By Natalie Sabia (New York City)
Cheryl Pollard never imagined herself as a mentor, especially to someone thousands of miles away. A former vice president of merchandizing and product development for Water Works, Pollard learned about Infinite Family, a not-for-profit that connects mentors from all over the United States with orphans and other vulnerable children in Africa through video conferencing, from a member of her church. “I never really mentored anyone before,” said Pollard, “so I was excited to give it a try.”
Mentors have to complete a training program which teaches them the finer points of mentoring as well as the technical training necessary to provide the mentoring via the computer. The mentors then set up a re-occurring weekly appointment for the video conference with their mentees. Pollard said, “Liba and I talk every Saturday at 8:00am and, if something comes up, we e-mail to stay in touch.
Pollard has been paired with Liba, a 12-year-old refugee from Zimbabwe, for over two years now. Liba relies on Pollard as both a mentor and a friend in which to confide. “Liba has become so special in my heart and a part of my life,” said Pollard. She is deeply affected by the way that the friendship has had a major impact on Liba. “At first I was asking her so many questions. I didn’t understand that we didn’t always have to be talking to fill the silence,” said Pollard. It took time for Liba to warm up to Pollard, especially because they come from such opposite worlds. “Liba was so shy at first and now she sings and dances,” said Pollard, whose favorite thing now is to turn on her iPod and let Liba dance. In 2007, Pollard even had the opportunity to go to South Africa to meet Liba in person. “The moment I saw her it was as if we’ve always known each other, she just hugged my waist,” said Pollard.
“I always thought of myself as a generous person, but now it’s a whole different feeling to know I am in her heart everyday.” Barbara Draimin, Director for the City of New York Department of Social Services is happy to be mentoring these “at risk” South African teens as well. “It gives me the chance to meet a young person and know them from a different perspective.” Draimin, the original founder of NYC community based organization called The Family Center, was approached to become a mentor during the early days of the program by a member of Infinite Family who knew of her through the non-for-profit community. Draimin eagerly accepted the challenge.
Read more
LaidOffCampNY
NewsFor more information click here
Mentoring Teens a World Away
Women and PhilanthropyCheryl Pollard never imagined herself as a mentor, especially to someone thousands of miles away. A former vice president of merchandizing and product development for Water Works, Pollard learned about Infinite Family, a not-for-profit that connects mentors from all over the United States with orphans and other vulnerable children in Africa through video conferencing, from a member of her church. “I never really mentored anyone before,” said Pollard, “so I was excited to give it a try.”
Mentors have to complete a training program which teaches them the finer points of mentoring as well as the technical training necessary to provide the mentoring via the computer. The mentors then set up a re-occurring weekly appointment for the video conference with their mentees. Pollard said, “Liba and I talk every Saturday at 8:00am and, if something comes up, we e-mail to stay in touch.
Pollard has been paired with Liba, a 12-year-old refugee from Zimbabwe, for over two years now. Liba relies on Pollard as both a mentor and a friend in which to confide. “Liba has become so special in my heart and a part of my life,” said Pollard. She is deeply affected by the way that the friendship has had a major impact on Liba. “At first I was asking her so many questions. I didn’t understand that we didn’t always have to be talking to fill the silence,” said Pollard. It took time for Liba to warm up to Pollard, especially because they come from such opposite worlds. “Liba was so shy at first and now she sings and dances,” said Pollard, whose favorite thing now is to turn on her iPod and let Liba dance. In 2007, Pollard even had the opportunity to go to South Africa to meet Liba in person. “The moment I saw her it was as if we’ve always known each other, she just hugged my waist,” said Pollard.
“I always thought of myself as a generous person, but now it’s a whole different feeling to know I am in her heart everyday.” Barbara Draimin, Director for the City of New York Department of Social Services is happy to be mentoring these “at risk” South African teens as well. “It gives me the chance to meet a young person and know them from a different perspective.” Draimin, the original founder of NYC community based organization called The Family Center, was approached to become a mentor during the early days of the program by a member of Infinite Family who knew of her through the non-for-profit community. Draimin eagerly accepted the challenge.
Read more
Working Mothers 2nd Annual Spring Luncheon
NewsThe Working Mothers Committee invites you to attend our 2nd Annual Spring Luncheon. Come meet the talented and exciting women in the financial services business sector of New York City & New Jersey. This luncheon is an opportunity to share and discuss the challenges many women, particularly working mothers, encounter each and every day. All are welcome to attend- new and expecting mothers, seasoned mothers and empty nesters.
The Working Mothers Committee encourages all new attendees to consider joining this dynamic organization.
Register here
Passions: Girl Scouts of the USA
PassionsConnie L. Lindsey joined the Girl Scouts almost forty years ago at her church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother couldn’t afford to buy her uniform, but her church and her troop leader ensured that she had one. She credits Girl Scouting with helping her understand that she was a young girl who mattered. Today Lindsey exemplifies an approach to servant leadership that tells girls what her troop leader told her over forty years ago: “Young lady, you matter – and don’t let anybody in this world tell you that you don’t.”
“I became a Girl Scout because it provided a place where acceptance was the norm and opportunities for personal growth were plentiful,” says Lindsey. That was about 40 years ago. Lindsey is now the organization’s highest-ranking volunteer: National President of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). “The values Girl Scouts embraced matched my own and reinforced my desire to learn about others and our world.”
As National President, Lindsey serves the girls and the Scout Movement by providing guidance to GSUSA’s executive team and the board in three vital areas: policy, fundraising, and strategic direction. “My role affords me the opportunity to visit our Girl Scout councils, which is one of the most rewarding parts of my work,” she says. “I love talking with our girls, volunteers, and staff—and understanding how they put the principles of servant leadership—leading others by first helping them to be their best—into practice among themselves, their families, and their communities.”
Read more
2009 Women of Vision Awards
NewsThe Women of Vision Awards Banquet, hosted by the Anita Borg Institute Board of Trustees, honors women making significant contributions to technology. One winner is selected in each category: Innovation, Leadership, and Social Impact. Register here.
The Women of Vision Awards Banquet, hosted by the Anita Borg Institute Board of Trustees, honors women making significant contributions to technology. The award winners will be selected in early February, and nominators will be notified.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Innovation recognizes a woman who has contributed significantly to technology innovation. The innovation might be creating unusual and important technology or approaching developing technology in a significantly new and innovative way, such as by bringing diverse people and experiences together in the technology creation process..
Social Impact recognizes a woman who developed or applied technology with a significant impact on society and/or the community. These people are creating or employing technologies that are changing our world in positive ways.
Leadership recognizes a woman who has led an important technology development or innovation, made a significant contribution to the technology industry, and someone who inspires others.
WIIT: Outlook for US-Africa Trade Relations
NewsThe Africa/Middle East Committee of Women In International Trade (WIIT) cordially invites you to a reception on the “Outlook for US-Africa Trade Relations Under the Obama Administration” featuring Florizelle Liser, Assistant United States Representative for Africa
Deadline for registration is April 23, 2009. Register here
A Good Reason to be Cheerful: Opportunity Now Awards 2009
NewsAfter all the recent economic doom and gloom, a rare glow of positive light shone over a gathering of some 500 business and public sector leaders in the City of London on 29th April 2009: The Opportunity Now Awards, sponsored by Santander, celebrated those UK employers addressing inequality as a business imperative, creating workplace best practice so that women can succeed.”
The Glass Hammer sponsors PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs were among a line-up of winning firms, which also included Citi and FTSE 100 firms Pearson and Alliance Trust.
PricewaterhouseCoopers won both the Advancing Women in Business and Global Awards. Moira Elms, Global Partner for People, Knowledge, Brand and Communications and chair of the Gender Advisory Council at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: “We are extremely proud of this distinction. At PwC, we are committed to ensuring women have the opportunity to build a rewarding career and move into leadership positions. Since its foundation in 2006, the Gender Advisory Council has made a real impact. Every year, we see an increase in the number of female partners around the world. And we now have two talented women on the global leadership team.”
Cleo Thompson, Gender Advisory Council Programme Manager, who, with Moira Elms, accepted the award on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers, added: “I am delighted we have won this award, particularly since Opportunity Now is such a respected and prestigious organisation and one of the few bodies to recognise achievement in global diversity.” Goldman Sachs won the Santander Award: Equality of Opportunity through Education and Learning, for its 10,000 Women Program.
Read more
Does Wall Street Prefer Women CFOs?
Breaking the Glass Ceilingby Liz O’Donnell (Boston)
Does Wall Street prefer female CFOs to male CFOs? While it’s unlikely the financial world will make that claim any time soon, new research out of Boston College indicates the street responds more favorably to financial moves made by companies where the CFO is a woman. David Kisgen, an assistant professor at Boston College co-authored the Gender and Corporate Finance study with Jiekun Huang a Ph.D. candidate at Boston College. The study looked at public companies with at least $500 million in assets between 1994 and 2005. Kisgen and Huang tracked CFO’s performance’s from the time they transitioned into the role and then for three years after. Kisgen wanted to conduct the CFO study because there is so little research examining whether gender plays a role in corporate decisions and there aren’t enough women CEOs to study.
The Gender and Corporate Finance study examined whether men and women differ in corporate financial decisions. What Ksigen and Huang found is that firms with female CFOs are less likely to make acquisitions and are less likely to issue debt than firms with male CFOs. Female CFOs are less likely to make significant changes to capital structure in general and reduce leverage more than male CFOs. Male capital structure decisions are as likely to move a firm toward its target leverage as those made by female CFOs. However, announcement returns are higher around acquisitions, debt offerings and equity offerings when the firm has a female CFO. The study makes the conclusions that women make different corporate finance decisions than men and that, “…the better announcement returns suggest female CFOs do a better job of maximizing shareholder value, at least along those particular dimensions.”
Paul Santinelli, a General Partner with North Bridge Venture Partners, says gender is not a factor when he evaluates a CFO. Santinelli looks at three things: domain expertise, financial experience and strong moral and ethics. As far as financial experience, Santinelli examines, “What has this person done in the rank and file to get to this position?” Morals and ethics are important to Santinelli because, “It is not too difficult screw up a good thing inside a company. Besides, CFOs usually run Operations, Human Resources and Finance. Governance and compliance issues are far more extreme than they were ten years ago.”
Santinelli’s criteria could bode well for women. Kisgen says one possible take away from the study is that female CFOS are careful and risk-averse and that the market responds favorably to the moves they do make. He says another possible take away is that women CFOS are higher quality, as they have had to overcome discriminatory hiring practices to get to a C-level position.
Association for Finance Professionals: Payments Forum
NewsControlling costs and ensuring long-term return on payments investments are more critical than ever. Attend the 2009 AFP Payments Forum and discover proven solutions to achieving payments efficiencies that will yield benefits to your entire organization.
Learn how to unlock savings by streamlining processes and tightening controls through e-payments:
Hear proven success stories and gain practical advice on managing your organization’s payments and receipts process when dealing with suppliers, customers and internal partners.
Participate in lively exchanges with your corporate peers in interactive roundtables where you can learn how others have solved the problems that you face.
Attend lectures that explain the basics of ACH rules, international payments, accepting and making card payments, and check imaging.
Gain insights into all payment methods—ACH, cards, checks and wires, domestic and international.
You will return to your office with innovative ideas and networking contacts that will help you achieve your company’s payments goals long after the forum has ended. Registration is restricted to corporate practitioners.
Register here.
The Opportunity Now Awards and Dinner 2009
NewsDemonstrate your commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion. Join over 500 other business and public sector leaders at one of the most prestigious diversity events of the year.
The Opportunity Now Awards and Dinner 2009 are generously sponsored by Santander
Celebrate, Entertain, Network
As well as recognising the commitment and progress which has been made in this arena, this glittering occasion also provides an excellent opportunity to network and exchange best practice.
Hosting a table gives you the perfect opportunity to reward your people or demonstrate your commitment to clients.
Guests will be addressed by inspiring and high profile speakers who will share their personal stories and achievements.
We will be delighted to hear from:
This is one of the most prestigious occasions in the diversity calendar so make sure your organisation doesn’t miss out.
For more information contact: Michelle O’Brien 020 7566 8715
Book Now