cup 2010 women's leadership forum - speaker bio book

Speaker Biographies

June 8, 2010

Welcome Remarks

CUP Women’s Leadership Forum 2

Chloe DrewExecutive Director,The Council of Urban Professionals

As the Executive Director of The Council of Urban Professionals, Chloe Drew administers a multi-million dollar portfolio of results-oriented initiatives that advance leadership development, education reform, and access to capital and opportunity for minority owned and led business. Chloe formerly served as Campaign Director for U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee in California’s 9th congressional district.

She also co-founded and served as a board member of OaklandVOTE, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing voter participation in underserved communities. Before her work for the Lee campaign, Chloe taught social studies and math at the Colegio Americano de Quito in Ecuador, and was Deputy Finance Director of the Mark Udall for U.S. Congress campaign (2000).

Chloe earned a B.A. from Harvard University and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Emerge America, a training program dedicated to increasing the number of Democratic women in public office and One Voice, Congresswoman Lee’s political action committee. She is a former board member of the Wellesley Centers for Women – a research center that conducts interdisciplinary studies on issues affecting women and their families.

Welcome Remarks


Congresswoman Yvette D. ClarkeUnited States Representative

United States Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a Brooklyn native whose roots are firmly planted in her Jamaican heritage. A product of the New York City Public School System, Rep. Clarke received a scholarship to Oberlin College and was a recipient of the prestigious APPAH/Sloan Fellowship in Public Policy and Policy Analysis.

Rep. Clarke was elected to Congress in November 2006 and represents the 11th Congressional District which includes Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn Heights, Sunset Park, Carroll Gardens, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Prospect Park.

Prior to being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, she served on the New York City Council representing the 40th District in Brooklyn. She succeeded her pioneering mother, former City Council Member Una S. T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter succession in the history of the Council.

As the Congressional Representative of the 11th district, she is committed to continuing the district’s legacy of excellence as set forth by the late Honorable Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman and Caribbean American elected to Congress. As an activist, a community organizer and now as a legislator, Rep. Clarke’s boldness, compassion and love for humanity has allowed her to become an effective leader and an outspoken advocate on numerous issues of great importance to her constituents.

Rep. Clarke sits on several committees including the House Education and Labor Committee, the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Small Business Committee.

Just two years in office, Rep. Clarke was appointed Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology for the 111th Congress. Under her leadership, this Committee will exercise its oversight jurisdiction on a variety of issues, including cybersecurity, biodefense, pandemic influenza preparedness, nuclear detection, mitigating radiological attacks, agro-terrorism, and research and development within the Department of Homeland Security.

Known among the community for being forthright and straightforward, she is often called the “authentic voice of Brooklyn.” Rep. Clarke plans on using this voice to make the needs of her community a priority within the 111th Congress as the newly appointed Whip for the Congressional Black Caucus and the Senior Whip for the Democratic Caucus. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., (CBCF) also recently welcomed Rep. Yvette D. Clarke of New York to its Board of Directors.

A strong advocate of community-building, she has worked with community groups and appropriators in order to secure several million dollars in federal funding for the district. As a result, major institutions received funds, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Prospect Park Alliance and the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT).

As a testament to what Representative Clarke has accomplished in her first term, she received an “A” rating from the Drum Major Institute, TheMiddleClass.org, 100% by Peace Action, The Brady Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She was also named After-School Hero by The After-School Corporation for her work on the House Education and Labor Committee. In May 2009, Rep. Clarke was also presented with an honorary Doctorate Law Degree from St. Francis College.

Rep. Clarke currently resides in the neighborhood where she grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

Welcome Remarks


Erika Irish BrownSVP, Diversity Inclusion,Bank of America

Erika Irish Brown is the Enterprise Diversity Recruiting and Program Management Executive. In this role she is responsible for enhancing Bank of America’s employment brand in diverse communities, recruiting diverse senior executives and developing and retaining diverse senior executives throughout the Enterprise.

Erika’s background includes over 15 years of investment banking and capital markets experience in both the public and private sectors at organizations including Morgan Stanley, the U.S. Treasury and Lehman Brothers. Prior to Joining Bank of America in December 2009, Erika served as Senior Vice President and Head of Diversity Lateral Recruiting at Lehman Brothers where she established a strategic, diversity branding, coaching, recruiting and retention initiative for experienced hires firm-wide.

Erika received her MBA from Columbia Business School and holds a BS in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany. She is currently Vice-Chairperson and Director of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Nation’s first community development corporation and served on the Obama-Biden Treasury Transition Team. Erika resides in Teaneck, NJ with her husband Frank and their 3 sons Frank III, Evan and Bradford.

CUP Honorees


Lisa CarnoyCo-Head, Capital MarketsBank of America Merrill Lynch

Lisa Carnoy is Global Co-Head of Capital Markets for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. GCM spans Equity Capital Markets, Debt Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Rates + Currencies across the globe. The GCM team totals 700 professionals. Prior to her current role, Lisa was Global Head of ECM, responsible for the Origination and Execution of IPOs, Add-Ons, Equity-Linked Products, Equity Financial Products and Equity Private Placements in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In addition to leading the group, Lisa was focused on clients the FIG/Insurance and Healthcare

Sectors, as well as key Financial Sponsor relationships. During her 15-year tenure in ECM, Lisa has worked on > 400 bookrun deals including 75 IPOs. Lisa is a member of the Capital Commitment Committees for BAML. In addition, she is Chair of the Columbia recruiting team.

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 1994, Lisa worked in investment banking at Drexel, Burnham & Lambert, Bear Stearns and Wasserstein Perella. Lisa received a B.A. cum laude in History/American Studies from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Lisa is the Vice Chair of the Columbia Board of Visitors.

Debra ColemanPresenterDirector, Investment BankingBank of America Merrill Lynch

Debra Coleman is a Director of Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is a member of the Financial Institutions Group and provides advisory services to banks and specialty finance companies. Debra joined Merrill Lynch in 2003, having previously worked for five years providing capital raisings and merger advisory services for banks at Sandler O’Neill & Partners.

In her position, Debra has client responsibility and involvement in depository and specialty finance sectors. She has worked on a wide range of assignments including mergers & acquisitions, initial public offerings, conversion offerings, secondary equity offerings, convertible offerings, private placements, subordinated and senior debt offerings and a number of other advisory and corporate finance mandates.

Representative transactions include the $3.0 billion secured term loan for American General Financial, a subsidiary of AIG; $3.9 billion public offering of Hudson City Financial; $1.5 billion senior notes offering of SLM Corp; $500 million issuance of Enhanced Trust Preferred by KeyCorp; private-equity led acquisition of BankUnited, a failed bank with $12.8 billion in assets; $1.4 billion sale of Commercial Federal Bank to BNP Paribas; Associated Banc-Corp’s $866mm acquisition of First Financial; FirstMerit’s $473 million acquisition of Signal Corp.

Debra received a B.A. degree from Williams College and an M.B.A degree from Columbia Business School.

CUP Honorees


Marie C. WilsonFounder and President,The White House Project

An advocate of women’s leadership for more than 30 years, Marie Wilson is founder and President of The White House Project, creator of Take Our Daughters to Work® Day and author of Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World (Viking 2004). In 1998, Wilson founded The White House Project in order to build a richly diverse, genuinely representative democracy.

Since its inception, The White House Project has been a pioneer in advancing women’s leadership in every sphere—political and social, cultural and economic.

Under Wilson’s stewardship, innovative research and programming initiatives have been hallmarks of The White House Project. Highlights of the last decade include groundbreaking research, including the November 2009 of , “The White House Project Report: Benchmarking Women’s Leadership”, the creation of SheSource.org, a database with over 330 women experts, two national leadership summits, and “Vote, Run, Lead,” a training program that has given more than 9,000 women the tools they need to run for office.

An innovator and change-maker, Wilson’s ultimate goal is to transform American culture so that the number of women leaders in all sectors achieves a critical mass. Marie Wilson is a mother of five and a grandmother of seven. She is a regular blogger for The Huffington Post and contributor to The Washington Post’s “On Leadership” Forum. Marie has been profiled in The New York Times “Public Lives” column, and has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, National Public Radio and other national programs.

Lea WebbPresenter City Councilwoman,Binghamton, NY

Throughout her career, Webb has proven her ability to work effectively in bridging the gap between the community and local/state/federal government agencies. She currently serves as the Director of the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program through Citizen Action of NY; her current responsibilities include assisting residents with grievances, conducting reviews on relevant health related research topics in the Southern Tier Region. In addition, coordinates the Health Care For All New Yorkers (HCFANY) Racial/Ethnic Disparities Task Force whose goal is to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities on a statewide level in health care.

She has worked on various projects that empower community residents, such as creating and implementing Anti-Racism/Racial Justice Trainings through Citizen Action of NY, which serve as a means to addressing systemic and institutional change and is a founding member of the Diversity Task Force for the City of Binghamton. Additionally, she was instrumental in the formation of the Binghamton Neighborhood Assemblies Project (BNAP), an initiative of Mayor Matthew Ryan. Webb is also a member of Broome-Tioga Branch NAACP, The White House Project, The Broome County Re-Entry Task Force, Project VIIBES (Voices Involved in Building and Enhancing Safety), and Binghamton Local Development Corporation (BLDC).

In January 2008, Webb became the 4th District City Council Representative for the City of Binghamton and became the youngest and first African-American elected to office in the history of Binghamton.

A Conversation with...


Gail BlankeMotivator & Author

Gail Blanke is founder, president, and chief executive officer of Lifedesigns, LLC, a company whose vision is to empower men and women worldwide to live truly exceptional lives.

A best selling author, Ms. Blanke’s newest book, Throw Out Fifty Things - Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life, was published March 20th, 2009, by Grand Central Publishing and has been featured on The Today Show, CNN International and CBS Sunday Morning. The book recently won the prestigious “Books-for-a-Better-Life” award from the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ms. Blanke’s last book, Between Trapezes: Flying into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease, about thriving on change and mastering the art of self re-invention, was published by Rodale in August 2004. The website www.oprahselects.

com included Between Trapezes on its list of “must have” books. In My Wildest Dreams, Living the Life You Long For was published by Simon & Schuster in June 1998 and appeared on Amazon.com’s Best Selling Books list and the New York Times Business Best Seller List. Ms. Blanke was the sole guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show in October 1998 where she used concepts from the book to help empower audience members to create the lives of their dreams. Ms. Blanke’s first book, Taking Control of Your Life: The Secrets of Successful Enterprising Women, sold more than a half million copies. Her column, “The Motivator” has appeared monthly for two years in Real Simple magazine and she is featured as a Business and Career Coach on AOL Coaches. Ms. Blanke appears monthly on Martha Stewart Whole Living Radio, and regularly on CNN International and CBS 2 Sunday Morning.

A renowned executive coach and presentation skills trainer, Ms. Blanke has advised CEO’s, presidential candidates, college presidents – and even a jazz musician. A recent presidential candidate recently remarked, “You’ve enabled me to find qualities in myself I didn’t know I had and express myself with power, grace and persuasion. What a difference you’ve made.” Ms. Blanke was called in by FOX News to critique George W. Bush’s second inaugural address.

Considered one of the finest motivational speakers in the country, she has delivered keynote addresses for scores of corporations including GE, MasterCard, JPMorgan Chase, UBS, AXA Financial, Citigroup and at events such as the “Global Summit of Women” in Taiwan, the “Decade to Democracy” conference in Budapest and Cornell University’s symposium, “Contracting Out: Danger Signal for Working Women and Men” chaired by Betty Friedan. She’s also delivered keynotes for students at Beijing University, the University of Virginia and the Stern School of New York University. Ms. Blanke has appeared on CNN, FNN, CNBC and FOX TV. Articles about Ms. Blanke have appeared in Newsweek, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook and Self. O, The Oprah Magazine, referred to Gail as “The Motivational Maven.” Recently, she delivered a keynote address for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” gala in New York and was invited to become a board member for the New York Chapter of the American Heart Association.

Ms. Blanke was one of the youngest female senior vice presidents of Avon Products, Inc., where, in addition to her responsibilities as global head of public affairs, she motivated and inspired Avon’s half million sales representatives to live the lives of their wildest dreams. A member of the Chairman’s Executive Council, she led the re-positioning of Avon as the world’s premier direct selling company for women and launched the widely acclaimed Avon Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade, which has raised more than $500 million. Prior to her experience at Avon, Ms. Blanke held numerous executive positions at CBS including manager of special promotions for the New York Yankees.

Ms. Blanke is a past president of the New York Women’s Forum and the first member to hold that position for two terms. She is a past chairman of the board of Fashion Group, International. In 1997, she was elected a corporate director of Sweetheart Paper Holdings, one of the country’s leading paper suppliers.

Ms. Blanke has received the Women Who Make A Difference Award at the 1999 International Women’s Forum Conference, the 1994 Matrix Award for Public Relations presented by New York Women in Communications, Inc. and the 1994 Star Award presented by the New York Women’s Agenda. In 2003, Ms. Blanke was named president of the New York Women in Communications Foundation which provides college and graduate school scholarships for deserving young women, and was among the first wave of women to be inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers.

Ms. Blanke is a graduate of Sweet Briar College in Virginia and majored in acting at Yale University Graduate School of Drama. She and her husband, F. James Cusick, a writer, and their two daughters, Kate and Abigail live in New York City. Please visit her website at www.throwoutfiftythings.com

A Conversation with...


Adaora UdojiModeratorThe Boshia Group

“One of the 25 Most Influential African Americans.” - Essence Magazine

Adaora Udoji is an award-winning journalist and on-air personality. Most recently, she was the co-host of the popular public radio morning drive show “The Takeaway”, a newly launched multi-media production partnership between WNYC, Public Radio International, The New York Times and The BBC and WGBH-Boston. Udoji’s ability to rapidly distill complex relationships and issues -- skills honed over 12 years of work as a war correspondent at ABC News, a correspondent at CNN and later an anchor at CourtTV.

Raised in the United States and Nigeria, Udoji catapulted into the world of network news as producer of Cynthia McFadden’s acclaimed coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial. Udoji has since covered some of the most critical international and domestic stories of the past dozen years as an on-air correspondent, delivering award-winning coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for ABC News, the last four presidential elections and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more. Udoji was among those who contributed to CNN receiving the Peabody Award for their heralded coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and a DuPont-Columbia University Award for their coverage of the Tsunami Disaster in South Asia.

At ABC News, Udoji served as a foreign correspondent in London, filing reports from Europe, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Prior to her UK assignment, she served as an Associate Producer on the 1997 ABC primetime documentary about death row, winner of a CINE Golden Eagle Award. She has been cited by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her coverage of the War in Afghanistan; received The Network Journal’s “Forty Under Forty” Achievement Award in 2007; and was honored by the World Diversity Conference in 2008.

Udoji has written for CNN.com and Essence.com, and is a regular interview subject for outlets including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Daily News, New Your Magazine, Fast Track Magazine, Uptown Magazine, Essence Magazine, University of Michigan Alumni Magazine and Africana.com.

A popular public speaker, Udoji has offered talks and panels for the ACLU, The White House Project, The National Council for the Research on Women, WNYC, Face to Face, New York Women in Communications, The Council for Urban Professionals, the New York Women in Communication’s Student Conference, UCLA’s Dean Roundtable, and The University of Michigan Entertainment Alumni Network.

Udoji received the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for her award-winning work as a journalist, serves on the board of the Council of Urban Professionals and is a member of Renaissance Weekend. Formerly she served on the board of the New York Women in Communication Foundation. She’s been a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, The Society of Professional Journalists, and Investigative Repoters and Editors Association. She completed her undergraduate degree in political science and sociology at University of Michigan, and received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law. Prior to her entry into the journalism field, Udoji externed for the former Chief Justice, Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall of the Central District of California Federal Court.

She also holds dual U.S. and Irish Citizenship.

Udoji and her husband, NBC News correspondent Ron Allen, live in New York City with their daughter and their two Norwich Terriers.


Susan AkkadSVP, Corporate Marketing, Diversity,The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Susan Akkad is the Senior Vice President, Global Multi-Cultural Marketing for the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. In her position she works in partnership with the 25+ brands of the ELC in marketing, product innovation, communications and cultural intelligence to identify and expand business opportunities that increase relevancy to global non-Caucasian consumers.

Susan began her career in cosmetics at Estée Lauder International in the Public Relations department in 1986. She left the company to work with her husband in his start-up design firm in the fashion industry. After spending almost 10 years in fashion, she returned to cosmetics as the Marketing Director for Fragrances at Lancôme. She rejoined The Estée Lauder Companies in 1999 and has held senior global marketing and communications positions for the Clinique, Origins and M.A.C Cosmetics brands.

Susan has been profiled in Vogue and Essence as well as written on the topic of global beauty for Vogue. She is a native Virginian and grew up in Charlottesville. She holds her undergraduate degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and spent time living and studying in Cairo, Egypt. She is both personally and professionally passionate about global and cultural concepts of beauty. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, two Italian Greyhounds and rescue cat.

Advancing Women’s Leadership in a Time of Transition:Leveraging Our Power & Enhancing Our Networks



Racquel OdenManaging Director,Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Racquel Oden is a Managing Director and Head of Global Product Strategy and Business Development for Merrill Lynch Bank of America’s Global Investment Solutions (GIS). In this newly created role, Racquel oversees the GIS team’s new business development supporting all channels within Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) and internal GIS , including managing GIS’ relationships with business partners across GWIM and the broader Bank of America organization. Also, she works to identify ways to create efficiencies

and global scale for distribution activities within GIS. Racquel is a member of the GIS Executive Committee.

Racquel joined Bank of America after having spent more than a decade at UBS Financial Services Inc., where she most recently served as Managing Director and Head of Product & Services Internal Sales, responsible for driving wealth management solutions to more than 7,500 UBS Financial Advisors. Prior to that role, Racquel held positions in Banking Products client experience, acquisition integration, client services and marketing technology. She also served as chief of staff for the president of UBS. Racquel began her financial services career at Morgan Stanley.

Racquel serves on the Board of Directors for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, where she is Co-Chair of the Strategic Implementation Committee; Executive Board Member and Treasurer for the National Visionary Leadership Project (NVLP); Member of Executive Leadership Council(ELC); Member of the Financial Women’s Association (FWA); Member of New York Women’s Agenda (NYWA); Member of Jack and Jill of America; Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

In 2006, Oden received the Rising Star Award from NYWA and in 2008 she was inducted as a member of the YWCA NY Salute to Women and 2010 she received the Alpha Foundation Wall Street Tycoon award. Racquel was also named Top 100 under 50 by Diversity MBA Magazine & Top 100 Black Executives by SAVOY Magazine.

Racquel holds a BA in Political Science from James Madison University and an MBA from Hampton University. Racquel is married with a daughter and they reside on the North Shore of Long Island, New York.


Lisa QuirozSVP, Corporate Responsibility,Time Warner Inc.

Lisa Quiroz is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity, Time Warner Inc. In this role, Lisa is responsible for the company’s global community outreach and philanthropic programs, employee volunteerism, CSR reporting as well as the company’s global diversity and multicultural business initiatives. The latter includes company-wide efforts aimed at better serving and reaching a more diverse marketplace. Prior to assuming her

current position, Ms. Quiroz launched two of Time Inc.’s successful brand extensions—People en Español and Time for Kids.

Active in civic issues, Ms. Quiroz was recently appointed by Governor David Patterson to the New York State Business Development Council and she also serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, Ms. Quiroz was born and raised in New York City and received both her undergraduate degree and Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University.



Kelly M. WilliamsManaging Director & Co-Head of the Customized Fund Investment Group, Credit Suisse

Kelly M. Williams is a Managing Director, Co-Head and the Co-Founder of the Customized Fund Investment Group at Credit Suisse, which manages $25 Billion in client commitments to private equity funds globally, including $2.6 Billion to emerging managers. In addition, CFIG provides portfolio management services for over $87 billion of client commitments to private equity, including customized reporting and back office solutions.

Ms. Williams was an Executive Director with Prudential’s private equity group where she co-founded CFIG with Michael Arpey in 1999. At Prudential, Ms. Williams was responsible for the management of the fund investment group as well as investing in private equity funds on behalf of Prudential and its clients. Ms. Williams was primarily responsible for product and business development, as well as legal support for the Private Equity Group from 1996 to 1999 during which time she was responsible for the development of eight global private equity funds. Ms. Williams joined Prudential in 1993 as counsel for a Prudential unit that specialized in providing private debt and equity for global infrastructure projects. Prior to joining Prudential, Ms. Williams was an associate with Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, where she specialized in global project finance.

Ms. Williams graduated magna cum laude from Union College in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Mathematics and received her Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law in 1989. Kelly has served as a mentor to fellows of the Robert Toigo Foundation since 2006; was elected to the YWCA Academy of Women Leaders in 2007; is the founding board chair of the Private Equity Women Investor Network; is chair of the LP Advisory Board to the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity; and also serves on the boards of various organizations, including the Council of Urban Professionals, the Association of Asian American Investment Managers, and Union College.



Carmen Wong UlrichModeratorAuthor & Television/Print Journalist

Carmen Wong Ulrich is a personal finance expert and the former host of CNBC’s daily personal finance show, “On the Money.” She’s a contributor to “The Dr. Oz Show,” and can be seen regularly on “The Today Show,” MSNBC and “EXTRA.” You may have also seen Carmen on “The View,” “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” as well as CNN, HLN, “The Rachel Ray Show,” the CBS “Early Show.” You can catch Carmen on dozens of radio shows nationwide

including Oprah’s XM radio network, Wall Street Journal Radio and The Cooper Lawrence Show.

Carmen is also an advice columnist and contributor to GLAMOUR magazine and Glamour.com and writes for PARADE magazine. She has been the financial advice columnist for LATINA magazine, ESSENCE magazine, Men’s Health magazine and MensHealth.com. Her advice has been highlighted in U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, ELLE, SELF, Redbook, iVillage.com, Yahoo! Finance and many others.

The author of the under-40 guide to personal finance, “Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money,” Carmen is the former special projects editor at ‘MONEY’ magazine. Her second book, “The Real Cost of Living,” will be released by Perigee/Penguin in December 2009.

But what really tickles her pink is that Carmen has been a weeklong expert lifeline on the nationally syndicated game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

She has a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College, a B.A. from Fairfield University and lives with her family in Brooklyn.


Coach-Led Breakout Groups


Gretchen Anderson, PhDExecutive Coach & Leadership Development Consultant

Gretchen Anderson is a strategy and leadership consultant with cross-industry experience, including pharmaceuticals, energy, insurance, professional services, and non-profits.

She honed her skills advising individuals on their careers at the management team of On-Ramps, a New York-based search firm. Previous to On-Ramps, she spent five years in strategy consulting at Katzenbach Partners (now Booz

& Co). At Katzenbach, in addition to serving a variety of Fortune 500 clients, Gretchen built and led the firm’s non-profit practice.

Gretchen holds a PhD in English literature from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College.



Lauren AshwellOrganization Consulting/Leadership Coaching,Lauren Ashwell, Inc.

Lauren Ashwell has honed her organization development and leadership coaching expertise over 30 years working inside changing and high-stress business environments across a variety of industries and corporate cultures. Lauren has a unique skill set that enables her to impact individuals and groups. She applies strong consulting, process facilitation and coaching skills to help executives, their stakeholders and their teams solve problems, capitalize on

opportunities and put ideas into action. Practical and pragmatic, Lauren has built her business by working in ways that fit within each organization’s unique context. Her collaborative style allows her to engage with leaders and groups so they can achieve sustainable change.

Lauren’s work focuses on:

• Increasing the success and retention of leaders who are moving into new or changing roles due to reorganization, mobility or acquisition of talent. Combining consulting, process facilitation and executive coaching, she works with leaders and their stakeholders to expand both the individual’s and the organization’s capacity to fully realize the potential of transitions.

• Providing frameworks and tools that help leaders and management teams analyze, anticipate and respond to the people and organizational requirements for achieving business goals.

• Facilitating conversations/meetings among leaders and their teams to define and create action plans in order to achieve and sustain strategic change.

• Coaching executives one-on-one to meet the challenges of expanding management responsibilities. • Designing and leading workshops which strengthen an organization’s leadership culture

and network by giving Executives: exposure to thought leaders; opportunities to share best practices with colleagues; time to reflect and apply learnings to their own and the organization’s goals.

Lauren’s diverse experience includes Financial Services, Media and Entertainment, Publishing and Education: Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Time Inc., HBO, Mutual of New York (Life Insurance), New York City Public School System.



Andrea L. BriscoeExecutive Coach, President & CEO,Sage Consulting

In over 10 years as a Human Resource Director, Organizational Development Consultant, and Executive Coach, Andrea Briscoe has gained invaluable experience in the ideas and methods that help managers achieve goals and move organizations forward. She is an expert at identifying pathways to success and setting both individuals and organizations on the most expedient route to their short- and long-term aims. She is equally astute at not only recognizing and correcting behaviors that can slow companies down and impede progress.

Ms. Briscoe assists companies and individuals in pinpointing their strategic options and securing the talent they need to deliver on objectives. She is dedicated to partnering with an organization’s leadership to find high-leverage actions that deliver business results. As an experienced executive coach, Ms. Briscoe partners with executives and works with their senior-level teams to create a cohesiveness and consistency throughout an organization.

The lynchpin in the process is a systems approach. Ms. Briscoe relies on assessment instruments and client self-evaluation to help increase clients’ awareness on the way to becoming more effective leaders. There are key steps in the process which Ms. Briscoe tailors to both organizational and individual needs. Among the strategies and tools she implements in the process are:

• Analysis of strategic plans and derives key talent issues • Executive assessment and coaching • Work to increase clients’ personal and professional confidence • Design and facilitation of strategy review processes • Negotiation of roles/power between units or individuals • Work as a trusted, confidential advisor to corporate officers • Planning and facilitation of team effectiveness events • Realignment of senior teams are working that may not be maximizing their efforts • Establishment of consistent communication patterns to ensure the delivery of critical messages • Creation of talent review/management processes • Review of executive succession planning • Preparation of board presentations for executive talent • Helping clients incorporate diversity and inclusion objectives • Emphasis on balance to maximize output and efficacy

Andrea has effectively managed business projects for a broad spectrum of organizational clients in both the private and non-profit sectors.

A BROAD BASE OF EXPERIENCE WITH CLIENTS INCLUDING: Accenture, KPMG, AICPA, Channel 13 WNET, Itochu Bank, NY Scores, Women Rising, Inc., Project Home, Merrill Lynch, The Guardian, Ms. Foundation for Women, The Parish of Trinity Church, RR Donnelly Financial, Essence Magazine, & Columbia Bank



Erika Irish BrownSVP, Diversity Inclusion,Bank of America

Erika Irish Brown is the Enterprise Diversity Recruiting and Program Management Executive. In this role she is responsible for enhancing Bank of America’s employment brand in diverse communities, recruiting diverse senior executives and developing and retaining diverse senior executives throughout the Enterprise.

Erika’s background includes over 15 years of investment banking and capital markets experience in both the public and private sectors at organizations including Morgan Stanley, the U.S. Treasury and Lehman Brothers. Prior to Joining Bank of America in December 2009, Erika served as Senior Vice President and Head of Diversity Lateral Recruiting at Lehman Brothers where she established a strategic, diversity branding, coaching, recruiting and retention initiative for experienced hires firm-wide.

Erika received her MBA from Columbia Business School and holds a BS in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany. She is currently Vice-Chairperson and Director of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Nation’s first community development corporation and served on the Obama-Biden Treasury Transition Team. Erika resides in Teaneck, NJ with her husband Frank and their 3 sons Frank III, Evan and Bradford.



Angela Durham Executive Coach,Redwood Consulting

Angela Durham has more than 20 years of experience advising executive teams on business development and human capital requirements. She has worked for an array of multinational firms including Citibank, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

As a leader in professional development, Angela has designed and implemented programs for onboarding management teams, developing high potential leaders, coaching for succession management and enhancing professional skills.

Clients especially value Angela’s ability to engage in one on one coaching with executives. Her experience as a business leader and her understanding of leadership transitions frequently earn her “trusted advisor” status.

Lauren’s work focuses on:

• Professional Credentials • Association for Psychological Type NY, Past Board Member • International Coach Federation, Member • Certified in multiple assessments including FIROb, MBTI and Strong Interest Inventory • Certified Professional Coach, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY

Academic Degrees

• The Wharton School, MBA in Finance • The University of Pennsylvania, BS in Economics



Marsha HaygoodCareer and Personal Coach, Motivational Speaker & AuthorStepwise Associates, LLC

Building on her own passion, potential and goal fulfillment, Marsha Haygood founded StepWise Associates, LLC after a 25+ year career as an Executive in Human Resources in the corporate world. In starting her company, Marsha created a career and personal development consultancy with a clear mission: to offer professional and personal guidance to individuals, corporations and small business owners through coaching, facilitating self-exploration, and motivational speaking.

If you’re looking to jumpstart your life, Marsha Haygood is the person you need to meet!

To help others uncover their skills and maximize their talents, Marsha guides them on a journey of discovery; and works with them to visualize, formulate and achieve goals; remain focused and evaluate options; explore solutions and learn from their experiences; and develop an action plan so results can be realized. Marsha knows how to inspire and manifest success. She is featured in a leadership book entitled Speaking of Success along with best selling authors, Steven Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) and Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul). She has just coauthored her second book which offers wisdom and career guidance to women of color- The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women released by Random House in March 2010.

Marsha holds a BA degree from Lehman College in New York and Human Resource Training and Development Certification from New York University. She has won numerous awards including the prestigious YMCA Black Achievement Award, The Network Journal’s Influential Black Women in Business Award and The National Association of African Americans in Human Resources Trailblazer Award. She is a member of the Board of Directors for YouthBridge NY, a non profit high school leadership development organization, and a senior advisory board member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources of Greater New York.

Marsha is available for career and personal development coaching, small business and corporate consultancies, speaking engagements, conferences, workshop facilitation and book signings.



Julie M. JohnsonPresident and Founder,The Reid Group

Julie Johnson is President and Founder of The Reid Group, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development of high potential employees, women leaders and senior executives. The Reid Group helps companies achieve bottom line business results by maximizing the performance of key individuals.

Respected as a thought leader in the field of executive leadership, Julie focuses on emotional intelligence, management style and organizational change. Julie is

expert at coaching executives to operate at the next higher level of responsibility. Julie helps executives adopt their style to ensure focus on important priorities while increasing delegation without abdication of responsibility and accountability. Her insights into self-management, coalition building and conflict resolution have guided many new leaders around common traps and up to the next level.

Julie has coached many of America’s most successful women in business. She has developed an expertise in working with executive women helping them to resolve conflicts with peers and perceptions of bumping up against the “glass ceiling.” Julie is involved in many women’s initiatives and organizations including the International Women’s Forum. Julie’s coaching style has been described by clients as empathetic, motivational and straightforward. The coaching and feedback she provides clients is “specific, actionable and practical.” She emphasizes follow-up to ensure implementation of the coaching process. Her personal style is warm, collegial and focused on the client’s potential - she is able to achieve success in the coaching process by engaging the client in a collaborative journey. Her style can best be characterized by integrating a practical business sense with emotional intelligence.

Julie’s publications include a case commentary in the Harvard Business Review, “When a New Manager Stumbles, Who is at Fault?” She also authored the article “Learning Strategies for Newly Appointed Leaders” in the book Coaching for Leadership. Julie has presented her ideas at Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, Stanford GSB and numerous industry meetings and conferences. She keeps on top of current thinking and best practices through her contacts with Harvard Business School faculty and active participation in The Delmar Learning Network, and other peer groups. These professional relationships enable Julie to connect clients to outstanding resources here and abroad. Julie’s own corporate background enables her to quickly assess situations and challenges faced by individuals in complex organizations. For 20 years prior to starting The Reid Group, she held human resources management positions at firms such as Merrill Lynch, Kraft Foods, Warner Communications as well as the Stanford Law School.

Julie holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, an M.A. in Social Psychology and Counseling from Southern Methodist University, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Carnegie Mellon University.

Among Julie’s recent clients are Ann Taylor; Audax; Bayer; BlackRock; Boston Scientific; Bristol Myers-Squibb; JP Morgan Chase; Citigroup; Colgate-Palmolive; Credit Suisse; Davis Polk and Wardwell; Deloitte & Touche; Deutsche Bank; Ernst & Young; Estee Lauder; Ford Motor Company; Hearst Corporation; International Herald Tribune; Merrill Lynch; The National Football League; The New York Times; Pitney Bowes; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Rockefeller & Company; The Rockefeller Foundation; Rothschild Inc.; Save the Children; Shearman & Sterling; Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett; Wachovia and Yahoo.



Tarona LeePresident & CEO,TLL Human Resource Consulting, Inc.

Tarona L. Lee is the President and CEO of TLL Human Resource Consulting, Inc., headquartered in Totowa, New Jersey. Tarona started the company in 2001 and currently oversees all leadership and workforce initiatives. Her responsibilities include the preparation and presentation of customized coaching, training, consulting, recruiting and organizational tools required to prepare all clients for their best professional and personal performance.

As an Adjunct Instructor for Baruch College Continuing and Professional Studies in New York, NY, and William Paterson University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Education in Wayne, NJ, she provides instructions on a variety of business and human resource topics to students taking individual professional development courses or completing a human resource, non-profit or project management certification program.

She is a proven human resources management leader and motivator with over fourteen years of extensive experience in staffing and recruitment. Tarona successfully recruited and coached candidates of all levels for organizations such as HSBC, the United States Fund for UNICEF, Cline Davis and Mann, Inc, Resorts Condominiums International, Quest Diagnostics, PricewaterhouseCoopers and many more.

She is a dynamic and energetic speaker and is regularly chosen to speak at an assortment of events across the United States such as the Minnesota Social Service Association Conference in Minnesota, the 14th Annual National African American Student Leadership Conference in Mississippi, Three Rivers Youth in Pittsburgh and Pace University in New York.

Tarona is committed to giving back to the community by improving student achievement, preparing individuals to enter the workforce and improving the overall wealth of the most valuable resources in the community – the people.

Tarona is dedicated to providing each individual with the tools they need to perform their best and successfully reach their employment goals. She will successfully fulfill this commitment with the use of state-of-the-art technology, the integration of people, and the transfer of knowledge.

Tarona holds a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A. in Administration and Supervision, Educator/Trainer from Montclair State University.



Shelley Reciniello, Ph.D.President,SRA Consultations

Dr. Shelley Reciniello. has been providing psychological consulting, counseling, and executive coaching services to the New York business community with a specialization in the financial services industry in national and global locations since 1982. SRA Consultations (www.SRAconsultations.com) has had long term contracts with a variety of leading organizations including Avon, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and divisions

of Eastman Kodak, General Electric and many others.

Dr. Reciniello was one of the first women in the EAP field and SRA was one of the few woman-owned EAP/Consultancy businesses. Since 1995, Dr. Reciniello has been researching, speaking, and writing about female leadership, gender integration, and the assimilation of women into organizations. She consults to organizations on a regular basis, coaches senior women, and presents innovative seminars and workshops for professional women focused on identifying and overcoming external and internal barriers to success and satisfaction. She maintains both private coaching and therapy practices for motivated individuals.



Patricia A. ThomasExecutive Coach & Principal, Thomas Coaching CompanyAssociate, The McNeill Group

Pat Thomas is an Executive Coach, Principal of Thomas Coaching Company, and an Associate of The McNeill Group, an executive coaching firm serving Fortune 1000 companies. Pat is also a Program Leader for Best Year Yet®, a strategic planning process that generates peak performance and extraordinary results for businesses. Pat uses her talents for leading business enterprises and her gifts for developing the talents of others in her global executive coaching practice.

Pat was an executive with AT&T for 20 years, and in her last position with the company, she was Regional Vice President for Consumer Marketing. In prior assignments, Pat was a Director of International Marketing, a Group Product Manager and was responsible for relationship management of Fortune 50 national accounts, including the Equitable Life Insurance Companies and Associated Dry Goods. Her corporate experience enables her to use her business acumen to support executives and managers in transforming their organizations and achieving success.

In addition to her coaching practice, Pat facilitates strategic planning retreats, conducts talent management surveys and assessments, and writes articles and speaks on coaching topics. SkyRadio selected Pat as one of “America’s Best Coaches,” and her interview with the station was broadcasted on airlines worldwide. Among the honors she received are the New York City Council’s Pacesetter Award, and induction into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers.

Pat’s global client engagements include leaders with Bell Canada, Cisco Systems, Toshiba America, Accenture, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Time, Inc., Comcast, AT&T and Lucent Technologies.

Pat lives in East Elmhurst, New York. She received her BA in English from Michigan State University, and her MA in English and Communications from Columbia University. Pat completed the Sales and Marketing Executives Program at the University of Virginia and received her training as a Professional Coach from Coach University. She is Master Certified Coach candidate of the International Coach Federation and a Certified Behavioral and Values Analyst.

Pat’s nonprofit affiliations include the Queens Library Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of LaGuardia Airport, the Greater Queens Chapter of The Links, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.



Nicole WoodardExecutive Coach,ExecuLife, LLC

As an executive coach, Nicole Woodard combines her significant business experience with innate creativity to help clients refine their professional focus, perform at their peak ability and attain personal empowerment. Nicole works with clients to hone skills in areas such as leadership development, media training, team dynamics, and interpersonal skills. She has coached a wide spectrum of clients at varying levels and she has a particular interest in assisting clients at key transition points in their careers. Her company,

ExecuLife LLC, has worked with professionals from companies such as Deustche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Lancôme, and Starbucks.

Nicole brings a unique combination of expertise in finance and entertainment to coaching. She began her Wall Street career at Kidder Peabody then moved to Banc of America Securities where she worked in Fixed Income Sales advising Institutional Clients. Additionally, she functioned in a COO role as Business Manager for the Global High Grade team managing technology improvements including the installation of a front-end trading system and the installation of an electronic distribution platform. She also developed a global client strategy that increased the group’s top-tier relationships and led to significant revenue generation. Nicole spearheaded the first six sigma projects implemented within the Global Capital Markets that lead to increased efficiency totaling seven million dollars over the course of nine months.

After a decade on Wall Street, Nicole decided to pursue her creative passions as a writer and producer. Her most notable project was with BBC Productions, on a television show that aired on TLC called, “Honey We’re Killing the Kids”. Nicole was involved in all aspects of production including casting, negotiating trade-outs, producing segments and developing storylines.

Nicole has completed the Coach Training Program at Columbia University and she is certified to administer the Suite of WholeBrain Creativity Assessments (NBI™). She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Virginia where she is still active as a board member on the Ridley Scholarship Board which raises money for high caliber African-American students. She also works as an Alvin Ailey Ambassador increasing awareness of the organization and broadening their donor base.

Closing Remarks


Maryana Iskander CUP Board MemberCOO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Maryana Iskander is Chief Operating Officer of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America where she oversees day-to-day operations, and guides strategic, organizational, and management issues. She formerly served as Adviser to the President of Rice University, where she oversaw an ambitious strategic planning process and partnerships between the university and the city of Houston. In 2006, Maryana was selected by the Aspen Institute as one of 20 Henry Crown Fellows, an honor awarded to executives who have

already achieved considerable success.

Maryana served as a law clerk to Judge Diane P. Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She was an associate at McKinsey & Co., a strategy consultant at W.L. Gore & Associates, and a law clerk at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York, Vinson & Elkins in Houston, and the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York.

Maryana earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Rice University, an M.Sc. from Oxford University (while a Rhodes scholar), and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

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