October 2000 Newsletter

CONTENTS

FEATURES

COLUMNS AND REPORTS

Milissa Tadeo Outlines Her Goals as Forum President

Milissa Tadeo, Senior Vice President, The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, is The Forum’s President for 2000-2001. She has been a Forum member for eight years and a member of the board for two years. In this Q&A session, Milissa outlines her goals as Forum President and talks about the organization in general.

Q: What are your goals as President of The Forum?

A: I have two main goals for the year. First and foremost, I would like to see the Strategic Plan completed because it will give us our focus for the next three years and provide our committees and our new executive director with some direction. I’d like for our members to embrace the creation of a one-time strategic initiative to enhance our visibility in the business community, which is called for in the Strategic Plan. Second, we need to make better use of our web site as a tool to promote the visibility of The Forum. We’re already working with Forum board member Linda Rosanio of The STAR Group on some of our priorities regarding the web site, for example, adding links to other organizations and updating our member database.

Q: What programs are you most excited about this year?

A: Of course, the Leadership Breakfast was a highlight–but the entire progam lineup is exciting. I’m looking forward to a dynamic political program on October 25th. And I believe the alliances we’ve formed with other organizations such as WHYY, for example, have led to some great programs–especially the Women’s Leadership Series.

We have a full program plate this year. In fact, we’re in the process of "re-prioritizing" our programs. We’ve had so many suggestions from our members and so many members volunteering to do programs that we’ve had to take another look at just how many programs we can do this year! So, be ready for a really packed program year!

Q: One of the highlights of every program year is definitely the Leadership Breakfast. Why do you think this program is so successful?

A: We’re in our third year of this series, and this year we had the largest attendance ever–370. Next year we will definitely need a bigger room! I think this program is so successful for a number of reasons. It represents an opportunity for our members to bring together their customers, fellow executives and business partners in one setting and "talk up" The Forum. It also confirms that our members are committed to this organization and want to give it exposure.

Q: The Forum committees are off to a great start this year. Can you comment on some of the committees and what you hope they can accomplish?

A: We have more committees than ever this year, all focused on our goals as an organization and on enhancing our visibility in the community. Women in Politics is working to advance women as political leaders, provide the opportunity for our members to get involved politically and enhance the political awareness of our members. The Visibility Committee is focusing on our web site, while Media Dialogue continues to publicize The Forum NewsNet. Media Dialogue is working on other initiatives to give our organization increased exposure and enhanced media coverage. Membership has developed a recruiting list and has refocused on membership criteria. This committee is targeting prospective members and has established recruitment and retention objectives. Many good ideas came out of the September session of the ad-hoc Strategic Planning Committee, and they are compiling these ideas for review and action by the committees. The Executive Suite Committee is developing plans to encourage the inclusion of greater numbers of women on boards, and our Communications Committee is active in establishing standards for communicating with our membership. There are other committees as well, and I would encourage any members interested in more information to contact The Forum office.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful year as Forum President. This is an exciting time for our organization, and I’m happy to be part of it.

–Milissa Tadeo

Jack Brennan Defines "The Vanguard Leader" at Forum Breakfast

If there is one price of leadership, it is that a leader is "never allowed to have a bad day. If a leader has a bad day, the entire organization will have a bad day." According to Jack Brennan, that is the "best leadership lesson" he has learned in his 25-year career.

"Never a Bad Day" was the theme when John J. ("Jack") Brennan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard, shared his management philosophy with The Forum membership and guests at the sold-out Leadership Breakfast on September 19 at the Loews Hotel.

Jack Brennan generously shared a personal anecdote providing the springboard for his remarks. Brennan recounted a conversation with a chief executive officer of another company who telephoned him on a Friday afternoon. The CEO told Brennan that he had just fired a top manager, not really named Bob, "who had contributed substantially to the company’s bottom line success." Despite this contribution, the manager was "destroying the company" because "everyday (the CEO) could tell whether it was a good ‘Bob’ day or a bad ‘Bob’ day."

"If an executive has free rein to rampage," then "people think that’s behavior to emulate." In turn, according to Brennan, "If rampaging gets you ahead, everyone wants star treatment." That is why at Vanguard, "crew members," as Brennan proudly refers to his colleagues, "do not want star treatment." For "The Vanguard Leader," also the title of Brennan’s book, the emphasis must be on others. "Vanguard leaders must put clients’ interests and crew members’ interests first."

Brennan expects people to "lead by example." He acknowledged that there are many qualities applicable to leadership of any organization, including "good character, loving what you do, being very competitive, decisiveness, willingness to accept responsibility, valuing diversity and having fun." He focused, however, on five "key traits" or "rules for excellence" that Vanguard expects of its leaders:

1.Leaders must "choose substance over glamour."

2. At Vanguard, leadership requires "fostering teamwork and minimizing politics."

3. "Leaders must grow personally, intellectually and professionally."

4. The Vanguard Leader "sets high standards and is demanding."

5. To succeed at Vanguard, a leader must live by the credo, "No nostalgia, no complacency."

Of the two competing leadership style philosophies–the "positive leading by example school" or the "more aggressive, in your face leadership style"–Brennan is an icon for the positive model. Quoting Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower from his days as General, Brennan cautioned, "You do not lead people by hitting them over the head. That’s assault, not leadership."

"Leadership is easy when life is good." In response to an audience question, Brennan advised that when "dealing with difficult issues, experienced leaders matter more, and you can’t let emotion intercede." Given Brennan’s keen sensitivity to leadership responsibilities, it comes as no surprise that Vanguard’s "retention rate is two times the industry average, and most turnover occurs in year one or two." At Vanguard, Brennan’s crew members are rewarded "for staying longer."

The Forum thanks the following companies for their generous support of our Leadership Breakfast:

Sponsors:

Health Partners

Image Group

Salveson Stetson Group, Inc.

The STAR Group

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

Unisys Corp.

Contributing Sponsors:

Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley, LLP

Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors

Sunoco, Inc.

The Touchstone Partnership, Ltd.

Forum Focus Profile — Stephanie Naidoff

Forum Member Stephanie Naidoff considers herself a lucky woman. She is President of, as she calls it, "the most exciting Philadelphia project of our lifetime."

She’s talking about developing the Regional Performing Arts Center (RPAC), a 2500-seat concert hall and 650-seat multiuse recital theater located on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. Termed "The Crown Jewel of Philadelphia’s Arts and Cultural Renaissance," the center will be a brilliant showcase for the performing arts in Philadelphia and, when completed, will be home to seven resident companies.

Construction on the project is moving along well, and Stephanie says RPAC is scheduled to open in December 2001. She has been President of RPAC for 3 years, although she says discussions about this center have been around for some 20 years.

"What has been most wonderful for me is to see the enthusiasm this project has generated in a city that didn’t seem to believe in itself," she says.

Forum members had a chance to tour RPAC in the spring during the "Avenue of the Arts Breakfast Tour," led by Stephanie. She says this was a chance for this group "to see how we are working hard to deliver a world-class facility to Philadelphia, a facility that will be a landmark and a legacy to future generations."

For Stephanie, a former corporate lawyer with a background in health care, work on RPAC has been very different–and challenging. "The biggest difference is the entrepreneurial piece of it," she says. "I didn’t realize how much I’d love the risk-taking and the stretching required to put together a project like this! It’s been an exhilarating experience in every respect."

She also talks about managing the "three legs" of this project: construction, fund raising and institution-building. With construction well on its way, Stephanie has met the fund-raising challenges head-on. The project is now 94% funded, close to the $255 million project goal. Stephanie is optimistic that RPAC will reach its goal in the near term.

And she is determined to make this Center "not only a world-class building, but a world-class enterprise." To that end, she has attracted top-notch talent to help run RPAC, her "Dream Team," as she calls them: John Fernandez, Director of Operations, who was the long-time operations chief at Carnegie Hall; Bill Lockwood, head of Programming, who was Director of Programming at Lincoln Center for over 30 years; and Sandra Horrocks, Director of Marketing and Communications, who had the same role at the Philadephia Museum of Art for 31 years.

For Stephanie, this has definitely been "the job of a lifetime." She and RPAC certainly make a good team.

The Forum’s Executive Suite Committee meets every four to six weeks to develop plans of action to encourage the inclusion of greater numbers of women on Boards of Directors and in senior management. The Committee is particularly encouraged by the success of The Forum’s counterparts in Boston and Atlanta with respect to these issues.

The Committee is developing its action plan, and would like to include a Forum program for the Spring and recognition in the Fall of those local companies that have a significant female board presence.

The Committee is seeking new members and welcomes your support.–Lila Booth and Katie O’Brien, Committee Chairs

The Forum Women in Politics Committee, chaired this year by Forum Vice President Barbara Teaford, was formed to increase awareness of political issues and opportunities for our membership. With heightened awareness and information, it is hoped that more women will become active in the political process.

In addition to facilitating a process by which Forum members could volunteer for Politicalfest during the Republican Convention, the committee produced and distributed a survey to determine what aspects of the political process interested our members. In addition, members of the committee researched and located web sites dealing with politics that we plan to share with our members. It is our goal in the not-too-distant future to link these web sites to our Forum web site, helping to give our members power through information.

Don't miss The Forum's dynamic fall program organized by the Committee, "Politics, Influence and Lobbying: Who, How, When." (See The Forum calendar for details.)

Our committee welcomes new members. Please call The Forum office for more information.

Forum Committees and their Chairs for 2000-01 are:

Communications –Marian Marchese, 215-790-3250

Executive Suite– Lila Booth, 610-825-8244, and Katie O’Brien,

215-772-7288

Finance and Administration– Lori Reiner, 215-881-8853

Media Dialogue– Donna Brennan, 610-469-8765

Membership – Sally Stetson,

610-341-9020

Shop the Forum – Marlene Henkin, 215-625-1074

Program – Gaye Pino, 800-533-2737, x105

Visibility – Linda Rosanio,

856-488-2000

Women in Politics– Barbara Teaford, 215-861-7012

Forum Presents Two Awards at Annual Meeting

The Forum presented two prestigious awards at its annual meeting in June:

Melissa Weiler Gerber, Executive Director, WOMENS WAY, was named winner of the 2000 Forum Award. This award is presented annually to an up-and-coming executive woman who has spent 7-10 years building a strong career base, demonstrated outstanding leadership within her organization and has a strong commitment to her own professional development and that of other women. As part of her award, The Forum will sponsor attendance at a leadership development program. Melissa has chosen to attend Leadership Inc. in Philadelphia.

The Forum’s Star Award was presented to State Sen. Allyson Schwartz. This award is given to a Forum member who by her example and actions exemplifies the values and mission of The Forum. Among her many good works, Allyson is an outspoken voice for the needs of women, children and families.

New Members

Anne J. Casey, Global Director, Advertising and Branding, Deloitte Consulting, Chadds Ford Business Campus, Chadds Ford, PA 19317, 610-361-5999

Ellen M. Cavanaugh, Vice Pres.,

Electric Supply & Transmission,

PECO Energy Co., 2301 Market St., Phila., PA 19101, 215-841-5200

Christina Cox, The Communications Group, 675 Cherrydale Dr., Lafayette Hill, PA 19444, 610-940-3630

Paulette A. Gabriel, AVP-Human Resources, Wyeth Ayerst Global Pharmaceuticals, 150 Radnor Chester Rd., St. Davids, PA 19087, 610-902-3138

Irene Horstmann Hannan, Sr. Vice Pres., First Union National Bank,

Widener Bldg., 1339 Chestnut St.,

Phila., PA 19103, 610-834-2421

Diana Harding, Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, 738 Roberts Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, 215-546-1738

Leslie Harrison, Carelift International, Ste. 425-GSB Bldg., 1 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004,

610-617-0995

Karen F. Minyard, SVP & Managing Dir., Women’s Financial Services Network, PNC Advisors, 1600 Market St., Phila., PA 19103, 215-585-5566

Julie M. Reed, SVP, First Union National Bank, 123 S. Broad St., Phila., PA 19103, 215-985-3057

Sue Perrotty, General Banking Exec.,

First Union National Bank-PA/Del.,

Widener Bldg., 1339 Chestnut St.,

Phila., PA 19103, 610-655-2473

Frances S. Sanchez, SVP, Bus. Development, Prudential Fox & Roach, #2 International Plaza, Phila., PA 19113

Ann E. Scanlan, SVP, Right Management Consultants, 1818 Market St., 33rd fl., Phila., PA 19103, 215-640-7167

Jacqueline Z. Shulman,

Obermayer Rebman Maxwell & Hippel, LLP, One Penn Center, 1617 JFK Blvd., Phila., PA 19103, 215-665-3134

Judith N. Vredenburgh, Pres./CEO,

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,

230 N. 13th St. Phila., PA 19107,

215-665-7738

Forum Events

WHYY Women’s Leadership Series (in partnership with The Forum of Executive Women)

(Contact Key Keenze, WHYY, 215-351-2070, for information)

October 18

Investing & Finance

Place: WHYY, Philadelphia

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Speaker: Forum member Emma Chappell

October 25

Women: A Look at Our Future

Place: WHYY

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Speaker: Panel discussion

Forum Monthly Programs

(Contact The Forum office, 215-628-9944, for information)

October 25

"Politics, Influence and Lobbying: Who, How, When"

Place: The Downtown Club

Time: 5:00-7:30 p.m.

November 14

"Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman"

Place: Free Library of Philadelphia

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Speaker: Esther Wachs, author

November 30

Women of Distinction Awards Dinner

Place: Society Hill Sheraton

Time: TBA

December

Forum Holiday Dinner

Details TBA

January 2001

New Member Breakfast

Details TBA

March 14

Alice Neel Program

Place: Philadelphia Museum of Art

Time: TBA

June

Forum Annual Meeting

Details TBA

Member News

LYNDA BARNESS, President, The Barness Organization, is proud to announce that her company is celebrating its 75th year in the homebuilding business.

HAPPY CRAVEN FERNANDEZ, President, Moore College of Art & Design, reports that the college celebrated the opening of a spectacular building and campus-wide renovations at its "Diamonds on the Parkway" Celebration in September.

JANET BRUTSCHEA HAUGEN has been elected Chief Financial Officer, Unisys Corp.

MIMI MCGETTIGAN KEHAN has been named Chair and CEO of McGettigan Partners. Most recently, she held the position of President and COO of the 70-year-old firm.

DIANA MOY KELLY has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer, Flagship Credit Corp., a consumer automobile finance company.

DENISE MARBACH, Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, has a new address: Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market St., Phila., PA 19103. Telephone: 267-330-2205.

KATIE MCDONALD has been named Chief Credit Officer for the Atlantic Bank, responsible for underwriting, portfolio management, portfolio reporting and special assets. She was previously State Head of Underwriting for the Penn/Del Region.

EMMY MILLER, President, Liberty Business Strategies, Ltd., designed and facilitated the 4th Chief Technology Officer’s Conference for Internet Capital Group. Also, she co-chaired the Human Resource Planning Society’s Annual Conference, "The Growth Imperative."

LYNN NOWICKI was nominated for an Eisenhower Fellowship by fellow Forum members Jane Pepper and Rosemarie Greco. She was selected as an alternate from a field of more than 250 nominees.

GAYE PINO has recently acquired Paper and Ribbon Supply Co. She is CEO/President and sole shareholder of the new corporation, CHIMIJEN (d.b.a. Paper & Ribbon Supply Co.)

BARBARA PLAGER is the new Medicaid Product Manager, Aetna US Healthcare-Midatlantic Region.

CLAUDIA POST, President, Diamond Courier Service, tells us her company is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Also, Claudia has been elected to the board, the Messenger Courier Association of the Americas (MCAA). She will chair the association’s education committee. Also, Claudia spoke at the MCAA’s Executive Leadership Series Conference and at the Courier Weekend Conference.

JOAN POLLACK is a Financial Planner at Progress Financial Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of Progress Financial Corp., whose primary business is Progress Bank of Blue Bell. Joan will concentrate her practice in investments, retirement and estate planning.

LORI REINER has been promoted to Partner, Goldenberg Rosenthal, LLP, a 150-member Delaware Valley-based business advisory and CPA firm. She is the first female partner in the firm’s history.

LINDA ROSANIO, CEO, The STAR Group, announced that her company has been named agency of record for NAI Direct.com and KeraVision.

STACEY SAUCHUK is Senior Consultant, Education Management Network, a division of executive search firm Witt-Kieffer. Previously, she was President of The Art Institute of Philadelphia for five years. Telephone: 610-649-8313.

SALLY STETSON, Principal, Salveson Stetson Group, tells us her company has moved its offices to 995 Old Eagle School Rd., Ste. 315, Wayne, PA 19087. Telephone: 610-341-9120. Also, Sally has been appointed to the board of the Human Resource Planning Society.

KAROL M. WASYLYSHYN, President, Leadership Development, is Chair of the Governance Committee, Human Issues in Management Conference, the oldest continuous management conference in the world for senior line executives and human resources professionals.

STATE REP. CONNIE WILLIAMS helped kick off the pilot program E-Z Pass, an electronic toll collection system for the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Anyone wishing more information about E-Z Pass should call Connie’s office, 610-992-9790, or visit her web site at www.pahouse.net/williams.

ELIZABETH BENNETT, Founder, Bennett & Associates, has been elected Executive Director, Collaborative Family Law Affiliates, a newly formed network of independent professionals providing a referral organization for creating teams of accountants, therapists and lawyers.

BERYL BYLES, Principal, Bridge Consulting Associates, has been elected President of the Board, The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, a community of professional and volunteer choral musicians committed to the core values of artistic excellence and music education.

SUZANNE FAIRLIE, Founder and President, ProSearch, has been elected to the board, the Pinnacle Society, a National Honorary Society whose membership includes the top 50 producing recruiters in the U.S.

JOANNE FISCHER, Executive Director, Maternity Care Coalition, has been appointed to the WHYY Community Advisory Board.

PAMELA GODWIN, President and COO, GMAC Insurance.com, has been elected to the board and executive committee of Winston-Salem, N.C., Board of Directors, and to the board of Novant Health Systems Triad Region.

ANN HENRY, Vice President, Corporate Resources, Compaq Financial Services, has been appointed to the Board of Trustees, Marywood University, Scranton, Pa.

KAREN KAUFMAN, Co-Founding Principal, The Kaufman Partnership, has been appointed to the Board of Advisors, School of Business Administration, Philadelphia University, and has been elected Program Co-Chair for the Philadelphia Human Resource Planning Group.

BONNIE PLUNKETT, Managing Director, Alternative Capital Source LLC, has been appointed to the board of the Opera Company of Philadelphia.

CARO ROCK, Associate Publisher, Main Line Life, has been appointed Chairman of the Board, the Rock School, official school of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Also, she has been named to the Board of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce and will serve as a member of its executive committee.

FRANCES SANCHEZ, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Prudential Fox & Roach, has been elected to the board of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

TINE HANSEN-TURTON, Executive Director, Regional Nursing Centers Consortium, has been elected President, the Delaware Valley National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

SPEECHES/PUBLICATIONS

LILA BOOTH, General Partner, LBCII, moderated a round table on "Mergers and Acquisitions: The Cultural Implications" for the Inc. 500 Conference. Participants were CEOs of companies named by Inc. as among the 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

MARJORIE BRODY, President, Brody Communications, tells us her book, Professional Impressions: Etiquette for Everyone, Every Day, was published in July, and her article on team presentations appeared in the July issue of The Toastmaster Magazine. Also, the company haa moved to 815 Greenwood Ave., Jenkintown, PA 19046. Telephone: 215-886-1688.

TERRI GELBERG, President, Gelberg & Associates, PC, was an invited speaker at the American Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in London, in conjunction with the Bar of England andWales.

SUZANNE GREENBERG, Senior Vice President and Municipal Bond Portfolio Manager, Cumberland Advisors, was interviewed by Reuters News about the $400-million municipal bond sale for the West Penn-Allegheny Health System.

FRANCINE FRIEDMAN GRIESING, Esq., Member, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, moderated a panel at a Bar Association Federal Bench Bar conference and spoke for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute on "E-Commerce and the Attorney-Client Privilege."

VICKI KRAMER, Principal, V. Kramer & Associates, spoke on mentoring to a law firm forum and had an article on mentoring programs in the Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report.

WENDY ROSE, Partner, Financial Advisory Services, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, presented "Managing a Mountain of Paper–Practical Tips for High-Tech, Low-Tech or No-Tech Document Management in Litigation" to the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry in Washington, D.C. Also, she was elected Chair, Board of Directors, WOMENS WAY, for a two-year term, and elected to the Board, Philadelphia Bar Association.

GERI SWIFT, President, Women’s Business Development Center, appeared on WYBE-TV’s Philly Live broadcast and on the WHAT-AM Community Business Development broadcast. She and the WBDC also hosted a press conference and celebration announcing a $600,000 five-year Sustainability Grant from the SBA. Also, Geri served as a member of the Women’s Entrepreneurs Panel at Drexel University’s second annual e-day conference.

AWARDS

HARRIET HANKIN, President, CGI Consulting Group, was selected as one of Pennsylvania’s 50 Best Women in Business for the year 2000 by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the business journals of Pennsylvania. Harriet was also selected to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Leadership Class of 2000. Also, CGI was honored for its excellence in leadership by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and PACE at the Seventh Annual Business and Community Excellence Tribute banquet.

DANIELA HOLT VOITH, Principal, Voith & Mactavish Architects, received an ABC Excellence in Construction Award for Philips Memorial Hall, West Chester University.

KATHLEEN WAGNER, Senior Vice President of Education, The Philadelphia Zoo, received a Sarah Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of Women in Communications in the field of Education.

AHMEENAH YOUNG, Senior Vice President, Pennsylvania Convention Center, received the 2000 President’s Award from the Philadelphia Area Chapter of Meetings Professionals International.