutgers University. From 1985 to March of 2005, she served as the Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor, Reg. 2 Women's Bureau. In that capacity, she represented the interests of over six million working women in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Dr. Murphree currently serves on several boards including the Women's City Club of New York, and Wider Opportunities for Women, Washington, D.C. Dr. Murphree received her B.A. degree from Hollins College, Roanoke, Va. and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University.

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Maria Otero founded Women's Venture Fund when the notion of micro lending was just forming. The organization serves women who are striving to attain financial independence and the long-term security that comes through owning a successful business. Women's Venture Fund does more than provide capital. It builds on the life experience of each client to develop her self-confidence, expand her understanding of opportunities, and provide the skills, training and resources needed to own a progressively complex enterprise. Incorporated in 1994, Women's Venture Fund began with a charter to help two communities and today serves the entire New York Metropolitan area. This year marks the organization's launch of its full service in New Jersey. Ms. Otero grew up in New York City and graduated from Queens College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After serving as an Assistant Attorney General in Albany, she returned to New York City in 1993. As she re-established herself in her native city, Ms. Otero joined the Board of Directors of the New York Women's Foundation. Through the activities of this professional association, the idea of the Women's Venture Fund evolved. Ms. Otero appears often on the local and national media for her expertise on entrepreneurship and women's issues. In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Ms. Otero to the Commission on Women's Issues and currently serves as a judge for the Forbes Business Competition.

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Merble Reagon is Executive Director of the Women's Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City. The Women's Center was established in 1970 to meet the workforce development needs of women who had a marginal relationship to the paid work force and continues to serve low-income women and their families through a variety of programs and services designed to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. Ms Reagon has worked for more than 35 years to create greater opportunities for low-wage workers in the business and public sectors. She has conducted management, diversity and workforce development training for non-profit, legal and women's organizations, government agencies and others.

Her current work includes introduction and promotion of the groundbreaking Self-Sufficiency Standard for the City of New York (2000 and 2004) and the enthusiastically welcomed web-based New York City Self-Sufficiency Calculator. The Standard calculates how much income it takes for families to live and work in the five boroughs of New York City. The Calculator estimates a working family's eligibility and benefit amounts for federal, state and city work supports and tax credits. These economic development tools have been distributed to and are being used by thousands of caseworkers and counselors in the five boroughs of New York City.

Ms Reagon has held leadership positions with national, regional, state and local employment and training organizations. She has received numerous awards including the Ellen Lurie Award from the Community Service Society in recognition of her efforts on behalf of the poor, the Susan B. Anthony Award from NOW NYC and the Wiser Hero Award in 2003 from the Women's Institute for Secure Economic Retirement. She is a graduate of Smith College and the New York University School of Law. Current community involvement includes the following board memberships: Wider Opportunities for Women, New York State Defenders Association, Justice Fund, Westbeth Artists Housing, the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, and the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund.

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Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski recently retired from a vigorous government track but continues to work diligently, remaining active with several volunteer organizations. Currently, Ms. Remeneski serves as the President of 100 Hispanic Women, Inc., an organization she founded in 1996 composed of dynamic and professional women, committed to empowering Latinas in various fields. In 2002, 100HW launched The Young Latinas Leadership Institute (YLLI), a four-year scholarship program sponsored by CUNY. This past January, YLLI graduated its third class of scholars and inducted five new Latinas to the program, now boasting 30 students.

Her most recent achievement is her vision for and heavy involvement with the establishment of The Bronx Global Leadership Institute for Girls (BGLIG), an all girl, dual-language charter school located at 750 Concourse Village West in the South Bronx which opened September 2008. Her experience as chair of the Board of Directors and founder of BGLIG attests for her drive and arduous commitment to her community. This technologically and culturally rich school promotes self-confidence in the young girls with the vision to create global leaders by providing them with a challenging and productive environment while also giving them an opportunity to build on their cultural development by engaging them in things such as dance and violin lessons. The school has started at kindergarten and first grade, adding an additional grade each year.

Ms. Remeneski has spent the majority of her career involved in government and the non-profit world and has held leadership positions since the launch of her career in 1996. She most recently serves as Senior Vice President at the Empire State Development Corporation's Economic Revitalization Division, where she was appointed in January 2002. At Empire State Development, Ms. Remeneski was responsible for overseeing economic development for distressed communities in New York State. She designed projects and programs to stimulate community growth which lead to the creation of permanent jobs and sustainable business enterprises. Prior to her position at Empire State Development Corp., she was Deputy Commissioner and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development where she served since 1994. She managed the Office of Equal Opportunity and Community Affairs, which consisted of five units: Equal Employment Opportunity, Fair Housing, Economic Development, Contract Compliance, and Labor Standards.

President and Founder of 100 Hispanic Women, Inc.; Chair of the Board of Directors of The Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls (BGLIG); Chair of the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center; Commissioner of the Mayor's Commission on Women's Issues; Multicultural Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Greater New York Hospital Association: Advisory Task Force on Diversity in Health Care Leadership; Member of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Member of the Board of Directors of Boricua College; Member of the Foundation Board of Hostos Community College; Vice Chair of the Foundation Board of Boricua College.

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Barbara Paul Robinson is of Counsel at Debevoise and Plimpton. She was the first woman President of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the first woman partner at Debevoise where she served as Head of the Trust and Estates Department. She is currently a Trustee of Bryn Mawr College and a member of several Foundation Boards, including The John A. Hartford Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation and The Teagle Foundation. Ms. Robinson received an AB degree magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr and a JD from Yale Law School. While at Yale Law School, Ms. Robinson was Order of the Coif and an editor of the Yale Law Journal.

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Margarita Rosa is the Executive Director, Grand Street Settlement. She is a former New York State Commissioner of Human Rights. She received a Revson Fellowship to teach in the Urban Legal Studies Program at the Center for Legal Education and Public Policy of City College, City University of New York. She has also taught at Fordham Law School, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. She currently serves on the Boards of National Philanthropic Trust, The Foundation for Child Development and the Non-Profit Coordinating Committee. She has been a member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. Ms. Rosa received an AB degree cum laude from Princeton University and a JD from Harvard University's School of Law.

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Marlene Springer was appointed President of the College of Staten Island of The City University of New York (CSI/CUNY) September 1994. She earned her Ph.D. in English Literature and an M.A. in American Literature at Indiana University. Prior to her presidency, she served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at East Carolina University (ECU). Her most recent publications include: "The Presidency as Journey (Not Destination)," The Presidency, Winter 2003, American Council on Education; Focus: Reflections on the Presidency, The Presidency, Spring 1999, American Council on Education; Ethan Frome: A Nightmare of Need, Thomas Hardy's Use of Allusion, and Edith Wharton and Kate Chopin: A Reference Guide; co-editor with Haskell Springer of Plains Woman: The Diary of Martha Farnsworth, and editor of What Manner of Woman: Essays of English and American Life and Literature. As a member of numerous civic and professional boards Dr. Springer garnered many awards, including the Distinguished Woman in Education award from Alpha Beta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (1998). Dr. Springer has also been a member of the Board of Directors of American Council on Education and the Chair of College Consortium for International Studies. In 2002, she chaired the evaluation team for SUNY Oswego, Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of College and Schools and was appointed vice chair of the Mayor's New York City Charter Revision Commission. In 2003, Dr. Springer moderated a NYC panel discussion called, "What Johnny Doesn't Read: Test and Textbook Censorship in Our Schools."

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Joan Steinberg is an active civic leader currently serving on numerous boards and commissions, among them the Citizens Budget Commission, the Board of Trustees of the Juilliard School, and the Citizens' Committee for Children. She is also on the Board of the Correctional Association of New York and the American Associates of the National Theatre. She is a past board member of Guild Hall of East Hampton, The National Council for Research on Women, the V-Day Advisory Board, the Osborne Association, Gilda's Club of New York, and the Institute for the Advancement of Health. Ms. Steinberg's professional experience includes participation in the Release on Recognizance Project of the Vera Institute of Criminal Justice and several years as an analyst in the research division of Loeb Rhoades and Co. Ms Steinberg received a B.A. degree in Political Science from DePauw University and a Master's degree in Geography from Columbia University.

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Sally Susman is Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer for Pfizer Inc., where she leads strategic communications for the company, overseeing worldwide media relations, colleague communications, corporate branding and reputation, corporate advertising, Internet and intranet services, and communications research.

Before joining Pfizer in February 2008, Ms. Susman was Executive Vice President for Global Communications at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Ms. Susman previously held several high-level communications and government relations posts at American Express Company. Earlier in her career, Ms. Susman spent eight years in government service focused on international trade issues. Her positions included Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs in the U.S. Department of Commerce and Legislative Assistant for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Ms. Susman holds a B.A. from Connecticut College. She is a Trustee of Connecticut College and the New School University and she also serves on the boards of Parsons School of Design and The National Partnership for Women and Families.

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Jeanette Takamura is Dean of the Columbia University School of Social Work. Dr. Takamura is the first female Dean at the nation's oldest school of social work. She has served in senior positions in the state government of Hawaii and from 1997 to 2001 was Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to serving in government, she held faculty and administrative appointments in higher education. She has received numerous awards, among them the Lucy Stone Award from the White House for her advocacy and the enactment of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which provides support to older women, many of whom are family caregivers. She has been a member of national and international boards and working groups. Dr. Takamura earned a B.A. degree in Political Science and Sociology and a Master's of Social Work degree from the University of Hawaii and her Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University.

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Pat Koch Thaler was an Associate Dean at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Education, directing the Division of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, before her retirement. She is the co-author of several books and articles dealing with educational and mental health issues, including How to Cope with Two Jobs and One Home, and recently coauthored two children's books published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. She is a co-founder and officer of Action to Cure Kidney Cancer, a patient advocacy group. She has been a member of the Women's Forum and previously served on the NYC Commission on the Status of Women. She holds a B.A. in English from Brooklyn College and an M.S. in Guidance and Counseling from The Bank Street College of Education where she served as a member of the board.

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Aangie Wang has more than thirteen years of combined experience in nonprofit administration and management, program development, grantmaking, resource development and program evaluation. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Angie served as Director of Programs at The New York Women's Foundation where she oversaw the Foundation's grantmaking, capacity building, evaluation, and public education and advocacy initiatives. Prior to the Foundation, Angie was a Program Director at the September 11th Fund where she managed a national grant program for case management and coordination of services to victims of September 11th and a grant program for health care services for dislocated workers in New York and Washington D.C. From 1997-2003, Angie worked at Safe Horizon in a variety of capacities in the areas of crisis counseling and trauma support programs for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and individuals and families impacted by September 11th tragedy. Angie is a native Californian and holds a B.S. in Community and Regional Development and a B.A. in Women's Studies from the University of California, Davis. She worked in variety of positions in the areas of public health, environmental protection, and housing and homelessness in Northern California, before coming to New York City. She serves as a Commissioner on the NYC Commission on Women's Issues, and on the board's of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and Peoples Production House.

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Sheila Wellington was appointed Clinical Professor of Management at the New York University/Leonard N. Stern School of Business in September 2003. A leader and advocate on behalf of women in business, Ms. Wellington currently teaches a course she developed, Women in Business Leadership. Prior to joining NYU, she was President of Catalyst, the preeminent non-profit organization on women's private sector leadership. Under her leadership, Catalyst tripled in size, opened new offices in Toronto and San Jose, and initiated research and advisory services programs that have highlighted annual measures of women's progress in the uppermost ranks of corporate America through censuses of women corporate officers and top earners and of women board directors. She also spearheaded the most comprehensive research to date on women of color in corporate management. Ms. Wellington is the author of Be Your Own Mentor, a highly successful book focusing on issues of organizational change and women's advancement. A nationally recognized speaker on these and related topics, she is a board member of the Institute for Women's Policy Research and The Transitions Network and serves as a Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Women's Issues. Ms. Wellington received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Yale School of Public Health in 2002 and was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources.

Prior to Catalyst, Ms. Wellington served as Vice President and Secretary of Yale University. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College, Ms. Wellington earned concurrent master's degrees in public health and urban studies at Yale University. She is married, has two sons, and is the grandmother of Max and Lily Wellington.

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Melinda Wolfe is the Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Executive Talent at American Express. Ms. Wolfe began her career on Wall Street where she has spent over 25 years at three leading firms holding positions on the line, in corporate strategy and in Human Capital Management, culminating in her role as the Global Head of Leadership and Diversity at Goldman Sachs. She serves on advisory boards and councils of a number or organizations whose missions are focused on the welfare and advancement of women and other underrepresented groups including: the National Council for Research on Women, the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force and Planned Parenthood in New York City. She is an adjunct Professor at Columbia's School of International Public Affairs in the Gender and Policy Program. Melinda received her B.A. from Washington University and an MCRP from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

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Briana Collins is the Executive Director for the NYC Commission on Women's Issues, having previously served for over two years as the Commission's Deputy Director. In her time with the Commission, Ms. Collins has created and implemented a number of effective programs and initiatives addressing women's issues in partnership with other City agencies.

She has also worked to increase public awareness of the City's resources for women and of the Commission by helping to launch the public service campaign, "New York Loves Women." Prior to her work with the Commission, Ms. Collins worked in both the marketing and editorial fields at two major publishing houses. Ms. Collins graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Communications and a concentration in Government from Cornell University.

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