21 LEADERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (2022)

LOREEN ARBUS

Honorary Gala Chair

Loreen Arbus is currently the President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation, The Goldenson-Arbus Foundation, and Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc. Through these organizations and in her personal endeavors, Ms. Arbus is a tireless advocate for women and girls; a champion for one of the world’s largest minorities, people with disabilities; and is passionate about encouraging equal opportunities in television, film, communications, and the arts.

A high-profile professional and pioneer in her field, Ms. Arbus is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences. Among her many appearances, she has spoken at TEDxWomen. The author of six non-fiction books, she has also written countless articles for many national publications, and was twice nominated for an Emmy® Award. She co-wrote the first book on AIDs, Everything You Need to Know About AIDs, with Dr. Mathilde Krim.

She holds the trailblazing distinction of being the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, a feat accomplished twice (both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime). In addition to helping establish these two cornerstones of cable television, she launched Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc., an independent television production company with an emphasis on non-fiction programming.

Loreen served as Honorary Gala Chair of the Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Awards gala in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She is a past 21 Leaders honoree and returns as Honorary Gala Chair of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Awards Gala in 2022. For the gala, each year Loreen presents The Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award, which pays tribute to a pioneer in the disability community.

In 2020, Women’s eNews established The Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program. This inaugural fellowship has been created to train women with disabilities as professional journalists so that they may write, research and report on the most crucial issues impacting the disabilities community.

Santana Founder, CEO Do A Little

Deborah

Foundation

Special gratitude to Alfreda Robinson

the Dorothy Height Champion for Civil Rights Awardee

DEBORAH SANTANA

Honorary Gala Co-Chair

Deborah Santana is an author, business manager, and activist for peace and social justice. Her non-profit, Do A Little, serves women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. With a passion to provide educational opportunities for girls and women, Ms. Santana collaborates with organizations that work to prevent and heal relationship and sexual violence, improve the lives of America’s abused and neglected children, and a worldwide community of artists and allies who work for empowerment, opportunity, and visibility for women artists.

In 2005, she published her memoir: Space Between the Stars that told of her experiences growing up as a bi-racial child, and her coming of age.

Ms. Santana has produced five short documentary films, four with Emmy-award winning director Barbara Rick: Road to Ingwavuma, Girls of Daraja, School of My Dreams, and Powerful Beyond Measure. These films highlight the work of non-profit partners in South Africa, and the Daraja Academy, a free secondary boarding school for girls in Kenya.

She has served as a trustee for ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa), the Smithsonian Institution, is a member of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Advisory Committee and a longtime supporter of Marian Wright Edelman’s Children’s Defense Fund. Deborah is mother to three beloved adult children: Salvador Santana, a songwriter, band leader, and instrumental artist, Stella Santana, a singer/songwriter/performer, and Angelica Santana, a poet, archivist and film producer.

Ms. Santana holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion with a Concentration in Women’s Spirituality.

A leadership donor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, she works for the rights and freedom of women and people of color.

AMBASSADOR ALICE DEAR

Board Chair, Women’s eNews

Former U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank

Member of the International Planning Committee of the Global Summit of Women

Ambassador Alice Marie Dear, Africanist, banker, consultant, and diplomat has enjoyed and excelled in multiple careers with a global focus. In each endeavor she has proudly deployed her creative energy to empower women and girls.

In this milestone year, the Honorable Alice Dear celebrates her 50-year membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She became a member on the very Howard University campus in Washington, DC where the international service organization was founded in 1908. She credits AKA, the first Greek-lettered organization founded by African American college-educated women, with modeling for her at an early age how to leverage the power of women through collaboration, preparation and service. AKA enabled her to develop and fine-tune critical leadership skills for success. Those early building blocks propelled her career achievements that we celebrate this evening.

Ms. Dear honed her skills in international banking, finance and marketing during an 11-year tenure on Wall Street in the Middle East and Africa Group at Irving Trust Company, now Bank of New York Mellon. Her familiarity with the nuances of African business, economic, political and cultural affairs complemented her skills acquired at Irving as an international lending officer, trade finance specialist and marketing officer for operational services.

She left banking in 1988 as a Vice President to launch an international consulting business with a focus on Africa, and to make a difference in the lives of those she encountered.

In early 1994 President Bill Clinton appointed Alice Dear, with unanimous Senate confirmation, as U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank Group, Africa’s premier financial institution headquartered in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. From 1994-2000, Ambassador Dear, the first woman appointed to this position, represented the U.S. Government on the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group, sharing responsibility for oversight of the Bank’s financial, operational and administrative management, including its then $3 billion annual lending portfolio, a key contributor to the economic development and social progress of the Bank’s 54 regional member countries.

LORI SOKOL Executive Director & Editor-in-Chief

Lori Sokol, Ph.D., assumed the role of Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Women’s eNews in July, 2016. She previously served as it’s Board Chair in 2012-2013. Dr. Sokol was the Founder and President of Sokol Media, LLC, publisher of magazines that advocate for diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the workplace. Striving to empower individuals to triumph over gender-related societal limits so they can reach their full potential unhindered, her articles have been published in such major market publications as the NY Times, Slate.com, Ms. Magazine and The Huffington Post. She has also been interviewed in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, MSNBC, CNBC, Spectrum’s NY1 and WPIX.

As a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology, Dr. Sokol’s research specifically focused on the media’s influence in crafting gender roles, further seeking to expose how stereotypes are created and maintained. She has published academic articles on the intersection of psychology and the media, taught seminars on Media Psychology through the University of Beijing, China, and served as an Adjunct Professor in the Psychology Department at Montclair State University where she taught the course, Psychology of Women.

In 2009, Dr. Sokol was elected to the Asian Women Business Council’s Executive Committee as its U.S. representative to help Asian female business owners expand their reach into the United States. She has also served as a national keynote speaker for the Society of Marketing Professionals and the International Telework Association Council, and internationally at the Asian Women Entrepreneur Conference in Seoul, and the International Women in Commerce Summit in Kuala Lumpur. In December, 2018, Dr. Sokol was featured in The Femocrats, About Face portrait series at Art Basel in Miami, a dynamic art series created to effect profound social change by challenging concepts of gender, race, identity and nature (see portrait image above).

Dr. Sokol is a member of the National Press Club and on the Advisory Council of Have Art Will Travel. Her first book, The Agile Workforce and Workplace: The New Future of Work, was published by Working Mother Media/Bonnier Corporation in 2011. Her award winning book, She Is Me: How Women Will Save The World (She Writes Press, 2020) will be published as a children’s book in Spring 2023.

—

“Believe beyond your limits and break the status quo!”

“Pioneers are not born — they are made each and every day!”

Grace Vandecruze 2022 Honoree

Grace Vandecruze

Honoring

The Advocates for Human Rights

Beyond Barriers

Equal Voice | Equal Future

Julia Haart

Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York

Kisha Mays

Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good

Michelle Miller

Paramount Global

PowHer New York

Alfreda Robinson

Dr. Ruth Shaber

The National Organization on Disabilities

Grace Vandecruze

Victims First

Vote Mama WBDC

Blanche Weisen Cook

Women In Tech

Breakthrough Film of the Year

THE AMERICAN DREAM AND OTHER FAIRY TALES

The Advocates

FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. By involving volunteers in research, education, and advocacy, we build broad constituencies in the United States and select global communities.

We envision a world in which every person lives with dignity, freedom, justice, equality, and peace; and believe that every person has a part to play in building respect for human rights and expanding the human rights movement in the United States and around the world.

2022

Beyond Barriers is the world’s only performance acceleration platform that helps companies unlock the full potential of their female talent.

Our platform helps companies grow their leadership pipeline by empowering individual team members with career conditioning curriculum, intelligent navigational tools, and personalized guidance.

Our science-backed and data-driven methodology is designed for the future of work, built for enterprise, and accelerates success for women in the workplace.

Equal Voice | Equal Future is a Digital Hub created by The Fund For Women’s Equality that:

• Amplifies issues of importance to BIPOC and LGBTQI+ women and girls; by commissioning storytellers from these communities; this includes a cohort of 10-12 women. We will introduce nuanced narratives that uplift their leadership and cement their place in the post-pandemic economy. Their writings and media productions will also socialize important policies such as the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have a game-changing impact on issues like labor force participation and unequal pay.

• Cultivates an ecosystem and team of content creators and journalists representing the BIPOC and LGBTQI+ women and girls communities focusing on gender justice, equity and social justice as it relates to the ERA.

• This includes:

• EV | EF cohort (team) consisting of 10-12 young women, content creators/journalists

• EV | EF partner collaborative cohorts: ERA ratification media projects integrated through their programs and curriculum

• EV | EF editorial board & team

• Serves as a resource to highlight, feature and connect like-minded organizations, journalists/content creators and education institutions focused on equity and social activism in media.  We will also create new economic opportunities via our partner organizations.

JULIA HAART

Julia Haart is a self-made business woman, designer and bestselling author. She was raised in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. At age 42 she fled, changed her name, and without any formal education or background in fashion launched her career as a designer with her namesake shoe collection.

In 2021, Julia took the world by storm with her NETFLIX hit series ‘My Unorthodox Life,’ which premiered in over 190 countries. The show, renewed for Season 2, challenged assumptions and captivated viewers. Now with her memoir, BRAZEN, Julia writes with radical vulnerability and honesty sharing her deeply personal journey of heartbreak, resilience and courage to flee a fundamentalist community. Released April 2022, BRAZEN, became an instant bestseller simultaneously in the U.S. and U.K.

Julia lives in New York City with her four children.

Inspired by our Jewish values, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York pursues and promotes a world in which all women and girls are ensured a healthy and supported environment…a world in which we all have equal opportunity for economic, religious, social and political achievement.

We work to make this a reality by cultivating leaders for now and the future, funding innovative programs and advocacy efforts, by providing education on vital issues, and by encouraging our donors to view all philanthropic giving through a Jewish and gender lens.

KISHA MAYS

Kisha Mays is a Visionary Founder & CEO of Just Fearless and HERstory Connections, FemCapitalist, Investor, Best Selling Author, and Philanthropist. One of her missions is to help scale 1,000,000 Fearless Female Entrepreneurs generating a minimum of $1,000,000+ in annual net revenue utilizing the HERstory Connections organization for Female Founders to turn them into unicorn global businesses. She recently launched the $100 million HERstory Made Angel Fund which is a fund exclusively for female founded companies.

She pays it forward by supporting non-profits worldwide that specifically support & empower women and girls. Kisha and her team are developing strategic partnerships for 2022 - 2023 and beyond to take this international business and brand to an explosive level bringing Just Fearless from behind the scenes to the forefront. Kisha has been featured in Business Insider, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Forbes, to name a few.

Her major influences are Oprah Winfrey, Sara Blakely, Madam CJ Walker, and Richard Branson, for their fearlessness, exceptional courage, drive and ambition, willingness to go after what they desire & believe in all while setting the standard and breaking through any and all ceilings. Even with all the success she has achieved, Kisha still feels like she is only getting started.

She is Just Fearlessly building her global empire helping other Female Founders to do the same!

ELIZABETH MELENDEZ FISHER GOOD

Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good is passionate about awakening the calling in others. As a pioneer in the anti-sex trafficking movement for more than a decade, she has helped thousands of survivors find freedom and a new life.

Today, she has expanded her work to help all break free from past trauma and self-defeating mindsets, allowing them to fulfill their eternal purpose and destiny!

Based upon her book “Groomed” (Harper Collins, 2020), and decades of experience in counseling, she launched an initiative which empowers families and individuals to walk in complete freedom and transparency that breaks generational patterns and bullet proofs the family.

She is the founder and CEO of The Foundation United, which was created out of her passion to end sexual exploitation and protect children globally. The Foundation United collaboratively provides best practices and proven models to eradicate sexual abuse and exploitation domestically and internationally. Their initiatives create scalable, systemic change in education, law enforcement, healthcare and the church. As the founder of REAL TALK, she helps ministries address the root causes of demand and exploitation, from top leadership to kindergarten.

Elizabeth holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology, and is the recipient of the prestigious New York City Global Business Leader Award, SRQ Women of Influence Award, and the Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year Award. She has delivered two TedX talks and one LiftX Talk to 18,000 military leaders. She is a featured speaker at the 2022 Shared Hope International Conference and the Global Strategic Forum in Austria.

MICHELLE MILLER

Michelle Miller is the co-host of CBS SATURDAY MORNING. Miller joined the broadcast in July of 2018. Her work regularly appears on the “CBS Evening News,” “CBS This Morning” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” She has also appeared as a correspondent on “48 Hours.” Miller joined CBS News in 2004.

While at CBS News, Miller has reported on many stories of national and international importance. She provided extensive coverage of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting death of Michael Brown. She also covered the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.; the shooting at Chardon High School in Ohio; the 2004, 2008 and 2012 presidential elections; the death of Whitney Houston; the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking; medical care for the rural poor in South Africa, and Hurricanes Sandy, Irene and Katrina.

Miller’s reporting has earned her several prestigious journalism awards including an Emmy for her series of reports on the National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy, an Edward R Murrow for her coverage of a day care center stand-off in New Orleans, and she was part of the Alfred I. duPont –Columbia Award winning team for coverage the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. In 2019, Miller won a Gracie award for her reporting on the hidden world of sex trafficking in “’48 Hours’: Live to Tell: Trafficked.”

PowherNY is a network of individuals and organizations coming together to accelerate economic fairness for New York women. Our backgrounds, jobs, economic status, age, and religions may be different, but we all agree that women deserve and need a level playing field.  Some of us are longtime advocates and others new to the conversation, but we find common cause as a community: learning together, sharing information and actions, and generating Powher to create a new reality for 10 million New York women and their families.

ALFREDA ROBINSON

RECIPIENT OF THE DOROTHY HEIGHT CHAMPION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AWARD

Alfreda Robinson served as the 77th President of the National Bar Association (NBA), the oldest and largest national organization of primarily Black lawyers, judges, professors, and students. Her Bar Year 2019-2020 theme was Moving Forward Boldly, and she focused on Black Women and Gender Equity. Dean Robinson created the first NBA Black Women’s Equity Day national observance, for which she received a Proclamation from The Mayor of the District of Columbia and District of Columbia City Council. Furthermore, Alfreda obtained a $500,000 Amazon donation for a proposed Global Women’s Institute - the largest, single donation in NBA and NBI history. She is a member of the National Bar Institute (NBI) Board of Governors and NBA Board of Governors.

Alfreda Robinson is Associate Dean for Trial Advocacy and Co-Director of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program at George Washington University Law School. She is Faculty Co-Lead of the GW Equity Institute Initiative Showcase. The Showcase will include her presentation of the Power Reimagined Women Law Students Project.

In July 2022, Dean was inducted into the prestigious National Bar Association Hall of Fame. She has received the NBA’s highest honor, the C. Frances Strafford Award, and 16 other marks of distinction. Robinson has held over 60 NBA leadership posts, including 10 times chairing or co-chairing the highly influential NBA Judicial Selection Standing Committee. In July 2022 as well, Past President Robinson was given the Presidential Exemplary Service Award for her successful national work supporting the nomination and confirmation of U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. In April, the GW Black Law Students Association established the Dean Robinson Oral Advocacy Annual Award in her honor.

Robinson earned B.A and M.A. degrees from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. degree from GW Law.

She teaches Pretrial Practice and Professional Responsibility. Her scholarship/research projects focus on gender/race equity, judicial selection, reparations and litigation.

DR. RUTH SHABER

Dr. Ruth Shaber had a 25 year medical career at Kaiser Permanente, where she held many different executive positions, including Director of Women’s Health, Director and Founder of the Women’s Health Research Institute and Medical Director of the Care Management Institute. In these roles, Ruth developed her expertise in evidence-based medicine and the translation of medical research to the healthcare delivery system.

In 2014, Ruth created the Tara Health Foundation with the intention of applying these same principles of evidence-based practice and building the science of philanthropy and impact investing. After reading Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference, Ruth was inspired to deploy the full potential of the foundation’s philanthropic capital, committing 100% of its assets to its core mission of identifying and supporting innovative solutions that improve the health and well-being of women and girls. This commitment means all of Tara Health’s investments — including grants, public equities and private investments — are aligned with its mission.

Since the Tara Health Foundation was founded in 2014, it has deployed over $55 million in grants and impact investments maintaining a 100% mission-aligned portfolio.

In 2017, Ruth co-founded Rhia Ventures, a 501(c)(3) with the mission to create a vibrant US market for sexual, reproductive, and maternal health that produces equitable outcomes for all.  One of the activities at Rhia Ventures is to make direct investments in early- and growth-stage companies that are driving innovation, access, and equity in reproductive and maternal health, through its wholly owned venture fund, RH Capital Corporation.

In 2021, Ruth Shaber co-wrote The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk with Patience Marime-Ball, founder of Women of the World Endowment. The book delivers the pivotal message that wealthier and healthier personal and global outcomes are the result when women participate in financial decision making across all aspects of the economy. The book details compelling data, case stories, “what-if” scenarios, and actionable recommendations.

The book was released on June 21 with 100 percent of the sale proceeds going back to the Women of the World Endowment and Tara Health Foundation so both organizations can continue their work on centralizing women as solution-drivers for today’s accelerating challenges.

TIFFANY SMITH-ANOA’I

Recipient of The Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award

“My personal and professional north star is to foster an inclusive environment for people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible and provide an equal opportunity for success and to be compensated fairly.”

In her role as Executive VP, Entertainment Diversity & Inclusion, West Coast, Paramount Global, Tiffany leads entertainment-focused diversity and inclusion initiatives across CBS Entertainment, Showtime, Media Networks and Paramount Pictures. She also oversees the company’s creative development programs, talent initiatives and outreach to agencies, multicultural coalitions, guilds and other key inclusion stakeholders.

Prior to her current Paramount Global position, Smith-Anoa’i was Executive Vice President, Entertainment Diversity, Inclusion & Communications for CBS Entertainment. An innovator in both entertainment publicity and diversity, Tiffany was promoted to that position in 2016 and charged with shepherding the entertainment division’s diversity and inclusion initiatives and supporting communication efforts. She developed new programs to recruit, nurture and hire inclusive talent to work in front of and behind the camera and helped launch several notable careers. In 2015, Tiffany was appointed Senior Vice President of Entertainment Diversity & Communications after serving, since 2009, as Vice President, Entertainment Diversity & Communications, CBS Entertainment. In these roles, Smith-Anoa’i created and launched “Paramount On Tour,” a community outreach program in which executives visit schools to educate and encourage students interested in entertainment careers; expanded the writer selection process for “The CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase”; implemented an annual symposium with casting directors to strategize on best practices to diversify the casting process; joined forces with the Ruderman Family Foundation as the first Network to sign the Foundation’s pledge to improve the portrayal of disabilities in entertainment, and increase the number of roles that cast actors with disabilities; partnered with GLAAD to host learning workshops; Lights! Camera! Access! to host Career Exploration Summits, ReelAbilities Film Festival; and works with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media to encourage a variety of acting and industry roles for women.

Smith-Anoa’i’s community service and charity work includes the Human Rights Campaign, #SeeHer, ADCOLOR, Easterseals Disability Challenge, Young Storytellers, The Unusual Suspects and Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. She serves as a board member for ColorComm, BIG SUNDAY, The Muslim Public Affairs Council and on the business advisory board for the National Hispanic Media Coalition. She is also a Board of Trustee member for The Archer School for Girls. In 2019 Smith-Anoa’i received the Adweek + ADCOLOR Champions Award for her commitment to growing and promoting diversity and inclusion within and outside the walls of CBS Entertainment.

Smith-Anoa’i maintains a close relationship with her alma mater, Howard University, where she graduated with honors from the School of Communications. In 2013, Howard University presented her with the “Global Visionary Award” for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Communications.

When The National Organization on Disability was founded in 1982, it was the first organization in the United States to represent every person with a disability, regardless of particular needs or circumstances. To have a disability is to belong to a large extended community — one out of every four Americans fits the description — that includes immense diversity, but also common threads of shared experience. Our mission has always been to break down the barriers that fence people off from the wider community. Today, we focus the whole of our energy on eliminating the most wasteful and isolating of all those barriers: the artificial gulf that keeps tens of millions of people out of the productive workforce.  We envision a world where all people with disabilities enjoy full opportunity for employment, enterprise and earnings, and employers know how to make the most of our talents.

NOD is the national leader in helping businesses tap the disability labor force. We don’t just analyze, advise, and assess; we make the journey with companies. Our strength derives from our mission and history, from the extent and quality of the services we offer employers, from our personal experiences of disability and how it plays out in the community and the workforce, and from the leadership we mobilize to ensure that people with disabilities can achieve the dignity, fulfillment, and financial independence that comes from productive employment.

We are a partner to business, education, service providers, government, philanthropy, and, most of all, to the tens of millions of Americans with disabilities eager to work and ready to take a full and equal role in our national progress.

For us, and for the donors and foundations who generously support us, the labor market is not just an exchange place for employers and employees. It is the gateway to individual accomplishment and independence. We have focused our entire mission on achieving equity in the workforce, because that is where ability contributes to national prosperity, to business success, and, most importantly, to personal satisfaction and growth.

For NOD, every unused talent is a promise unkept, a hope defeated—because in the labor market, as in every aspect of life…it’s ability that counts!

GRACE VANDECRUZE

Grace Vandecruze is the Founder and Managing Director at Grace Global Capital LLC. a consulting firm providing M&A financial advisory, restructuring, and valuation to insurance companies and financial regulators since 2006.  Prior to forming Grace Global Capital, Ms. Vandecruze served as Managing Director at Swiss Re, where she was responsible for the firm’s regulatory advisory practice in the insurance and financial services industries from 1999 to 2006.   Ms. Vandecruze has extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions and capital raisings, most notably she provided expert testimony on the valuation of Conseco during the largest bankruptcy in the history of the insurance industry. Ms. Vandecruze has provided IPO advisory in the largest public offerings of insurance companies, throughout her career, Ms. Vandecruze has executed over $25 billion in M&A and financing transactions. Ms. Vandecruze brings a unique combination of C-suite experience in banking, M&A, capital markets and accounting.

Prior to joining Swiss Re, Ms. Vandecruze was a Vice President at Head & Company, the first global private equity firm specializing in the insurance industry and an Associate in the Financial Institutions Group at Merrill Lynch.  Ms. Vandecruze is a CPA who began her career as an auditor in public accounting with EY. Ms. Vandecruze earned an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where she currently serves on the Wharton Graduate Executive Board. Ms. Vandecruze holds a BBA in Accounting from Pace University. Ms. Vandecruze has served on the board of PIMCO Closed End Funds, The Doctors Company, Link Logistics REIT (The Blackstone Group) and Resolution Holdings. Ms. Vandecruze is a licensed Certified Public Accounting in New York and is a member of the AICPA and the New York State Society of CPAs.

Ms. Vandecruze often serves as a keynote speaker at insurance conferences, including InsureTech Connect, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, M Financial Annual Marketing Meeting and The Baker Tilly Insurance Conference, and is widely quoted in the financial press including Wharton Business Radio, Innovator’s Edge, Property Casualty 360, AMBest, American Banker, SNL Financial and the Insurance Journal. Ms. Vandecruze was selected as one of the “Directors to Watch” by Directors & Boards magazine, “Woman to Watch” by Business Insurance magazine, and she was recently awarded “Corporate Woman of the Year” by Pace University. She is a licensed sailor and has participated in climbing expeditions to Bhutan, Annapurna, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Everest Base Camp.

Ms. Vandecruze has been featured in the books: “Be Happy at Work, 100 Women Who Love their Jobs and Why” by Joanne Gordon and “Doing it Ourselves:  Success Stories of African American Women in Business” by Donna Ballard.  In addition, Ms. Vandecruze recently authored the international best seller book, Homeless to Millionaire: 6 Keys to UPLIFT Your Financial Abundance

As a mountaineer, Ms. Vandecruze has climbed over 25 mountain peaks on three continents. Her life changed drastically when a fire destroyed her home and she and her family lived in a homeless shelter in NY for five months.  The experience ignited her passion for financial wellness.  As an immigrant, Ms. Vandecruze survived multiple financial and personal setbacks. She inspires global audiences through her journey of courage, resilience and strength to climb above life’s circumstances.  As she has climbed out of homelessness to Mt. Everest and on the ladder to wealth and abundance, her mission is to transform the financial climate of women, unleash their money power and build sustainable wealth platforms. Women are writing new life stories and her guidance will ensure that their financial chapters are the most powerful. Ms. Vandecruze is the proud author of the international best seller book, Homeless to Millionaire: 6 Keys to UPLIFT Your Financial Abundance.

VictimsFirst, comprised of over 20 years of previous victims/survivors of mass shootings, is, at its core, a human rights organization. The nonprofit educates communities and advocates for victims and survivors of mass casualty crime at the most horrific -- and most vulnerable -- times of their lives.

VF responds immediately to mass casualty crimes by engaging directly with families of the deceased and those wounded both physically and emotionally to provide crucial resources, including immediate financial help. VF assists communities in understanding those needs so victims/ survivors can keep their privacy and dignity while receiving services, comfort, and financial support without being re-victimized.

Vote Mama supports democratic moms down the ballot— because when we elect moms, we pass policies that support women and working families.

Vote Mama is founded and led by Liuba Grechen Shirley, Former Congressional candidate and the first woman in history to successfully petition the FEC to use Campaign Funds for Childcare.

Vote Mama’s Theory of Change:

Step One: Elect - Vote Mama PAC endorses, funds, and mentors progressive moms running for the country. Since our launch, Vote Mama PAC has supported over 350 moms run for office in 31 states.

Step Two: Mobilize - Vote Mama Lobby builds a coalition of nationwide grassroot and pass family- and women-centered policies.

Step Three: Legislate - Vote Mama Foundation is the leading source of research and analysis on the political participation of moms. Once mamas get into office, Vote Mama Foundation enables them to pass family- and women-centered policies.

The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) is a nationally recognized leader in the field of women’s business development and economic empowerment founded in1986.

The WBDC’s mission is to support and accelerate business development and growth, targeting women and serving all diverse business owners, in order to strengthen their participation in, and impact on, the economy.

We envision a diverse world where all business owners have an equitable opportunity to compete and succeed in the marketplace and achieve economic independence.

We value our knowledgeable, prepared, and diverse staff; a culture that is results-oriented, supportive, and progressive; innovation, responsiveness, and relevancy; advocacy for public policies supporting women and other diverse communities; and respect for, and accountability to, all stakeholders.

BLANCHE WEISEN COOK

RECIPIENT OF THE 2022 EDIE WINDSOR CHAMPION FOR LGBTQIA+ EQUALITY AWARD

Blanche Weisen Cook an historian, journalist, activist and author of many books and articles, including  a 3 volume biography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Penguin), The DECLASSIFIED EISENHOWER: A DIVIDED LEGACY OF PEACE AND POLITICAL WARFARE, and editor of CRYSTAL EASTMAN ON WOMEN AND REVOLUTION, which Oxford University Press recently republished.

University Distinguished Professor of History and Women’s Studies, she has had the privilege to teach at John Jay College and the Graduate Center since l968. Her journalism career has included a syndicated column, and twenty years at Radio Pacifica where she hosted interview programs originally called Activists and Agitators, subsequently Women and the World in the l990s.

As a peace activist she has worked with the Women’s international League for Peace and Freedom, and the Peace History Society for many years. She is former vice-president for research of the American Historical Association, and was chair of the Fund for Open Information and Accountability (FOIA, Inc). She was also co-founder and co-chair of the Freedom of Information and Access Committee of the Organization of American Historians, committed to end government secrecy and maintaining the integrity of the Freedom of Information Act.

She is perhaps best known for her “revolutionary” lesbian articles – “The Historical Denial of Lesbianism” and “Women Alone Stir My Imagination: Lesbianism and the Cultural Tradition” which “outed history” in l979 – and was celebrated by an AHA panel in 2010. See the Roundtable in Celebration of BWC, published in MERIDIANS, 2010

2022

Women Impact Tech is a community - a safe haven- for collaboration, professional growth and belonging that will inspire, educate, empower, and advance women in technology. Our mission is to advance gender equity so that women can thrive in their careers and organizations can build productive, diverse, and inclusive teams.

Actioning on Our Mission

To build a community for women in technology that will inspire, empower, and advance gender equity we focus on three core pillars:

• Knowledge and Insights – providing data and guidance on the industry, market trends, business acumen, and work-life balance

• Meaningful Connections – enabling new interactions and fostering connections to build a continuous support network

• Equity in Hiring – connecting progress companies who have strong diversity, equity, and inclusion programs with qualified, women technical professionals

Bringing our Mission to Life

Our core pillars are implemented through several offerings that help us bring our mission to life.

• Accelerate Conferences – in-person events held in major tech cities designed to connect professionals and organizations, while providing content that enhances knowledge and inspires

• Elevate Series – private virtual events partnering with a singular company designed to strengthen their diversity, equity and inclusion program

• Diversity Recruiting – custom diversity recruiting solutions hyper-focused to build and scale tech teams

• Job Board – digital platform to connect progressive companies with women in tech looking to make a career move

• Membership Program – continuous stream of knowledge and insights through our videos-on-demand and live webinars, opportunities to connect with other members, and exclusive access to research and reports

Our Story

Women Impact Tech began as a mission-driven business concept in late 2018 by the founders Patrick McAdams and Daniel McAdams of Andiamo Consulting LLC to help companies create greater gender parity in technology through talent acquisition. In fall of that same year, Andiamo hosted a hiring event in New York, NY for Women in technology to connect underrepresented female engineers with companies committed to inclusion and diversity.

In 2019, Women Impact Tech operated as a separate brand of Andiamo and hosted 6 events in various cities across the United States. Unfortunately, with COVID, Women Impact Tech was only able to host one in-person event in 2020 before having to pause operations.

In 2021, founders Patrick and Daniel selected Paula Bratcher-Ratliff to lead and build Women Impact Tech so that they could activate the mission and business goals set forth.

2022 has been a successful year thus far as Women Impact Tech has been able to engage over 3,000 technologists at our in-person conferences making a measurable difference in the lives and livelihoods of women in technology, the very women who have been historically excluded from equal access to opportunity.

In addition, Women Impact Tech has been able to recognize and showcase both companies and individuals who have made significant contributions towards women in tech through two inaugural award programs. The first, Women Impact Tech 100 where a list was compiled using public data regarding employee’s feedback on workplace culture for women and other underrepresented groups, employee benefits and perks, and dedicated diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The second, Women of Impact recognizes women who have made a significant influence on the technical profession paving the way for other women in the field. Nominations were collected and panel of independent judges selected the top women.

Although there is much to do in the form of gender equity and inclusion, Women Impact Tech is encouraged by the progress that has been made.

BREAKTHROUGH FILM OF THE YEAR 2022

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales

In this feature-length, personal essay documentary, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney grapples with America’s profound inequality crisis. The story begins in 2018, after Abigail encounters workers at the company that bears her name struggling to put food on the table. Could she, a descendent, with no role in the multinational conglomerate, use her famous last name to help pressure Disney and other American corporations to treat low-wage workers more humanely?

Believing her conservative grandfather, Roy Disney, (Walt’s brother and company co-founder) would never have tolerated employee hunger at “The Happiest Place On Earth”, Abigail reexamines the story of modern American capitalism from the middle of the last century, when wealth was shared more equitably, to today, when CEOs earn upwards of 800 times more than their average employees. What happened? What Abigail learns-about racism, corporate power, and the American Dream, is eye-opening, unexpected, and inspiring in that it begins to imagine a path to a fairer future for everyone.

Filmed over a two-year period, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales expertly weaves together Abigail’s family story and the stories of Disneyland workers; with commentary from historians, authors, and academics. The film artfully employs archive, animation, and never-before-seen Disney family movies. From the boardroom to the union hall, the film will no doubt jump-start urgently needed conversations, about how to make American capitalism work for everyone. As Abigail concludes, “It won’t be easy, but with imagination and courage it can be changed.”

The Power of Women as Investors

“The XX Edge is a ‘get behind’ kind of book. Marime-Ball and Shaber draw on their extensive research and real-world experience to make a compelling argument for more gender inclusivity when it comes to business and the economy. It is a must read for every leader who wants to deliver stronger long-term performance, positive and inclusive societal outcomes. It should be in the hands of every citizen who aspires to effect positive change.”

— James Manyika, Chair and Director Emeritus McKinsey Global Institute

Tara Health Foundation thanks Women’s eNews for the honor and opportunity.

Patience Marime-Ball

Ruth Shaber, MD

An Inclusive Community, Empowering Women in Tech.

Women Impact Tech is a safe haven for collaboration, professional growth, and belonging that will inspire, educate, empower, and advance women in technology. Our mission is to advance gender equity so women can thrive in their careers and organizations can build productive, diverse, and inclusive teams.

Delivering on our Mission www.womenimpacttech.com

Accelerate Conferences - our in-person conference series hosted in major tech cities designed to connect progressive organizations to the local tech professionals

Elevate Series - a private, virtual event that we administer to help organizations to build their brand

Membership - a national community of women in tech where expertise and exclusive insights are shared

Dedicated Recruiting - a custom diversity recruiting solution to build and scale tech teams

Job Board - our digital platform to allow organizations to make their most active roles visible in the diverse tech community Making

COMMENTARY CAMP RETREAT APRIL 16 - 22, 2023, ITALY

The retreat is based at the Villa Margherita, Country House Hotel. Located on the River Brenta, just 20 minutes from Venice and yet in the peace and tranquility of the Veneto countryside.

Each morning, you will awake to a workshop about 2 hours in length to discuss the skills necessary to become a published Op-Ed/Commentary writer.

Each evening, we will spend one hour delving into the works of the most celebrated op-ed writers. During the retreat, you will walk the same paths explored by Ernest Hemingway, Peggy Guggenheim, Henry James, Robert Browning and Lord Byron.

The retreat will be lead by Lori Sokol, PhD., Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Women’s eNews, and an award-winning author whose commentaries have been published in The Baltimore Sun, The Huffington Post, Ms. Magazine, Slate, and many others. Contact lori@womensenews.org for further information.

Limited to 10 Attendees