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

Anna Catalano and Kimberly Casiano Named to Mead Johnson Board. Other Women Named to Corporate Boards.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN), headquartered in Illinois, appointed Anna C. Catalano (pictured) and Kimberly A. Casiano  to its Board of Directors. Kimberly is a former President and Chief Operating Officer of Casiano Communications Inc. Anna is a former President of the Amoco Orient Oil Company in China and Group Vice President Marketing for BP plc. Read more in the Business Wire press release. 

Stage Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SSI), headquartered in Texas, appointed Cheryl N. Turpin to its Board of Directors. Cheryl has over 30 years of experience within the retail industry. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Steelcase Inc., headquartered in Michigan, appointed Connie K. Duckworth to its Board of Directors. Connie is a retired Partner and Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs, & Co. Read more in the Company press release.

Kimberly Partoll Joins People Search Engine PeekYou

PeekYou appointed Kimberley Partoll as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Prior to joining PeekYou, Kimberly served as AOL's COO, managing areas including Business Development, Business Intelligence, Consumer and Brand Marketing, Mobile, Product Experience and Innovation. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Heidi Messer Particpating in New York Entrepreneur Week

Heidi Messer, half of the sister / brother team that founded, built and sold LinkShare Corporation which was acquired by a Japanese portal for several hundred million dollars in 2005, is participating in the New York Entrepreneur Week Panel, "$3BN in Value Created: Top Entrepreneurs Reflect". The New York Entrepreneur Week starts Monday, April12,2010. Read about who else will be speaking at the event on nyew.org.

Jane Sasseen and Anna Robertson to Join Yahoo News

Jane Sasseen (pictured), a former BusinessWeek Washington Bureau Chief, and Anna Robertson, an Emmy-winning news producer from ABC’s “Good Morning America”, have been hired by Yahoo to increase its coverage of the news according to The New York Times. Read about Yahoo's efforts to hire more journalists in the article by Miguel Helft. 

Norma Polcek Says "Be Out There Selling"

Is selling the key to success? Norma Polcek is Founder and President of SAMCO Promotional Products, and had this to say about starting her own business:

 

What inspired you to start your business?

"I always wanted to feel like I was accomplishing something.  I have a B.A. and a M.A. and taught high school math for four years.  Then I had children and wanted to do something on my own time, when and how I wanted to do it.  I started with one business, sold it after seven successful years and then started SAMCO Promotional Products."

 

What steps do you think are necessary for an entrepreneur who wants to move her business to the next level?

"Always be out there selling.  Put aside the small details, like filing and other administrative tasks, and just go out there and sell, network and take advantage of social media."

 

What challenges and opportunities do you see in the present economic environment?

"Being able to network and contact with more people than before, both in person and on-line."

 

What advice do you have for women who are just starting out?

"Start with small steps.  Each following step will present itself as needed.  Be open to change and learning."

 

 Samco Promotional Products is a Member of the Women Presidents' Organization. The WPO is the global peer advisory organization connecting top women entrepreneurs who own multi-million dollar companies.

Judy Rice Made Senior Vice President at Harris

Harris, the financial services company, appointed Judy Rice Senior Vice President and Head of Community Affairs & Economic Development. Judy had been their Vice President and Director of Government Affairs. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Hilary Schneider Named to Vail Resorts Board

Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) appointed Hilary Schneider to the Company's Board of Directors. Hilary is Executive Vice President of Yahoo! Americas. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Help for Women from the Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor, run by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis (pictured), today announced the availability of $1.8 million in funds for up to six Women in Apprenticeship and Non-traditional Occupations grants. The grants, jointly administered by the Department’s Women’s Bureau and its Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship, are for preparatory apprenticeship opportunities for women entering the construction industry and other non-traditional sectors like advanced manufacturing, transportation and green jobs. Specific eligibility requirements, the closing dates for applications and other submission requirements are available in the DOL press release.

The DOL Women's Bureau offers a number of other programs to help women get ahead. "Wi$eUp" is a financial education project targeted to Generations X and Y women. The centerpiece of this program is an eight-module curriculum offered online, as well as in a classroom setting in educational institutions and other organizations in all ten Women’s Bureau regions. Another WB project is "Flex-Options" which helps businesses create or expand workplace flexibility policies and programs for their workforces. This project has worked with more than 800 organizations that employ nearly 1.1 million people.

Sally Blount made Dean of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management

Northwestern University appointed Sally Blount Dean of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Sally is the Dean of the Undergraduate College and Vice Dean of the Stern School of Business at New York University. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Dominique Sinvard Smith Made Vice President at Foundation Source

Foundation Source, a provider of support services for private foundations, appointed Dominique Sinvard Smith Vice President, Partner Marketing. Dominque had been with Wachovia Nonprofit and Philanthropic Services, a Wells Fargo Company, where she was a philanthropic consultant. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Women Nominated for Government Jobs This Week by President Obama

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Teresa Takai (pictured) to be Assistant Secretary (Networks and Information Integration), Department of Defense. Teresa had been the Chief Information Officer for the State of California. See White House press release 3/29/10.

President Obama intends to nominate S. Leslie Ireland to be Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of the Treasury. Leslie has been a career intelligence officer for nearly 25 years. Read about her career in the White House press release 3/29/10.

President Obama nominated Judge Judith Anne Smith as Associate Judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Smith is a magistrate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. See White House press release 3/25/10.

President Obama nominated Melinda L. Haag to serve as U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California. See White House press release  3/25/10.

 President Obama nominated Judge Mary H. Murguia for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. See White House press release 3/25/10.

Selena Gomez to Work with Kmart on a Fashion Collection for Juniors

Kmart is working with Selena Gomez and her master licensee Adjmi Cynosure Holdings to launch a fashion collection geared to juniors called "Dream Out Loud" by Selena Gomez. Read more about it in the prnewswire press release. Actress and Singer Selena Gomez is famous for her Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place".

Nellie Andreeva Made TV Editor for Deadline.com

Deadline.com, part of the Media Corporation, appointed Nellie Andreeva the TV Editor of Deadline.com. Nellie had been the TV Editor for The Hollywood Reporter. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Donna Shalala Named to MEDNAX Board. Other Women Appointed to Boards

MEDNAX, Inc. (NYSE: MD), headquartered in Florida, appointed Donna Shalala (pictured) to its Board of Directors. Donna is  President of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), headquartered in California, appointed Mary T. McDowell to its Board of Directors. Mary is Nokia’s Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer leading Corporate Development. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

General Growth Properties, Inc. (NYSE: GGP), headquartered in Illinois, appointed Debra A. Cafaro to its Board of Directors. Debra is President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicago-based Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR). Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Center Bancorp, parent company of Union Center National Bank headquartered in New Jersey, appointed Phyllis S. Klein to the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank. Phyllis is a Partner with the law firm of Donahue, Hagan, Klein, Newsome & O'Donnell, P.C. Read more in the press release on marketwatch.com.

Treasury Dept and White House Council on Women and Girls Hold Symposium on Women in Finance

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in partnership withThe White House Council on Women and Girls, convened a Women in Finance Symposium. The symposium featured a panel discussion – "Women Drivers of the Economic Recovery: Pathways to Success" – with Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Sheila Bair (pictured), Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro, Council of Economic Advisors Chair Christina Romer, Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and Congressional Oversight Panel Chair Elizabeth Warren. Read more about it on treasury.gov. 

Denise Menelly Made COO Global Treasury Sales at BofA Merrill

Bank of America Merrill Lynch appointed Denise Menelly Chief Operating Officer, Global Treasury Sales. Denise had been with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), where she was the Americas Chief Operating Officer and a Vice Chairman at Citizens Bank. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Angela Jia Kim Finds Helping Other Women is Good Business

Angela Jia Kim is an Entrepreneur Lifestyle Expert. Her experiences as an entrepreneur, a jet-setting concert pianist, and a Mom are all essential ingredients in her success. Angela is CEO and Founder of Om Aroma, the age-defying luxury organic skincare line. With her husband she also co-founded Savor the Success, a niche social network for women entrepreneurs. Angela answered a few questions for me:

As a concert pianist, what got you interested in starting your own business?

"As I look back, I think being a concert pianist was being a business woman in a sense.  First and foremost, I was an artist, but then I had CDs to sell after the concerts.  I would get this excited "flush" after we sold a lot of CDs, so I think this got my entrepreneurial spirit in full motion!"

Are the skills necessary to be a concert pianist of use as an entrepreneur?

"Yes, absolutely!  In art, there's a heavy emphasis on perfecting your art (product)... and then the ones who are good business people as well as good musicians are the ones who have longer careers.  For example, I bet you've heard of Yo-Yo Ma, right?  I bet you've never heard of Radu Lupu, though.  One's an amazing business person and the other is not.  However, Radu Lupu is one of the most amazing artists alive. This is so applicable to the business world!  You can have an amazing product but if you don't know how to sell it, it's not going anywhere. The difference is that when you are a musician, you know that you still have integrity and art with you.  As a business person, well, to be blunt about it... you just know that your bank account is low."  

How did your business expand into other ventures?

"I launched Om Aroma, an organic spa and skincare line, while still going on tour as a concert pianist.  Then I found out that I felt just as lonely being a business woman as I was as a pianist.  So I launched Savor the Success.  The solution was that now I had a group of women entrepreneurs who supported one another, learned together, and inspired each other.  They also started to do business with one another so I knew Savor was ultimately helping women entrepreneurs to boost their bottom lines!  I cannot tell you how excited I was when someone told me she made Six Figures from Savor members.  I couldn't sleep that night!"

What was the inspiration for Rock the World NYC?

"We have a cutting-edge website where women meet daily in our virtual cafes.  Rock the World NYC was designed for all of us to meet in person.  Why?  Because I believe that lucrative business deals are made in person.  There's a magic behind it, and we are designing the event to help our entrepreneurs to build viable businesses that can support themselves and the people they hire."

 Is anyone invited?

"Yes, if you are a serious entrepreneur, we invite you to join us!  I can't wait to personally meet everyone!"

 Do you still have time play the piano?

"Great question...  I was so burned out that I needed a break.  However, I do play privately with my baby girl on my chest.  I play Mozart for her, and she loves it.  Now that's my kind of audience."

Watch the Rock the World Video from Savor the Success below.

Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World NYC May 5-6,2010

Lori Bettison-Varga Made President of Scripps College

Scripps College inaugurated Lori Bettison-Varga as its eighth President. Lori had been Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Whitman College before becoming President of Scripps College. Read more in the prnewswire press release.

Mona Abutaleb Made President of mindSHIFT Technologies

mindSHIFT Technologies, a provider of managed technology and cloud services, promoted Mona Abutaleb to President and Chief Operating Officer. Mona had been the company's COO for the past three years. Read more in the prnewswire press release.