Skylight Initiative

The not-for-profit Skylight Initiative, based in Richmond, Virginia, is a collective of accomplished women executives united by a shared purpose: to elevate women in the boardroom and beyond. We harness the strength of our collective networks to connect, prepare, advocate for, and propel women forward in their board and life journeys through member-driven engaging, enriching experiences. Our mission is not only to help our members thrive but also to illuminate pathways for other women to lead at the highest levels. We believe that when women rise, they lift others with them, igniting a ripple effect that amplifies diverse voices, strengthens leadership, and drives lasting impact.

Leadership

Kristian “Krissy” Gathright

Kristian “Krissy” Gathright has been an active participant in the hospitality and REIT industry for 25+ years as a public company board member and former Chief Operating Officer of Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE). She currently serves on the Apple Hospitality REIT and Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) boards of directors. She previously served on the Spirit Realty Capital (NYSE:SRC) board until its merger with Realty Income (NYSE:O) in 2024. She was also appointed by Marriott International to serve as the Courtyard Franchise Advisory Council President and held that position for ten years, notably being the first woman to serve in that role. She has a passion for board service and serves on several community not-for-profits and University of Virginia boards. She is a senior advisor to Derive Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in the next generation of hospitality and real estate experiences. She loves supporting women and was instrumental in the creation of FORWARD, an American Hotel and Lodging Association initiative that aims to celebrate and elevate women in hospitality through events, professional development and community building.

Jenni Lee Crocker

Jenni Lee Crocker brings over 27 years of experience in the insurance industry, known for her strategic leadership, turnaround, and transformation capabilities. She currently serves as President of Trucordia, a top 15 U.S. insurance brokerage firm, where she oversees agency partnership potential, organic growth, enterprise carrier relationships, and strategic partner initiatives. Prior to joining Trucordia, Ms. Crocker spent nine years at Marsh, serving as Managing Director and Corporate Leader for Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C., and head of the Virginia office. Her career growth has been defined by her ability to rapidly scale businesses, employ creative problem-solving and to empower and uplift others, making her a shining light of inspiration.

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About Executive Alliance

The mission of Maryland’s Executive Alliance is to accelerate the success and leadership of accomplished women by expanding their impact and influence through advocacy, education and mentorship. The Executive Alliance:

● Advocates: through its census studies, Women of Excellence luncheon, alliances with search firms, partnerships with private and public entities, collaboration with executives involved in the board selection process, and its affiliation with ION.

● Educates: through programs, workshops and events supporting leadership development and addressing the opportunities, challenges and issues women face in the board selection process.

● Mentors: through its Impact Mentoring program for emerging leaders and networking opportunities for its members.

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About Financial Women’s Association of New York

FWA connects a vibrant community of dynamic financial professionals and proactive institutions focused on development and empowerment of all women in the financial industry. With a rich history of working with top women and men in the industry, and numerous corporate, government and academic partners, FWA is ideally positioned to address the challenges facing women today. Our vision is a world in which all have equitable access, representation and recognition across all levels of the financial community.

FWA puts action behind its words by: Furthering knowledge with outstanding programs that explore social concerns, technology, and financial and economic issues. Expanding horizons through international conferences and regular briefings with government officials and industry leaders. Contributing to our communities: FWA members and corporate and institutional partners are deeply committed to building the next generation’s diverse talent pipeline. Since 1986 hundreds of young women have benefited from the mentorship, college and career readiness, leadership training, cultural and community service engagement and scholarship funding provided by the FWA.

Within the financial services industry, the FWA provides a public forum for examining important contemporary issues in business, finance, governmental policy and civic affairs.

New York

Leadership

Annette Stewart, FWA President 2023-2025

Annette received her undergraduate degree from Texas State University and completed her Juris Doctorate at the University of Iowa College of Law where she participated in the University of Iowa’s international law program in France and London. She is also a graduate of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business Executive Program for her MBA. Annette has close to 20 years of experience working on Wall Street, including companies such as Citadel, Goldman Sachs, Markit, PwC and is currently a Senior Director at Royal Bank of Canada. Read more…

Annette has spent her career focused on derivatives regulation, front-to-back trading process, overall firm process improvement, project management, legal trade confirmations & currently working on risk & regulatory initiatives that affect the Cloud environment. Overall, Annette has enjoyed new learning opportunities and has grown her career through her love for learning and collaboration.

Annette volunteers on the Board for the FWA, serves on the University of Iowa College of Law Foundation Board & participates as an advisor for several non-profit organizations which includes Sigma Kappa. Annette enjoys free time with her husband, Jeff Fausey, and daughter Paige.

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Albana Theka, FWA President-Elect, President 2025-2027

Albana Theka is a Sr. Director of Data and Analytics at New York City Health and Hospitals and leads the Financial Sustainability Analytics Center of Excellence. In this role she partners with Executive leaders in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Facility Development, Managed Care, Patient Growth and Metroplus to lead the delivery of data products and solutions that impact financial decisions and outcomes. Read more…

Prior to joining New York City Health and Hospitals, Albana spent 12 years in finance, operations, and strategy leadership roles at NYU Langone Health and led their financial analytics for multi-million-dollar budgets. Before making a transition to Healthcare, Albana also spent 5 years at Ridgewood Savings Bank, a New York City based retail bank. Albana is a champion for women in finance and is a Board member and President-Elect for the Financial Women’s Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the professional development and advancement of all women across the financial community. She was previously the Chair of the Membership and Engagement Committee Albana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from St. Francis College and an Executive MBA from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn NY. Albana’s hobbies are singing and traveling with her family.

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Hermina “Nina” Batson, FWA Immediate Past President 2023-2025

Nina Batson has been an active Financial Women’s Association (FWA) member since 2009. Before serving as FWA President from 2021~2023, Nina was the FWA’s President-Elect, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Engagement and Resources Division, and Membership Chair for several years. Read more…

Nina is a Director and the Global Head of Internal Audit Regulatory Engagement at Barclays. With over 30 years of banking and finance experience, she has worked for MUFG, Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas, and JPMorgan Chase. Her extensive background includes commercial paper conduit financing, compliance, tax operations, accounting, risk management, regulatory

reporting, syndications, conduit administration, supply chain finance, audit-related aspects, and all types of securitization execution. Crain’s New York Business recognized Nina as a 2022 Notable Black Leader. She is also a recipient of the Markets Choice Awards’ Women in Finance: Excellence in Social Responsibility Award, and most recently, Nina has been recognized by CIO Views Magazine as one of the 10 Most Successful Black Businesswomen Making a Difference in 2023. Nina holds Series 79 and 63 certifications and received a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Certificate in Accounting from Hofstra University.

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Madhumita Chakrabartti, FWA Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair

Madhumita is a passionate crusader of causes that benefit human beings and the environment. During her 30 plus year career in corporate finance she has expressed her passion and commitment by contributing her skills and expertise to a wide variety of nonprofits. Among these are the Living Legacy Project, Butterflies USA, Seeds of Peace, Amnesty International, Clearwater Sloop, Walkabout Clearwater Sloop, Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Princeton Folk Music Society, Tribes Hill Artists Co-Operative, McCarter Theater, and the Financial Women’s Association, for which she is currently serves as Treasurer and a mentor for numerous young women at Seton Hall University. Read more…

She is the currently the VP of Finance and Operations at GreenLight Fund in Boston, MA. Madhumita holds a master’s in public accounting and a master’s in business administration in finance from Pace University, and a bachelor’s in English literature from Calcutta University. She is a graduate of the Robin Hood Foundation and CommonGood Careers’ Non-Profit Financial Management “LeaderLink” program.

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Kelsey Hopkins, FWA Secretary

Kelsey Hopkins is a forensic accountant with more than seven years of experience providing litigation support to both counsel and clients on matters relating to internal accounting investigations, tax and fraud investigations, compliance and risk assessments, and audit readiness assistance. Ms. Hopkins guides her clients through large-scale investigations and proactive assessments that fortify the organization’s brand reputation and protect shareholders’ financial interests. Read more…

Currently, Ms. Hopkins is a Senior Director at FTI Consulting, a global business advisory firm and advisor to (i) 82 of the Fortune Global 100 corporations, (ii) 99 of the world’s top 100 law firms, (iii) 50 of the top 100 Private Equity International (PEI) firms, and (iv) the top 50 of the world’s bank holding companies. Ms. Hopkins has been significantly involved in project management and client-facing roles, as well as leading several New York office initiatives and assuming responsibilities for internal roles within the company such as management of the New York office budget and social functions, recruiting, staffing, and volunteer initiatives.

Ms. Hopkins holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Tennessee, as well as a M.S. in Accounting from Auburn University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

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Jacqueline Linden, FWA Board Member, Operations Resource Committee Member, Programming Co-chair, Leaderboard Representative

Jacqueline (Jackie) is a senior financial services industry executive with over 30 years of global banking experience at Citigroup where she held key strategic leadership roles in treasury, finance, and risk management. Jackie is a recognized global leader and subject matter expert in treasury and liquidity risk management, and brings in-depth knowledge of financial products and a deep background in financial risk management governance. Read More…

Jackie has continued to leverage her financial services expertise, business acumen and strategic leadership skills as a board member for the Financial Women’s Association (FWA) of New York. At FWA she has held numerous leadership positions including serving on the nominating committee of the FWA Board, most recently as Chair, and Programming co-chair on the Leadership Council. She was previously the Head of FWA’s Business and Government Affairs Division, and co-chaired the Directorship and Corporate Governance Committee.

A strong advocate for women’s advancement, inclusion and economic empowerment, Jackie is passionate about giving back. As the FWA Programming Co-Chair and a President’s Circle relationship manager, she led many impactful programming initiatives for FWA in areas including DEI, ESG, and Fin Tech. Jackie is also an FWA Mentor to a Baruch undergraduate student and a student at the High School of Economics and Finance, and is a member of the FWA Financial Backpack Committee. She also represents the FWA on the Executive Committee of the LeaderBoard, formerly the Interorganization Network (ION), whose goal is advancing women to the Boardroom.

Jackie holds a BA in Economics from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MBA in Finance from New York University, Stern School of Business.

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Deepa Keswani, FWA Co-chair, DCGC

Deepa Keswani is currently the Deputy Head of Regulatory and Corporate Compliance at Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, New York Branch. Prior to that, she was a Director at ICBC, New York Branch heading their Corporate Compliance Program. From 2015 to 2018, Deepa was a senior management consultant, Principal, at Tyche Compliance Consulting, LLC and Partner and Director of Compliance Advisory Services at The Mizen Group, working with banks to support AML functions and remediation programs. Formerly, as a senior compliance executive at Commerzbank for over 10 years, she managed the New York Branch’s Compliance department for 6 years before leading an expanded AML, Anti-Fraud & Sanctions department in New York as Head of Financial Crimes after its merger with Dresdner Bank in 2009. In 2014, she took on the role of Head of Regulatory Compliance managing the Branch’s regulatory relationships and working with the authorities on the coordination, organization and management of various exams and reviews. Read More…

She has been an adjunct lecturer at Pace University since 2016, teaching compliance courses for their MBA-credentialed program Certified Compliance & Regulatory Professional (CCRP) under the aegis of the Center For Global Governance, Reporting, And Regulation at the Lubin School of Business. Deepa also speaks at seminars, conferences and panels on compliance, culture and conduct topics.

Deepa is CAMS certified and a member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) and its active New York Chapter. In addition, she is a member of the Association of International Bank Audit and Compliance Professionals (AIBACP), Mid Town

Regulatory Group (MTRG) and charter member of Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS) and its NY Chapter. She has served as a Board member of the Financial Women’s Association of New York (FWA) and a member of the Nominating Committee. Deepa has been and is currently the Co-Chair of the FWA’s Directorship and Corporate Governance Committee (DCGC) since 2019. She is also a volunteer at the New York League of Independent Bankers (NYLIB). Deepa is fluent in German and Hindi and is currently learning Italian. She has a double Master of Arts degree from the University of Toledo in Ohio and well as the University of Bombay, India.

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Pawneet Abramowski, FWA Board Member, Co-chair, DCGC

Pawneet Abramowski Is a recognized Compliance and Risk Management Executive with over 25 years of comprehensive public and private sector experience, offering unparalleled knowledge in shaping the organization’s risk and compliance ecosystem to achieve strong business outcomes with a digital transformation. Read More…

In 2017, she established PARC Solutions LLC, an advisory firm with expertise in business strategy development, repositioning of products/services to align with regulatory standards. The advisory firm attains this by devising an infrastructure framework to help financial institutions and other disruptors to formulate long-term business strategies with valuable results for a durable competitive edge in the market. She has been responsible for the business’s digital transformation, approach and delivery focused on modernizing how the clients utilize technology across the organizations while balancing risk and security.

Ms. Abramowski has successfully steered businesses in managing complex regulatory challenges. In her roles as the Head of Financial Crimes Risk Management, Chief Compliance Officer, she designed and drove the execution of most significant regulatory deliverables within and across geographies, businesses, and functions. Previously, she also held Compliance leadership roles at CIT Group Inc., RBC Capital Markets & Morgan Stanley. Prior to private sector roles Ms. Abramowski spent several years in an investigative and intelligence capacity with government agencies ending with the Federal Bureau of Investigation working on global terrorism cases.

Ms. Abramowski is also an Adjunct Professor of Law/Distinguished Lecturer at Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s Financial Integrity Institute teaching and in the U.S. and globally. She is an SME trainer providing trainings to government and financial industry professionals in North America, Europe, and Middle East. She is quoted regularly as a Financial Crimes, Compliance and Risk expert in media publications on key topics and is a regular speaker in the financial services industry focusing on supporting innovation by finding a balance between risk and business growth.

Ms. Abramowski holds an MBA from Adelphi University Robert B. Willumstad School of Business and an MA in Government and Politics and BA in Public Administration from St. John’s University.

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Alissa Desmarais, FWA Executive Director and COO

Alissa Desmarais is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at the Financial Women’s Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the professional development and advancement of all women through education, mentorship, scholarships, networking, and alliances across the financial community. With 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience Alissa is a community-focused executive who accomplishes with integrity, innovation and efficiency. She has developed new programs and initiatives. Her strengths consist of management, partnership building, strategic planning, analysis and fundraising. Previous roles consist of prominent NYC institutions such as High Water Women Foundation, City Parks Foundation, The Synergos Institute and New York Public Radio.

Alissa holds a degree in US History from the University of Connecticut.

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About OnBoard NC

OnBoardNC is a highly-selective and industrially-diverse group of women whose collective focus is to empower companies and its leaders by shrinking the boardroom gender gap. Together, we represent a deep talent pool from the NC Research Triangle region with over 1,000 years of experience and wisdom collected in the boardroom and beyond. We are confident that OnBoardNC members have the talent and expertise you are looking for in your Board of Director’s search. Contact us directly to take the first steps towards boardroom balance.

Excellence

We work to identify and pursue only the most qualified applicants. Each OnBoardNC member is armed with an impressive track record of exceptional business judgment, governance, and board experience acquired on the front lines of the varying industries we serve. We maintain our high standard of membership through continuing industry education in a knowledge-sharing culture.

Engagement

Identifying the need for a balanced boardroom is just the start. Since 2015, we have come to the table to sustain this important conversation with leaders all over the country. By understanding the distinct vision of each organization, we’re equipped to pursue the best possible outcome through education, networking and selective collaboration.

Education

We are dedicated to continually extending our reach by bringing together market influencers, board leaders and our own members to foster conversation and demonstrate the power of an inclusive board. We seek to educate organizations with an interest in leadership diversity and partner with advocates looking to connect qualified candidates with the companies who need them.

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About The Boston Club

Boston Club is a community of executives and professionals invested in elevating women to leadership positions across all walks of business. We believe that women’s leadership has a positive effect on business results, organizational success and our communities. Members enjoy access to like-minded successful women, the recognition of members’ accomplishments, and most importantly, the impact the Club has made in women’s careers.

Whether you’re a corporate executive, a rising star, a mentor, a board member, an independent business owner, a nonprofit leader or an educator, there is a place for you in The Boston Club. Here, you can build connections, skills, experiences and friendships. Members span many ages, races, ethnicities, and industries. Together, we represent a powerful range of skill, culture and perspective.

Founded in 1976, the Boston Club has nearly 500 members. We are a volunteer-run organization, connecting through events, peer-to-peer mentoring, and affinity groups. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by an Executive Director, with members participating on committees and task forces. The Boston Club offers both corporate and nonprofit board placement services in which we identify and recommend qualified women candidates from our significant pool of nationwide talent.

We research the progress of gender diversity on boards: an annual Census of board and executive suite diversity in Massachusetts’ largest public companies, and a periodic report focused on leadership in the 150 largest nonprofits in the state. We also have significant collaborations with corporate sponsors and partners that support our mission and value the benefits we can offer to women.

Leadership

Barbara Hayes, Executive Director

Barbara Hayes is an experienced leader in the nonprofit space, most recently at New Leaders, a New York City-based organization committed to equipping education leaders to be powerful and positive forces for change through best-in-class leadership training. Barbara’s passion and accomplishments have focused on developing stakeholder engagement and strategic partnerships, strengthening mission impact, driving revenue growth, and building equitable, inclusive, and thriving cultures.She earned her Ed. M., Human Development & Education, from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and her BA, International Relations & Women’s Studies, from Hampshire College.

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About The Forum of Executive Women

It began in 1977 as a connecting point for the handful of Philadelphia-area women in corporate leadership roles. Today, The Forum is a network of nearly 600 women leaders in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Forum represents various segments of the business community – from finance to manufacturing, government to healthcare, nonprofits to communication, the professions to technology.

The Forum’s core mission – to advance women leaders in the Greater Philadelphia Region – remains unchanged. But its goals have expanded as the number of women in leadership positions has grown. As the premier network of influential women, The Forum:

· Makes the voices of women leaders heard

· Provides a venue for the exchange of views and information

· Advances parity in the corporate world

· Supports members for leadership roles

· Furthers diversity, equity and inclusion

· Promotes the contributions, skills and visibility of Forum members

· Mentors junior women as they advance in their careers

· Serves as a source of influential contacts, business referrals and remarkable friendships

Our Mission We bring together, and leverage the influence of, professional women to expand the impact and power of women in the workplace and beyond.

Our Vision Women will achieve equitable representation in leadership, influence, and power in the workplace, their homes and their communities.

Our Guiding Principles

· Inclusion: We are dedicated to growing our welcoming, diverse, engaging, and caring community that is bound together by our common purpose.

· Connections: We work strategically and collaboratively to connect individuals, resources, opportunities, and networks to advance women’s individual, professional, and shared goals.

· Equity: We are committed to amplifying the voices of all women, including women who have been historically marginalized and oppressed, and to ensuring that we create equitable opportunities for all women.

· Influence: We use our collective influence to create opportunities, to advance women, to break down barriers, and to advocate for all women.

LS Forum Board, Staff and Keynote Speakers

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About Women Executive Leadership Florida

Women Executive Leadership (WEL) is a Florida not-for-profit organization where accomplished leaders come together. Since 1999, WEL remains committed to accelerating the powerful and proven role that women play in leadership. WEL’s long-standing focus is on advocating, educating, and connecting women leaders. WEL connects female leaders to collaborate on career opportunities through their unique access to a community that is driving gender parity in the C-Suite and the Boardroom, and is a resource for all Board of Directors of Florida companies, focusing on education, networking, and connecting.

VISION STATEMENT

To achieve gender parity in the EXECUTIVE SUITE and the BOARDROOM.

MISSION STATEMENT

Women Executive Leadership promotes and enables increasing gender diversity on corporate boards and in the executive suite through advocating, educating and connecting accomplished leaders.

Leadership

Cindy Kushner

Founder and Chairman Emeritus

Cindy Kushner is the Office Managing Partner for the Crowe LLP Fort Lauderdale office. Cindy has 35 years of experience in the accounting profession of which 25 years with the “Big Four” as a trusted tax and business advisor serving large global clients in the public, private and private equity sectors. Cindy manages several tax outsourcing engagements where she and her team function as the tax department including income, property, sales and use, and franchise taxes, including foreign tax compliance, expat tax compliance, transfer pricing, tax provision assistance, and business and strategy planning. Read More…

Extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions, tax structuring for global and multi-state companies, debt restructuring and recapitalization; tax efficient supply chain planning. Industry Specialties: Consumer products, healthcare/life sciences, and staffing/services industries.

Presented on several topics for the HFMA, Tax Executive Institute (TEI), FICPA Healthcare conferences, Florida International University classes, and firm-sponsored conferences.

Cindy serves as a Chairman and Founder of Women Executive Leadership (WEL) for over 20 years; and on the Financial Executive Institute (FEI) Florida board and executive committee. In the past, served on several committees and boards including the Health Financial Management Association (HFMA) Florida board for 5 years; National Board of InterOrganization Network (ION); Advisory Board of National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Florida, the United Way of Broward County’s Governance Committee; board of director for Florida Venture Forum; and served on the Ambassador committee for Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

A member of the AICPA; FICPA; and served on the FICPA Mobility Task Force. Mentored in the Women of Tomorrow program for 7 years mentoring high school students in Broward School System.

Received the following honors and awards during her career; Women Executive Leadership Trail-blazing Award 2019, Award Florida 500 The States Most Influential Business Leaders 2019, Florida 500 The States Most Influential Business Leaders 2018, Women Extraordinaire South Florida’s Top Leaders 2011, Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce – Women’s Circle of Excellence Honoree 2011, South Florida Business Key Partner’s Award – Honoree Accounting 2011, Women Executive Leadership Trail-blazing Award 2011, Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Volunteerism KPMG 2007, Rosemarie Meschi Award Finalist Ernst & Young 2001.

Katherine Young

President

Katherine brings over 20 years of talent management consulting experience to the formation of Young Search Partners, Executive Search- a boutique retained executive search firm- having worked for the largest global firms in both the executive search and career management consulting industries. Read More…

Katherine formed Young Search Partners -Executive Search in 2009 with over 19 years experience in the executive search industry, previously as Director of the Retained Search Division for Hudson Highland Group and prior as a Principal with Korn Ferry International.

Katherine’s search experience has spanned across industry and functional roles to include search assignments in the consumer/retail, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors, with a focus on critical leadership roles. A partial listing of Katherine’s corporate clients include: TECO Energy, Jabil, Raymond James, Bloomin Brands, Tupperware Brands, Gerdau Ameristeel, AAA Auto club, Masonite International, Checkers/Rally’s, Tech Data, Intelident Solutions, Darden, HSN and Catalina Marketing. Additionally, Katherine has conducted CEO searches in the Non-Profit sector in Tampa Bay for clients including- The Children’s Home, SPCA of Tampa Bay, The Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, The Centre for Women, Big Brothers Big Sisters State Association of Florida, The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, and AMIkids ( CFO ).

Katherine’s prior experience in Career and Leadership consulting only strengthens the value she brings to recruiting critical leadership talent for her clients. Katherine spent over 10 years with the top two global leaders in the career management services sector―Right Management Consultants and Lee Hecht Harrison. Here Katherine’s central focus was consulting to CEO’s around key retention and performance coaching initiatives.

A native of Connecticut and a Tampa, Florida resident for over 25 years, Katherine received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Katherine remains very active and committed to her involvement in the Tampa Bay and Florida business community serving on several boards to include: The Board of Directors and Central Florida Chair of WEL- (Women in Executive Leadership) and the Board of Directors, Chair Elect, of the Florida State Association for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Katherine previously served on the Board of Leadership Tampa Alumni, the Florida Venture Capital Forum, and Chaired the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Council. Katherine is a member of the Athena Society, University of Tampa Board of Fellows, and is a Key Partner to the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay. Katherine was recently honored as a finalist for the 2015 TBBJ Business Woman of the Year. Katherine is a graduate of the Leadership Tampa class of 2005, a member of LTA Alumni, and member of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Michelle Eisner

Past president

Michelle Eisner is a business executive with extensive expertise and experience including: in global, strategic planning, acquisition integration, executive compensation, labor negotiations, change management, cultural formulation, executive coaching, succession planning, leadership development, productivity efficiency, automation integration, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, risk management, benefits, cost containment, team building, employee relations, communications and training and presentations. Her experience ranges from Fortune 50 publicly and privately held organizations to entrepreneurial family owned and private equity held mid-sized companies. She has championed innovative and impactful Human Capital approaches with a proven track record of transforming organizational performance in REIT, telecommunications, food and textile manufacturing, financial, and printing industries and spearheaded major initiatives to position domestic and international companies for organic and acquisition growth. Also, she has served as a mentor and a dynamic and effective leader. She is an effective Chief Company Spokesperson/Labor Negotiator and has success in non-union and union environments. Read More…

Michelle is a key member of the Senior Leadership team at SBA and advises on company strategy and cultural alignment. Michelle was a key participant on Hollander Sleep Products’ Board of Directors. She also served on Tyson Food’s Chairman’s Advisory Board of Directors as well as has presented at Fortune 50 Board of Director meetings for her previous organizations. She also serves on Women Executive Leadership’s Board of Directors as President and previously served on the Society Human Resources Management’s Board of Directors in Vice President and Treasury roles.

Currently, Michelle is the SVP-CHRO for SBA Communications Corporation, a $2 billion publically traded REIT. She is a strategic partner to the senior leadership team and has implemented strategies to enhance team member engagement and maximize productivity. Michelle was the Chief Human Resources and Talent Officer at Hollander Sleep Products, a $500 million textile company that continues to manufacture in North America. As the key advisor and coach to the CEO and senior management team, she has been instrumental in formulating the organization’s vision and facilitating strategic planning to ensure corporate growth and profitability as well as integrating an acquisition, which doubled the company’s sales, tripled the profitability, positioning to the company sell at a high return on investment. Her accomplishments include revising and overseeing the executive compensation system, redesigning the benefit structure to produce significant annual cost savings and negotiating contracts that create competitive cost structures. She serves as the company’s Chief Spokesperson in labor negotiations, the Public Relations Spokesperson and on the Finance Committee for the 401K.

Michelle holds a MS degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University/Baruch College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She earned a BFA degree from City College of New York. She is also a Certified Global Human Resources Professional, a Certified Compensation Professional and certified by Birkman Individual and Team Assessment. Also, she has a certification in Corporate Finance from Florida Atlantic University. She has is also a National Association Corporate Directors Governance Fellow. Also, she received South Florida Business & Wealth Magazine’s 2017 Excellence in Human Resource Award.

Stacy Burgess

Treasurer

Stacy Burgess is an innovative leader with a results-driven attitude, possessing strong analytical, relationship management, risk management, presentation, and communication skills. As a strategic financial executive, she structures and negotiates complex debt and capital solutions involving mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, leveraged, and real estate transactions. Stacy is decisive and highly effective in a fast-paced environment leading and prioritizing multiple projects for various cross-functional teams supporting private, public, domestic, and international companies. She has a passion for building motivated and collaborative teams. Read More…

Stacy‘s expertise is derived from many years as a financial leader. In her current role as a Senior Vice President at Valley National Bank, serving as the Commercial & Industrial Team Leader for South Florida, she partners with private and publicly traded companies in the region to provide innovative debt, treasury management, and capital solutions to help companies grow with an optimal capital structure.

Stacy ensures the execution of complex financial modeling and extensive due diligence, while balancing risks with client needs, resulting in quality loan growth, exceeding client acquisition goals, and increasing profitability.

Stacy’s prior experience includes her role as Senior Vice President and Loan Team Manager in Wells Fargo’s Middle Market Banking Group serving Broward and Palm Beach Counties, where she oversaw the team’s adherence to credit policy and regulatory compliance requirements, while surpassing all business development goals. Stacy’s previous roles with Wells Fargo included the Miami-Dade Middle Market Banking Group, which began upon her arrival in South Florida in 2000, and Asset Based Lending in Philadelphia. Industries and specialties served include agriculture, aviation, beverage, contractors, country clubs, distributors, education, factoring, healthcare, heavy equipment, hotels, manufacturing, marinas, media, real estate, restaurants, retailers, and sports franchises.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stacy received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Delaware. She is also on the Board of Women Executive Leadership in Florida. Stacy is an active supporter of Women in Distress.

Christine Arnholt

Marketing Chair

Christine Arnholt, Managing Partner of BrandCraft Consumer Strategy and formally Vice President of Onboard Marketing at Carnival Cruise Line, brings a high level of marketing expertise to WEL.

In her 28 years at Carnival Cruise Line, Arnholt’s leadership roles included commercial marketing, guest experience and business development, and most recently onboard marketing where she led the creation of brand relevant guest experiences with the vision and strategy centered on core brand equities, market trends, and business data to drive engagement and results.

As WEL’s Board of Director, Arnholt will chair WEL’s Marketing Committee where her talents will elevate WEL’s Brand and messaging for all of WEL’s initiatives. With the appointment of Christine, WEL’s Board of Directors has been expanded from 11 to 12 members.

Christine Cannella

Advocacy Chair

Christine A. Cannella is the Vice President Investor Relations Officer for Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE: FDP). Christine has over 20 years of experience in the investor relations profession. Throughout her career with large-scale, multinational organizations, she has had the opportunity to drive change and excellence by developing and leading corporate communications, financial media, investor relations efforts, messaging, and executive-level strategies. Read More…

In addition to her work as the Vice President, Investor Relations Officer for Fresh Del Monte Produce, she is a regular Speaker on investor relations and leadership topics and has served on national and regional boards including the WNBA Board of Advocates, Women Executive Leadership (WEL)-Educational Committee, National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) South Florida, Jack & Jill Children’s Center-Finance Committee, and the MIT Enterprise Forum. Because of her work Chairing the Committee for the Forum’s Global Leadership Meeting in 2008, she was awarded the MIT Alumni Association’s Honor Role of Service in 2009. In 2007, she became the Co-founder of Cannella Custom Cycles, a company that designed and manufactured aftermarket parts and accessories for motorcycles, with global distribution through a network of distributors. She sold the Company in 2019.

New York

Debra Lange

Program Co-Chair

Debra Lange is an accomplished Strategic Relationship Manager for Health and Welfare Benefits Consulting at Mercer’s Sunrise, Florida office. With over 25 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to nurturing and fostering strong relationships with clients and colleagues. Her passion lies in working collaboratively with clients to develop innovative solutions, establish strategic roadmaps, and unlock opportunities that have a positive impact on both business and philanthropy. Read More…

In her role as a relationship manager, Debra bears the crucial responsibility of ensuring that clients feel valued, heard, and well-supported. She actively collaborates with experts across the Marsh McLennan network to deliver customized strategies and cutting-edge solutions that address the health and well-being of clients, their businesses, and their employees. Debra’s areas of expertise encompass benefit plan design, analysis, long-term strategy, and various funding methods. She focuses primarily on all types of health and welfare benefit programs, aiming to complement and enhance corporate and benefit team objectives.

Debra graduated from Penn State University, holding a degree that serves as a testament to her academic achievements. Additionally, she is a licensed Health, Life, and Annuities agent in the state of Florida. Debra has also earned the GBA (Group Benefits Associate) designation through the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and the Wharton School of Business, demonstrating her commitment to professional development and excellence in her field. Actively involved in her community, Debra takes pride in co-chairing events for WEL Florida (Women Executive Leadership) and serving on the board of Children’s Harbor, a non-profit organization.

Nina Gordon

Board Director

Nina Gordon’s focus is in representing early- and mid-stage public and private companies in corporate finance and acquisition transactions. In that regard, she works closely with executive management and boards of directors in a variety of transactions, such as early- and later-stage financings, initial public offerings and secondary offerings, acquisition transactions such as mergers and asset purchases, joint ventures, credit facilities and other debt financings, and a variety of other business transactions and agreements. Read More…

For both her public and private company clients, she works closely with executive management, including the general counsel and the board of directors, to monitor and adapt to changes in the applicable regulatory environments and to update corporate governance practices, establish compliance programs, oversee internal investigations, and assist with relationships with equity owners and other stakeholders.

Ms. Gordon represents public companies in a variety of financing transactions, including public and private equity offerings; public and private debt offerings, such as senior notes, commercial paper, medium-term notes, and subordinated debt; and asset-backed and other secured and unsecured loans.

She frequently handles matters for clients involving joint ventures, licensing and development agreements with universities, distribution agreements, and other transactions relating to the expansion of her clients’ businesses.

In addition to the areas of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and securities law, Ms. Gordon has experience in all aspects of banking law and bank regulatory matters, including de novo charters, holding company reorganizations, and bank acquisitions.

Laurie Green

Governance Chair

Laurie L. Green advises public companies on the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ, and the SEC’s corporate governance standards under Sarbanes−Oxley. In addition to her corporate governance experience, Ms. Green represents companies in securities offerings, proxy solicitations, mergers and acquisitions, cash tender offers, cross−border tender offers, and distressed debt restructuring and exchange offers. Before entering private practice, Ms. Green spent 11 years at the SEC and served as Special Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance in Washington, D.C. in its Office of Mergers and Acquisitions. A frequent speaker on topics related to Sarbanes−Oxley and corporate governance issues, Ms. Green provides the firm’s clients with SEC regulation updates. Notable Client Work Issuer’s Counsel for special purpose acquisition companies, including the initial public offering and acquisition of a target company.

Robert Lamm

Board Director

Bob Lamm chairs the Securities and Corporate Governance practice at The Gunster Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is an Independent Senior Advisor to the Deloitte Center for Board Effectiveness. He previously held senior legal positions at several large companies, including W. R. Grace & Co., CA Technologies, and Pfizer Inc., where he was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. He also has extensive experience with small- and mid-cap companies as well as private companies and non-profit organizations. Read More…

Bob is a long-term member of the Society for Corporate Governance and has chaired its Securities Law Committee and served on its Corporate Practices, Finance, National Conference, and Small- and Mid-Cap Companies Committees, as a member of its board of directors, and as chair of its National Conference Committee. Bob has received the Society’s Bracebridge H. Young Award, its highest, for distinguished service.

Bob is a member of the Florida and New York Bars and the American Bar Association. He frequently speaks and writes on securities law, corporate governance and related topics. He currently serves as a Fellow of The Conference Board ESG Center, as a member of the board of editors of The Corporate Counselor, and as a member of Gunster’s Women Leadership Forum Committee, and he previously served as a member of the Markets Advisory Council of the Council of Institutional Investors. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award in Corporate Governance from Corporate Secretary magazine.

Amy Maguire

Board Director

Amy has been serving companies across Florida for over 20 years. With a deep dedication to community and economic development, Amy specializes in external affairs, advocacy, corporate social responsibility, corporate philanthropy, strategic business development, and corporate communications. Amy’s diverse experience spans across for-profit and not-for-profit companies and includes serving as Government Relations Executive at Orlando Health, Vice President Coca Cola Florida, and Vice President Johns Hopkins All Children’s Government & Community Relations & Commercialization. Amy speaks to women’s groups nationally and published her first book, BE 12, The Energy to Live Your Values in 2019. Read More…

Amy holds the Duke University Executive Leadership Certification for Corporate Social Responsibility, USF Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification, Executive Certificate in Fundraising, Harvard Healthcare Executive Certification, and serves as an adjunct professor for various colleges and universities. Amy serves clients in many ways including building impact strategies for “doing well by doing good.” Amy designed the “engaged for good“ model to guide companies with planning and implementation which encompasses corporate philanthropy, operations, sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Amy holds an MBA with a focus on strategic planning and corporate social responsibility.

As an impact maker, Amy has volunteered with countless organizations. Her focus continues to be supporting women and workforce engagement. She has started several companies focused

on the pay it forward model. Her social enterprising skills are used to help at risk populations with food security and economic empowerment.

Jamie Mitchell

Partner Chair

Jamie Mitchell is a business executive with nearly 25 years of experience in the financial services industry spanning investment banking, hedge funds and private equity.

Jamie is a Managing Director at Inherent Group responsible for business development. Jamie’s prior experience in the asset management industry included direct investing and leading fundraising, investor relations, marketing and business development at a number of hedge funds. Additionally, she spent time as CEO of an e-commerce business she founded. From 1998 to 2006 she was an investment banker at Deutsche Bank principally working with bulge bracket private equity clients. Read More…

She is a founder and Co-Chairs the Columbia Business School’s Women’s Circle and spearheads its Women on Boards taskforce. Additionally, she serves on the Women Executive Leadership of Florida’s Board of Directors as Partnership Chair. Prior board positions include Secretary of FinAnalytica, a sponsor-backed FinTech company, which was sold to BISAM then to FactSet; and McDermond Center for Management and Entrepreneurship at DePauw University.

Jamie holds a BA in Economics and Spanish from DePauw University and an MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in investment management. She also earned a certificate in Women’s Leadership from Yale School of Management.

Vivian More

Education Chair

Vivian More is vice president of IT Shared Services for Marriott Vacations Worldwide (MVW). In this role, she is responsible for providing services for overall IT Business Analysis, Project Management, Quality Assurance, and Release Management to support application development for the Vacation Ownership, Exchange, Enterprise Applications, and Third Party Management business segments. Read More…

Ms. More joined Interval International, a subsidiary of MVW, in 1995 as development manager for Interval Software Services (ISS). In 1997, she moved to the Business Consulting Department and managed the functional design of the Sales and Marketing, Member Servicing, and Hotel Reservation components of the Resort Solutions application. Ms. More was promoted to director of business development in 1998 and assumed responsibilities for managing the functional development process, as well as the Customer Support and Quality Assurance teams. In 2004, she was promoted to assistant vice president of the IT Shared Services group, and in 2007 she was promoted to vice president.

Prior to joining Interval, Ms. More served as a senior software engineer for Telectronics Pacing Systems, former Cordis Corporation, for twelve years. Vivian graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1984.

Professional Affiliations and Community Involvement:

1: Board of Trustees at Palmer Trinity School, an independent, college preparatory, coeducational Episcopal school located in Palmetto Bay, Florida (currently 2: serving) 3: Board of Trustees at St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. 4: St. Thomas Episcopal Parish Vestry. 5: Communications Committee for the City of Coral Gables (appointed by Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers). 6: United Way Women’s Leadership Executive Council. 7: IT Women. 8: Young Patronesses of the Opera.

Shari Roth

Membership Chair

As a cofounder of CAPITAL iDEA, Shari Roth leverages her 20 years of corporate experience to help organizations Build RightFit Teams, Develop Leaders from High Potentials, and Breakdown Unproductive Barriers that exist in Corporate Cultures. CAPITAL iDEA www.capital-idea.net was named by South Florida Business Leader as one of the Top 100 small businesses. An accomplished performance improvement consultant and executive coach, Shari’s ability to simplify complex problems into effective solutions has driven notable results in over twenty different industries. A few of the familiar companies where Shari has worked with executives and their teams in include: Altegra Health, Boston Scientific, Ryder, The Continental Group, and Ultimate Software. Read More…

With over twenty years in key leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies, her clients find Shari’s ability to create clarity combined with her unique blend of business experience invaluable. Through Shari’s coaching her clients have been able to achieve professional and personal goals they once thought were not possible. Shari is also an adjunct instructor for MBA students at Florida Atlantic University taking the Global Leadership Assessment Development course. Shari is on the Board of Women Executive Leadership as well as loves being a Rotarian and is on the Board of the Rotary Club of Weston. Shari is committed to the missions of the organizations she is connected with and works to empower others in her business and through her volunteer initiatives

Maureen Shea

Board Director

As CEO and Co-founder of Right Management – Florida/Caribbean Region, Maureen Shea drives Right’s growth in diverse talent management and career management services for

privately and publicly owned companies throughout Florida and the Caribbean Region. Previously, she served as Chief Financial Officer since 1986. Read More…

As a strategic resource, Maureen makes it her mission to “Guide and Inspire” her team and colleagues region wide. Recognized for helping shape and support South Florida’s HR profession, she serves on the President’s Council of the Human Resource Association of Broward County. She was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2009.

Maureen was honored with the Florida Diversity Council’s Glass Ceiling Award, and has received South Florida Business Journal’s CFO of the Year award. Recognizing her community leadership, the National Conference of Community and Justice presented her with its Silver Medallion Award, and she was inducted into Junior Achievement’s South Florida’s Business Hall of Fame. Right Management – Florida/Caribbean was named 2013’s Socially Responsible Corporation of the Year by the Casimiro Global Foundation.

Maureen has served on the Board of Trustees and the Finance committee for Holy Cross Hospital. She is a Leadership Broward Foundation alumna, a board member of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California and of the Business Advisory Board of St. Thomas University. She currently serves on the finance committee of United Way of Broward.

A prominent insurance and HR executive before joining Right Management, Maureen was director of Recruiting for Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company and Lincoln National Life. Among many honors, while at Lincoln National Life she earned the “Recruiter of the Year” Award as the top recruiter in the nation. Her undergraduate degree is from Kean College in New Jersey.

Sebastian Valencia

Board Director

Sebastian Valencia is a partner with Clarkston Consulting. He is responsible for advising senior executives from global organizations through strategic business transformations. During his tenure at Clarkston Consulting, Sebastian has led global initiatives for life sciences, consumer products and retail companies. His focus areas include strategic planning, product and process innovation, organizational performance, supply chain strategy, digital transformations, enterprise technology implementations, and mergers and acquisitions including commercial due diligence. Sebastian has worked with clients in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Read More…

Sebastian holds leadership responsibilities in several of the firm’s key internal programs. Sebastian is active in several industry and charitable organizations in Florida and Latin America. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and universities and is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Sebastian is currently serving as a board member on the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) for the South Florida chapter, as well as on the Woman Executive Leadership (WEL) Florida Chapter. Sebastian earned his MBA in global logistics and supply chain management from the University of Dallas and his B.S. in production engineering from EAFIT University in Medellin, Colombia. He earned a post-graduate certificate in leadership and strategy from the Sloan School of Business at MIT.

Deirdre Brown

Emeritus Director

Deirdre “Dee” Brown, CPA, is former senior executive and a Women Executive Leadership (WEL) board member devoted to supporting women in their career journey to the C-Suite and on corporate boards. Brown worked for nearly 25 years at TECO Energy, Florida’s third largest utility and a Fortune 500 company. Dee served in various leadership roles including as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Chief Integration Officer, and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. She was responsible for an array of financial and strategic functions, all essential in supporting the enhancement of stakeholder profitability. Dee’s wide-array of roles afforded her the opportunity to work with TECO’s board of directors on a regular basis and to assist in the preparation of financial and operational updates with financial analysts, bankers and investors. Read More…

In addition to serving as WEL’s treasurer, Dee has served in various roles of other non-profit organizations including as board president for The Centre for Women, secretary for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida, and board member of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay. Brown is a native Floridian with a BS in Accountancy from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of South Florida (summa cum laude).

Marie Lee

Emeritus Director

Marie Lee is a results-oriented, highly experienced Chief Information Officer with demonstrated success in technology leadership, planning and execution to support strategic business objectives. Her strength is in building world-class Information Technology teams and partnering with business leaders to leverage leading-edge technologies to innovate, improve operational effectiveness and transform the capabilities of companies. Read More…

As President and founder of Lee Management Consulting, she assists clients in developing business strategies and transformative products that improve performance, create value and maximize growth. In her former position as EVP & CIO of ILG, Inc. she led an IT organization of 500+ technology professionals. ILG was a top 100 public Florida company and global provider of vacation ownership, timeshare exchange, rental and property management. As CIO, her responsibilities included overall technology vision, strategy and delivery of best-in-class technology solutions and services to over 550,000 owner families, 250+ managed resorts and an exchange network of nearly 2M members.

Additionally, at ILG Marie established the company as a technology leader in the vacation ownership industry by launching the first online vacation exchange network. She developed an enterprise-wide mobile strategy that resulted in the launch of several mobile apps that received the industry’s top recognition award for innovation. She also fostered a culture of security awareness and established a world-class security organization to combat cyber security threats and provide security governance, risk management and compliance. Marie was instrumental in supporting ILG’s acquisition strategy and IT due diligence efforts which resulted in moving forward with seven acquisitions in less than 10 years and which doubled revenues and the employee base.

Prior to joining ILG, Marie Lee held executive management positions in information technology with Policy Management Systems Corporation, American Bankers Insurance Group (Assurant) and SHL Systemhouse, Inc.

Marie Lee earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Barry University and is on the Board of Women Executive Leadership in Florida.

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About Inforum

Inforum accelerates careers for women and is a catalyst that removes barriers and increases opportunity in service of building a culture that embraces women leading and succeeding.

Education. Inforum’s research-based leadership development programs have been widely used by automotive companies for current and future women leaders. Those include “Ascending to the C-Suite,” a collaboration with the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan that helps senior-level women acquire the specialized knowledge whose mastery is critical for C-suite executives. Inforum also publishes the biennial Michigan Women’s Leadership Report, which tracks women’s leadership in the state’s publicly traded companies.

Networking and mentoring. We’ve built specialized industry groups in mobility, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology. Our inSTEM initiative works to build the talent pipeline for professions in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Members also can participate in more than 35 affinity groups in Southeast and West Michigan or find a mentor through our app.

Exposure. We bring in top industry speakers for our events.

Inforum app is on Google Play or Apple Store.

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Google Play

Leadership

Terry Barclay, President and CEO

Terry Barclay is a leader in building gender-balanced businesses with over 35 years of experience working with top management teams of some of the world’s best-known companies to capture the benefits of inclusive work environments. Read More…

Under Terry’s leadership, Inforum has become a trusted ally and sought-after resource in helping companies advance gender diversity to find and develop future talent.

She is the co-editor of two best-selling books, The Road to the Top is Not on the Map: Conversations with Top Women of the Automotive Industry (2019), and The Road Forward: More Conversations with Top Women of the Automotive Industry (2021). The Road to the Top was one of nine books selected to be featured at Gary’s Book Club 2020, a part of the Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s gathering place for the consumer electronic industry.

Terry serves on the boards of the Cranbrook Educational Community and Cranbrook Institute of Science and is vice chair of the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy of Michigan. She is an active angel investor through Michigan Angel Funds I and II.

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Lorrena Black, Vice President, Leadership Development

Lorrena’s superpower is motivating and inspiring people as they move toward their goals – a skill she deployed with soldiers during her 25-year Army career, where she retired as a major. In her role at Inforum, she takes her passion for helping people and focuses it on accelerating the careers of women through developing, deploying, and delivering retail and custom leadership development programming. Read more…

In 2023, Lorrena was invited by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency to share her story with other veterans and also was recognized as one of Corp! Magazine’s Most Valuable Professionals.

Lorrena serves on the C.A.T.C.H Charity for Children’s board and is a member of its Night of Champions planning committee

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Cindy Goodaker, Vice President, Signature Programs and Communications

Cindy’s responsibilities touch membership, events, industry groups, inSTEM, grant writing and administration, and Inforum’s volunteer councils, among others. She also leads the execution of the Sustainable Business Network of Detroit collaboration funded by the Erb Family Foundation. Read more…

She also is a longtime member who chaired the Inforum board from 2004-06 and was a member of the team who oversaw the rebranding of the organization from the Women’s Economic Club to its current name.

She joined Inforum in 2016 after serving as executive editor of Crain’s Detroit Business for many years, where she led newsroom coverage that won numerous local and national awards.

Cindy serves on the board of the nonpartisan Center for Michigan, the 501c3 umbrella for Michigan’s largest nonprofit news organization, Bridge Michigan. Cindy also has served on the University of Michigan Board of Student Publications and the board of the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, an organization dedicated to delivering customized regional business news to over 1.2 million business professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

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Becky Puckett-Wood, Vice President, Member and Corporate Engagement

Becky is an enthusiastic leader who motivates others to be creative, resourceful, and flexible in a fast-paced multitasking environment. Read more…

Becky shares responsibility with Cindy Thieme as relationship lead with Inforum’s corporate investors and in identifying and cultivating new corporate relationships. She also is a liaison to Inforum ManufacturingNEXT and HealthcareNEXT, industry groups dedicated to building the pipeline for women in manufacturing and healthcare and its affiliated industries.

Before joining Inforum, she was managing director of Experis, a global leader in IT professional resourcing and managed services that is part of the Manpower Group family of companies, in Grand Rapids.

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Cindy Thieme

Cindy Thieme is an experienced sales and marketing professional with extensive management experience who brings enthusiasm and energy to everything that she does. Read more…

She shares responsibility with Becky Puckett-Wood as relationship lead with Inforum’s corporate investors and in identifying and cultivating new corporate relationships. She also is Inforum’s primary liaison to Inforum MobilityNEXT, an industry group dedicated to building the pipeline for women in the mobility industry.

Cindy joined Inforum in October 2022 from Oakland University, where was director of executive programs. Before joining OU, she held a variety of sales and marketing positions, including regional VP, Verifone, publisher of Deadline Detroit; Detroit director, CBS Media and Detroit director, CN Traveler/GQ. She continues to be an adjunct marketing faculty member at Oakland University.

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About OnBoard

OnBoard is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization seeking to increase the number of women in executive leadership and on corporate boards, and founding member of ION. OnBoard is a pioneer in its data-driven approach to advocating for women in the boardroom; since 1993 OnBoard’s Annual Study has tracked female representation on Georgia corporate boards, reporting on year-over-year status and major trends for three decades.

Today, OnBoard maintains a robust membership base of 600 business leaders, facilitates curated executive training for board-seeking women, and connects qualified women with board opportunities.

Driven by findings from the Annual Study, OnBoard’s programs and initiatives create meaningful opportunities for women at any stage of their careers. Tiered membership, tailored events, and programs like OnBoard Accelerator (C-suite), OnBoard Ignite (mid-career), and Next OnBoard (early-to-mid-career) provide women with a peer-to-peer network and the tools to advance throughout their professional life. Two annual award initiatives, the OnBoard Excellence Award and Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award, recognize female trailblazers who exemplify the path to board leadership, inspiring other women to follow suit.

Leadership

Lisa Robinson

Lisa Robinson is the CEO of OnBoard, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in executive leadership roles and on corporate boards. Since joining OnBoard in June of 2020, she has led the expansion of OnBoard’s outreach, created new social justice fellowship opportunities, and successfully adapted OnBoard’s programming to accommodate the need for virtual events, including virtual networking. Read More…

Prior to joining OnBoard, Lisa was a Partner at Bell Oaks Executive Search, where she leveraged her career experiences with corporations and nonprofits to give a unique perspective advising clients on talent acquisition. Her career spans the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, having worked in a diverse range of businesses from start-ups to Forbes 100 companies, primarily in fashion and textiles before working in the nonprofit sector. Beginning in 2001, she focused on fundraising – building and leading teams, raising funds, and helping other nonprofits do the same. She led fundraising at Marist School, Visiting Nurse/Hospice Atlanta, and was the VP of Philanthropy at the Woodruff Arts Center. Lisa is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Georgia Board of Directors, where she chairs the nominating committee. She graduated with a degree in Music from Scripps College of the Claremont Colleges in California. She is married to Will Slade, has two daughters, and a rambunctious Standard Poodle, Oswald.

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Rachel Tullos

Rachel Tullos is a global financial executive with multi-industry experience assisting both public and private companies to strategically manage risk while also successfully growing their revenue. Her broad range of experience includes optimizing financial management processes in global business environments, guiding businesses through complex international M&A transactions, and building business critical enterprise risk, internal audit, and ethics functions. Read More…

Ms. Tullos is currently the Chief Audit Executive at Crawford & Co., the largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management. At Crawford, she has transformed the global audit program to be strategically focused, risk-based and data driven. As an audit and energy industry leader, Ms. Tullos was named Audit Committee Chair of Bengal Pipeline Company, a joint venture company between Colonial Pipeline and Shell Pipeline. She also served on the American Petroleum Institute Audit SubCommittee, responsible for setting national policies for the energy industry. Ms. Tullos currently serves on the Atlanta Institute of Internal Auditors Board of Governors.

Ms. Tullos is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a BS in accounting, and lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She loves to travel and is also active ringing handbells with her church choir.

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Rachel Perry

Rachel Perry is the resident managing director for the Aon Atlanta office. She provides strategic direction and growth of the office, talent recruitment and development and ensuring that Aon delivers on its service commitments to our clients. She also works closely with the team to bring the depth of Aon’s commercial risk, health, retirement and human capital solutions to clients.

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Member Organizations

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Who are our Member Organizations?

The Leaderboard’s member organizations offer a wide range of programs and services to support women on their leadership journeys, and corporations in their search for board talent. As an aggregate, The Leaderboard’s talent base includes over 2,000 board practiced corporate directors, 6,000 board-ready candidates, and a reach of over 50,000 contacts who follow The Leaderboard, our member organizations and the board placements we’ve supported. With our breadth of talent and reach, we are a leading go-to source for top board talent.

Skylight Initiative

Virginia

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Skylight Initiative

Virginia

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Executive Alliance

Maryland

The mission of Maryland’s Executive Alliance is to accelerate the success and leadership of accomplished women by expanding their impact and influence through advocacy, education and mentorship.

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Financial Women’s Association of New York

New York

Founded in 1956, the Financial Women’s Association (FWA of New York, Inc.) is a non-profit organization that promotes the professional development and advancement of all women in finance. We support our members through education and training, mentorship, networking, and building alliances. The FWA’s Directorship & Corporate Governance Committee (DCGC) advocates for gender-balanced corporate boardrooms and supports members seeking directorship positions with training and networking opportunities, and education on corporate governance matters.

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Financial Women’s Association of New York

New York

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Inforum

Michigan

Founded in 1962, Inforum is a 501c3 nonprofit focused on building careers for women and strengthening talent pipelines for companies. Through individual membership and corporate investment, we offer leadership development education, coaching, exposure to thought leaders, and strategic networking opportunities that include industry groups focused on healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and mobility as well as affinity groups organized around a wide range of interests.

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OnBoard

Georgia

OnBoard Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization seeking to increase the number of women in executive leadership and on corporate boards. Since 1993, the OnBoard Annual Study has provided a vital benchmark for tracking progress and made a compelling case for gender parity in executive leadership. Through its initiatives and network OnBoard boosts women’s preparedness for board candidacy and encourages boards to shift how they recruit directors.

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OnBoard

Georgia

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OnBoard NC

North Carolina

Founded in 2015, OnBoardNC is a non-profit organization focused on shrinking the boardroom gender gap. We identify and onboard highly qualified, board-practiced female executives from the greater Research Triangle Park NC region, and actively promote OnBoardNC and our members to organizations seeking new board directors. Our members serve public and private organizations across the globe.

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The Boston Club

Massachusetts

The Boston Club is a community of 400 plus women whose mission is to advance women into top executive and professional leadership positions driven by the core belief that more women in significant & visible leadership roles will mean better business performance & strengthened economic health in our communities Members enjoy access to like-minded successful women, the recognition of members’ accomplishments, and most importantly, the impact the Club has made in women’s careers.

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The Boston Club

Massachusetts

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The Forum of Executive Women

Pennsylvania

The Forum is a membership organization of over 600 women who hold the senior-most positions in the corporations, not-for-profit organizations and public sector entities that drive our regional economy and community. The Forum’s mission is to bring together, and leverage the influence of, professional women to expand the impact and power of women in the workplace and beyond; we are women who support other women and we are women who are civically engaged.

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Women Executive Leadership (WEL)

Florida

Women Executive Leadership (WEL) is a Florida not-for-profit organization where accomplished leaders come together. Since 1999, WEL remains committed to accelerating the powerful and proven role that women play in leadership. WEL’s long-standing focus is on advocating, educating, and connecting women leaders. WEL connects female leaders to collaborate on career opportunities through their unique access to a community that is driving gender parity in the C-Suite and the Boardroom, and is a resource for all Board of Directors of Florida companies, focusing on education, networking, and connecting.

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Women Executive Leadership (WEL)

Florida

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Become a Member Organization

Is your organization focused on promoting female leaders to the boardroom? We’d love to talk with you about becoming a member of The Leaderboard! Fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.