2012 Ann Power Vital Voices Initiative

31/10/2014

Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

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Meet the 2012 ANNpower Mentors

Laura Alonso When Laura Alonso was a young girl in Argentina, thousands of people began “disappearing” into thin air. For several years, the military dictatorship would wage a violent campaign of state terrorism against liberal activists, rebel fighters, and the people who helped them.

Laura grew up witnessing corruption and the frightening potential of unchecked government power. She decided from an early age that a good government should be accountable to its citizens and not harm them.

After obtaining a Masters degree from the London School of Economics, she returned home to Argentina to put her political ideals into practice.

Laura headed up Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power) one of Argentina’s leading government watchdog organizations, before her election to Congress in 2008, where she represents Buenos Aires for the PRO Party.

Laura’s political activism reaches beyond Argentina’s borders. Through a partnership with Transparency International, Laura trains non-governmental organizations in Latin America and Southeast Asia on safe and effective government monitoring.

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31/10/2014

Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

Panmela Castro As a young woman interested in art, Panmela Castro was drawn to graffiti and its transformative power to convey a message. Living in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro as a young woman, Panmela became immersed in the city’s dynamic art scene and began to establish her reputation as a graffiti artist. Also known by her graffiti name, Anarkia, she uses her work to raise awareness about women’s rights and to draw attention to the pervasiveness of gender-based violence.

The Maria da Penha Law on Domestic Violence against Women, a law granting legal protection and the ability for women to combat violence, was enacted in Brazil in 2006. Panmela recognized this as an opportunity to combine to her love for graffiti and her passion for women’s rights. Through a network of women graffiti artists, Panmela began to raise awareness about the law in the favelas of Rio, where access to information is often limited.

Panmela formed Rede Nami, an urban art network of female urban artists that addresses gender inequality through public art, graffiti and workshops in Rio. Panmela now sees her mission as transforming the roles of women in society by using her art to teach people about women’s rights. These efforts have empowered those women who were previously too afraid to speak up to share their stories.

Today, Panmela travels internationally to share her vision painting in cities across the globe, including Berlin, Paris, Istanbul, Prague, Johannesburg, New York City, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

Tara Ellef A twenty year veteran of the fashion industry, Tara Ellef began her career as a dress buyer for Ann Taylor, where she learned the importance of aesthetic, tailoring and fit. She then moved on to become the Chief Merchandising and Design Officer for Lands’ End, where she was responsible for overseeing the merchandising and design organizations for a multi-billion dollar brand that serviced women, men, children, and home. At Lands’ End, she led the initiative to expand the brand into a multi-channel retailer, as well as launched a new brand concept geared towards a younger demographic. Last year, Tara returned to ANN INC. as the Senior Vice President of Merchandising at LOFT. She has had the honor of being a guest speaker at FIT and a mentor to the students. She loves seeing the creativity, passion and dedication the students have in pursuing their dreams.

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Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

Catherine Fisher Catherine Fisher, Vice President, Corporate Communications at ANN INC., is responsible for leading Corporate Communications, Internal Communications, and Charitable Initiatives. Since joining the company in 2009, she has been the driving force behind the strategic transition of the company from Ann Taylor Stores Corporation to ANN INC. and is credited with leading the revitalization of the charitable initiatives program, ANN CARES. Prior to ANN INC., Catherine was Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Revlon and had oversight of Corporate Communications, Brand Public Relations, Events, Corporate Affairs and Philanthropy. Before joining Revlon, she was Senior Vice President of Global Communications for Tommy Hilfiger where she played a pivotal role in helping position the company for significant growth. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles in marketing and public relations in the luxury market, most notably at Joseph Abboud Company and GFT (USA) Corp. Catherine has long been an advocate and supporter, both personally and professionally, of many philanthropic and cultural activities.

Kay Krill Kay Krill, President and CEO of ANN INC., has defined her career in specialty retail by putting the client first and evolving brands to meet the needs and values of real women. Known for her remarkable merchandising savvy and hands-on management style, Kay joined Ann Taylor in 1994 and was quickly promoted to Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Design for LOFT. In 2001, she was named President of the LOFT division which, under her leadership, became a $1 billion business and one of the fastest growing concepts in women’s apparel. She was named President of Ann Taylor Stores Corporation in 2004 as well as a member of the Ann Taylor Board of Directors. In 2005, the CEO title was added. As President & CEO, Kay realized the name Ann Taylor Stores Corporation did not accurately reflect the direction and potential of the organization. In 2010, she successfully engineered the company’s renaming to ANN INC. to best represent the company’s evolution to a brand-led, world-class, multi-channel retailer. Today, Kay is focused on steadily growing the Ann Taylor and LOFT brands, as well as the Company’s fast-growing Outlet and Internet channels. Currently, ANN INC. is a $2.2 billion retailer for women of all ages.

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Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

Carol Lancaster Carol Lancaster is Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is also a professor of politics in the School of Foreign Service with a joint appointment in the Department of Government.

Dr. Lancaster has published numerous books and articles on the politics of foreign aid, the politics of development and development in Africa. Her newest book, George Bush's Foreign Aid: Transformation or Chaos? was published by the Center for Global Development, Washington, DC in 2008. She is currently working on a book entitled Evangelicals and World Poverty.

Dr. Lancaster had an extensive career in government. She was the deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1993 to 1996. She worked at the U.S. State Department as deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs from 1980-81 and for the Policy Planning Staff from 1977-80. In addition, she worked for the Office of Management and Budget and for several members of Congress including David Obey (D-Wisconsin), Chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Inez McCormack Inez McCormack was a leading pioneer of Northern Ireland’s civil rights movement. But a life of social activism was not always in the cards for Inez.

Growing up, a Unionist background sheltered her from the inequities of a divided nation. In 1968, her participation in an anti-Vietnam rally changed all that. Her first taste of activism triggered a lifelong commitment to the equal treatment of forgotten workers, minorities and women, in particular.

Years of grassroots organizing led to positions such as director of UNISON, the United Kingdom’s largest trade union, and as the first female president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. She has served as chair of the North/South Health Service Partnership, senior advisor to the Global Coalition for Women’s Rights/Worker’s Rights, and founding member of the Northern Ireland Fair Employment Commission.

Considering her unwavering sense of justice, it was only fitting that Inez help shape the equality and human rights provisions of the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords. In 2008, she received the prestigious Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Award.

Inez was a founding member of Vital Voices Global Advisory Council, and was honored in 2002 at our Global Leadership Awards in recognition of her contributions as a human rights advocate. Her remarkable story is profiled in our documentary play, SEVEN. http://annpower.vitalvoices.org/about/meet-the-mentors

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Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

In her last years, Inez advocated for women and minority workers as chair of the Participation and the Practice of Rights Project.

Inez McCormack passed away January 21, 2013. Read the tribute by Alyse Nelson.

Maria Pacheco Growing up in war-torn Guatemala City convinced Maria Pacheco that she would heal the earth by moving to the mountains and becoming an organic farmer. For a time, that’s what she did.

Hearing of this woman and her expertise, farmers from a nearby village asked her for help with their parched and sloping hillsides. Maria discovered that the land was inarable and its indigenous people were desperate for a way to provide for their families.

It wasn’t long before she found herself on a mission to bring prosperity to communities that others had long forgotten. Maria created Kiej de Los Bosques (Friend of the Trees), a company through which she connects local weavers and artisans to national and international markets.

Through Kiej, quality of life for families in the local communities improved dramatically, and Maria’s work drew national attention. Even the First Lady of Guatemala took notice, reminding her that there are more than 4,000 indigenous communities throughout Guatemala.

That’s when she learned about scalability. As a participant in the first FORTUNE/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership with Vital Voices, Maria was paired with Kathy Calvin of the United Nations Foundation. Through the mentorship, Maria created new strategies for taking her work to scale. She returned to Guatemala, committed to creating prosperity for thousands more people in need.

Mu Sochua Mu Sochua, a recent Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is one of the most prominent women in Cambodian politics.

For over twenty years, she has been at the forefront of her country’s efforts for democratic reform, free elections, and human rights.

Hailed by The New York Times as a “a member of a new generation of women working their way into the political systems of countries across Asia,” Sochua is combating the tragedies of human trafficking by empowering women to seek political office and fighting for free elections to ensure the voices of Cambodian voters are heard. In 2002, Sochua helped to mobilize 12,000 women candidates to run in the commune elections. Over 900 were elected, ushering in a new generation of female leadership in Cambodia. http://annpower.vitalvoices.org/about/meet-the-mentors

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Meet the Mentors | ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative

Born and raised in Phnom Penh, at age 18 Sochua was forced to flee to the United States when war and genocide took hold of her native land. Her parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge, along with over two million fellow Cambodians.

After 18 years of exile, she returned to Cambodia and found her country transformed into what Time magazine called "a pervert’s paradise" where women and girls were traded like currency. Accompanying sex workers on their nightly “shifts,” Sochua saw first-hand the dangers that befall these young girls (many below the age of 16) on a nightly basis.

She set out on a career defending the rights of women, laborers and farmers. In 1993, Sochua succeeded in incorporating strong provisions into the Cambodian Constitution, improving human and women’s rights across the nation. With support from the United Nations Fund for Women, Sochua helped to organize Cambodian women’s participation in the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference for Women. She arranged for over a thousand women to travel to Beijing for the conference, many of them from indigenous populations.

In 1998, Sochua won a parliamentary seat in a northwestern province of Cambodia, one of the nation’s most devastated regions. In the same year, Sochua became Minister of Women and Veterans' Affairs, one of only two women to join the cabinet. As a Cabinet member, Sochua authored the Domestic Violence Law, and negotiated an agreement with Thailand to curtail human trafficking in Southeast Asia and allow Cambodian women trafficked as sex slaves to return home instead of being jailed as criminals. Sochua also launched a campaign to engage NGOs, law enforcement officials, and rural women in a national dialogue on women's development.

Kah Walla Kah Walla started her consulting firm Strategies! in Cameroon with a commitment to hold the company to world-class standards and nothing less. Her business would compete not only with the best in Africa, but the best in the world. Her Douala office attracts clients from Africa, Europe and the United States.

The woman-owned, women-run firm boasts annual sales of $500,000 and continues to grow. But Kah recognized her success story did not reflect the experiences of most women working in Cameroon, one of the lowest-ranked countries in the World Bank’s gender-equity index.

In 2008 — in collaboration with Vital Voices — Kah launched a pilot program with women sellers in one of the largest produce markets of Douala, where 900 women traders had no voice in market operations. Through the program, women sellers formed an association to advocate collectively — for improved conditions, elimination of double-taxation and for the creation of a level playing field for women in the marketplace.

As a business owner and as an elected member of the Douala City council, Kah is finding solutions to systemic challenges that inhibit women’s economic advancement in Cameroon. The same principle that guides her company’s success guides her work in government — a firm belief that Africans have all of the ability, all of the resources and all of the capacity toInitiative: be able to respond to the needs of the people who live there.

ABOUT the ANNpower Vital Voices Kah was a candidate for thepartnership 2011 presidential in Cameroon.

A GROUNDBREAKING betweenelection ANN INC., the parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices, to empower young women from across the U.S. to affect global progress, invest in their communities, and begin their journeys as the next generation of leaders.

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