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July  2018
In This Issue
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Business leaders as control freaks
Rosalind Henderson
- NAWBO-LA

A control freak refers to a person who must be in control of all things and people. This is the micromanager who nitpicks about performance to such an extent, workers are emotionally exhausted and anxious.

But a control freak, in my mind, is a leader who practices self-regulation, who is the locus on control. Such a leader is the strong center in a cyclonic tornado of activity and conflict in the workplace. In fact, we look to our leaders to remain calm, rational and inspirational even in the most challenging circumstances.  Continue reading.
Chapter Events 
Sacramento: Lunch and Learn on August 1

Chapter Update
The Silicon Valley Chapter celebrated its new board installation on Tuesday, June 26th, at the Capital Club in downtown San Jose. The evening was met with new and renewed excitement, as we welcome new board members and honor those who previously served.

We are very thankful to our immediate past president, Maxine Goulding, along with our past board members, who have built a strong foundation. We are the only chapter that has an International Affairs Director, Griselda Quezada-Chavez, who will continue to bring our international interests to the forefront. 

We have created two positions for Membership of Recruiting and Retention Director, Randi Ross and Vandana Agrawal, which will equalize the importance of our growth and retention. 

Also, we have a new position for Liaison Director, Jennifer Dizon, who will help us be more involved and knowledgeable of our CA NAWBO endeavors. Lastly, attracting and engaging Millennials as NAWBO members will be important. We're lucky to have Melissa Grimshaw-Vargas join us as Director of Programs, who has a wide outreach and network in this sector.
President's Message
NAWBO-CA Welcomes You!
 
Immediate Past-President of NAWBO CA Anne Staines has made my life r e a l l y easy. I'm jumping in on a 
beautiful wave of momentum and goals accomplis hed  for and with you and your fellow 1.5 million women business owners across California.

 

- SB826 is sailing nicely through the Senate and toward the Governor's Desk. You can support this effort of having a place for at least one woman on every Publicly held BOD by sending letters to your representatives. Look to Lori Kammerer, Diane DeMailly, Betsy Berkheimer-Crediare and your NAWBO Chapter Advocacy Directors for details each step of the way. August is a BIG Month for this process.


 

- Propel 2019 (April 28-30, 2019 in Sacramento) is already being planned to exceed your expectations for your business growth and relationship acceleration. Contact Hilary Lentini to raise your hand and jump onto her committee.


 

- Our CA BOD is exploring new and exciting options to partner with more organizations across the state and expose more women to this wonderful world of NAWBO. WBEC-Pacific took the lead here and sent 14+ members to Propel this year. Let's keep this partnership growing.


 

- SheAngels is our new nationwide event...with lots of love locally. It'll be in LA and it's a successful Pitch Fest our partner Karma360 created last year to support women-owned start-ups as well as next funding steps for you women already running great companies. A 6-episode web series is included in this package and NAWBO-CA is a primary partner for the February 23, 2019 event at UCLA. Connect with me if you want to get involved - we are seeking pitchers, panelists, sponsors and attendees. The event drew 200 last year and we are targeting 400 this year! NAWBO National is backing us with nationwide marketing.


 

- Bank of America continues to shine their light and support on each of our chapters and NAWBO CA. Including your local Ambassador in your events and your BOD meetings will strengthen your relationship and grow your chapter through their involvement.


 

Please reach out and let me know what you'd like to see from NAWBO CA this year. I'd love to hear from you directly and learn what's on your mind. To kick-start the conversation I'm hosting an online Coffee with the Pres. It's an open-ended candid discussion to learn what's on your mind and your ideas for becoming even more relevant to successful women business-owners like you.
 
NAWBO CA Coffee with the Pres 
Tue, Aug 14, 2018 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM 

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 

You can also dial in using your phone. 
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212 
Access Code: 472-683-637 

First GoToMeeting? Let's do a quick system check.
 
From BIG IDEAS to little tidbits, from cheerful high fives to supportive hugs, NAWBO women are deliberately present when we're together. We do not compete...we congratulate. We do not shut down...we lift up. And so I encourage you to be present at more NAWBO events this year than you were in last year.
 
Here's my NAWBO Challenge to you! Please challenge yourself to attend and participate in the next six meetings in a row in your chapter. Challenge yourself to bring a new friend to each meeting. And if you want to go next level, raise your hand and jump on a committee. Nothing grows you like you growing something else.
 
Invest in your membership, support your NAWBO Sisters in their journey and let's all blossom! Thanks for reading,

Mindy Bortness
President, NAWBO-CA
SB 826 update

Sponsored by NAWBO-California, SB 826 has already survived the CA State Senate, through three contentious Senate committees, and then the Senate floor vote on May 31st. Now it's going through the gauntlet in the Assembly. On Monday-Tues (June 25-26), it was approved by tough Assembly committees:  Banking & Finance (8 to 0 with two abstentions); then Judiciary (7 to 1, two abstentions.) Many NAWBO members testified at both.

Now, the final two hurdles will occur in August when both houses return after taking July off for summer break: 1) Assembly Appropriations should be Weds Aug 8th; 2) Assembly floor vote has to be taken before Aug. 31, last day of session. We must get 41 out of 80 votes. Then the final step will be the governor's desk for signature in early-mid-Sept. Our lobbyist says Gov. Jerry Brown is in favor. We still have to enlist his support to ensure SB 826 would become law in mid-Sept. We have been warned that, if the bill passes, it may then be challenged in the CA courts because Cal Chamber will likely continue to fight. But even if we lose in court, we will have won huge gains in national public awareness as the first state in nation to pass a law!

This has not been easy! Both the Judiciary committees were toughest because the opposition (Cal Chamber) is adamant that our bill is "unconstitutional" and defies the tradition of "internal affairs doctrine."  The latter term we asked our pro bono attorneys to explain--IAD is a "tradition", not a law, saying that internal activities of corporate boards can only be governed by the laws of the state where they are incorporated.  Most people don't know that 86% of CA corporations are incorporated in Delaware, and another 7% in Maryland. 

Thank you to the many dedicated NAWBO members who have testified and attended the committee hearings over the last several months, flying to Sacramento at each person's own expense, on last-minute notice. Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson appreciates everything NAWBO-CA has done-from Sacramento hearings, to letter-writing, to District mtgs with legislators. It's been a massive effort, and has put NAWBO-California in the spotlight. 

Most people are not aware of how corporate boards work. Incorrect assumptions include: that board openings happen often; that there are not enough qualified women candidates (!) to fill the seats; that there has to be an odd number of directors on a board; and, that the shareholders nominate candidates who are voted on democratically. None of those assumptions are true. In reality, board members decide nominations behind closed doors, and only one nominee is interviewed and selected. Many boards have even numbers of directors (unlike political committees, where odd number is required for the tie-breaker.) because corporate board work is based on overall consensus before actions are taken. They are surprised to hear the statistics-only 16% of board seats are held by women; 15.5% in CA.

SB 826 will require that by the end of 2019, every CA board that does not currently have a woman director must ADD one--and if there's not a natural opening due to retirement, resignation or death of a current board member, then the board must legally add a new board seat specifically for a woman director. The goal is to reach the elusive tipping point when having an all-male board will simply be unthinkable, and just a distant memory.