Empower Peace held its second annual Women2Women International Leadership Conference in 2007 in Massachusetts at Lesley University in Cambridge. On August 4, 2007 the conference kicked-off with 60 young women from 11 different countries. The Conference featured workshops on leadership development, conflict resolution, negotiation, community building, understanding the media, social networking and global human rights.

 

The 2007 W2W Conference featured varied speakers from all over the world. Workshops included the Status of Women Around the World, the Art of Negotiation and a workshop on media.

 

To see the complete schedule please click here.

 

To access the speaker bios, please click on each of the conference days. The bios will appear under each tab.

 

To download a complete copy of the bios, please click here.

Keynote Speaker

 

Rev. Gloria Elaine White-Hammond, M.D.

Co-Pastor, Bethel AME Church

 

Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D. has been the Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Boston, MA since 1997 and a pediatrician at the South End Community Health Center since 1981.

 

Rev. Dr. White-Hammond has a long history of involvement in community service. She is the founder of and consultant to the church-based creative writing/mentoring ministry called “Do The Write Thing” for high-risk black adolescent females. The project, which began in 1994 with four girls, now serves over 200 young women through small groups in two Boston public schools, two juvenile detention facilities in Boston and on site at Bethel AME Church. In 2003, Rev. White-Hammond became the Co-Convener of The Red Tent Group with Rabbi Elaine Zecher of Temple Israel, which brings together Christian women and Jewish women for small group Torah/Bible study.

 

Dr. White-Hammond’s work as a humanitarian has achieved global impact. She has worked as a medical missionary in several African countries including Botswana, Cote D’Ivoire and South Africa. Since 2001 Dr. Gloria has made seven trips into war-torn southern Sudan where she has been involved in obtaining the freedom of 10,000 women and children who were enslaved during the two decades long civil war. In 2002 she co-founded My Sister’s Keeper, www.mskeeper.org, a humanitarian women’s group that partners with women of Sudan in their efforts toward reconciliation and reconstruction of their communities. My Sister’s Keeper has developed two grinding mill projects and supports the Akon School for Girls in Gogrial County. In February 2005, Dr. White-Hammond traveled into Darfur, western Sudan to listen and learn from female victims of genocide in Internally Displaced Persons camps. She recently served as the National Chairperson of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign and is the Co-Founder of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur.

 

Rev. White-Hammond is a member of the Board of Trustees of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Board of Overseers for the Tufts University College for Community and Public Service and the Board of Christian Solidarity International (Zurich).

 

She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Boston University, a Doctorate of Medicine from Tufts Medical School and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.

 

In 1973, Rev. White-Hammond married Rev. Ray A. Hammond, M.D., who is the founding pastor of Bethel AME Church, the Chairman of the Boston Ten Point Coalition and the Chairman of the Boston Foundation. They are the blessed parents of two adult daughters, Mariama and Adiya, and grandparents to Ella.

Welcome to Lesley University

 

Joseph B. Moore

President

 

Joseph B. Moore joined Lesley University as President in July of 2007.  Lesley University prepares women and men for professional careers in education, human services, management, and the arts. It has a national presence and reputation in education, particularly teacher education, and the growing field of technology in education. It is the largest provider of graduate education to classroom teachers in the U.S., and is the ninth-leading provider of master's degrees in the U.S.

 

Prior to his appointment at Lesley, Joseph Moore served seven years as the President of Empire State College, a comprehensive college within the State University of New York; as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania; and as Director of Academic Affairs and Planning in the Office of the Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges.  While at Empire State College, which has 35 locations throughout New York State, five international locations, and a rapidly expanding range of web-based distance learning programs, Dr. Moore emphasized strengthening the college’s academic resources for adult learners; integrating technology with personal interactions to support student learning and employee productivity; supporting professional development of faculty and staff; increasing the diversity of students, employees, and curriculum; introducing new academic programs that meet community needs; enhancing college facilities; and promoting the visibility of the college.

 

Dr. Moore has a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Summa Cum Laude; an M.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire; and an Ed.D. in Education Administration from the University of Vermont.

 

He is chair of the board of trustees for the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) based in Chicago, and a former member of the Commission on Adult Learning and Educational Credentials of the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Committee on International Education of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

 

Claim Your Seat at the Table

 

Victoria A. Budson

Executive Director, Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government

 

Victoria A. Budson is the founding Executive Director of the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  WAPPP analyzes cutting-edge issues as they impact women’s roles and lives. WAPPP conducts research, develops curriculum, and publishes materials focused on women and public policy.  While at the Kennedy School of Government, Budson was founding Executive Director of the Council of Women World Leaders, a group of current and former presidents and prime ministers.  From 1999-2004, Budson served as a Kennedy School Ombudsperson.  She was a resource for the Kennedy School and the broader Harvard University community by providing a safe and unbiased setting for students, faculty and staff to seek assistance in dealing with an array of professional and personal situations.

 

Budson serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW).  The mission of NCRW is to harnesses the resources of its network to ensure fully informed debate, policies and practices to build a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls.  Budson has been a member of numerous other Boards of Directors including: the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Massachusetts National Abortion Rights Action League, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, Women’s Legislative Network and Alliance, Massachusetts Coalition of Democratic Women, the Wellesley College Hillel Alumnae Board, and iVillage.  Budson has served on the Steering Committee for the Massachusetts State Treasury’s Women and Money conference.

 

Budson speaks on various topics such as the future of feminism, gender and public policy, electoral politics and political action at institutions including Carnegie Mellon, Harvard University, Tufts University, Wellesley College, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val- Kill, and the Center for Women’s Policy Studies.  In 2002, she served as an advisor for the development of the United Nations’ University for Peace Masters degree program in International Peace Studies with specialization in Gender and Peace Building. Most recently, Budson presented at the United Nations Beijing and Beyond International Women’s Conference. She is a frequent commentator for news publications, television, and radio programs.  Appearances include: Fox News Live, the Boston Globe, WGBH Boston, WSBK Boston, and Talk of the Nation and The Connection on National Public Radio.  She reviewed and edited the childbirth chapter for the 2005 edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves.

 

Before coming to Harvard, Budson was the Political and Community Affairs Director for Steve Grossman, President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  Budson has also worked extensively in Massachusetts’ politics, both as an activist and an elected official on the state and local levels.  As the elected Chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for a Democratic Future, the official statewide organization of young political activists affiliated with the Democratic Party, Budson grew the organization to over 2,000 members. She has held a seat on the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, which is the governing body for the state Democratic Party.  She served as Chair of the Wellesley Democratic Town Committee and as a member of the Wellesley Town Meeting.

 

In addition to her grassroots and electoral work, Budson is an active political consultant.  As Finance Director for Massachusetts State Senator Cheryl Jacques, she established one of the largest campaign accounts in the Massachusetts State Senate.  She also served as Finance Director for Massachusetts State Representative Rachel Kaprielian, and has worked with EMILY’s List, an organization that raises money for pro-choice, democratic women candidates.

 

Awards Budson has received include: the “Rising Star” award for her outstanding work to advance the political education of women from the Network for Women in Politics and Government at UMASS Boston, the Carol Moseley Braun Award from Mass Choice, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence at the Kennedy School.  Budson graduated Magna Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors from Wellesley College with a joint degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies.  As a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration Program, she received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellow award for her distinction in academics at the Kennedy School, her contribution to the Kennedy School and the greater Harvard community, and her potential for continuing leadership excellence.

 

Keynote Speaker

 

Juliette Kayyem

Undersecretary of Homeland Security, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

Juliette Kayyem was appointed the state’s first Undersecretary of Homeland Security by Gov. Deval L. Patrick in January 2007.  Previous to that, she was a lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she taught classes on national security, homeland security and war powers.  She has extensive experience in homeland and national security.  A former legal advisor to Attorney General Janet Reno, Ms. Kayyem also served as a congressional appointee to the National Commission on Terrorism.  She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed Protecting Liberty in an Age of Terror (MIT Press) and served as terrorism analyst for NBC News. She is the only Arab-American to hold a state-level homeland security position.

 

Ms. Kayyem is a member of the bipartisan Constitution Project's program on Liberty and Security, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Bar Association's committee on National Security Law. She has frequently written in the field of counterterrorism law, domestic preparedness, and civil liberties. She has been a political analyst for National Public Radio's On Point, and a frequent contributor on terrorism, civil rights and national security issues for a number of news agencies, including CNN, MSNBC and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She is a 1991 graduate of Harvard College and a 1995 graduate of Harvard Law School.

 

Women in the Legislature Panel Discussion

 

The Honorable Lida E. Harkins

Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives

 

Lida E. Harkins was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Paul and Lida McMahon. Her father worked as an executive at General Motors, while her mother worked as an executive assistant for several high-tech firms and for the Middlesex County Sheriff’s office. She attended Marian High School in Framingham, MA. She graduated from Regis College in 1966 with a degree in Education and in 1987, went on to Boston College’s Graduate Studies Program: Women in Politics and Government. Harkins was the first graduate of Boston College's Women in Politics and Government program to be elected to the Massachusetts General Court. She has lived in Needham for 35 years, and has three children and nine grandchildren.

 

Prior to being elected to the Legislature, Harkins served six years on the Needham School Committee and directed a collaborative vocational training program for 13 towns in the Metrowest area. She is also a former elementary school teacher.Harkins serves in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as the Representative from the 13th Norfolk District. This district is comprised of the towns Needham, Dover and Medfield. Harkins was first elected in 1989, and has been the House Majority Whip since 2001.[1] Her priorities include public education, improving health care access, and generating economic development.

 

Harkins was appointed House Majority Whip by former Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran in 2001. Before her appointment, she served as the Assistant Majority Whip and the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Education Arts and Humanities. Harkins has also served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Housing and Urban Development, Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Commerce and Labor, Co-Chairman of the bi-partisan Women’s Caucus and as a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and Public Safety. She has also chaired the Special Education Study Commission created in the 1997 state budget and the Special Commission that reformed and restructured the School Building Assistance Program.

 

Harkins currently chairs the Needham Democratic Town Committee, as well as being a board member of the Charles River Association for Retarded Citizens. She also hosts the Needham community access program, Citizen's Roll Call, a series where Massachusetts officials join her to discuss issues of the day. Previous guests this year have included Congressman Stephen F. Lynch and Representative Peter Koutoujian, the House Chair of Public Health.

 

The Honorable Rachel Kaprielian

Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives

 

Democrat Rachel Kaprielian is currently in her seventh term representing Watertown and Ward 9 of Cambridge in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She was first elected to the House in 1994 at the age of 26 after having served two terms as a councilor-at-large in her hometown of Watertown.

 

Representative Kaprielian has been appointed to serve as the First Division Chair of the House Committee on Floor Division for the current 2007-2008 legislative session.

 

Known for a keen dedication to her constituents and a steadfast commitment to issues that make a real difference for the people of the Commonwealth, Kaprielian is a leader in smart and progressive policy change. During her tenure at the State House, she’s been recognized for her leadership on a number of topics, including tobacco cessation and prevention policies, early intervention and care for children, and various human services initiatives, as well as pension reform, public safety, job training, economic equality and education measures.

 

Most recently, Kaprielian led the passage of legislation requiring cigarette companies to sell only “fire-safe” cigarettes in Massachusetts.  Self-extinguishing cigarettes prevent thousands of cigarette-ignited fires, the leading cause of home fire deaths in Massachusetts and nationally.  Currently, Kaprielian is leading efforts on reform to give cities and towns the option to join the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC) to help ease the burden of skyrocketing health insurance costs on municipalities, taxpayers, and employees.

 

In 1998, Kaprielian was awarded the prestigious Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Fellowship for her research and presentation of pension policy and reform. In 1999, she was named Legislator of the Year by the Home and Health Care Association of Massachusetts and received the John F. Kennedy Library Fenn Award given to progressive young leaders. In 2004, Kaprielian was presented with the Legislator of the Year award from the Tobacco Free Mass Coalition for her commitment to tobacco control initiatives, a Legislative Leadership award by the Massachusetts Public Health Association for her outstanding support of overall public health and was honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for her advocacy and achievement. In 2006, The Medical Foundation honored Kaprielian for her Distinguished Contributions in Community Health, recognizing her leadership in tobacco prevention and cessation policies as well as her overall commitment to advocating for numerous public health and environmental health initiatives.

 

Representative Kaprielian serves as the Chair of the Legislative Tobacco Control Caucus, a bi-partisan group of Representatives and Senators working toward improving public health via sound tobacco cessation and prevention policy. The Caucus has been a strong and steadfast proponent for advocating that the state’s tobacco settlement money be used for public health purposes. Kaprielian was and continues to be the lead sponsor on major anti-tobacco initiatives—including the 2004 law to ban workplace smoking in the Commonwealth; the now adopted legislation to raise the levy on cigarettes; and to require the disclosure of nicotine yield ratings. In addition, Kaprielian has co-sponsored and supported numerous proposals and programs to curb youth smoking and to expand successful cessation programs in our cities and towns.

 

Kaprielian’s legislative interests have ranged widely in a progressive and pragmatic agenda. She has authored measures ranging from retirement concerns to home and health care measures, as well as to a series of bills promoting job creation and training initiatives.  Kaprielian also worked to make the Education Reform Act effective and equitable, and was a lead sponsor of the $310 million Education and Information Technology Bond to fund computers in the classroom.

 

Kaprielian has fought to protect and rationalize state human services, proposing measures to provide low-income loans for parents who need to make renovations to keep their severely disabled children at home. Representative Kaprielian was a lead sponsor of legislation passed to create a central information registry for home health aides to better protect at-risk consumers. Representative Kaprielian also sponsored and won passage of the Consumer-Merchant Protection Act to reform Weights and Measures laws and regulations in order achieve a uniform, effective system to protect both consumers and merchants. Kaprielian has worked to create and renew greenspace through efforts to develop the new bikepath extension along the Charles River in Watertown.  She was a strong advocate of the landmark Rivers Bill to protect the Commonwealth’s public and private water supply and continues to support legislation to clean up our state’s Brownfields.

 

Representative Kaprielian’s interest in improving the general public health naturally extends to environmental concerns. She is a strong supporter of limiting the use of pesticides in densely populated areas, curtailing and eventually eliminating the use of Mercury, as well as expanding research to study the sources of high childhood asthma rates in Massachusetts cities.

 

Kaprielian has been very active in the Armenian community all her life. She serves as a member of the Armenian Assembly and the Armenian International Women’s Association and has spoken before numerous Armenian organizations on a variety of legislative issues. Kaprielian has also hosted students from Armenia at the Massachusetts State House, providing them with valuable first-hand knowledge of our democracy. She is the lead sponsor of legislation banning state colleges and universities from accepting gifts or bequests from donors who place restrictions on the use of the funds and limiting the academic freedom of the institution. She co-sponsored successful legislation to create a human rights and genocide curriculum framework for Massachusetts Public Schools. Moreover, Kaprielian has successfully advocated for the removal of references, which sought to deny the Armenian Genocide. Rep. Kaprielian’s steadfast work and advocacy led to the state’s commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and the official recognition of Armenian-American Heritage Month during the month of April every year. She visited Armenia in January of 2005 on a mission to exchange ideas on achieving greater tobacco control, prevention, and cessation.

 

Kaprielian earned her B.A. from The College of Holy Cross, her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, and her Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to her election to the House, she served on the staffs of U.S. Rep. Chester Atkins and State Senator Linda Melconian. In 2004, Kaprielian was elected to the Democratic State Committee and was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. A life-long resident of Watertown, Massachusetts, Representative Kaprielian resides there with her husband, John Gannon and their son, Will. There she serves on the boards of various community and civic organizations, including Mount Auburn Hospital, the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, Watertown Education Foundation, Tufts Health Plan, and Springwell Elder Services.

 

 

The Honorable Karen E. Spilka

2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District, Massachusetts State Senator

Ashland • Framingham • Franklin • Holliston • Hopkinton • Medway • Natick

 

Through hard work, a keen ability to navigate complex issues, and a demonstrated commitment to advocating for her constituents, Senator Karen E. Spilka has established herself as a respected leader in state government.

 

First elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in the fall of 2001, Senator Spilka served three years in the House before her election to the Senate.  She was officially sworn in as the State Senator for the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district in January 2005.  As such, she represents the MetroWest, one of the most important economic regions in Massachusetts.

 

Due to her experience in social work, law, and disability issues, Senator Spilka was named the first Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.  In this role, she is able to continue her strong and vocal advocacy on concerns—such as child safety and self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities—that have long been important to her.

 

Prior to becoming a legislator, Senator Spilka was in private practice as an arbitrator and mediator, specializing in labor and employment law and community and court mediation.  In addition, she has been a facilitator and fact finder in disputes in the public and private sectors, as well as a trainer of adult mediation and school-based peer mediation programs, collaborative-based collective bargaining, and conflict resolution strategies.  She has also previously worked as a labor and employment attorney on behalf of employees, unions, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), and the Commonwealth.

 

Senator Spilka has received considerable recognition for her public service, including being named to the National Honor Roll of State Legislators and appointment to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Human Services and Welfare Committee for 2007–2008.  Other awards include the 2007 Legislative Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations, the 2007 Legislator of the Year Award from the Arc of Massachusetts, the 2006 Legislative Leadership Award from the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, the 2006 Regional Spirit Award from the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, and Advocates, Inc.’s 2006 Medal of Honor.

 

Karen is a graduate of Northeastern Law School and holds a B.S. from Cornell University.  She has been married for over twenty years to Joel S. Loitherstein, and has three children and three dogs.

 

The Honorable Marie St. Fleur

Representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives

 

Representative St. Fleur was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 5th Suffolk District, on July 6, 1999.  Gaining 77% of the vote in a hotly contested election, Representative St. Fleur is the first Haitian-American elected to state office in the United States.

 

During her first term in office, Representative St. Fleur successfully sponsored into law An Act Relative to A Time for Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness.  As House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, Arts and Humanities, Representative St. Fleur championed two way bilingual education, alternative education, sponsored An Act to Reduce Homelessness and Promote Housing Stability for Low-Income Families with Children and helped to establish the new Massachusetts Board and Department of Early Education and Care.  Currently, as the Vice-Chair for the House Committee on Ways and Means, Representative St. Fleur has championed numerous initiatives including: additional funding for community health centers; the One Family Scholarship, a program to end family homelessness by helping women attend college and develop leadership skills; and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which provides services to families of homicide victims.

 

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Representative St. Fleur earned a Law Degree from Boston College Law School in 1987.  Following graduation, she served as a Law Clerk in the Massachusetts Superior Court.  Representative St. Fleur began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County.  In 1991, she became an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth as civil litigator in the state and federal courts.  Later, as Chief of the Unemployment Fraud Division, Representative St. Fleur managed a staff of Assistant Attorneys General, investigators, and support personnel, in the investigation and prosecution of unemployment fraud.  Representative St. Fleur is a former trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation and past President of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.

 

Women and Public Policy Panel Discussion

 

Suzanne M. Bump

Secretary, Labor and Workforce Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

Suzanne M. Bump was appointed Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development by Governor Deval Patrick.  She brings more than two decades of leadership experience in government, non-profits and business to the position.  She is a member of the Governor’s Cabinet, and is also one of the five members of Governor Patrick’s “development cabinet,” which works across agency and department lines to spur economic and job growth.

 

Bump represented Braintree from 1985 to 1993 in the House of Representatives, and co-chaired the Committee on Commerce and Labor.  Responsible for passing laws on a variety of labor and economic issues, Chairman Bump sponsored many bills on wages, hours, working conditions and job creation.  Her most notable success there was the reform of the state’s industrial accidents program with the Workers’ Compensation Reform Act of 1991, of which she was the principal legislative author.  She held other leadership positions, chairing the Caucus of Women Legislators and serving as Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Transportation.  She also served on the MassJobs Council, the principal advisory board to the governor on workforce investment.

 

Since then, Bump has served on the boards of a wide range of non-profit and civic organizations, from the South Shore Chamber of Commerce to the St. Francis House in Boston.  She has also served as an advisory member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s government relations committee and as treasurer of EMH Recovery, a residential program for women recovering from drug and alcohol dependencies in Brockton.  She was also the president of a non-profit providing language and skills training to workers in the hotel industry for a labor-management trust fund.

 

In her business career, Bump served as Assistant Vice President for law and government relations at the American Insurance Association.  More recently, she was a regional Vice President and General Counsel at Citigroup.  Prior to her appointment as Director, she was a partner in the law firm of McDevitt & Bump, P.C., providing legal services to small businesses and non-profits.

 

Bump has also received numerous honors for her work from labor and business organizations.  A native of Whitman, she earned an A.B. in English from Boston College and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.  She lives in Great Barrington with her husband, Paul McDevitt.

 

Charlotte Golar Richie

Cabinet Chief of Housing, Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development, City of Boston

 

Charlotte Golar Richie serves the City of Boston as Cabinet Chief of Housing and Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND). As a member of Mayor Menino’s Cabinet, she advises him on policy, legislation and community relations; and she has coordinated the Mayor’s Housing Advisory panel, where public, corporate and nonprofit partners took action to design and implement housing strategies for Boston. As DND Director, Charlotte manages a 200-person department with $100 million budget, including the city’s federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provide funding for housing, economic development and human service programs. In addition, she oversees the Rental Housing Resource Center, which provides assistance to Boston tenants and landlords.

 

Housing preservation, production and homeownership accomplishments have surpassed established goals during Charlotte’s tenure with the City of Boston. Through her efforts, Leading the Way I & II campaigns were launched, helping the City start nearly 18,000 new units of housing (including over 5,000 units affordable to low- and moderate-income residents); preserve over 6,100 affordable units from becoming market-rate; provide technical or financial assistance to over 1,800 first-time homebuyers; and create more than 1,100 units of housing for the homeless.

 

Although Charlotte may be best known for her accomplishments in housing, she also has oversight of DND’s Office of Business Development (OBD). The office has stimulated economic recovery and has provided financial and technical assistance to small businesses in neighborhoods throughout the city. In 2005, OBD served 1,300 businesses and entrepreneurs and created and/or retained 650 jobs in Boston through various agency-supported initiatives, including the following:

 

 • The Neighborhood Restaurant Initiative created by OBD in 2004, provides loans of up to $100,000 to assist restaurants that promise to create ten or more jobs and that locate in commercial districts underserved by sit-down restaurants. This initiative has facilitated the opening and renovation of some 50 restaurants in neighborhoods throughout the city.

 • In 2005, Boston Main Streets, a nationally recognized, award-winning program begun by Mayor Menino and managed by DND, helped start 31 new businesses, created 274 new jobs, invested $181,000 in physical improvements and leveraged $500,000 in private investment. During the program’s ten-year history, 540 new businesses were assisted, 3,643 new jobs created, $1.5 million in DND improvement grants was invested and over $9.5 million was leveraged from the private sector. The new Boston Main Streets Foundation was started in 2005 to raise $2.5 million for the 19 Main Streets districts.

 • Charlotte’s agency has spurred neighborhood revitalization with the creation of a shopping center in Grove Hall in 1999, the Grove Hall Mecca, and this year, with the first newly constructed office/retail development in Dudley Square in 40 years.

 • DND is the lead city agency providing support for the Blue Hill Avenue Initiative, a 13-year public/private revitalization program, which has transformed the corridor from Dudley Street to Grove Hall; and the agency has actively started new projects along Blue Hill Avenue, south of Columbia Road and into Mattapan Square. Businesses like Poppa B’s, F.J. Cleaners and Tender Heart Day Care are all recipients of Restore grants to help improve their storefronts.

 

Charlotte is a former elected official, winning three terms to the Massachusetts General Court as the Representative of the Fifth Suffolk District (Dorchester and Roxbury). As a freshman legislator she was appointed Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing and Urban Development, the first time in 30 years that a first-term rep. was appointed as chair. Her committee, which handled legislative and budget matters, shepherded to passage a $296 million bond bill for housing.

Charlotte Golar Richie is a graduate of Rutgers University (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.S. in Journalism); she is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Suffolk University. Charlotte is a former U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in Kenya, East Africa. A long-time Dorchester resident, she lives with her husband Winston, two daughters and family dog Benji.

A partial list of awards includes: 2006 Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) Community Award for “strong leadership in creating affordable housing . . . and in spearheading a wide range of economic development programs”; 2006 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Helyn Hall Economics Award; 2006 Mattapan Community Development Corporation Community Service Award; 2005 U.S. Peace Corps’ Franklin H. Williams Award; 2004 Good Housekeeping Magazine Women in Government Award; 2004 YWCA Women’s Leadership Award; 2003 Mass Council of Human Service Providers’ Municipal Official of the Year Award; 2002 Boston Magazine’s 40 Bostonians to Watch; 2002 Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) Community Service Award; 2002 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award, Achievement in Management, Government.

 

Eydie A. Silva

Executive Director, State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance

 

Eydie Silva is a decisive leader and resourceful strategist who uses her in-depth knowledge of business practices and intellectual resources to position companies for rapid growth and improved profitability. She has played a key role in helping worldwide companies define and utilize their intellectual capital efficiently and has been instrumental in building the operational infrastructure that drives a start-up.

 

In 1986, Ms. Silva joined Price Waterhouse’s Northeast Region Practice Operations and Human Capital Resources. In the capacity of Manager, she led business operations, client engagements, and recruiting for three start-up consulting practices. In addition, Ms. Silva managed fee-based resources that increased revenue by 60% within two years for these practices. She also achieved 100% staff utilization on engagement for five consecutive years.

 

In 1994, Ms. Silva joined Fidelity Investments as a Manager in its Investment Management and Research Company. Among her many accomplishments at Fidelity, Ms. Silva achieved a reduction of 80% in cost-per-hire by transitioning corporate recruiting to an on-site business model. Ms. Silva also developed workforce models and succession plans to drive investment performance.

 

The Tower Group, Inc. a financial services research and advisory firm, named Ms. Silva as Vice President, Operations and Intellectual Capital Resources in 1996. She was challenged to develop the start-up company’s intellectual capital resources, including defining its management structure and recruiting a senior executive team. In addition, Ms. Silva developed a service model that boosted client retention from 50% to 86%. Ms. Silva played a leadership role in the company’s growth from start-up to its 1999 acquisition by Reuters.

 

In 2001, Ms. Silva formed her own consultancy, providing business, resource management, operations, and financial expertise to a diverse client base. Among her accomplishments were her work with an entrepreneur to develop service and revenue models for a revolutionary business concept and her realignment of the revenue model, operations, and financial structure for a privately owned retailer.

 

Ms. Silva joined Virgin Life Care, Inc., part of the Virgin Group, as Vice President, People and Business Planning in 2005.   Her most important task was to build the knowledge capital of this young firm, recruiting key members of the executive team and directors and specialists to transition the company from development to production operations.  As a member of the executive team, she led the business planning process.  In her first six months, she put in place the essential infrastructure that continues to support the company today.

 

In June 2007, Ms. Silva was appointed to the position of Executive Director for The State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance.

 

Marie Turley

Executive Director, City of Boston’s Women’s Commission

 

Marie Turley is the executive director of the City of Boston’s Women’s Commission, a department that promotes equality and economic opportunity for women, girls and families in Boston.  Ms. Turley, who is also Mayor Thomas Menino’s adviser on women’s issues, represents the Commission on several Boards, including Patriots’ Trail Girl Scouts, Teen Voices Magazine, and the Leadership Council of the Girls Coalition of Greater Boston.  She has been recognized for her work by several organizations, and has received the Wonder Woman award from the Massachusetts’s Women’s Political Caucus and the Achievement Award from Big Sister Association of Greater Boston.

 

While best known for advocacy and policy work, one of the Women’s Commission’s signature accomplishments under Ms. Turley’s leadership is the Boston Women’s Memorial.  This public art sculpture honors Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley --each of whom lived outside the traditional social boundaries of their era and who all left a legacy to future generations through their writings.

 

A graduate of the College of New Rochelle, New York, Ms. Turley taught elementary school in the South Bronx before moving to Boston.  After earning a Master of Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England, she worked as a clinician at the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center.  Marie’s first job in government was as a legislative aid for Representative Eleanor Myerson.  Since then, she has held a variety of positions in state and city government.

 

Ms Turley is also active in her neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. A founding member of the Friends of the Shattuck Shelter Board, and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee, she is a member of the Jamaica Plain Art Center advisory board, and is an elected Democratic State Committeewoman.

 

Priscilla Geigis

Director, Division of State Parks and Recreation

 

Keynote Address

 

The Honorable Joyce London Alexander

United States Magistrate Judge

 

On January 2, 1996, Judge Alexander was sworn in as the nation’s first African-American Chief United States Magistrate Judge. The first African- American woman Chief Judge of any court in Massachusetts, Judge Alexander was also sworn in as the country’s first African-American woman United States Magistrate Judge, and one of the youngest, in August of 1979. She presides in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

 

In her first legal position, she received a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship as a staff attorney with the Greater Boston Legal Assistance Project. She subsequently held positions as an Assistant Professor of Urban Law and Black Politics at Tufts University, Legal Counsel to the Youth Activities

Commission of the City of Boston and was the first African-American woman on camera legal editor for a major network affiliate, (NBC) WBZ-TV in Boston, while at the same time serving as Assistant Vice Chancellor and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. She was also a legislative assistant to the late Speaker of the House Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr.

 

Judge Alexander is the Chair of the Board of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C., Co-Chair of the National Public Policy Committee of the Links, Inc., a former member of the Africa Law Initiative Council of the American Bar Association, a member (Past Chair) of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association, a member (Past Chair) of the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference, and President Emeritus (Co-Founder) of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. During her distinguished career she has received hundreds of awards and several honorary degrees.

 

Based on her extensive professional and community involvement, published opinions and articles from civil rights to securities law to civil and criminal litigation, Judge Alexander is frequently called upon nationally as an informative lecturer and dynamic orator.

 

Of all her achievements, she is, however, most proud of a program she created in the Federal Court in Massachusetts called “Kids, Courts & Citizenship.” Approximately 700 fifth grade students from the Boston Public schools visit her courtroom throughout the school year, not only to view proceedings, but to engage in dialogue about the judicial/legal system with her, lawyers, and the

U.S. Marshal. The children not only learn about civics and alternatives to violence, guns and drugs, but also perform a mock trial. There is also accompanying curriculum for the program. Since the program’s inception in 1989, Judge Alexander has seen more than 7,000 children.

 

Judge Alexander was honored as a “Living Legend” by the Museum of Afro-American History in February, 2004. In May 2004, the Federal Bar Association honored Judge Alexander for her 25 years of outstanding service to the federal judiciary by presenting her with a chair. Simultaneously, the New England Law Review dedicated its entire summer edition, Volume 38, No. 4, to Judge Alexander in commemoration of her 25 years of invaluable contributions to judicial and community service. In August 2004, the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association bestowed Judge Alexander with its Thurgood Marshall Award at its national convention. That same month, she was also cited by Jet Magazine’s “This Week In Black History.” In October 2005, Judge Alexander was inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. In July 2006, Judge Alexander was inducted as an honorary member into the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority in Detroit, Michigan.

 

Judge Alexander is married to the Honorable Johnny Ford, Mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama. Mayor Ford is a Founder of the National Conference of Black Mayors as well as the World Conference of Mayors, Inc.

Arden O’Connor

Founder, Rediscovery House

 

Arden O’Connor graduated from Harvard University in 2000 and throughout her career has focused on managing non-profit groups and a steadfast dedicated public servant. From Washington DC through New York to Boston she has been a consistent force for the public interest in a variety of capacities.

 

Ms. O’Connor began her career working with the office of the district attorney in New York City assisting with investigative work, trials, hearings, and field work with the sex crimes unit of the Police Department. Post New York she moved to Washington and worked as an intern in the White House before finishing her degree at Harvard in 2000. Ms. O’Connor had paved the way for a career in law but found that there was a greater need to help young “at risk” males “rediscover” their potential and founded the Rediscovery House.

 

Ms. O’Connor founded the Rediscovery House and was its executive director from 2001-2005. The Rediscovery House is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth in the foster care system. Here she developed unique and creative partnerships with the state and agencies to help the youth of Massachusetts and it remains a positive force today where she still sits on the board of directors.

 

Ms. O’Connor continues to serve on the board of the Rediscovery House, the Winsor Corporation, and the Harvard Club of Boston. She is currently a candidate for a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard as the Horace W. Goldsmith Fellow and Director of Venture Philanthropy for the Habus Foundation. She lives in the Boston area and in her spare time enjoys reading, traveling, and triathlons.

 

The Art of Negotiation

 

Susan Hackley

Managing Director, Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School

 

Susan Hackley is managing director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON), a world-renowned university consortium dedicated to developing rigorous scholarship and a deep understanding of negotiation practice. She oversees all operations, including PON’s interdisciplinary activities, research projects, education programs, and public events. She also manages the publication of a variety of teaching materials, including the quarterly Negotiation Journal and the monthly Negotiation Newsletter, which is co-produced with Harvard Business School Publishing. In addition

 

to her management responsibilities, Hackley has taught negotiation seminars in Hong Kong, Bratislava, Barcelona, and Rome. Before joining PON, she worked in communications, public service, and politics. She also co-founded an Internet company, an e-philanthropy site dedicated to raising money for nonprofit enterprises and helping people connect to causes they care about. Hackley has a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and she serves on the board of directors of the Alliance for Peace Building.

 

Networking

 

Vicki Donlan

Publisher, Women’s Business

 

Vicki Donlan is publisher and founder of Women’s Business Boston, a 25,000 controlled-circulation newspaper devoted to women in business in the Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island region. She is a regular guest discussing women in business on New England Cable News’ Business Day. She is also author of HER TURN: Why it’s Time for Women to Lead in America, released in Fall 2007.

 

Ms. Donlan was the first Executive Director of The Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit organization founded by twelve prominent Boston women CEOs to assist women entrepreneurs in the growth of their businesses.

 

As co-founder and first Executive Director of the South Shore Women’s Business Network and founder of The Alliance of Women’s Business and Professional Organizations, Ms. Donlan has been instrumental in the growth of networking for women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. She was honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the Massachusetts and New England Women Business Advocate for 1994 for her efforts in working with women in small to medium businesses. In 1997, she was honored with the South Shore Women’s Business Network’s Women Mean Business Award for her continuing efforts to help women achieve business success. The Boston YWCA inducted her into their Women of Achievement Class of 1999 and she was honored, June 2000, with the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus’ Abigail Adams Award as an outstanding Massachusetts woman. Pine Manor College recognized her at its 2001 graduation with a honorary Doctors of Letters degree as its most distinguished alumnae. Patriots’ Trail Girl Scout Council recognized her as a 2002 Leading Woman. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce honored her with its Achievement in Business at the 2002 Pinnacle Awards. In 2004 the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston honored her with their Achievement Award. Bryant University recognized her in 2005 as New England Businesswoman of the Year.

 

At the community level, Ms. Donlan is the former president of the Patriots Trail Girl Scout Council, serves on the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Mass Bay and the Advisory Board of Key Bank.

 

Having spent more than twelve years of her early business career in the newspaper business, Ms. Donlan is fulfilling a dream launching a newspaper that will give “ego to women and change the face of business news.”

 

Women in Business Panel Discussion

 

Teri Cavanagh

Founder, TLC Connections

 

Teri Cavanagh has a deep understanding of what it takes for women to be successful.  Growing up in Seneca Falls, New York, she has an appreciation for  the historic event that took place there when  women organized the first Convention for Women’s Rights in 1848, leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote.

 

Over Teri’s career, she has seen the strides women are making in education, business and political arenas.  She believes the time is now for women to achieve even more in the new millennium.

 

Ms. Cavanagh launched her new company, TLC Connections, in 2004 in response to a tremendous need among corporations, government, and non-profits for strategies to effectively market to women.  Having built a nationally recognized, award-winning business for Fleet Bank, a Fortune 100 company, Ms. Cavanagh was responsible for developing and implementing an innovative, long-term strategy and for incorporating product development, services and programs to meet the credit and financial services needs of women owned businesses.

 

In her position as Senior Vice President and Director of the Women’s Financial Connection at Fleet Bank, Ms. Cavanagh built The Connection from its inception at the former BankBoston, and launched a $2 Billion business initiative over 5-year period to assist women with capital, resources and information to grow their businesses.

 

In 2000 and 2004, the  Connection was recognized by the Milken Institute and the National Women’s Business Council as a “Best Practice” in the United States.

 

Ms. Cavanagh was honored by President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony as the 2001 National Women in Business Advocate by the Small Business Administration.

 

Ms. Cavanagh is a founding member of the Global Banking Alliance for Women, whose mission is to connect women to global sources of capital and markets.  Currently, Ms. Cavanagh is a key consultant to the World Bank’s Gender Entrepreneurship Markets Group where she is involved in developing access to capital models for women in developing countries in  Africa and the Middle East.

 

Ms. Cavanagh has written many articles and has been interviewed extensively by the media as a subject matter expert on women in business.  She has presented  her work at numerous international conferences in China, Europe, Australia and Africa.

 

Indicative of her life long passion for empowering women across business, government and education, Ms. Cavanagh was named a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Boston in 2005.  In 2003, Ms. Cavanagh was honored by the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus with the Abigail Adams Award for her significant contribution to the realization of equal political, economic and social rights for women.

 

Prior to joining BankBoston in 1997, Ms. Cavanagh served 20 years at New World Bank where she was President of Community Banking – Boston and SVP of Marketing and Strategic Planning.  After that, she was a principal of Bellows Cavanagh, a marketing consulting firm, specializing in assisting women entrepreneurs.  Experienced as a business owner, she and her husband operated a retail business for four years.

 

Ms. Cavanagh graduated cum laude from Harvard University.  She currently serves on many not for profit boards including MS. Magazine, the Center for Women and Enterprise, The Center for Women’s Business Research.  She is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board, JF Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and on the business advisory council of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.

 

Making the connections to money, information and resources helps women thrive and reach their wildest dreams.  Teri believes she can continue in her leadership role to be a catalyst for success by showing women how to leverage their connections into powerful networks for success.

 

Arlene Fortunato

Founder, Fortunato & Associates

 

In 1977, Arlene came to the Boston area as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps to work as a community organizer for Somerville United Neighborhoods. She followed her year of service in the JVC with two years as a VISTA volunteer.  Throughout her career as a nonprofit executive, Arlene held the positions of Development Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Alliance, Executive Director of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation in Boston and Capital Campaign Director for the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, MA.  She also served as Senior Advisor to Boston’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino on issues related to strategic planning and public image during his first term.

 

In July 1996, following her career as a nonprofit executive and community activist, Arlene joined Citizens Bank of Massachusetts as Vice President and Director of Public Affairs. She was promoted to Senior Vice President in April 1998.  During her tenure at Citizens, she created the public affairs department and was responsible for media relations, community relations, charitable giving, corporate sponsorships, employee volunteer programs and all workplace giving campaigns for the $14 billion company with 175 branch offices and over 2,500 employees.  She served as official spokesperson and was a member of the Senior Management Team reporting to the President.  In 1999, Arlene received the Citizens Bank of Massachusetts Areas for Excellence award for Community Service.

 

After Citizens, Arlene went back to the nonprofit sector serving for 2 years as Director of Corporate, Foundation and Community Relations at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. There she was a member of the Development Office leadership team during a $220 million capital campaign. Working with hospital leadership, Arlene was responsible for securing BWH’s largest corporate gift to that time, the naming of the EMC Center for Evidence Based Imaging.

 

In 2003, Arlene formed Fortunato & Associates, a consulting group specializing in building the leadership and resource development capacity of nonprofit organizations. F&A focuses on organizational development challenges within a strategic fundraising context, and has worked with many of Boston’s most influential and effective organizations including Project Place, the South End Community Health Center, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston Main Streets, Old North Foundation, Lincoln Filene Center at Tufts University.

 

Arlene has served on many nonprofit boards including Boston Medical Center, Boston Lesbian and Gay Communities Funding Partnership at the Boston Foundation, Massachusetts Association of Fundraising Professionals, Casa Myrna Vazquez, Committee to End Elder Homelessness; City of Boston Public Health Commission, Fenway Community Health Center, Alternative Family Matters and Third Sector New England. In addition, Arlene has served as an advisor to many local and statewide Democratic candidates.

In 2002 Arlene received the Massachusetts Association of Fundraising Professionals Development Professional of the Year award and in 2006 was elected to the YWCA Boston Academy of Women Achievers.

 

Arlene lives in Brookline, MA and has two children.

 

Allyce Najimy

Consultant

 

Allyce Najimy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts for Psychology and Counseling in 1986 from Assumption College in Worcester, and obtained her Masters of Education K-12 Teacher Certificate from UMASS Boston in 1990.  Her long list of professional experience focuses mainly in the non-profit sector and she has worked in or around the Boston Area since her graduation from Assumption College.

 

In her years after graduating she has worked as a teacher for the South Boston Neighborhood House, where she created, implemented, and taught the General Education Development (GED) classes to young adults that dropped out of high school. Also during her time with South Boston Neighborhood House, she worked for City Year, INC.  Here Allyce started out as the New Site Development, Program Director, and Teacher. While working for City Year, INC., Allyce organized and assisted in opening seven new City Year sites in Boston, New Hampshire, Texas, Washington, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C.   She also created the GED and education leadership development programs for City Year that was disseminated nationally.  Allyce’s work City Year earned her recognition and she was promoted to National Program Director in June of 1995, where her she managed the National Operations of Youth Corps and worked with the press and media to promote City Year.  In June of 1997 she was once again promoted to National Operations Director, where she collaborated with all departments within City Year, an AmeriCorps National Community Service and Youth Development Corps.

 

After leaving City Year Allyce worked for the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University as a Senior Associate Director & Chief Operating Officer. While at Northeastern she was also part of the 2006 NCAA Women’s Final Four Boston Local Organizing Committee, working as the Chair for the Volunteer Committee, in March 2005 to April 2006.  After five years at Northeastern Allyce began working for The City of Boston as a consultant for Boston Center for Youth and Families. She is also the Director of The Foundation To Be Named Later created by Theo Epstein, General Manager of the Boston Red Sox.

 

Aside from her work Allyce travels across the globe, enjoys running, road race competitor and a tri-athlete. Allyce has many memberships, where she is the Event Co-Chair & Finance Board for Boston City Council President, Member President’s Diversity Committee Northeastern University, National Consortium Academics & Sport Board, and Suffolk County District Attorney Asset Forfeiture Grant Committee.

 

Lori Lilly

Proprietor, Tia’s Restaurant

 

Finding the Source of Your Creative Leadership Power

 

Saphira Linden

Artistic Director, Omega Theater

 

Saphira Linden, MA, RDT/BCT, LCAT, is a registered drama therapist and a Board Certified Master Teacher-Trainer with NADT who trained with Moreno in Psychodrama in the sixties. As one of eleven artists nationwide whose work was selected to be the basis of documentary film in the PBS series "Artists in America," she is regarded as an authority on experimental, participatory and transformational theater as well as pioneer in the development of Drama Therapy. Saphira works as a transpersonal psychotherapist and is a Sufi senior teacher, Meditation Guide, Cheraga *(Sufi minister) and a co-founder of the Chrysalis Connection: The Feminine Council of the Sufi Order. As Artistic Director of Omega Theater, in its 40th year, she has designed hundreds of workshops for artists, mental health professionals, educators, clergy, business managers and executives and has been a management consultant with major corporations in visioning, team building and empathy training.

 

Saphira, a Co-Founder and Director of The Omega Transpersonal Drama Therapy Certificate Program as well as the Artistic Director of the award-winning Omega Theater in Boston.  She has published many articles on her clinical and systemic work.

 

"A Piece on Peace"

 

Yousef Al Ajarama

 

Yousef Al-Ajarma is obtaining his PhD at Lesley University in expressive arts therapies. He grew up in the Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem in Palestine. He is interested in studying how to use the arts to heal ongoing trauma in the Palestinian community. He has his master’s from the European Graduate School in Switzerland in expressive arts therapies. He got his undergraduate degree in social work and psychology from Bethlehem University. For more than 10 years, he worked with traumatized children, teenagers, adults, and parents. Also, he was one of the leaders and trainers for summer camps in Palestine. He is an adjunct faculty at Lesley University.

 

Keren Barzilay Schechter

 

Keren Barzilay-Shechter is an expressive therapist specializing in psychodrama who has worked with children and adults in different setting, such as community

clinics and mental hospitals in Israel. She is a doctoral candidate in expressive therapy, where she is researching the role of the defenses in the Israeli psyche

within the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She has special interest in the possible contribution of expressive therapy in enhancing and processing these defenses.

 

“A Piece on Peace”

 

“With the war in our home country waging on, we found ourselves together in the expressive therapies Ph.D. program at Lesley University - an Israeli Jewish woman and a Palestinian Moslem man. During our studies we have used the healing powers of the art and delved together into a journey of self-exploration, from which an interactive theatre workshop has emerged. Engaged in the creative process, we spiraled from the private to the public domain, discovering and expressing our own version of the Israeli - Palestinian situation. Our artistic dialogue has deepened and expanded, releasing inner occupied territories, on its way towards non-violent liberation.”

 

Global Women Panel Discussion

 

Nisreen Abbas

 

Nisreen  Abbas has recently completed an extensive study assessing

Palestinian internal management of permanent status negotiations with

Israel for the Palestinian Liberation Organization in support of the peace process. Before that she worked with Dr. Mohammed Mustafa the Economic Advisor to the President of the Palestinian Authority on the Palestinian economic agenda and created the Legal Unit at the Office of the President. Her most extensive work was at the Negotiations Support Unit of the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department where she was the head of the Legal and Policy Unit for six years. She supported economic negotiations post the Camp David Summit and recently the Gaza evacuation coordination. Before the NSU, she was the legal advisor to the Ministry of National Economy and advised on various international trade agreements including  trade arrangements with the US and the EU. She is a board member of both the Sakakini Cultural Center and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.  And for fun, in the beginning of 2007, she established the Ramallah Women International Film Club. In 1997, she received the Chevining Scholarship and trained at the Department of Trade and Industry in London. In 1996, she received her masters in international trade law from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1994, she visited Japan with a group of Palestinian Young Leaders. She is a mother of three and a sibling to four.

 

 

Hila Engelhard

 

Hila Engelhard is a diplomat who most recently served as the Director of the Diplomatic Cadets Course at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  She currently holds a Wexner Israel Fellowship to pursue a mid-career Master of Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

 

As Director of the Diplomatic Cadets Course, Ms. Engelhard was responsible for planning and implementing the Ministry of Foreign Affair's six-month-long training course which constitutes the first stage of training for the Diplomatic Corps of the Israeli Foreign Service. The assignment included strategic and methodological restructuring; planning and execution of the training program; professional guidance and direction of the future diplomats; and evaluation of the cadets’ professional abilities.

 

Ms. Engelhard’s career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also included serving as the Desk Officer for West and Central Africa in the Division of African Affairs. As such, she coordinated the activities of Israel’s embassies in West and Central Africa and Israel’s diplomatic efforts in this region, including such efforts as organizing Israeli humanitarian aid to Darfur refugees.

 

Ms. Engelhard also served in Israel’s Embassy to Mexico City as Spokesperson and Director of Media and Public Relations.

 

For her military service, Ms. Engelhard served as a nature guide in the Society for the Protection of Nature as part of the Education Corps of the Israeli Defense Forces. This included exposing the country’s rich history, archeology, geology, botanicals and wildlife to people of all ages and backgrounds, including underprivileged communities.

 

Ms. Engelhard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies and the Middle East, pursued alongside with Amirim, The Hebrew University’s interdisciplinary program in Humanities for outstanding students. She completed both Summa Cum Laude at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

 

Ms. Engelhard is fluent in English, Hebrew and Spanish, is conversant in French, and has a strong basis in literary Arabic.

 

She has a passion for nature, hiking and the outdoors, and enjoys literature, music, yoga and good conversations.

 

Stela Mocan

 

Stela got a Bachelor Degree in History at the Moldova State University and Post-graduate Study Diploma in Political Sciences and Public Administration from the   National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, Romania.

 

During 1996-2000,Stela was part of several democracy-building and NGOs’ development projects in Moldova, and took part in establishing regional resource and support centers for NGOs, developing regional Volunteer Centers and running civic educational programs for voters and political parties.

 

In  2001-2004,Stela managed the national Project  “Local Agenda 21”, implemented by the Government of the Republic of Moldova. The key areas of project’s intervention were: promoting local sustainable development at the rural and municipal levels, developing and strengthening local governments’ capacity for participatory integrated planning and development, encouraging women and youth groups’ participation in local decision-making process.

 

For the last 3 years, Stela has worked for the International Republican Institute in Moldova, developing and implementing political development and campaign management training programs for political parties in Moldova, targeting  grassroots political activists and women leaders active in politics and civil society.

 

At present, Stela is a Mason Fellow at the J.F. Kennedy School of Government/Harvard University, pursuing a one year Mid-Career Master Degree Program in Public Administration.

 

Serif Turgut

 

Serif has recently completed three years of service as the Head of Public Information Office for the Central Liberia at the United Nations Mission in Liberia. In that capacity she created and managed information dissemination mechanisms for Demilitarization, Reintegration, Rehabilitation elections and post conflict transition.

 

Prior to joining UNMIL Serif worked for eight years as a war correspondent in  Kosovo,  Serbia,  Bosnia,  Croatia, Chechnya, Iraq, Algeria and Western Sahara for private Turkish Television Station (ATV) and free-lanced for DW, WDR, BBC and Dutch Radio world services.

 

Serif has studied at Stanford University’s Knight Fellowship Journalism Program and earned her masters degree in International Politics and Practices from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Currently she is a mid-career Public Administration student at KSG.

Women In Power Workshop

 

Madelyn Yucht

Founder and CEO, Synergos Consulting Group

 

Madelyn is founder and CEO of the Synergos Consulting Group, specialists in training individuals and organizations how to achieve optimum performance levels. She has over 20 years of experience working with clients to increase their mastery of leadership, collaboration, managing change, and execution of strategy.

 

Committed to seeing women assume more leadership roles in all sectors throughout the world, Madelyn recently designed a course, “Women and Leadership”, for Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, geared specifically to women intent on assuming leadership roles for social change. She also consulted to Harvard University Women’s Leadership Council, during which time she did extensive research on women’s influence in the 21st century.

 

In the private sector, she conducted an extensive corporate audit for Kraft General Foods, Women’s Sales Council, to identify organizational factors impacting women’s performance and promotions, and this year, designed an intensive workshop for Citigroup women executives to learn how to increase their power, influence and impact.

 

Her leadership consulting work with women addresses reoccurring issues in the workplace that often prevents advancement:

• Recognizing and developing strengths

• Knowing how to promote yourself

• Importance of mentors and champions

• Encouraging innovation

• Leadership and communications

• Leveraging contacts, networks, and connections

• Embracing risk & responsibility

• Understanding how to achieve organizational power

Madelyn holds a Masters degree from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. She studied international politics in England as an undergraduate, where her goal of visiting every county began. Her passions are traveling the world, reading, movies, and meeting new people. She resides in Cambridge, Mass.

 

Kristen F. Zecchi

Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

 

Kristen works with the Fletcher team to bring a group of diverse and accomplished students to its graduate programs in international affairs and international business.

 

Prior to joining Fletcher, Kristen was a Research Project Manager at The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College where she researched how companies integrate corporate citizenship into their organizations. This research involved long-term and in-depth studies of large Fortune 1000 corporations to understand the reality of corporate citizenship implementation and change processes. Kristen authored several Center publications including The Ten Half Truths of Integrating Corporate Citizenship and Integration: Critical Link for Corporate Citizenship. Before working at Boston College, Kristen was a change management consultant at Accenture.

 

She holds a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. She has lived and worked throughout the United States as well as Spain and Argentina.

 

Keynote Speaker

 

Mishkat al Moumin

Futrell Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute

 

The former minister of the environment in the interim Iraqi government and current Futrell Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, Mishkat Al Moumin is a well-known Iraqi lawyer, and a lecturer of human rights in the University of Baghdad’s College of Law.  Since Iraq did not previously have a ministry of the environment, Dr. Al Moumin designed its entire structure.  In this post, she also developed new environmental law, led campaigns to support Iraqi people living in environmentally dangerous areas, and initiated awareness and cleaning projects.  Prior to joining the government, she served as the women’s issues director for the Free Iraq Foundation, where she successfully advocated for women to hold 25 percent of the seats in the new Iraqi parliament.  In this role, she also conducted trainings for NGOs and women leaders.  In 2004, Dr. Al Moumin worked with the International Federation of Election System as an adviser on the elections in Iraq.  As a practicing member of the Iraqi Bar Association, Dr. Al Moumin represented clients in cases concerning personal status and labor.  Dr. Al Moumin was a lecturer at University of Baghdad College of Law, where she lectured human rights, fundamental rights, international and constitutional law.  She has participated as a speaker and facilitator at several conferences on women’s issues in Iraq.

 

Women In Media Panel Discussion

 

Jane Christo

 

Jane Christo is affiliated with the Fletcher School’s Edward R. Murrow Center at Tufts University where she develops programs for journalist reporting in fledgling democracies and area of crisis. Before joining the Fletcher School, Christo served as General Manager of WBUR from 1979 to 2004, elevating Public Radio from alternative broadcasting to a nationally recognized, respected and influential source of news and information. Under her leadership, WBUR has become a major influence in Boston broadcast news; introducing original, innovative and award winning programming such as Car Talk (1992 Peabody Award), The Connection, and Inside Out (2003 RFK Journalism Award). During Christo’s stewardship, WBUR’s fundraising capability rose from less than $1 million/year in 1979 to $19.2 million in 2003. In May 2000, Christo was honored with Public Radio’s highest honor: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award. Drawing from her extensive experience in journalism, Christo has taken various measures to develop journalists from areas of political development and conflict. From 1992 to 2004, she directed the International Training Project, a program aimed at addressing the day-to-day challenges that confront journalists from Eastern Europe. The program covered topics such as reporting on human trafficking and reporting in areas of conflict. Expanding upon previous programs, Christo established the Covering Conflict program in 2003. Covering Conflict provides intensive training for journalists who cover persistent conflict and ethnic tensions in their home territories. Christo received her Bachelors Degree in English Literature from Boston University. She currently resides in Brookline, MA with her husband.

 

Karen Marinella

 

Karen Marinella is the former anchor for "The Ten O'Clock News" on WLVI-TV (Boston's CW), Boston's 10 p.m. news leader. She joined the station as a general assignment reporter in 1988.

 

After six months in the newsroom, Marinella was promoted to weekend anchor and quickly became one of the station's primary news anchors. In her most recent role, she anchored the evening newscast and produced feature stories.

 

Marinella also served as executive producer / host of "One On One with Karen Marinella," a semi-monthly half-hour program featuring interviews with high-profile newsmakers such as Jack and Suzie Welch, Doug Flutie, Joey McIntyre and Dr. T. Berry Brazelton.

 

While working for Boston's CW, Marinella received many professional awards and accolades, including six Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), New England chapter. Most recently, she won a 2006 Emmy in the "Sports Feature" category for her "One on One: Miracle On Ice" interview with hockey legend Mike Eruzione.

 

Previously, she won the Emmy for outstanding achievement as an anchor in 2004. Marinella took home two Emmy Awards in 2001 for her work hosting the news/public affairs specials "Team Harmony VII" and "Home Sweet Home: The Housing Crisis in Massachusetts." Prior to that, she had been honored with an Emmy for "Best Single Feature" exposing some of the most dangerous bridges in Greater Boston, and for a series on AIDS in Cape Cod's Provincetown community. She has also received an Edward R. Murrow award for a news series on teen pregnancy.

 

Marinella joined the news department at Boston's CW from WMTW-TV in Auburn, Maine where she served as an anchor and reporter. Before that, she worked in broadcasting at "Cape 11 Alive" in South Yarmouth, Mass. and at WPLM radio in Plymouth, Mass.

 

An active participant with local community groups, Marinella is involved with non-profit organizations including Best Buddies, Rosie's Place and Cambridge Family and Children's Service, among others.

 

Marinella holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Emerson College. A native of Plymouth, Mass., she currently resides south of Boston with her husband, WHDH-TV Anchor Jonathan Hall, and their children.

 

Karen Swensen

Anchor, New England Cable News

 

Karen Swensen came to NECN in February 2006 and co-anchors "Good Morning Live" and "New England Midday" with Mike Nikitas. She also anchors "NECN Healthweek." Karen came to New England from New Orleans where she and her colleagues at WWL won the George Foster Peabody, duPont-Columbia and National Edward R. Murrow Awards for their continuous coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

 

At NECN, Karen wrote and produced a one-hour documentary called "Katrina: A Flood of Tears." It was a first-person account of the storm and its aftermath that revealed the personal loss, strength and resilience of the people of the Gulf South. It won a First Place Associated Press Award.

 

During her twelve years at WWL, Karen worked as an anchor and reporter, earning six Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards for investigative journalism, writing and feature reporting. She also earned two Emmy Awards, in addition to several Gracie, Gabriel and Associated Press Awards.

 

Karen graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honors from Penn State with a degree in Political Science and was a Louisiana state finalist in the Rhodes Scholar competition. She has a Master's Degree in Journalism from Penn State.

 

Karen lives with her husband and daughter in a suburb north of Boston.

 

Joan Venocchi

Columnist, Boston Globe

 

Joan Vennochi writes regularly about national and local politics, and also covers issues relating to business, law and culture. Before joining the op-ed page, she wrote a column on the Globe's business page.

 

Vennochi was City Hall bureau chief, State House bureau chief, and covered national politics for the Globe. She began her career at the paper as a researcher on the Spotlight Team, the newspaper's investigative unit. She shared in a Pulitzer Prize awarded to the team for local investigative reporting.

 

Vennochi is a graduate of Boston University and Suffolk Law School.

Vennochi's column appears every Tuesday and Thursday in the Globe, and she writes a Web-only column on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

 

Walden Woods – Community Activism and the Environment

 

Kathi Anderson

Executive Director, Walden Woods Project

 

Kathi Anderson is the Secretary of the Board and Executive Director of the Walden Woods Project. From 1977-1990, she was a staff member for U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. She served as the legislative director of the Senator’s Massachusetts office and as a legislative assistant for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards including RESTORE: The North Woods, the Walden Conservancy and the Thoreau Society.

Keynote Speaker

 

James Roosevelt, Jr.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Tufts Health Plan

 

Mr. Roosevelt joined Tufts Health Plan in 1999 as senior vice president and general counsel and held that position until June 2005, when he became president and chief executive officer. As the general counsel, he presided over the legal department and the company's compliance, privacy and government relations functions.

 

Before joining Tufts Health Plan, Mr. Roosevelt was the associate commissioner for Retirement Policy for the Social Security Administration in Washington, D.C. He has also served as chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is co-chair of the Rules and By-laws Committee of the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Roosevelt spent 10 years as partner at Choate, Hall and Stewart in Boston. He is past chairman of the board of trustees for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, past president of the American Health Lawyers Association and past chairman of the board of trustees for Mount Auburn Hospital. Currently, Mr. Roosevelt serves as chairman of the board of directors for Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, and as a member of the board of directors at America's Health Insurance Plans, Emmanuel College and the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center. He is also co-chair of the board of directors for the Tufts Health Care Institute.

 

Mr. Roosevelt received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his A.B. with honors in government from Harvard College. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

 

The Power of Change

 

Sowmya Viswanathan, M.D.

Internal Medicine Physician, UMASS Memorial Health Care Community Medical Group

 

Sowmya Viswanathan, M.D. completed her undergraduate studies from the University of Calicut, India in 1983, where she graduated with honors. Sowmya proceeded to medical school at Madurai Medical College, Madurai, India, where she obtained her degree for MBBS. At Madurai Medical College, Sowmya graduated in 1988 with Distinction in Anatomy, Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine in. From 1989 to 1991 Sowmya held a Resident Internship & Clinical Clerkship at Madras Medical College completing special training in Internal Medicine at Madras Medical College and prepared for the National Board Exams.  Sowmya completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Boston University Residency Program in Boston, MA.

 

After completing her residency at Boston University she went on to teaching, where Sowmya was the Chief Medical Resident at Boston University Residency Program from 1995 to 1996. During these two years Sowmya was the Preceptor in the Primary Care Clinic/ Women’s clinic at the Boston VA Medical Center. In 1998 to the present time she is the Attending Physician / Preceptorship at UMASS Memorial Medical Center.  Aside from teaching, Sowmya was the Physician for Internal Medicine at MetroWest Medical Group, Inc., in Marlborough, MA from 1996 to 1998.  Also during those two years, Sowmya was the staff physician in Internal Medicine at Columbia-Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham, MA.  She is currently employed now as an Internal Medicine Physician at UMASS Memorial Health Care Community Medical Group and a Associate Professor for the Department of Internal Medicine at UMASS Memorial Medical Center.

 

Sowmya’s clinical interest include Preventive medicine / Primary Care, Women's health, Adolescent Medicine, Hospice Care, Internal Medicine Curriculum, and Accreditation process.  She has obtained Board Certification & Licensure from the National Boards, her Massachusetts License and Board Certification in Internal Medicine.  She has received many awards in honors during her time, they include Grasim Gold Medal-District First Rank in School Leaving Certificate Examination, in 1981, distinction in Anatomy MBBS, Pharmacology MBBS and Forensic Medicine MBBS, and “Outstanding Community Educator Award” by Chairwoman for Joint Committee for Public Services and Senator Harriette L. Chandler.

 

Sowmya, from 1999-2000 was the “Curriculum Committee” Executive member at UMASS Memorial, the Medical Director for the Westborough Healthcare and Rehab Facility, Interim Health Care and Medical Cosmetology Center at UMASS Memorial.  Currently she is the International Secretary for NRI Society of India and the Physician Quality Officer (PQO) of Ambulatory Services at UMASS Memorial Medical Center.  Sowmya has memberships with the American Medical Association (AMA), Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) and Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM).

 

Keynote Speaker

 

Chef Jody Adams

Owner, Rialto

 

The connection between Italian food and happiness came at an early age for chef Jody Adams. While shopping with her mother for ingredients in the Italian markets in Federal Hill in her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Jody developed a curiosity and passion for the culture of food. Jody and her sisters used to watch their mother at work, and later helped her cook for guests. Many Italian dishes that were prepared and served at the Adams’ household came from Elizabeth David’s cookbooks.

 

After graduating from Brown University with a degree in Anthropology, she traveled with a friend throughout Europe. And while the people, the culture, and the land were fascinating, the food, above all, captured her interest. “I spent a lot of time walking through the food markets in the small villages. It familiarized me with the places at a more intimate level. I remember my very first meal in Italy—a plate of spaghetti with clams, tomato, garlic and parsley. It is still, without a doubt, one of my favorite dishes. In Italy I learned that simple recipes with fresh ingredients are all you need to take a meal to its ultimate flavor peak.”

 

friend and food writer/teacher, Nancy Verde Barr.  She assisted in the classroom and helped test recipes for Nancy’s cookbook on the cuisine of Italian immigrants, entitled We Called It Macaroni (Knopf, 1991).  Jody quickly realized that this was the career for her and she immediately began to work her way through the ranks of Boston’s finest restaurants.

 

Her start came in 1983 as a line cook at the famed Seasons restaurant where chef Lydia Shire was at the helm. Three years later, she helped open Hamersley’s Bistro as sous chef under Gordon Hamersley.  In 1990, she took the executive chef position at Michela’s in Cambridge. It was there that Jody developed her reputation for carefully researched regional menus combining New England ingredients with Italian culinary traditions.

 

“I have an enormous amount of respect for local cooking traditions. Regional cuisine has had time on its side – it’s taken centuries to figure out how to make the best of what’s available nearby.  Technique on its own doesn’t count for much.  A new technique or personal interpretation only becomes part of the tradition when it enhances the taste of the dish’s ingredients.”

 

Twelve years ago, Adams opened Rialto with restaurateurs Michela Larson and Karen Haskell, forming the Sapphire Restaurant Group.  At Rialto, Jody developed a menu that included French, Italian, Spanish and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.  Four months after the restaurant’s opening, The Boston Globe awarded Rialto four stars, the newspaper’s highest rating, proclaiming that, “eating Jody Adams’ food at the stunning new Rialto is like stepping into a winter greenhouse just at the moment a spectacular hothouse orchid bursts into bloom, filling the senses.”

 

With her husband, Ken Rivard, Adams published her first cookbook, In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant (HarperCollins Publishers, January 2002). It is a collection of recipes that follows her passions and palate as she cooks for family and friends, and encourages cooks to spend time in the kitchen.

 

Of her career in the food world, Jody says, “If you’re going to work in the restaurant business, you have to love it.  The stress is high, the hours are long and the pay is nominal.  The reward is in the culture.  It’s full of interesting, creative people who excel in the art of performance and making people happy.  I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

 

As of January 1, 2007 Jody became the sole owner of Rialto. With the persistent and tantalizing memory of a plate of spaghetti with clams, Jody decided to return to her first passion, Italian food. The tagline, “Eat like an Italian,” sums up the goal for the newly re-invented restaurant. Jody’s new Rialto embraces Italian style and life—a simple, beautiful, fun, and sensuous experience.

 

Outside of the kitchen, Jody is actively involved in organizations that support hunger relief and children’s issues, such as Share Our Strength, Partners in Health, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Brookline Public Schools and Community Servings.

 

Jody Adams and Ken Rivard live in Brookline, MA with their children, Oliver and Roxanne.

 

Keynote Speaker

 

Dr. Fatemeh Haghighatjoo

Fellow, Women and Public Policy Forum at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government

 

Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, an Iranian citizen, is a human rights activist and former parliamentarian in the 6th Majils (Iran’s reform parliament) from 2000 to 2004.  During her time in parliament, she was renowned as an articulate and fearless advocate of human rights and women’s rights in particular.  She writes extensively on human rights and has also published on educational and sociological issues.  Currently a fellow at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, in 2005-2006, Dr. Haghighatjoo was a fellow at MIT’s Center for International Relations.  Previously, she has held professorships at Tehran University and Shahid Behesti University.  While at WAPPP, Haghighatjoo will continue to research and write on human rights, women’s rights and democracy within the Iranian context.  Dr. Haghighatjoo lives in Cambridge and holds a PhD in Counseling.