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September 2022 | Volume 8

Dear IWF/MA Colleagues:


We've Got Momentum... 


Our job now is to keep it going! Over the past year, our Board and committees have made amazing progress with outstanding member recruitment, lively programming, and refined governance. Kirsten Singleton has hit the ground running as our new Executive Director, enthusiastically supporting our committee leadership. We’re more connected than ever to IWF Global and sister forums in other large cities nationally. The feedback we keep hearing is that IWF/MA is transforming into an organization that Diane Hessan once coined, “My favorite network!!” The vibe of our gatherings is warm, INCLUSIVE and increasingly diverse – and that’s our intention!

 

Over the summer we sent out a quick ‘Ambassador Program’ survey to query members on how they might like to be further engaged with IWF/MA. The response was tremendous! Scores of women volunteered to be a buddy to a new member, host/convene an event, host visits from IWF members from other chapters, lead/host a conversation of interest, and/or be on the global conference squad. We’re so excited about this program that the Board voted the Ambassador Committee to be a formal standing committee, to be co-chaired by Jenny Holaday and Pam Everhart. If you missed the original survey, we would still love to hear from you. Simply click here.

Beating the Odds! IWF Global Leadership Conference in Vegas


The IWF Global Leadership Conference Nov 1-3 is fast approaching and IWF/MA is right on theme with ‘beating the odds’ - We have a record number of members attending this year. It’s not too late to join this wonderful group of women (see list below). Just click here and you can easily sign up. Special thanks to Fay Donohue, for hosting Vegas-bound women at a luncheon at her home on October 12th. 

Fiona Calnan

Cady Coleman

Elizabeth Cook

Fay Donahue

Priscilla Douglas

Karina Funk

Rosalind Gorin

Judy Habib

Julie Hall

Pam Hamlin

Tony Hayes

Jenny Holaday

Carolyn Jones

Nancy Lurker

Sheryl Marshall

Joyce Murphy

Macaire Pace

Adrienne Penta

Collette Phillips

Lesli Suggs

Alison Taunton-Rigby

Pallavi Verma

Welcome New Members

 

While our major recruitment occurs in the fall, we’re excited to announce that we welcomed in 10 new members over the summer: Helen Burt, Chief Customer Officer, National Grid; Shelby Chamberlain, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder, Patient Discovery Systems; Aisha Francis, President & CEO, Ben Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology; Megan Greenfield, Partner, McKinsey; Patricia Howard, Chief Operating Office, Point32Health; Marisa Kelly, President, Suffolk University; Celina Li, Global, Chief Commercial Officer, Ocean Spray; Tsedal Neeley, Harvard Business School; Nicole Obi, President & CEO, Black Economic Council of MA; Roxanne Martinez, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, DentaQuest.


Feel free to nominate women you may know for Membership Committee review. It may be helpful to be aware that in addition to our membership criteria (which Kirsten can provide to you), we are focused on achieving diversity of race, ethnicity, age and industry. Kudos to Chairs Roz Gorin and Nancy Lurker for terrific progress on that front!

Upcoming Programs



Wednesday, September 28th: we’ll hold our 16th Annual Women Opening Doors for Women. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, IWF/MA board member, president of Simmons College, and co-author of Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership. It’s not too late if you’d like to join- click here to register. We appreciate the hard work of Susan Esper, Tara Levine and Lesli Suggs to make this happen virtually.


Thursday October 6th: Heidi Wyle will host the next Metrowest Supper Club at Il Capriccio in Waltham. All are welcome! Click here to register and reserve your spot.


Thursday, October 13th: we will celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with a look at changing demographics with Marcela Aldaz-Matos, Yvonne Garcia, Carmen Ortiz, and Vanessa Rosado-Calderon. Click here to register for this program.


Monday, October 24th: you won't want to miss our Up Close and Personal With….Cathy Minehan. Cathy has had a fascinating career both as president of the Boston Federal Reserve and as a leader on profit/non-profit boards such as Mass General and the Museum of Fine Arts. Click here to register. 


Stay tuned- so much more to come. But be sure to hold Monday December 5, 6-8pm for our Annual Meeting and Holiday Reception. 

Sustaining Momentum


I’ll close how I opened. We’ve got a very special organization here, and it’s getting better all the time. The theme of our September Board meeting was “Sustaining Momentum” and in the parlance of gaming, here’s the winning trifecta for a strong future for IWF/MA: (1) member engagement, (2) financial solvency and (3) succession planning. Plan on hearing more in the coming months, but in the meantime be well and enjoy the season.

 

I look forward to seeing you at an event soon!


Warm regards,

Judy A Habib
President
International Women's Forum of Massachusetts
MEMBERS OUT AND ABOUT

IWF/MA Members Hit the Town at Smith & Wollensky


On September 13 Diane Hessan and Carol Fulp hosted an informal get together at Smith & Wollensky in Boston. Over 20 members attended. We had an opportunity to meet some new members, Marcela Aldaz-Matos, Patricia Howard and Marisa Kelly. 


Fun at Smith & Wollensky

(l to r) New members Marisa Kelly and Patricia Howard and Carol Fulp

(l to r) Julie Hall and Jackie Shoback

(l to r) Carmen Ortiz and Diane Fulp

IWF/MA Members Featured at NACD-New England's "The Visionaries Speak"


On September 14th, IWF/MA members Cathy Minehan and Reshma Kewalramani, MD were featured at NACD-New England's special program looking at what to expect globally in 2023. Cathy currently chairs NACD-New England and headed up a wide ranging discussion. As president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Reshma was able to shed light on the biotech workforce and shared supply chain insights- which were greatly affected by Covid-19.

MEMBER NEWS

Juliette Mayers Honored by Simmons University with Phyllis Rappaport Alumnae Achievement Award


CEO, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, author, and motivational speaker Juliette Mayers is this year's recipient of the Phyllis Rappaport Alumnae Achievement Award. This award is given each year to an alumna of the Simmons School of Business who demonstrates outstanding achievement in the field of management. This award is a testament to Juliette's hard work and commitment to creating opportunities for women and advocating for diversity.


In addition to the Rappaport award, the Business School's chapter of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society selected Juliette as this year's Chapter Honoree. In 2018, she received the Gwen Ifill Leadership award from the Simmons Black Alumni Association. Currently, she is a fellow at the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership.

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Questions? Contact Executive Director Kirsten Singleton, ksingleton@iwfma.org, or 603-759-4282.