Women in Business, Jobs, Women Entrepreneurs, Women in the News: News On Women

Penny Baldwin Made SVP Global Integrated Marketing and Brand Management at Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) appointed Penny Baldwin Senior Vice President, Global Integrated Marketing and Brand Management. Penny had previously been Managing Partner of Young & Rubicam Brands, Y&R Advertising and Wunderman Direct Marketing. Read more in the Company press release.

Peggy Gustafson to be Inspector General, SBA

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Peggy E. Gustafson, Inspector General, Small Business Administration. Peggy, who holds a JD from Northwestern University, currently serves as General Counsel to Senator Claire McCaskill, where she advises the Senator on government oversight issues. Read more in the White House press release 6/29.

Maryann Goebel Made Chief Information Officer at Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV), a global provider of financial services technology solutions, appointed Maryann Goebel Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Maryann had been Executive Vice President and CIO for DHL Express in Bonn, Germany, and before that held executive positions at General Motors, PepsiCo Business Solutions Group, and Bell Atlantic. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Cheryl Casone Accepts the Challenge to Make a Difference

Cheryl Casone, one of FOX Business Network's women news anchors, has had a front row seat to the business challenges in this uncertain economic climate. Cheryl now faces some family challenges of her own and tells us about keeping it all going:

"I never thought I would do a Triathlon.....and as of this writing, I have never done one.  Why would I do this to myself? Why when I have a sick parent, a job that drains me mentally and sometimes physically, and I live in a city that never sleeps, would I want to complete a Triathlon? Working at a startup network like Fox Business requires an amount of dedication and passion I've never experienced until now. We have a big fight ahead and we bring our top game each day.
 
A colleague and friend of mine at the New York Post, Holly Sanders, knew I was done with my marathon days and suggested I try to mix up my workout regimen by entering the Nautica NYC Triathlon set for July 26th, 2009.  Five months later, I spend six days a week in a pool, on a bike, or running in Central Park.  I have dealt with blisters, cramped feet, bruises, sunburns, sore muscles, and overall fatigue. 
 
Although I originally wanted to do this for the physical challenge, I am now challenging others to join my program by helping me raise money for Colorectal Cancer, the disease that my Dad, Joe Casone, is currently dealing with. Dad acknowledges if he had followed proper screening guidelines, his outcome would have been very different.  Now, I can run, swim, and bike in his honor, and hopefully raise awareness that Colorectal Cancer is preventable!"

Heather Wang Made Company Officer at GE

GE appointed Heather (Xiaojun) Wang an Officer of the Company. Heather, who holds an MBA from Rutgers University, is Vice President, Human Resources for GE International. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Lynn Rosenthal Named White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

Lynn Rosenthal, an expert on domestic violence policy, has been appointed the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. This is a newly created position at the White House, dedicated specifically to advising the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues. Read more in the White House press release 6/26.

Megan Costa DeVault Honored as Central Florida's 2009 40 Under 40 Woman of the Year

Megan Costa DeVault, a commercial litigator in the law firm Akerman Senterfitt's Orlando office, has been named “Central Florida’s 2009 Outstanding Female of the Year” in the Orlando Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 competition.  Recognized for her business achievements, personal success and community involvement, Megan was selected for this honor by the Orlando Business Journal. Megan also balances work and family life as a 31-year old mother of two.
 
“Megan is an inspiration to all of us,” said Charles Brumback, Office Managing Shareholder for Akerman’s Orlando office. “We are thrilled for Megan to be recognized for her outstanding efforts both in the courtroom and within her community."

J. Heidi Roizen Named to TIVO Board. Lori Cohen named to CSI Board

TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), headquartered in California, appointed J. Heidi Roizen (pictured) to its Board of Directors. Heidi is CEO of Skinny Little Things, LLC (SkinnySongs), which she launched in January of 2008. Before that, Roizen was a Managing Director of Mobius Venture Capital. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Conversion Services International, Inc. (CSI), headquartered in New Jersey, appointed Lori Cohen to its Board of Directors. Lori has recently been named CSI's President and Chief Executive Officer. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

A List of New Jobs for Women in Government

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Meredith Attwell Baker (pictured) as Commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission. Meredith, who holds a law degree from the University of Houston, most recently served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Read more in the White House press release 6/25.

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Judith G. Garber to be Ambassador, Republic of Latvia. Judith currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State. See White House press release 6/25.

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Karen Kornbluh to be Permanent Representative of the U.S. to OECD. Karen, who holds a Masters from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Center for American Progress. See White House press release 6/25.

President Obama nominated Charlene Honeywell to a Federal District Court judgeship. Charlene, who graduated from University of Florida’s College of Law, currently serves as a Circuit Court Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. See White House press release 6/25.

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Brenda Dann-Messier to be Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, Department of Education. Brenda, who received her M.Ed from Rhode Island College and her ED.D. in Educational Leadership from Johnson and Wales University, is currently the President of Dorcas Place. See White House press release 6/24.

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Department of State. Kerri-Ann, who holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, had served previously as the Director of the National Science Foundation’s Office of International Science and Engineering. See White House press release 6/24.

Women in Business Racing to Increase Sales and Create Jobs

The Make Mine a Million Race, a year-long competition co-founded by Count Me In and American Express OPEN for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies, is off and running and some early results are in. When we checked at the 100 day mark, all particpants were working hard to meet their goals. Now the first quarter results are in and I am excited to report a number of women beat their goal for the quarter despite the economic downturn.

“Building a million-dollar business is an extraordinary achievement in its own right, and it is even more impressive when you can accomplish it during the worst economy in two generations,” said Nell Merlino (pictured), Founder and President of Count Me In. “The success of this program’s front-running women embodies the spirit and resolve of our country’s women entrepreneurs to persevere in the face of adversity,” said Susan Sobbott, President, American Express OPEN. “Eighty-eight percent of women business owners say that managing through the current economy has made them a better business owner and are more likely to have a positive outlook on business over the next six months, according to the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor.”

The M3 Race Leaderboard shows Collette Chapman of Chapman Concierge, who is racing toward $1million in sales, in first place for that category having achieved 132% of her sales goal for the first quarter. For the companies with over $1million is sales who are committed to growth and job creation, Colleen Bonniol of MODE Studios Inc. is first in that category, reaching %110 of her goal.

Lisa Lee Made Reporter at Dow Jones & Company for Investment Banking

Dow Jones & Company, a News Corporation company, added Lisa Lee to a new Dow Jones editorial team reporting on companies and events for the global investment banking community. Lisa, who holds an MBA from Columbia University and has an extensive background in the financial services industry, had previously been a Financial Reporter for Thomson Reuters and The Deal magazine. Read more about it in the prnewswire press release.

SUSAN GRAHAM TO RECEIVE 2009 IEEE JOHN VON NEUMANN MEDAL

Computer Scientist Susan Graham will receive the 2009 IEEE John Von Neumann Medal at the IEEE Honors Cermony June 25,09 in Los Angeles, California. The medal, sponsored by IBM, honors Graham for "contributions to programming language design and implementation, and for exemplary service to the discipline of computer science". Susan, who holds master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science from Stanford University, is a Professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley. Read more about it in the 2009 Honors Ceremony desription on ieee.com.

Karen Gould Named President of Brooklyn College

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York appointed Dr. Karen L. Gould President of Brooklyn College. Karen, who holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Oregon, had been the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, Long Beach. Read more about it in the article on cuny.edu.

Read about other women college presidents.

Women in Business Win Awards

The 2009 American Business Awards took place last night in New York City, giving awards to outstanding executives, organizations and employees from businesses across the nation. A number of women were given awards including Executive of the Year - Computer Services given to Gail Goodman (pictured left), Constant Contact ( MA); Executive of the Year – Media & Entertainment given to Jessica Rovello, Arkadium (NY); Executive of the Year – Business Services given to Saskia Strick, International Checkout Inc. (CA); and Turnaround Executive of the Year given to Cynthia A. Tidwell, Royal Neighbors of America (IL). Read more about it in the American Business Awards press release.

Women in Government

President Obama named Ertharin Cousin (pictured) as the Nominee for U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service. Ertharin, who is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, currently serves as President of The Polk Street Group. Read more about her career in the White House press release 6/19.

President Obama nominated Judge Beverly B. Martin for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Martin, who graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law, has served as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Northern District of Georgia since 2000. See White House press release 6/19.

Laurie Ferber Made General Counsel at MF Global

MF Global Ltd. (NYSE: MF) appointed Laurie R. Ferber General Counsel and a member of the Office of the CEO. Laurie, who holds a JD from NYU Law School, had been General Counsel and Chief Regulatory Officer for International Derivatives Clearing Group (IDCG). Before that Laurie held a number of business and legal positions at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Michelle Obama Kicks Off "United We Serve" Summer Initiative

On Monday, June 22nd, First Lady Michelle Obama and a number of Cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials will kick off the United We Serve summer service initiative by participating in service projects across the country. Michelle will highlight the importance of children’s health and well-being by helping to construct a public playground at Bret Harte Public Elementary School in San Francisco in conjunction with KaBOOM!. Read more in the White House press release 6/19. (photo by Samantha Appleton of children from elementary school in Washington, D.C. helping Michelle Obama plant the White House Vegetable Garden, April 9, 2009.)

Women on Corporate Boards Appointed Recently

oneTXT, a social media payment platform headquartered in New York, appointed Lucy Hood (pictured) to its Board of Directors. Lucy is the former CEO of Jamba and was involved in launching numerous technology businesses at Fox and News Corp. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

POZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: POZN), headquartered in North Carolina, appointed Angela M. Larson to its Board of Directors. Angela is President, Larson Pharm Consult, LLC. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

YTB International, Inc, headquartered in Illinois, appointed Patricia S. Williams to the Company's Board of Directors. Patricia is Senior Vice President General Counsel of RehabCare Group, Inc. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Ze-gen, Inc., a clean energy company located in Massachusetts, appointed Dr. Susan Tierney to its Board of Directors. Susan, who holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Regional Planning and Public Policy from Cornell University, is a Managing Principal at Analysis Group in Boston and a former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Graybar, headquartered in Missouri, appointed Beverly Propst to the company's Board of Directors. Beverly, who obtained a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, is Graybar's Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Nancy Harris Made CEO of Asure Software and Joins Company Board

Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR), a provider of workforce management software headquartered in Texas, appointed Nancy L. Harris President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a Member of its Board of Directors. Nancy, who holds a master's degree in marketing  from Northwestern University, is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Read more in the Company press release. 

Sandra Strokoff to be Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives

Sandra Strokoff will be appointed the new Legislative Counsel for the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress. Sandra, who holds a JD from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School, has been an attorney on the Legislative Counsel's staff since 1975. Read more about it in the prnewswire press release.