Inspirational Speakers, Business Networking, Professional Development for Women

2007 Keynote Speakers

	Majora Carter was born, raised, and continues to live and work in the South Bronx, an environmentally challenged community. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 to fight for environmental justice through innovative, economically sustainable projects that are informed by community needs. She earned a 2005 MacArthur Fellowship for her vision, drive, and tenacity as an urban revitalization strategist, and in 2007 she was named one of Newsweek's "Who's Next in 2007", one of New York Post's "50 Most Influential Women in New York City, one of Vibe magazine's "New Power Generation" and was awarded the National Audubon Society's Rachel Carson Award. Ms. Carter is connecting poverty alleviation and the environment in ways that benefit both concerns, demonstrating Clean-Tech solutions for our most persistent urban public health and global climate concerns.
	Nancy Giles is a regular commentator for CBS News Sunday Morning and has worked in all forms of media and entertainment. On radio, she's most well known for being Jay Thomas' sidekick on New York's Jammin' 105 and for co-hosting Giles and Moriarty on WPHT Philadelphia. She starred in TV's China Beach and Delta and was the announcer and sometimes co-host of Fox After Breakfast. She appeared in the films True Crime, Angie, Working Girl, and Big. Ms. Giles has toured with Chicago's Second City and has written and performed two solo pieces: Black Comedy: The Wacky Side of Racism and Notes of a Negro Neurotic. She is currently working on her first book and lives in New York City.
	Doris Kearns Goodwin, PhD, won the Pulitzer Prize in history for the best-selling book No Ordinary Time. She is also the author of Wait Till Next Year, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. Her latest book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, was the winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inaugural Book Prize for American History. Steven Spielberg is developing a feature film based on this New York Times bestseller. Dr. Goodwin is the winner of the Charles Frankel Prize given by the National Endowment for the Humanities. She currently serves as a news analyst for NBC and was the first female journalist to enter the Red Sox locker room.
	Evelyn H. Lauder is the senior corporate vice president of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and serves as vice president of both The Lauder Foundation and The Leonard and Evelyn Lauder Foundation. She is perhaps best known for her formidable role in the battle to defeat breast cancer. In October 1992, she and Alexandra Penney, then editor of SELF magazine, developed the pink ribbon, which has become the worldwide symbol of breast health. In 1993, Mrs. Lauder established The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Under her chairmanship, the Foundation has grown to become the largest national organization dedicated exclusively to funding research relating to the causes, treatment, and possible prevention of breast cancer.
	Indra K. Nooyi is the chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, a world leader in convenient foods and beverages. Ms. Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and chief financial officer in 2001. She is currently a successor fellow at Yale Corporation and serves on the board of directors of several organizations, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In 2007, Ms. Nooyi was named the fifth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine and was named the most powerful woman in business by Fortune magazine in both 2006 and 2007.
	Judith Rodin, PhD has served as president of the Rockefeller Foundation since March 2005. Trained as a research psychologist, Dr. Rodin was previously the president of the University of Pennsylvania and earlier the provost of Yale University. Named president at Penn in 1994, she was the first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution. Dr. Rodin serves on a number of leading non-profit boards, as well as on the boards of AMR Corporation, Citigroup, and Comcast Corporation. She is the author of more than 200 academic articles and chapters, and has written or co-written eleven books.

Panel Speakers

	Alexis Abramson, PhD is an inspiring speaker, corporate consultant, successful author, and award-winning entrepreneur. Her message of respect for elders has been featured in many national publications including TIME, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and People. In addition to many other media outlets, she is a regular, on-air expert gerontologist for NBC's Today show and Weekend Today, roles she has filled since 1997. Dr. Abramson is the author of the Caregivers Survival Handbook as well as Home Safety for Seniors.
	Marci Alboher, a former corporate lawyer, is a columnist/blogger for The New York Times and the author of One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success. Ms. Alboher's articles have appeared in numerous national publications including Time Out New York, Travel and Leisure, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Legal Affairs, covering such topics as workplace issues, entrepreneurship, and travel. A sought-after speaker on workplace trends and career issues, Mrs. Alboher's insights have been covered by countless media outlets including NPR, CNBC, Business Week, The Boston Globe, USA Today, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
	Susan L. Anderson is the chief of staff and deputy director of the Governor's Office of Health Care Reform. Creating this office was Edward G. Rendell's first official action as Governor in 2003. The Office, which was created to reform health care in Pennsylvania, has been credited with many major accomplishments, including Prescription for Pennsylvania, cited nationally as the most expansive health care reform plan in the nation. Prior to this role, Ms. Anderson was a principal in the investment and consulting firm of GRECOventures, Ltd. Prior to that, she founded a female owned law practice in Philadelphia where she practiced for over 20 years. Ms. Anderson currently serves on the National Board of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Board of Directors of the Women's Humane Society of Pennsylvania.
	Denise McGregor Armbrister is senior vice president and executive director of the Wachovia Regional Foundation. She came to this position with extensive banking and nonprofit experience. Since 1984, she has worked at Wachovia in commercial banking and has specialized in healthcare, education, and government banking. Her most recent position at Wachovia before joining the Foundation was vice president and manager of government underwriting and portfolio management for the Northeast Region. Ms. Armbrister is a board member of Harcum College, the Achievement Foundation, Inc., and Delaware Valley Grantmakers Association. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Philadelphia Award.
	Maria Bartiromo is the anchor and managing editor of the nationally syndicated program The Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo, the anchor of CNBC's Closing Bell, and is also a regular contributor to NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News, and other NBC affiliates nationwide. She has a bi-weekly column in Business Week magazineand is also a money columnist for Reader's Digest magazine.
	Alyse Nelson Bloom is a co-founder of the Vital Voices Global Partnership. She is vice president and also serves as senior director of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network, which includes over 5,000 women worldwide in over 80 countries. She attended the U.N.'s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995 and has served as an advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and she serves as a board member of The Women Under Forty Political Action Committee, which helps young women in the United States run for Congress.
	Genevieve Bos is co-founder and publisher of Pink, the nation's only magazine, Web site, and events firm designed exclusively for professional women. Prior to founding Pink, she was a technology entrepreneur for 17 years, during which time she started and sold multiple companies. Ms. Bos is an advisory board member with the Georgia State University Center for Global Business Leadership and a member of the Board of Directors Network, which promotes women to public company boards.
	Norrinda V. Brown is the co-owner of Brown Betty Dessert Boutique (named after her maternal grandmother - Betty), which is located in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia. Ms. Brown is a graduate of the Central High School of Philadelphia, Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia School of Law. A native of Philadelphia, she returned to the city, after practicing law for two years in Washington, D.C., to open the bakery with her mother, Linda. Ms. Brown handles much of the business side of the bakery, including marketing, branding and accounting, while her mother handles the aspects that involve baking and product development. The result is Brown Betty, which specializes in “nostalgic desserts” such as poundcakes, rice pudding and peach cobbler. Since its opening Brown Betty has received a good deal of attention and positive press, including being named one of Philadelphia’s “Best Bakeries” and “Best of Philly Cupcake 2006" by Philadelphia Magazine and just recently being featured in the September issue of O Magazine.
	Margaret Carlson is the chief political columnist for Bloomberg News, the Washington editor of The Week magazine, as well as a frequent commentator on Fox News and MSNBC. Previously, Ms. Carlson was at TIME for 15 years where she was White House correspondent. In 1994, she became the first woman columnist in the magazine's history. For 15 years, she was a panelist on CNN's The Capital Gang. Ms. Carlson joined TIME in January 1988 from The New Republic, where she was managing editor. In her book, Anyone Can Grow Up: How George Bush and I Made It To the White House, she expands on her writings about presidents, politics, morals, children, family, and life lessons.
	Robin Chase is founder and CEO of GoLoco, an online ride-sharing community. She is also founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the largest car-sharing company in the world. She served on the Boston Mayor's Wireless Task Force and the Governor-elect's Transportation Transition Working Committee. Ms. Chase lectures widely and has been frequently featured in major media, including NBC's Today, The New York Times, National Public Radio, Fast Company, Wired, and TIME. She has received many awards, including the Massachusetts Governor's Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, Start-up Woman of the Year, and Fast Company's Fast 50 Champions of Innovation.
	Joan Cleveland is vice president, business development in individual life insurance at Prudential Financial. She has a robust, 25+ year history within the financial services industry. Prior to her recent move to Prudential Financial, she was senior vice president and national sales leader at Genworth Financial (previously GE Financial). Ms. Cleveland is active in multiple industry committees within AALU, LIMRA, and NAILBA, and holds numerous securities licenses. She holds a B.S. in business administration as well as the chartered life underwriter, chartered financial consultant, registered employee benefits consultant, and certified long term care professional designations.
	Marge Connelly is the chief operating officer and president of the business services group at Wachovia Securities, the country's third largest retail brokerage firm. She is responsible for the people, processes, and technology that drive the firm's trading and service activities. Beyond her seasoned career in IT and operations management, Ms. Connelly is lauded for her business and community relations acumen, and has spoken at conferences on topics ranging from leadership, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, and diversity. Ms. Connelly has served on many boards and was named one of Richmond's most influential women by Richmond magazine in 2006.
	Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway is CEO and president of the polling company™ inc., a privately held, woman-owned corporation founded in 1995. WomanTrend, a division of the company, tracks and interprets the social, cultural, financial, professional and health trends influencing—and being influenced by—women. Ms. Conway is one of the most quoted and noted pollsters on the national scene. She was recognized as the most accurate predictor of the 2004 elections and received The Washington Post's Crystal Ball award. She co-authored What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live. Her polling data and op-eds have been published by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New York Post, The Washington Times, USA Today, National Review, Human Events, Investors' Business Daily, and Campaigns and Elections.
	Yvonne Cook joined Highmark Inc. in 2003 as president of the Highmark Foundation and vice president for Community and Health Initiatives. Prior to joining Highmark, Ms. Cook served as the executive assistant to the Allegheny County Chief Executive James Roddey. Ms. Cook currently serves on a variety of boards and committees, as treasurer of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, on Manchester Bidwell Corporation's board of directors, and as board member of the Multicultural Arts Initiative. Ms. Cook was recently honored for her accomplishments by the Health Hope Network with the Florence Nightingale Award in September 2006 and by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women during Women's History Month in March 2006.
	Pam Cope is the co-founder of Touch a Life Ministries, an organization she and her husband started in memory of their son in order to help desperate children in faraway places. The organization began when the Copes decided to use the memorial fund established for their son, who died of a heart defect, to finance shelters for children who were abused, handicapped, living on the street, or orphaned by AIDS in Cambodia and Vietnam. More recently, Ms. Cope's mission of rescuing children, who had been working as indentured servants on fishing boats in Ghana, was featured on Oprah and in The New York Times.
	Lisa Crutchfield serves as senior vice president of regulatory and external affairs for PECO Energy. In this role she is responsible for managing the company's rates and regulatory affairs, governmental and external affairs, energy acquisition, and energy and marketing services divisions. She comes to this role after spending over 17 years in the utility industry, serving as an executive for Duke Energy Corporation and as vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Ms. Crutchfield, a native of the Germantown section of Philadelphia, is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School.
	Patricia Czuba joined Prudential as a member of the long-term care sales team in January of 1999. She has been responsible for the product and sales training of Prudential's agents for long-term care insurance. Prior to her career at Prudential, Ms. Czuba had been with Travelers Insurance and was responsible there for the recruiting and training of agents and general agents for long term care insurance. In addition to holding her insurance licenses, she has attained several industry designations; including: CLU, ChFC, CFP, CLTC, CASL, CSA, and LTCP. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, holding both a bachelor's and master's degree.
	Carolyn Davis is a member of The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board, writes the "Without Borders" column, and has worked extensively on the All Join Hands series examining violence against children. She has served as deputy editorial page editor and an editorial writer since coming to the newspaper in 2001. She also has been on the editorial boards of the Plain Dealer (Cleveland) and the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio. Ms. Davis left journalism for several years to do humanitarian relief work in Cambodia, Rwanda, and the Balkans, where she managed a refugee camp during the Kosovo crisis.
	Sharon Epperson, a correspondent at CNBC since 1996, covers personal finance, the energy markets, and other business and financial news. She is also a personal finance columnist for USA Weekend magazine, a contributor to Essence and TIME magazines, and author of The Big Payoff: 8 Steps for Couples To Make the Most of Their Money — And Live Richly Ever After. Ms. Epperson also teaches a course on professional development for graduate students interested in careers in international media and communications at Columbia University's School of International Public Affairs.
	Jeanine Fallon is a senior vice president for First CommonwealthÒ. Prior to joining First Commonwealth, Ms. Fallon served as senior vice president and district manager for Citizens Bank. With more than 20 years' banking and financial services experience, she has received numerous professional distinctions, including being named "World-Class Performer" for five consecutive years at Citizens and Mellon Financial Corporation. She is a member of the Urban League, a member of the Downtown Partnership, and she currently serves as director on the Junior Achievement of Western PA Board of Directors.
	Melissa Fitzgerald is a dynamic actress, producer, and social activist. Her acting career has included film, theater, and television in New York and Los Angeles. She is best known for playing the role of Carol on NBC's award-winning political drama The West Wing. She recently completed filming the independent feature, This is Not a Test. Her other film roles include Simple Things, Monument Avenue, Frequency, and Love and Sex. She spent the last year volunteering in the Teach for America program. Currently she is in pre-production for the film Voices of Uganda, a unique documentary that gives voice to the stories of the people of Northern Uganda through the Voices in Harmony theatrical program. Ms. Fitzgerald received her bachelor's degree in literature from the University of Pennsylvania and currently resides in Los Angeles.
	Barbara Franklin is the executive director of the Creech Community Center and Food Pantry. Ms. Franklin has a love for people and her community; she believes that it takes a village to raise our children and no one person can do it alone. She began purchasing food for the needy using coupons and distributing it to 10 families from the trunk of her car, but when the demand outgrew her small Kia, her church allowed her to set up in the basement. In 2001, she opened the Community Center and now serves over 1500 families through the food bank, a childcare center, a Section 8 program, and a senior drop-off food program. A recipient of the Volvo for Life Award, Ms. Franklin was also featured on Oprah in 2007.
	Shirley Franklin is the first female mayor of Atlanta and the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major southern city. Since her inauguration in 2002, Mayor Franklin has worked to build a "Best in Class" managed city by strengthening existing frameworks, implementing progressive changes, and making the tough decisions necessary to improve Atlanta. She has been named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing magazine, one of the top five mayors in the country by Time, and one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News and World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Mayor Franklin is also a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics' Ethics Advocate Award.
	Cynthia Geyer, MD is the medical director of Canyon Ranch, where she has been a member of its medical staff since 1998. She continues to advance the health resort's tradition of excellence in the areas of medicine, wellness, and prevention. Dr. Geyer is also part of the core faculty of the annual Food as Medicine Conference, which focuses on teaching nutrition-based medicine to healthcare providers and medical schools. As a physician, wife, and mother of twin boys, Dr. Geyer understands firsthand the challenges of trying to balance a busy life and the impact it can have on health and well-being.
	Jennifer Groover is founder and CEO of Jen Groover Productions as well as the creator of the Butler Bag. Her invention has graced the pages of O Magazine, US Weekly, and Life & Style Magazine during its first year, and walked the red carpet and the Emmys. Within a year of its introduction to the market, and without spending a penny on advertising, the line reached the million-dollar mark in sales and will likely exceed the ten million mark this year. Ms. Groover resides in Philadelphia with her husband and twin daughters. In true "Hybrid Mom" fashion she manages to work from home, though due to increasing business she is in New York City frequently enough to nearly call it home as well.
	Jan Hargrave, CEO of Jan Hargrave & Associates, is a leading expert in the field of non-verbal communication. She teaches you the ways in which your body communicates to the world around you. Her information could help you to "read" your customers, your family, your students, your associates--in fact, everyone around you. She is the author of Let Me See Your Body Talk, Freeway of Love, Judge The Jury, and Strictly Business Body Language. This popular speaker, distinguished educator, and guest of The Lifetime Channel, The Maury Povich Show, The Montel Williams Show, E-Entertainment Television, and The Ricki Lake Show, describes for you all "hidden messages" you use in your everyday life and shows you how to stop the lies and uncover the truth—in any conversation or situation.
	Deborah Epstein Henry is founder and president of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national networking and consulting firm advising on work/life balance and retention. She has facilitated over 100 Flex-Time Lawyers LLC chapter meetings in New York and Philadelphia, providing attendees with career guidance, support, education, networking opportunities, and information to effect change. Ms. Henry has garnered extensive press coverage from The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, National Public Radio, and many others. In a partnership with the NYC Bar Association, Flex-Time Lawyers LLC released in 2006 "The Cheat Sheet", the ultimate guide to selecting, creating, and ensuring a woman-friendly employer.
	Barbara Jennings, CFP is a senior wealth consultant for Hudock Moyer Wealth Management, a part of Wachovia's financial network. Prior to joining Hudock Moyer, Ms. Jennings was the wealth management specialist in South Jersey for Fulton Financial Advisors. Previously she served as one of two national training managers for Merrill's 15,000 financial consultants. Her final position at Merrill was with the family office group, serving clients with a minimum net worth of $100 million. Ms. Jennings has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Sam Houston State University. Ms. Jennings will be working with and growing Hudock Moyer's presence in the New Jersey/Philadelphia area, and is proud to be a volunteer with the Mercer County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the St. Joseph Carpenter Society refurbishing homes for low-income families.
	Catherine Kaputa is the founder of SelfBrand LLC and a brand strategist who works with products, people, and companies. Her book on personal branding called U R A BRAND, How Smart People Use Brand Strategy to Propel Business Success won the Ben Franklin Award for Best Career Book of 2007. Previously she served as senior vice president, director of advertising and community affairs at Smith Barney. Her first big job in advertising was at Wells, Rich, Greene, where she supervised the award-winning "I Love NY" tourism campaign for four years. Ms. Kaputa has a B.A. from Northwestern University, an M.A. from the University of Washington, and was a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University.
	Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA, president of Performance and Success Coaching LLC, is a business psychologist and success coach. She helps women achieve their career and life goals through effective communication. Co-author of The New York Times best-selling book The Confident Speaker, Dr. Kase is regularly featured in media such as The Philadelphia Inquirer, SELF, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
	Kelly Copp Kelly has over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is a vice president with PNC Wealth Management. In her role as an investment advisor, Ms. Kelly provides custom solutions to meet each client's unique financial goals. She serves as co-director for the Women's Financial Services Network and is a member of the Financial Planning Association. Ms. Kelly earned her B.S. in marketing/business administration from West Chester University. In addition to holding several NASD licenses, she is a certified financial planner, a chartered mutual fund counselor, and a chartered retirement planning counselor.
	Celinda Lake, president, Lake Research Partners, is one of the nation's foremost experts on electing women candidates and on framing issues to women voters. American Politics calls Lake a "super-strategist or, better yet, the Godmother," and Working Woman says she is "arguably the most influential woman in her field." She co-authored What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live. Her interviews and statistics have been quoted in the Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal as well as a variety of magazines, including Newsweek, Glamour, and Marie Claire
	Ronna Lichtenberg is the president of Clear Peak Communications, a management consulting firm founded in 1997. The firm has a proven track record in strategy development, business development, and relationship management training for field and sales leadership. Prior to founding Clear Peak, Ms. Lichtenberg was a senior vice president with Prudential Securities, where she was the first woman in the firm's history named to its top management group, the Operating Council. These days, Ms. Lichtenberg is best known for her book, Pitch Like A Girl: How A Woman Can Be Herself And Still Succeed, and as a dynamic motivational speaker.
	Charisse R. Lillie is the vice president of human resources for Comcast Corporation and the senior vice-president of human resources of Comcast Cable Communications. Because of her highly valued opinion, education, and diverse experiences, Ms. Lillie serves on several boards and participates in numerous associations. She is on the board of directors of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and on the board of Howard University. She has served as city solicitor for Philadelphia, chair of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank, and was a partner with the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Ms. Lillie is also a former Justice Department lawyer with an abundance of honors and awards to her name.
	Liz Lynch started her profitability consulting firm, Liz Lynch Ltd., in October 2000 after "doing corporate time" at some of the top firms in their industries to hone her strategic, analytical, and financial expertise. Although not a born networker, she's grown the company successfully exclusively through networking; no cold calling required! Her 102 Secrets to Smarter Networking booklet and the Center for Networking Excellence that she founded help business professionals build profitable relationships, helping them network smarter, not harder.
	Monica Malpass is the co-anchor of Action News at 5 p.m. She is also anchor of the award-winning political discussion program Inside Story, is author of 6ABC's political podcasts, political blogs, and web book reviews, and moderates political debates for WPVI-TV. Ms. Malpass served on the boards of directors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children's Seashore House, and was a member of the Union League of Philadelphia. She is also active with the William Penn Charter School, the American Heart Association, and is a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Free Library.
	Tracey Matisak is an award-winning journalist, a dynamic speaker and trainer, and a member of WHYY's News and Public Affairs team. With more than 20 years of major market radio and television experience, Ms. Matisak spearheads special projects for WHYY throughout the year. These include anchoring election coverage and hosting live events on WHYY, PBS, and National Public Radio. She has been an occasional contributor to the Nightly Business Report on PBS. A graduate of Temple University, Ms. Matisak is a member of the adjunct faculty in Temple's department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media. Ms. Matisak, who has won several local Emmy awards, was among the first to be named a Distinguished Alumni of Temple University. She has also won the Sarah Award for Excellence in Broadcasting and was named Communicator of the Year by the National Black MBA Association.
	Shannon McFayden is senior executive vice president, head of human resources and corporate relations for Wachovia Corporation. In this role she oversees the company's strategic focus on leadership, management, diversity, employee engagement, and inclusion, reporting directly to Wachovia CEO Ken Thompson and serving on the company's operating committee. She provides oversight to all of the company's merger integration efforts, including the recent Golden West transaction that is Wachovia's largest merger to date. She is co-leading a high-visibility plan to reduce annual expenses by $1 billion. Named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by US Banker, Ms. McFayden is a co-founder of the North Carolina Conference for Women, and serves on the board of the United Negro College Fund, the Child Care Resources board, and the Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Inclusion and Diversity.
	Afaf Meleis, PhD, DrPS (hon), FAAN, is the Margaret Bond Simon dean of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, professor of nursing and sociology, and director of the school's WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a member of the Institute of Medicine, a trustee of the National Health Museum, and a board member of the Global Health Council and CARE. She is counsel general of the International Council on Women's Health Issues, an international nonprofit association dedicated to the goal of promoting health, health care, and the well-being of women throughout the world.
	Loraine Ballard Morrill is news director and community affairs director for Clear Channel Radio--Philadelphia overseeing WDAS FM, WUBA AM, Power 99 FM, Q102, My106.1, and Radio 104.5. She has overseen numerous award-winning community service campaigns that have won the National Association of Broadcaster's 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2007 Crystal Radio Award--an unprecedented five times. Ms. Morrill has received many awards including the Philadelphia NAACP President's Award and the March of Dimes Award for Excellence in Radio Lifetime Achievement Award.
	Cooper Munroe is an award-winning blogger, writer, social activist, and web entrepreneur. A member of the executive committee of MomsRising.org, Ms. Munroe works to mobilize mothers in Pennsylvania and across the country around issues that affect families. A contributing writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ms. Munroe can also be found writing at the HuffingtonPost.com and is a contributing editor at BlogHer. Her personal blog, Been There, won an award for Most Inspirational Blog in 2005 for the work she and her partner did after Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Munroe most recently re-launched a website for mothers at www.themotherhood.com.
	Ann Pleshette Murphy is the parenting contributor for Good Morning America and the author of The 7 Stages of Motherhood: Loving Your Life Without Losing Your Mind. She speaks to mothers' groups across the country about striking a balance between work and family, wrestling with guilt, and setting limits. She was editor of Parents from 1988 to 1998, and she wrote a monthly Mom Know-How column for Family Circle from 2002 until 2005. Currently, her ParentSmart column appears regularly in USA Weekend magazine.
	Stephanie Nyombayire, Genocide Intervention Network representative, is a Rwandan student at Swarthmore College who has worked tirelessly to help end the genocide in Darfur. She speaks from experience, having endured the trauma of losing dozens of family members in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In 2005 she was asked to introduce President Bill Clinton at the Campus Progress National Student Conference on behalf of GI-Net. Also in 2005, she traveled to Darfurian refugee camps in Chad after she was denied entry to Sudan. Her trip, along with fellow students from Georgetown and Boston Universities, was documented in the film Translating Genocide on MTV.
	Jennifer Openshaw is the voice behind Winning Advice with Jennifer Openshaw, heard nationwide on ABC Radio, and the CEO of Ms. Openshaw's Family Financial Network, which provides objective tools and financial planning for families and individuals. Ms. Openshaw is also author of the book, What's Your Net Worth?, a step-by-step financial empowerment guide for women and couples, which was turned into a public television special. In 1999, Ms. Openshaw founded Women's Financial Network (WFN), an innovative financial services company created for women and a trendsetter in the industry.
	Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, is an internationally recognized physician, scientist, and expert in the fields of nutrition, fitness, and women's health. Dr. Peeke is assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and a Pew Foundation scholar in nutrition and metabolism. Dr. Peeke has been named one of the top women physicians by the National Institutes of Health. She is chief medical correspondent for the Discovery Health Channel and host of the National Body Challenge TV series. Dr. Peeke is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Fight Fat After Forty, Body for Life for Women, and Fit to Live.
	Jill Perlin, CLU, ChFC CASL is vice president of retirement and advanced planning group for Prudential. Ms. Perlin received her bachelor's degree from Ohio State University. In addition, she has attained the chartered life underwriter, chartered financial consultant, and chartered advisor in senior living designations from the American College. She is a member of the American Society of Training and Development and the National Association for Female Executives. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for Training, Inc., a national nonprofit organization that provides low-income individuals with job skills training and helps them obtain employment.
	Sharon P. Pierce is the regional sales manager, mid-Atlantic region for Continental Airlines. She has 25 years of airline sales experience including 19 years in sales leadership working with teams throughout the Northeast. Currently, Ms. Pierce serves as president of the Philadelphia Business Travel Association, which is the local chapter of the National Business Travel Association, and was recently elected to serve on the 2006 NBTA Scholarship Committee. Recently, she was featured in Business Travel News magazine as a recipient of the prestigious Professional Services Award for outstanding service and commitment to the business community of Philadelphia. She has also been awarded with a scholarship to participate in the Global Leadership Program at Wharton School of Business. She is certified by the Philadelphia Art Alliance "Business on Board" Executive Training Program and utilizes that certification to work closely with local non-profit organizations such as the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Prince Music Theatre.
	Michelle Qaqundah, ND, is an expert in naturopathic medicine, a distinctively natural approach to health and healing that recognizes the integrity of the whole person and the natural healing process. Dr. Qaqundah's education and training has taken her around the world, and now she brings this philosophy to Cancer Treatment Center of America patients. Dr. Qaqundah belongs to several professional organizations, including The International Society for Complementary Medicine Research, Society of Integrative Oncology, and American Holistic Medical Association. She currently serves as treasurer on the board of directors for the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
	Jeanne Rizzo, R.N. is the executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, an organization with the bold environmental health mission to identify – and advocate for elimination of – the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease. They publish the landmark report State of the Evidence: What is the Connection Between the Environment and Breast Cancer?, now in its fourth edition. The Breast Cancer Fund helped pass the nation's first Precautionary Purchasing ordinance in San Francisco, the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005, and the Radiation Quality Assurance Act, and launched the national Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. A recipient of the Bella Abzug Advocacy Award, Ms. Rizzo was honored with the KQED/GAP "Local Heroes" award in 2005 and was named one of "25 Environmental Champions" by EnvironDesign Journal.
	Maria Rodale is chairman of the board of Rodale, the authoritative source for trusted content in health and wellness worldwide. She has helped transform the small publishing business her late grandfather founded in 1930 into a multi-media company that reaches more than 70 million people globally through its magazines -- Men's Health, Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World, Running Times, Bicycling, Best Life, and Organic Gardening, books such as The South Beach Diet and An Inconvenient Truth, videos, and web sites. Ms. Rodale is an expert in organic issues and has received numerous awards for her work in promoting healthy living and the environment.
	Anne Rosenberg, MD, FACS, is a clinical professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and member of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. Dr. Rosenberg is a board certified surgeon who has been in practice for over 20 years. She has a highly respected private practice in the Philadelphia area dedicated to breast surgery and research, including areas of clinical and basic science research. She is ranked as one of the "Top Docs" for breast surgery in the Delaware Valley by Philadelphia Magazine and South Jersey Magazine. Dr. Rosenberg is on the board of several cancer foundations and holds a number of committee appointments. She has received numerous awards and honors including the Maria D. Marshall Award given by the American Cancer Society for work done in the field of breast cancer. She has authored and co-authored numerous breast cancer related articles published in several prestigious medical journals and has co-authored five books covering topics related to breast cancer treatment.
	Beth Schoenfeldt is co-founder of Ladies Who Launch and creator of the flagship Ladies Who Launch Incubator Program. She has received critical attention from Vogue, Elle, Essence, Health, and New York magazine as a powerful force in helping people make transitions, shift organizational culture, and design lifestyles that truly reflect an individual's or company's desires and goals. Prior to Ladies Who Launch, Ms. Schoenfeldt launched a highly successful Learning Solutions Company, FLOinc, and developed marketing and sales programs for such organizations as Clinique, ibeauty.com, and American Express. She received a bachelor's degree in finance from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Columbia University.
	Anita Sharpe is co-founder of MOTTO magazine, a new national publication focused on passionate, purposeful, meaningful work. She previously was a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for The Wall Street Journal, where her coverage spanned the media and entertainment industries to health care. Before that, as editor-in-chief of Atlanta Business Chronicle, she helped increase that publication's circulation nearly ten-fold. Ms. Sharpe is a former winner of the ACE Award for Communications Excellence and a past president of the Atlanta Press Club. A member of the Society of International Business Fellows, she studied at the London School of Economics. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University.
	Rachel Silver founded A Chance to Heal Foundation after having witnessed firsthand the losses associated with eating disorders and the cost and complexity of recovery. The foundation, now in its third year, is a vibrant organization recognized regionally and nationally for its advocacy, training, and educational mission. She has been featured on Good Morning America and has spoken out about the beneficial effects of intervention. Ms. Silver is currently a junior at the University of Miami.
	Gail Simmons, who joined Food & Wine in 2004, handles special projects for the magazine and serves as liaison between the marketing and editorial teams on magazine events and chef-related initiatives. Her job also includes managing the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the country's premier culinary event. In addition, she is a permanent judge and critic on Bravo's Emmy-nominated series Top Chef. Ms. Simmons served as the research and recipe assistant to food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue magazine and did apprenticeships at both Le Cirque 2000 and Vong restaurants. She has also contributed to several cookbooks including It Must've Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, Daniel Boulud Cooking in New York City, and The New American Chef by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.
	Judith Spires, president of Acme Markets, has a 30-year career in the grocery industry having held various positions within American Stores, Albertsons, and Supervalu. She is a board member of many organizations within the Philadelphia region such as La Salle University, Variety the Children's Charity, and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Her dedicated work ethic and commitment to the community has awarded her distinguished honors from many notable organizations. Ms. Spires is a graduate of La Salle University and resides in Philadelphia.
	Claudia Springer is managing partner of Reed Smith's Philadelphia office and a member of the firm's commercial restructuring and bankruptcy group. She has more than 25 years of experience practicing in corporate restructurings, workouts, and bankruptcy. Ms. Springer has represented every type of constituent in a troubled company situation, including debtors, secured and unsecured lenders, DIP lenders, creditors' committees, lessors, lessees, trade creditors, shareholders, and members of creditors' committees. She has earned a reputation as a leader in corporate reorganizations and bankruptcy and is recognized in Chambers USA as one of America's leading bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers.
	Cori Stern is a writer and innovations strategist with a passion for creating social entrepreneurial programs all over the world. Ms. Stern founded the Cradle of Life program, advocating the prevention of mother-to-infant HIV transmission; The Next Right Thing, an evacuation program for critically-ill children in resource-poor areas; the Cham Family Project, helping former slave children in the Gambia; the Name Campaign, an urgent campaign for awareness of 30,000 children kidnapped in Uganda in the last five years; and finally the Strongheart Fellowship, which offers a year-long U.S. fellowship for exceptional young people from extreme situations. Her projects have been featured on BBC, NPR, The Today Show, Oprah, and ABC World News, where she was named Person of the Week.
	Esther M. Sternberg, MD, received her medical and rheumatology training at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and was on the faculty at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, before joining the National Institutes Health in 1986 where she currently does research on the brain-immune connection. She is internationally recognized for her discoveries on the role of the brain's stress response in diseases such as arthritis and for her popular book The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions. A recognized spokesperson for the field, she lectures nationally and internationally and makes frequent media appearances on the science of the mind body connection.
	Linda Kaplan Thaler is CEO and chief creative officer of The Kaplan Thaler Group, which she founded in 1997. Her firm created the notable Aflac campaign (the quacking duck), and she has personally authored and composed campaign jingles that are among the industry's gold standard, such as "I Don't Wanna Grow Up, I'm a Toys ‘R' Us Kid" and "Kodak Moments." Ms. Thaler is also the best-selling author of The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness. She hasdebuted on both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller lists and has been featured on NBC's The Today Show, Nightline, and in Newsweek and O, The Oprah Magazine.
	Brenda L. Thomas is the author of Laying Down My Burdens, a deeply moving depiction of the author's struggle with domestic violence and its threats to her self-esteem. Since self-publishing Threesome in 2001, Ms. Thomas's literary skills and unique perspective have caught the attention of major media outlets. Since 2001, she has penned two Essence best-selling novels, Fourplay and The Velvet Rope, and two anthologies. She's become the expert on the culture surrounding athletes and has appeared on CNN, Dateline, and Entertainment Tonight to name a few. Currently, Ms. Thomas spends her time working full time, managing her own marketing company, and doing what she loves, writing.
	Abigail Trafford is a columnist and former health editor at The Washington Post. She is the author of Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life and the very popular My Time: Making the Most of the Bonus Decades After Fifty. Ms. Trafford is currently working on a book about relationships in this life stage. She lives in Washington, D.C.
	Carmen Wong Ulrich is the author of Generation Debt: Take Control of Your Money — A How-To Guide. Ms. Wong has appeared as a personal finance expert on The Rachael Ray Show, CNN, Weekend Today, Good Day New York, CNNMoney.com, and over two dozen radio shows nationwide, including Oprah's XM radio network and Wall Street Journal Radio. She is the former special projects editor at MONEY magazine and has written for the magazines Real Simple, Essence, Shape, and Health; she is currently an advice columnist for Men's Health and Latina magazine.
	Lehronda Upshur is one of the most listened-to news anchors in Philadelphia radio. As cluster news and traffic anchor and public affairs director at Clear Channel Broadcasting, she can be heard all around the dial. She anchors the news during the morning drive at Power 99 FM, WDAS AM/FM, and WJJZ. She has received many awards for community service including the Philadelphia Urban League's Parent of the Year award. Ms. Upshur also serves on various media advisory boards including the Crozier Chester Medical Coalition and the Food Bank. She is a graduate of Penn State University and is currently working toward a Master of Science in strategic leadership and organizational management at Neumann College.
	Jessica Weiner is the author of Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds from Now and the official self-esteem expert for The Tyra Banks Show. Ms. Weiner is also a regular on-air contributor for women's lifestyle topics on The Today Show and CNN Showbiz Tonight. She frequently writes about body image and self-esteem for CosmoGirl! magazine. Recently named the global ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF), Ms. Weiner will play a vital role in the upcoming 2007 DSEF global campaigns in the U.K, France, Germany, Italy, U.S., and Canada.
	Tara Weiner is the Managing Partner, Greater Philadelphia Region & Senior Consumer Business Leader, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. In this role she manages the practice, leads the development of operating and service initiatives, and works with the senior management of the firms' leading clients. In 2006, Ms. Weiner was named Philadelphia's first "Woman of Heart" honoree for leading the city's Go Red campaign to promote cardiovascular health by The American Heart Association and in 2007, she was recognized as the "2007 Woman of Spirit" by the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for her dedication and involvement in a wide variety of community groups and causes. She serves on numerous boards, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Forum of Executive Women.
	Anne C. Weisberg is director in the talent organization at Deloitte & Touche LLP. She is a recognized expert in the field of diversity and gender and work/life integration and most recently is the co-author of Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today's Nontraditional Workforce. Prior to joining Deloitte, Ms. Weisberg was a senior director at Catalyst, where she advised clients on diversity strategies. Ms. Weisberg is on the board of directors of The Forte Foundation and an active member of the Committee to Enhance Diversity of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
	Karen Farmer White is currently the vice president of education at WQED Multimedia. She is responsible for the creation, development, and implementation of educational programs for WQED Multimedia television, radio, publishing, and Internet services. She is also completing her doctoral studies in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earlier earned a master of public administration degree and a bachelor's degree. Prior to joining WQED Multimedia, Ms. White was executive director of the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise. She is a graduate of The Leadership Pittsburgh Program and has received many awards for her service to the community. She also serves as a role model and mentor for many in the community.
	Cali Williams Yost is the president and founder of Work+Life Fit, Inc. and the author of the critically acclaimed, Work+Life: Finding the Fit That's Right for You. In addition to her weekly Work+Life Fit blog, she is a monthly guest blogger for Success Magazine and maintains an "Ask the Expert" column for an international business website. She has been featured in national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Money, Newsweek, USA Today, Fast Company, Men's Health, and Working Mother, and she is a work/life blogger for Fast Company magazine. In February, 2007, Ms. Yost received the Rising Star Award from the Alliance of Work-Life Progress.
	Kyle Zimmer is the co-founder and president of First Book, an organization that has distributed over 50 million books to children in thousands of communities in the United States. For the past four consecutive years, Fast Company and Monitor Group have named First Book a winner of the Social Capitalist Award for using entrepreneurial genius to solve global issues. Ms. Zimmer serves as a member of the International Board of Directors of both Ashoka and Youth Venture, which work to inspire and support social entrepreneurs. Most recently, Ms. Zimmer was named 2007 Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the United States by the Geneva-based Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

2006 Keynote Speakers >