A number of Forum Members were listed in Crain’s List of Notable Women in Accounting in 2020. Crain’s sought to “spotlight the accomplished metropolitan area professionals and problem-solvers who keep businesses churning. The talented individuals that were chosen are a diverse group, skilled at resourceful innovation and disruptive thinking. These women are experts in tax regulation, audit, estate administration, forensic accounting, organizational transformation, advisory services, fundraising and business structure. They represent an extraordinary group of professionals from firms of varying size and renown.” Congratulations to our members:

• CAMILLE ASARO, Audit Partner, Investment Management, KPMG LLP
• AMI KAPLAN, Vice Chairman, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• KARYN TWARONITE, Partner, Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer, EY

To view the full list, please visit HERE.

Women’s Forum members, BARBARA COOPERMAN, Chief Marketing Officer of Kroll Inc. and MARCY SYMS, Former Chairman & CEO of the SYMS Corporation served on a panel of judges to select a Girl Scout to be honored at this year’s 28th Annual Future Woman of Distinction. This event “honors women and one very special Girl Scout who, through their journey to becoming industry and community leaders, serve as exemplary role models for today’s Girl Scouts.” Barbara and Marcy proposed Ty Heath, Director, Market Engagement The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, to be an honoree at this event. Ty hosted a past Women’s Forum webinar titled  “How to be a Thought Leader” . Congrats to Ty and thank you to Barbara and Marcy for connecting phenomenal women. To view the Women of Distinction LIVESTREAM Fireside Chat, please visit HERE.

Women’s Forum members, KARA MEDOFF BARNETT, Executive Director, American Ballet Theatre and BARBARA MARCUS, President and Publisher, Random House Children’s Books are pleased to announce a partnership between their organizations. Random House Children’s Books will partner with American Ballet Theatre on a multi-year, multi-book publishing program to launch in Fall 2020, timed to coincide with the opening of ABT’s 80th-anniversary fall season. The program will be published by the Doubleday Books for Young Readers, Random House Studio, and Random House Graphic imprints of RHCB and will cross a range of ages and formats, including picture books and graphic novels. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

CAMILLE ASARO, Audit Partner, Investment Management, KPMG LLP, who serves as the global lead audit partner for private investment companies with assets under management up to $160 billion, will be stepping into the role of Lead Director and Board Chair for WomenCorporateDirectors, the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

BEVERLY BEAUDOIN, Principal Consultant, Beverly Beaudoin And Associates, is pleased to announce that she has successfully completed NACD’s course, Directorship Essentials: Risk Oversight And Management. NACD is the premier source for thought-leadership on corporate governance and is dedicated to elevating board leadership and performance. Beverly sits on the Board of the American Liver Foundation Greater New York and on the Advisory Board of Karen Roberts New York.

LINDSEY BOYLAN, who recently ran for Congress in New York’s 10th District, addressed a crowd along with the leaders of Neighbors United Below Canal (NUBC) and No New Jails NYC to discuss the future of Manhattan; more funding for schools and public health, and to speak out against the creation of more jails. To view content on this, please visit HERE.

SARAH BEATTY BULLER, Founder and President, MontgomeryBUILDS, Green Depot & Greenmaker Industries, has been working on the renovation of the Kress department store in Montgomery, AL. The project was featured in USA Today, as part of their Hidden Common Ground: Strange Bedfellows initiative. Across the country, USA TODAY Network reporters sought to identify ways individuals and elected officials are working across perceived divides – partisan, racial, religious or otherwise – to make a positive impact in their communities. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

ANNE-CLAIRE LEGENDRE, formerly the Consul General of France in New York, was appointed as the Ambassador of France to the State of Kuwait. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

JOANNA MASSEY, President & CEO, JDMA Inc., was honored as a “Power Woman of NY” by Schneps Media. The virtual event will be held online on November 5th. To learn more about or to register for this event, please visit HERE.

CHERYL MCKISSACK DANIEL, President & CEO, McKissack & McKissack, delivered a guest lecture to the Harvard community as part of their Department of Architecture course “Innovation in Project Delivery”. “As a Black female in this White male dominated industry, I am humbled to speak before this notable institution…I cherish these opportunities.”- Cheryl McKissack Daniel. To view content on this, please visit HERE.

SARAH MCNALLY, Founder & CEO, McNally Jackson, was recently interviewed by CNN where she urged viewers to support their local bookstores. To view this video clip, please click HERE.

DEANNA MULLIGAN, President & CEO, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, released her book Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap in October. Mulligan offers a practical, broad-minded look at the effects of the workplace evolution and automation and why the private sector needs to lead the charge in shaping a values-based response.  To view Deanna’s program on Hire Purpose with the Forum, please visit HERE.

ARVA RICE, President and CEO, New York Urban League, has accepted an invitation from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to join Wes Moore, CEO, Robin Hood Foundation and Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, to help guide and develop a police reform plan for New York City that has been mandated by an executive order from Governor Cuomo. Arva will serve as key advisor, playing a critical role in the creation of a concrete and tangible plan that will be submitted to the state by April 1, 2021. “I believe this invitation presents a unique opportunity to influence the future of policing in New York City and to address the ongoing racial disparities in law enforcement,” said Arva, “but make no mistake, I recognize that the acceptance of this role may not be unilaterally accepted by those we serve. NYPD has formed many Task Forces, Advisory Committees and Focus Groups in the past, yet our communities still suffer from harassment, disrespect and death. It is my belief that COVID-19 and the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have created a moral imperative to push for real change. I feel personally and professionally called to answer this call.” To view the press release, please visit HERE.

ELLYN SHOOK, Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, Accenture, was named HR Executive of the year by HR Executive Magazine. This award recognizes the many contributions Ellyn has made to help people be successful professionally and personally. When COVID-19 thrust the country into lockdown in March, Ellyn’s responsibilities were greater than most—working hard to get hundreds of thousands of employees across the globe situated to work from home and figuring out what to do next. While being interviewed by HR Executive Magazine, Ellyn offers some phenomenal advice “If you’re not comfortable practicing self-care, there’s no way you can be a leader in these times.” To view the press release, please visit HERE.

KATHRYN SWINTEK, Managing Director & Partner, Golden Seeds, served as a panelist at the National Association of Corporate Directors’ (“NACD”) Annual Virtual Summit, speaking about mega trends, growth and innovation at the Private Company Leadership Symposium session. Working in venture capital, Kathryn suggested that Directors become part of the innovation ecosystem in order to stay on top of new disruptive business models and trends and bring new insights to the companies they govern. The panel discussion took place on October 20th. Kathryn also spoke at the Women Business Leaders of the Health Care Industry Foundation. To learn more about the WBL Board Program, please visit HERE.

ALICIA SYRETT, Founder & CEO, Pantegrion Capital, joined the Board of Directors of Digimarc (DMRC), a publicly-traded technology company. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

MINERVA TANTOCO, Co-founder, Chief Technology Officer, City Strategies, was welcomed by DriveWealth (a leader in global digital trading technology) on October 13th to lead technology innovation strategy. Minerva will now serve as the Chief Technology Officer at DriveWealth. In her new role, Minerva will be responsible for developing and executing DriveWealth’s technology strategy and innovating on the company’s already industry-leading infrastructure to support the next generation of embedded finance solutions. Minerva brings over two decades of executive leadership and management expertise working with start-ups, large enterprises, and government organizations. Her leadership will help advance DriveWealth’s growth strategy and expansion into new products and partnerships. The company is currently scaling its technology team, looking to bring on at least 15 new engineers by end of year, and Tantoco will be an integral part of that growth. To view the press release, please visit HERE.

ALICE YOUNG, Asia Business Strategy Advisory Founder, Retired Corporate Board Director, Alice young Advisory LLC, was honored by Yale, receiving the Yale Medal, as part of the annual YAA Assembly and Yale Alumni Fund Convocation, to be held virtually later this year. Young is a “trailblazer, groundbreaker, and a champion for the power of mentoring. As one of the first women in Yale College, and as the first woman and minority to open and manage the New York office of a major international law firm, she has counseled countless alumnae over the years. She arrived at Yale as one of the few women on campus and one of just nine Asian Americans in her class. To address that disparity, she co-founded the Asian American Students Alliance (AASA) and joined the executive committee of Yale College and the Yale Admissions Committee, working to bring more Asian students to campus and recruiting future Yalies from her native Hawaii.” To view the press release, please visit HERE.

TERESA YOUNGER, CEO and President, Ms. Foundation, was a part of a critical conversation with Black women leaders about the November 3rd election, the power of the Black women’s vote, the expectations and the strategies in the few days left. The event was hosted by the ERA Coalition.

Women in Business Wednesdays

In October, the Women’s Forum of New York started a new a social series called “Women in Business Wednesdays” #WBW. Since October is also recognized as National Women’s Small Business Month, we kicked off our first #WBW interviews with Women’s Forum members – Founder and Executive Chairwoman of S’well, Sarah Kauss and Chief Joy Officer of Joyful planet Inc., Patrice Tanaka. Both Sarah and Patrice gave great tips and valuable insight into their journeys of entrepreneurship. Head on over to Instagram to view our interview @womensforumnewyork and like our posts.

To read the full interviews with both of our members,

For Sarah Kauss, please visit HERE.

For Patrice Tanaka, please visit HERE.

Are you or someone you know interested in sharing experiences as a business owner or entrepreneur? If you are interested in sharing your story, please email najapazant@womensforumny.org . The Women’s Forum Credo is ”Women helping other women never gets tired.” Imagine how many women in our communities, and beyond, you may help just by sharing your experience!

We are always thankful to our outstanding members who participate in our virtual programs, keeping our community ever strong and connected especially during these times of great social challenges. In case you missed our most recent programs….

“Free to Perform, Perform to be Free”

Held on October 15th, actress, theatre director and Women’s Forum member Gabrielle Kurlander, CEO of the All Stars Project, and a diverse group of panelists, explored the magical power of performance to transform the lives of young people of color and their communities.

Moderator and Panelists:

• Moderator: Forum member GABRIELLE KURLANDER, CEO of the All Stars Project
• Forum member MARIA MORRIS, Board Member of S&P Global and Wells FargoRetired EVP, MetLife, Inc.
• Jared Glenn
• Lois Holzman, Ph.D.
• Regina Carter
• Ivoryona Williams

To view the entire program, please visit HERE.

“Women in the Workplace”

Held on October 20th, Forum members Subha Barry, Dina Bakst, Bess Freedman and Sherry Williams were a part of a panel program to review the 6th annual Women in the Workplace report published by  McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org. Presented by Jill Zucker, Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company’s New York office, the sobering findings of this report were discussed.

Moderator and Panelists:

• Moderator: Forum member SUBHA BARRY, President, Working Mother Media
• Forum member DINA BAKST, Co-Founder & Co-President, A Better Balance
• Forum member BESS FREEDMAN, CEO, Brown Harris Stevens
• Forum member SHERRY WILLIAMS, Chief Audit Executive, Amalgamated Bank
• Jill Zucker, Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company’s New York office

To view the entire program, please visit HERE.

“Aesthetic Intelligence”

Held on October 21st,  Aesthetic Intelligence offered an insider’s view on the business of retail with Pauline Brown, Former Chair of North America for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. In 2016, Pauline joined the faculty of the Harvard Business School, where she introduced a new interdisciplinary course for graduate students named “The Business of Aesthetics”. Her book, entitled, “Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use it Business and Beyond”, is based on the learnings from her HBS course. Pauline discussed her thoughts on the future of retail amid the pandemic, sharing insights from her book.

Moderator and Panelist:

• Moderator: Forum Member CHITRA NAWBATT
• Pauline Brown, Former Chair of North America for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

To view the entire program, please visit HERE.

“Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap”

Forum member, Deanna Mulligan, Board Chair and Former CEO, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, offers an inspired analysis of how smart companies can close the skills gap in her new book “Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap”. With COVID-19 accelerating workforce disruption, Deanna discussed how businesses can meet the employment challenges of the 2020s. Moderated by Forum member, Angela Brock Kyle, Corporate Board Director, Deanna and Angela provided a program that helps businesses navigate these uncertain times.

To view the entire program, please visit HERE.

To view a complete list of our virtual programming, please visit HERE.

Please submit newsletter content before November 20th to be included in the next edition. Submissions and corresponding media/links can be submitted below, in your “My Participation” section of your member portal HERE, or you can reach out to Communications and Social Media Manager Naja Pazant at najapazant@womensforumNY.org. Also, if you’d like to share newsworthy accomplishments and updates with the IWF community, please reach out to Communications Manager Lauren Williams at lwilliams@iwforum.org.

Do you know an outstandingly accomplished woman with the potential to be a great addition to the Women’s Forum of New York? If you have someone in mind, Membership Committee Chair WENDY MENDENHALL, MBE encourages you to submit a nomination form. All submissions will be reviewed and considered for membership.

We appreciate your assistance with identifying noteworthy candidates interested in joining the Women’s Forum of New York.