From the President
Lori F. Reiner, CPA, takes the reins as President of The Forum of Executive Women for the 2003-04 year. In this Q&A session, she talks about her goals for the organization and discusses the work of the various committees.
Q: As the new President, what skills do you bring to this position?
A: As both a certified public accountant and business advisor in a middle-market accounting and consulting firm, I bring both strategic and financial skills to my new role as President of The Forum. These skills will assist our new board of directors to understand the past and will help to lead the discussions that will shape our organization’s future.
Q: What are your top three goals for the year?
A: I have several goals in mind for the year. Given The Forum’s mission of advancing women leaders in the Greater Philadelphia region, among my goals are:
• Increasing member involvement and ultimate retention through our existing committees, as well as new ad hoc committee initiatives, including 501(c)3 discussions, strategic relationships, new and improved Shop The Forum, mentoring, and targeted programming. We have committees that fit a wide range of members’ interests, including Executive Suites; Membership; Programs; Sponsorship; Visibility; and Women, Policy and Politics.
• Increasing the visibility of our Women on Boards research and committee’s work so that we become the “go-to” organization when a company is looking to add a new, qualified candidate to its board of directors.
Proactively recruit senior women in the st1:City>Philadelphia region as new members.
Q: The Forum as an organization has made significant strides over the past few years. What accomplishments stand out in your mind?
A: I couldn’t agree more. We have indeed realized some phenomenal gains in the past few years. I would have to say that one of our biggest advances was the addition of Sharon Hardy as The Forum’s first-ever part-time Executive Director. Sharon has provided leadership and much-needed continuity from the year-to-year volunteer leadership that the officers and board bring to the table. Also, our Forum office, led by Jane Barr Pino and Associates, has allowed our organization to develop the necessary infrastructure that any growing organization needs. Also, the addition of a part-time media relations consultant has been successful in working with the volunteer Visibility Committee to dramatically increase the visibility of our organization’s accomplishments in the local media.
The Executive Suites research and published report, now in its third year, has not only furthered The Forum’s mission but has afforded some of our members the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience as a new member on a for-profit board of directors.
Through the hard work of our Sponsorship Committee, we have been successful in raising increased sponsorship dollars each year that help us fund the costs of The Forum’s committees and initiatives.
The Women, Policy and Politics Committee has been instrumental in facilitating our members’ involvement in the political process. The committee has sponsored several interesting programs, with another planned for this November entitled “In the State Room and at the Captain’s Table—Conversations with Four Philadelphia Women from Governor Rendell’s Cabinet,” including Forum members Rosemarie Greco and Leslie Anne Miller.
Every Forum committee works diligently to advance this organization. Their accomplishments are too numerous to list here! The ones I’ve just mentioned are just a few of the many active committees we have in place.
I am looking forward to another exciting year for The Forum of Executive Women. I encourage every member to get involved in a committee or initiative or to attend a program. One of the reasons this organization has been so successful is that we have the involvement and dedication of so many of our members.
If the past few years are any indication, there will be plenty going on this year for this dynamic organization. Get involved!
Executive Suites Committee Helps Place Several Women on Boards
The Forum’s Executive Suites Committee has been working diligently to see that more women are appointed to boards. The Committee has had several recent successes, as demonstrated by the following women and their board appointments. There are other nominations pending as well.
Recent appointments include:
Helen Bosley, President, Corporate Financial Management, to the board of South Jersey Industries
Pam Godwin, President, Change Partners, to The Philadelphia Foundation
Christine Murphy, Chairman/CEO, Zitner Confections, to Sovereign Bank
Lynn Nowicki, CEO/President, MessageLink, to Oscar Huber
Forum Events
SEPTEMBER 17
Western Suburbs Dinner
Desmond Hotel, Great Valley, Malvern
SEPTEMBER 23
Leadership Breakfast
Speaker: Pat Mitchell, President/CEO, PBS
Four Seasons Hotel
Leading Sponsor: Wachovia
Benefactor Sponsors: Goldenberg Rosenthal, Lee Hecht Harrison; Sunoco; Stradley Ronon; Verizon
OCTOBER 15
“Equal Rights Amendment in PA: Who Won?”
Speaker: Honorable Phyllis W. Beck, Senior Judge, Superior Court of PA
Breakfast Program
NOVEMBER 20
Women, Policy & Politics breakfast program wtih speakers Rosemarie Greco and Leslie Anne Miller
Leading Sponsor: PNC Advisors
Partner: Diversified Search
DECEMBER 2
Holiday Dinner
The Inn at Penn, Philadelphia
Leading Sponsor: Citizens Bank
M E M B E R N E W S
New Members
ELIZABETH A. BROWNING, Luminari, 300 Water St., Ste. 202, Newark, DE 10801, 302-654-5192
ANNA MARIA DIDIO, VP, Human Resources, Fiserv Securities, 2005 Market St., One Commerce Sq., Phila., PA 19103, 215-636-3222
KATHRYN FARLEY, VP, Processing Services, Independence Blue Cross, 1901 Market St., Phila., PA 19103, 610-225-9615
JANE FIRTH, Jane Firth Consulting, 191 Presidential Blvd., #804, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, 610-667-6093
CATHY LYNN GREENBERG, Ph.D., Exec. Dir., Institute for Strategic Leadership, Bennett S. LeBow College of Businesss, 32nd & Market Sts., Phila., PA 19104, 215-895-0322
R. CLARK HOOPER, EVP, NASD, 1735 K. Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, 202-728-8325
CAROL LAWRENCE, Deputy City Rep, Arts & Culture, City of Phila., Office of Cultural Affairs, 1515 Arch St., Phila., PA 19102, 215-683-2090
JANIS LEBUDE, Pres., ProToCall Staffing Services, 1 Cherry Hill, Ste. 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, 856-667-7500, x255
Nancy Reed Marsh, SVP, Human Resources, Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline, 709 Swedeland Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406, 610-270-5967
LORAINE MCLELLAN, Pres., GeoStrategy Consulting, 370 Sycamore Ave., Merion, PA 19066, 610-667-8489
GRACEANN MIGLIACCIO, SVP, Human Resources, Commerce Bancorp, 9000 Atrium Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, 856-470-3350
CATHERINE MURPHY, Chief of Staff, Pew Charitable Trusts, 2005 Market St., Phila., PA 19103, 215-575-4713
KATHLEEN OWENS, President, Gwynedd-Mercy College, 1325 Sumneytown Pk., Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437, 215-641-5548
GLORIA RABINOWITZ, Dir., Strategic Analysis & Bus. Dev., AmeriGas Partners, Box 965, Valley Forge, PA 19482, 610-337-1000.
NANCY REARDON, EVP, Comcast Cable Communications, 1500 Market St., Phila., PA 19102, 215-981-8497
PAMELA SCHREIBER, VP, HR/IR, Resource America, 1845 Walnut St., 10th fl., Phila., PA 19103, 215-546-5005
LISETTE SHIRDAN-HARRIS, Pres., Nat. Coalition of 100 Black Women, Phila. Ch, 661 N. Broad, Phila., PA 19123, 215-783-3880
WENDY WHITE, VP, General Counsel, University of Pennsylvania, 133 S. 36th St., Ste. 300, Phila., PA 19104, 215-746-5240
Speeches/Publications
GAIL BUBENICK, CEO, Sierra Communications, spoke at the Commercial Development and Marketing Association’s annual conference on “How to Turn Resistance to Change into Successful Results in the New Paradigm of Marketing.”
FRANCINE CARB, Owner, AlphaGraphics, and President/CEO, Markitects, participated in the Lafayette College Circle Entrepreneur Series, where she spoke to more than 100 college seniors regarding her experiences as a 12-year veteran and business owner/ entrepreneur.
SUZANNE FAIRLIE, President, ProSearch, facilitated a panel discussion at the CIO Forum; facilitated a panel on Outsourcing Initiatives at a meeting of the Society for Information Management; spoke at the Texas Association of Personnel Consultants conference; and was named to the MIS Advisory Board for LaSalle University. Also, her company was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s list of Top 25 Executive Search Firms.
KAREN FRIEDMAN, President, Karen Friedman Enterprises, was featured in the Sunday edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer and in O’Dwyers national magazine for public relations professionals. Also, she published an article entitled “Help from the Heart” in the Crisis Manager.
HARRIET HANKIN, President, CGI Consulting Group, spoke on “How GDT Fights the Rising Cost of Healthcare” at the Outsourcing Employee Benefits and HR Functions Conference in Las Vegas.
TINE HANSEN-TURTON, Executive Director, National Nursing Centers Consortium, wrote an article for the May 2003 issue of Policy, Politics and Nursing Practice and co-authored an article on national nursing centers consortium for the May 12 issue of Advance for Nurses.
ELAYNE HOWARD, President, Elayne Howard & Associates, co-authored the article “A Break from Tradition” in the Summer issue, Marketing Health Services.
SUSAN JAFFE moderated a panel on “The American Jewish Community and American Culture” at The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
ANDREA KRAMER, Principal in the Law Offices of Andrea R. Kramer, was a panel participant in “Legal Issues for Employers of Contingent Workers” before the HR Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Business Law Section.
VICKI KRAMER, Principal, V. Kramer & Associates, gave a talk to Leadership Inc. and published an article on the importance of self-assessment for nonprofit boards. Also, she was the keynote speaker at faculty day at Drexel University’s College of Medicine, speaking on the topic “Negotiating the Politics of Organizations.”
RENEE LOVE, President/CEO, Omega Group, led a Brand Strategy Summit for the U.S. Army. Also, she was named to the board of the Nellie Berman Music Institute and Rural Education and Development.
LINDA RESNICK, President, CEO Resources, was part of a panel discussion on Education and Economics: Merging Priorities for the Future of the Philadelphia Region, presented by LeBow College of Business and the Philadelphia Academies.
ROSEANN B. ROSENTHAL, President/CEO, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, served on the National Science Foundation’s review panel for the Partnership for Innovation Program and presented at the Kauffman Foundation’s national Angel Organization Summit in Chicago. Also, she was elected to the board of the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia and served on the Governor’s transition team.
IVY SILVER, President, The Commonwealth Consulting Group, was a speaker on employee benefit cost management at The Freedom Credit Union Annual Member Luncheon. Also, she was appointed chair of both the Budget and Retirement Plan Committees of Abington Memorial Hospital.
PATRICIA WELLENBACH, Executive Director, The Wellness Community of Philadelphia, delivered the commencement speech at Harcum College’s graduation in May.
CYNTHIA WOLLMAN, President, Sun Printing House, participated in a panel discussion at VuePoint, a Graphic Arts industry event, on “Matrixes in Your Business.” Also, Cynthia was appointed chairperson for the Women’s Enterprise Leadership Forum.
Awards
FORUM MEMBERS who received the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2003 Best 50 Women in Business Award were LYNDA BARNESS, The Barness Organization; KAREN KAUFMAN, The Kaufman Partnership; LINDA MCALEER, The Melior Group; DIANNE SEMINGSON, DLS International; SALLY STETSON, Salveson Stetson Group; and CYNTHIA WOLLMAN, Sun Printing House.
JULIE LIEDMAN, Principal, The Write Stuff, won a 2003 APEX Award, presented by Communications Concepts, for The Forum’s Women on Boards 2002 report.
CHARISSE LILLIE, Litigation Department Chair, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, and her firm received major recognition from the Pennsylvania Bar Association for their support of women in the legal profession. The firm received the PBA’s Award for the Promotion of Women to Leadership Positions, and Charisse was honored with the Ann X. Alpen Award, which is given to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law.
MARGARET MCCAUSLAND, Partner, Blank Rome LLP, was included in the 13th edition of Who’s Who in American Law published in August, and was named a member of National MS Society 2003 Leadership Class Program, which recognizes Philadelphia area professionals active in business, civic, and cultural communities. Also, she became president of the board of CeaseFire PA, the only statewide organization devoted to the elimination of gun violence through education and the passage of sensible gun legislation.
JACQUELINE SHULMAN, Attorney, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel, was honored by the Women’s Center of Montgomery County for her contribution and inspirational example of empowerment.
GERI SWIFT, President, Women’s Business Development Center, was awarded the 2003 Benjamin Franklin Iris Newman Award, which recognizes companies that excel in leadership and innovation.
Business Moves/News
MARJ ADLER, after 40 years in Center City, has relocated to Miami to accept the position of Chief Personnel Officer for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Her telephone number is 305-995-7008.
MARTI CANDIELLO is Chief Counsel for Sunoco’s Chemicals business, responsible for all legal affairs for Sunoco Chemicals. Her new number is 215-977-3471.
TERRY GILLEN was named by Governor Edward Rendell as Special Assistant for Policy in the state’s Department of Economic Development.
GLORIA GUARD, President, People’s Emergency Center, announced a new partnership between People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation and Duane Morris LLP. Duane Morris made a $1 million, 10-year commitment of financial support to PECCDC as part of the city’s newly established commercial development partnership program.
CLAUDIA POST, President, Diamond Transportation Group, announced that her company will move its corporate offices and distribution center to a new, larger facility in the Erie Avenue section of Philadelphia this fall. Also, Claudia will be speaking on “The Art of Schmoozing” at Courier Weekend 2003 in Philadelphia.
BONNIE SHARPS has joined a start-up company called i3Archive, Inc. as Vice President of Business Development. The company is commercializing a product called National Digital Mammography Archive, developed over the past 10 years by four major university hospitals, IBM, the National Scalable Cluster Labs, and Oak Ridge Labs.
VIRGINIA SIKES was named Managing Partner of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads.
Appointments/Elections
ELIZABETH BENNETT, Founder, Bennett & Associates, was appointed to serve on the Bryn Mawr Trust Company’s Women’s Advisory Board. She also was a speaker at the Women’s Resource Center’s “Navigating Divorce” program.
PAMELA GODWIN, President, Change Partners, was appointed to the board of The Philadelphia Foundation. Also, she was a keynote speaker at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals R&D Leadership Development Seminar.
EILEEN HEISMAN, President, The National Philanthropic Trust, chaired the Charitable Giving Forum in New York this past July. Also, Eileen was one of 31 fundraising professionals from around the world to be named an ePhilanthropy Master Trainer by the ePhilanthropy Foundation.
IRENE HORSTMANN HANNAN, Senior Vice President, Wachovia Bank, was appointed by Governor Rendell to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women. Also, she was elected to Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s board of directors.
LYN KREMER, Publisher, Philadelphia Business Journal, was appointed to the boards of the Independence Visitor Center Corporation and the Anti-Defamation League. Also, she was a keynote speaker at the Burlington County Chamber of Commerce annual membership luncheon.
EMMY MILLER, President, Liberty Business Strategies, was named to the board of Bala Consulting Engineers.
DANIELA HOLT VOITH, Principal, Voith & Mactavish Architects, was appointed to the board of directors of Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a nonprofit established to facilitate new investment opportunities and to ensure meaningful returns for businesses committed to growing the state’s economy.
JUDITH VON SELDENECK, Chairman, Diversified Search, was appointed to the Teleflex board of directors.
KATHLEEN WILKINSON, Partner, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, was appointed to the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates. She also was chosen to be co-vice chair of the Commission on Women in the Profession for the Pennsylvania Bar Assocation.