12.12.12 inaugural summit highlights
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Analisa Leonor Balares

Analisa Leonor Balares is an emerging global leader dedicated to unleashing women’s potential, and advancing the evolution of women as leaders and innovators around the world. She is a community builder, social innovator, global entrepreneur, and mentor. For over two decades, she has been committed to women’s leadership development, sustainable development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and education, and has produced, directed, and co-produced over 100 summits, forums, and media on these themes.
In February 2008, Analisa created and launched Womensphere, a unique leadership community and global social enterprise that convenes, mobilizes, and creates platforms for action - uniting individuals, companies, networks, academic institutions, and NGOs, around the shared purpose of unleashing women's potential and enabling the evolution of women as leaders, innovators and creators in our global society. The Womensphere global leadership community inspires, connects, and empowers women leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, scientists, artists, financiers, and pioneering women across all fields. Since its founding, Womensphere has reached, convened and connected over 3,500 leaders through 22 conferences, forums, and media in the United States and Europe.
Analisa was recently recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was also recently honored as an Outstanding Woman Leader by the National Council for Research on Women, with the Madam C.J. Walker Leadership Award by the National Minority Business Council, and Fearless Woman of the Year by The Fearless Factor in New York City. She was also honored by the US Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in America, by UNO Magazine as one of the 50 Most Powerful Filipinas in the World, and by The New Leaders Council as one of its 40 Under 40 New Leaders in America.
Analisa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School; a BA in Economics & Mathematics cum laude from Mount Holyoke College; and the International Baccalaureate Diploma from Lester Pearson United World College in Canada, as a Scholar of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Ayala Foundation. She studied Digital Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, and is a silver medalist from the Manila Science High School.
Prior to Womensphere, Analisa was Global Marketing and Product Manager at Microsoft focused on MSN's blogging and social networking service. She has previously worked at the Goldman Sachs High Technology Investment Banking group, where she helped execute over $1.5 billion in IPOs, corporate financings, and mergers and acquisitions for technology and communications companies such as Red Hat and Nokia. Following Goldman Sachs, Analisa joined Milestone Capital as Director of Development & New Ventures where she worked with Milestone CEO Janet Hanson on developing the 85 Broads global network and platform. Analisa has also worked at Morgan Stanley's Energy Investment Banking group as part of the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career Program, and in Economic Research and Analysis at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva as part of a Mount Holyoke College international fellowship.
Analisa’s journey to make a positive impact and help “create the future” started very early, and continues to span the globe:
While at the Manila Science High School, Analisa led innovative experiments, research and prototype development on biofuels, recycling, and pollution mitigation – a body of work that earned her and her team multiple national awards from the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Philippine Shell Foundation over three years - Outstanding Junior Scientist, Outstanding Youth Science Researcher, and the DOST Appropriate Technology Award. She represented the Philippines in International Science Fairs in Asia, and was a recognized national youth spokesperson on issues of girls’ leadership, youth empowerment, innovation, and sustainability.
In addition, as a high school senior, Analisa was chosen to serve as Youth Mayor of the City of Manila, and elected Senate President of the inaugural Philippine Youth Environment Congress where she led drafting the Philippine youth’s public policy recommendations for the inaugural UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Today, in addition to building Womensphere globally, Analisa actively contributes to the community by supporting a select group of NGOs led by women or serving women (such as Advancement for Rural Kids, Global Fund for Women, Global Fund for Widows, Indego Africa, Philippine Development Foundation/Ayala Foundation, Shining Hope for Communities, Women’s Refugee Commission, and more). She serves as a Mentor for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and serves on the Advisory Councils of the Asian Women’s Leadership University Project, and the Polaris Project, a leading NGO combating all forms of human trafficking. She also serves on the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders' Task Force on Closing the Gender Gap. She is a co-creator of the Womensphere-Mary J. Blige Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) Mentoring Program.
In February 2008, Analisa created and launched Womensphere, a unique leadership community and global social enterprise that convenes, mobilizes, and creates platforms for action - uniting individuals, companies, networks, academic institutions, and NGOs, around the shared purpose of unleashing women's potential and enabling the evolution of women as leaders, innovators and creators in our global society. The Womensphere global leadership community inspires, connects, and empowers women leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, scientists, artists, financiers, and pioneering women across all fields. Since its founding, Womensphere has reached, convened and connected over 3,500 leaders through 22 conferences, forums, and media in the United States and Europe.
Analisa was recently recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was also recently honored as an Outstanding Woman Leader by the National Council for Research on Women, with the Madam C.J. Walker Leadership Award by the National Minority Business Council, and Fearless Woman of the Year by The Fearless Factor in New York City. She was also honored by the US Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in America, by UNO Magazine as one of the 50 Most Powerful Filipinas in the World, and by The New Leaders Council as one of its 40 Under 40 New Leaders in America.
Analisa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School; a BA in Economics & Mathematics cum laude from Mount Holyoke College; and the International Baccalaureate Diploma from Lester Pearson United World College in Canada, as a Scholar of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Ayala Foundation. She studied Digital Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, and is a silver medalist from the Manila Science High School.
Prior to Womensphere, Analisa was Global Marketing and Product Manager at Microsoft focused on MSN's blogging and social networking service. She has previously worked at the Goldman Sachs High Technology Investment Banking group, where she helped execute over $1.5 billion in IPOs, corporate financings, and mergers and acquisitions for technology and communications companies such as Red Hat and Nokia. Following Goldman Sachs, Analisa joined Milestone Capital as Director of Development & New Ventures where she worked with Milestone CEO Janet Hanson on developing the 85 Broads global network and platform. Analisa has also worked at Morgan Stanley's Energy Investment Banking group as part of the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career Program, and in Economic Research and Analysis at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva as part of a Mount Holyoke College international fellowship.
Analisa’s journey to make a positive impact and help “create the future” started very early, and continues to span the globe:
While at the Manila Science High School, Analisa led innovative experiments, research and prototype development on biofuels, recycling, and pollution mitigation – a body of work that earned her and her team multiple national awards from the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Philippine Shell Foundation over three years - Outstanding Junior Scientist, Outstanding Youth Science Researcher, and the DOST Appropriate Technology Award. She represented the Philippines in International Science Fairs in Asia, and was a recognized national youth spokesperson on issues of girls’ leadership, youth empowerment, innovation, and sustainability.
In addition, as a high school senior, Analisa was chosen to serve as Youth Mayor of the City of Manila, and elected Senate President of the inaugural Philippine Youth Environment Congress where she led drafting the Philippine youth’s public policy recommendations for the inaugural UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Today, in addition to building Womensphere globally, Analisa actively contributes to the community by supporting a select group of NGOs led by women or serving women (such as Advancement for Rural Kids, Global Fund for Women, Global Fund for Widows, Indego Africa, Philippine Development Foundation/Ayala Foundation, Shining Hope for Communities, Women’s Refugee Commission, and more). She serves as a Mentor for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and serves on the Advisory Councils of the Asian Women’s Leadership University Project, and the Polaris Project, a leading NGO combating all forms of human trafficking. She also serves on the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders' Task Force on Closing the Gender Gap. She is a co-creator of the Womensphere-Mary J. Blige Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) Mentoring Program.
Denise Shull

_ Denise Shull teaches risk takers how to make better judgment calls. She recently authored the highly acclaimed Market Mind Games: A Radical New Psychology of Investing, Trading and Risk to elucidate a whole new way to think about thinking itself.
Having founded ReThink in 2003 to transform neuroscience into business advantages, she and her team have consulted with CEO’s, Chief Risk Officers, Institutions, Portfolio Managers and top-tier hedge fund traders on how properly understand and leverage the human skill in judgment calls. She has also educated thousands of independent investors in the use of their psychological capital and coached executives in English football in the same principles.
Her unique work has been featured in the Financial Times, Bloomberg Magazine and Risk Professional magazine. Denise has written for Psychology Today, Absolute Return, CME Group Magazine and Reuter’s Hedgeworld. She has been quoted in The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Smart Money and The Washington Post. Ms. Shull has appeared on CNBC in both the US and in Asia, Bloomberg , Cavuto , PBS and The Discovery Channel.
She graduated from the University of Chicago’s unique Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences in 1995 where she wrote her thesis on how our brains develop in childhood so that we tend to perceive and react according to fractal patterns in adulthood. Shull is also a graduate of Harvard’s executive education program in “Investment Decisions and Behavioral Finance”.
Denise resides in New York City and belongs to the Association for Psychological Science, The Society for Social and Affective Neuroscience, the Society for Neuroeconomics and the Author’s Guild.
Having founded ReThink in 2003 to transform neuroscience into business advantages, she and her team have consulted with CEO’s, Chief Risk Officers, Institutions, Portfolio Managers and top-tier hedge fund traders on how properly understand and leverage the human skill in judgment calls. She has also educated thousands of independent investors in the use of their psychological capital and coached executives in English football in the same principles.
Her unique work has been featured in the Financial Times, Bloomberg Magazine and Risk Professional magazine. Denise has written for Psychology Today, Absolute Return, CME Group Magazine and Reuter’s Hedgeworld. She has been quoted in The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Smart Money and The Washington Post. Ms. Shull has appeared on CNBC in both the US and in Asia, Bloomberg , Cavuto , PBS and The Discovery Channel.
She graduated from the University of Chicago’s unique Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences in 1995 where she wrote her thesis on how our brains develop in childhood so that we tend to perceive and react according to fractal patterns in adulthood. Shull is also a graduate of Harvard’s executive education program in “Investment Decisions and Behavioral Finance”.
Denise resides in New York City and belongs to the Association for Psychological Science, The Society for Social and Affective Neuroscience, the Society for Neuroeconomics and the Author’s Guild.
Amy Siskind

The New Agenda,
a national organization working on issues including economic
independence and advancement, gender representation and bias, sexual
assault and domestic violence. Some of her television and radio
appearances include: CNN, Fox News, CNBC, PBS, TheStreet.com, NPR, Marketplace Radio and American Morning News Radio. A frequent source for national press, Siskind has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times,POLITICO, U.S. News & World Report, RealClearPolitics, the Boston Globe and The Hill.
She’s a regular featured contributor at The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast. Amy speaks on college campuses and to young women about economic empowerment, and delivers inspiration keynotes and speeches to professional women on how to succeed. She serves on Cornell University’s highly prestigious President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW).
A pioneer in the distressed debt trading market, she has a lifetime of experience with failure and remarkable success and knows what it takes to win. She became the first female managing director at Wasserstein Perella at the age of 31, and later ran trading departments at Morgan Stanley and Imperial Capital, where she was also a partner. She received a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Amy Siskind is currently working on her first book about her adventures as a woman on Wall Street.
Amy
Siskind is a national spokesperson, writer and expert on helping women
and girls advance and succeed. A highly successful Wall Street
executive, she's Co-founder and President of
She’s a regular featured contributor at The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast. Amy speaks on college campuses and to young women about economic empowerment, and delivers inspiration keynotes and speeches to professional women on how to succeed. She serves on Cornell University’s highly prestigious President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW).
A pioneer in the distressed debt trading market, she has a lifetime of experience with failure and remarkable success and knows what it takes to win. She became the first female managing director at Wasserstein Perella at the age of 31, and later ran trading departments at Morgan Stanley and Imperial Capital, where she was also a partner. She received a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Amy Siskind is currently working on her first book about her adventures as a woman on Wall Street.
Michaela Walsh

Michaela Walsh is activist, scholar, mentor, educator, and author. She was a pioneer woman manager with Merrill Lynch in Beirut, Lebanon, in the ’60s, first woman Partner of Boettcher in the ’70s, and in 1980, Founding President of Women’s World Banking.
Throughout her career, Michaela has maintained a vibrant commitment to education and service. She was an Adjunct Professor at Manhattanville College and Director of Global Student Leadership programs there. Board appointments have included Synergos Institute, and Union Theological Seminary, with advisory roles in a wide range of governmental and social-justice organizations over the decades.
She was Chairperson of the 59th United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in 2006. She received the Woman of Vision Award of the National Organization for Women, the UN Development Program’s Paul G. Hoffman Award for outstanding work in development, and in 2012 was honored by Women’s Funding Network for changing the face of philanthropy
Throughout her career, Michaela has maintained a vibrant commitment to education and service. She was an Adjunct Professor at Manhattanville College and Director of Global Student Leadership programs there. Board appointments have included Synergos Institute, and Union Theological Seminary, with advisory roles in a wide range of governmental and social-justice organizations over the decades.
She was Chairperson of the 59th United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in 2006. She received the Woman of Vision Award of the National Organization for Women, the UN Development Program’s Paul G. Hoffman Award for outstanding work in development, and in 2012 was honored by Women’s Funding Network for changing the face of philanthropy
MacDella Cooper

Born in Monrovia, Liberia in the late 1970s, MacDella Cooper was one of the thousands of refugees who fled Liberia after the eruption of a civil war in 1990. After leaving the war-torn Liberia and residing in Ivory Coast, at the age of 16, Ms. Cooper and her two older brothers landed in the embattled streets of Newark, New Jersey where Cooper attended Barringer High School. Graduating 3rd in a class of 1,200 students, Ms. Cooper received a full academic scholarship to The College of New Jersey, despite her rough past and hard road.
Prior to founding MCF in 2004, Ms. Cooper was the Marketing and Events Coordinator for Jones Apparel Group, where she alongside the Creative Services team developed comprehensive marketing strategies for the Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, Jones New York and several other fashion brands including Eredi Pisano and Duca Sartoria. She also directed the marketing and event planning initiatives for the New York Independent Film and Music Festival.
Today MacDella Cooper is known as “Liberia’s Angel†for starting the MacDella Cooper Foundation, a non-for-profit charity that provides educational opportunities and basic necessities for abandoned children in Liberia. In 2010, Cooper opened the MCF Academy, a boarding school for orphans in Liberia. The MCF Academy is the first tuition-free boarding school that houses up to 200 students. The Academy provides a better quality of living in an environment that is safe, secure and conductive for learning. Ms. Cooper hopes the Academy will raise future leaders who take pride in their nation and themselves.
Thanks to her extensive business, political and diplomatic relationships all over the world, Ms. Cooper sits on the Board of Directors for several charities including the Segal Family Foundation and Red Cross Tiffany Circle. She has received several awards for her philanthropic efforts including The College of New Jersey Humanitarian Award, The Victor E. Ward Community Service Award, The Momentum Women’s Award, The Spirit of Friskies Award, and The Archbishop of Michael K. Francis Achievement Awards.
Ms. Cooper currently lives in Manhattan with her partner, Thomas, and two children, Ella and Mateo. In addition to founding the MCF Academy, Ms. Cooper is partaking in multiple motivational speaking appearances to share her story and influence people who are going through a hard time in life to turn around and shape it into something meaningful.
Prior to founding MCF in 2004, Ms. Cooper was the Marketing and Events Coordinator for Jones Apparel Group, where she alongside the Creative Services team developed comprehensive marketing strategies for the Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, Jones New York and several other fashion brands including Eredi Pisano and Duca Sartoria. She also directed the marketing and event planning initiatives for the New York Independent Film and Music Festival.
Today MacDella Cooper is known as “Liberia’s Angel†for starting the MacDella Cooper Foundation, a non-for-profit charity that provides educational opportunities and basic necessities for abandoned children in Liberia. In 2010, Cooper opened the MCF Academy, a boarding school for orphans in Liberia. The MCF Academy is the first tuition-free boarding school that houses up to 200 students. The Academy provides a better quality of living in an environment that is safe, secure and conductive for learning. Ms. Cooper hopes the Academy will raise future leaders who take pride in their nation and themselves.
Thanks to her extensive business, political and diplomatic relationships all over the world, Ms. Cooper sits on the Board of Directors for several charities including the Segal Family Foundation and Red Cross Tiffany Circle. She has received several awards for her philanthropic efforts including The College of New Jersey Humanitarian Award, The Victor E. Ward Community Service Award, The Momentum Women’s Award, The Spirit of Friskies Award, and The Archbishop of Michael K. Francis Achievement Awards.
Ms. Cooper currently lives in Manhattan with her partner, Thomas, and two children, Ella and Mateo. In addition to founding the MCF Academy, Ms. Cooper is partaking in multiple motivational speaking appearances to share her story and influence people who are going through a hard time in life to turn around and shape it into something meaningful.
Leslie Grossman

Leslie Grossman is a leadership and business/career development expert, and advocate for women leaders. Grossman created and co-founded Women’s Leadership Exchange, a national organization that produced more than 100 conferences and events, with a mission of creating more women leaders in the world by building leadership, relationship building and business skills. Previously, she lead an integrated marketing agency, Communications/Marketing Action, whose clients included many national brands in the fashion, entertainment and business worlds.
She is author of Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain of Lasting Connectors (Wiley) to be released Jan., 2013, and a previous book Sellsation: How Companies Can Capture Today’s Hottest Market: Women Business Owners and Executives. Recently Grossman toured Japan on behalf of the U.S. Embassy, speaking to women about the opportunities of entrepreneurship, and was rated as “one of the best speakers of the year.” Her workshops and keynotes on entrepreneurship and leadership integrate her philosophy of achieving success by creating life-long connections, building one’s personal brand and developing leadership skills.
She is Chief Connections Officer for Cojourneo, a start-up Internet company offering collaborative workshops to help people progress on their personal and business journeys. Grossman is past president and founding international chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners, has served on many boards, including her present role on the board of Unleashed, a nonprofit that transforms middle school girls into leaders and social change agents. She been a professional speaker for over 12 years, speaking and leading workshops at associations, universities like Cornell, NYU and University of Maryland, and corporations, like JP MorganChase, MetLife, IBM, Aetna, Northwestern Mutual and Jones NY. For more information visit www.lesliegrossmanleadership.com.
She is author of Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain of Lasting Connectors (Wiley) to be released Jan., 2013, and a previous book Sellsation: How Companies Can Capture Today’s Hottest Market: Women Business Owners and Executives. Recently Grossman toured Japan on behalf of the U.S. Embassy, speaking to women about the opportunities of entrepreneurship, and was rated as “one of the best speakers of the year.” Her workshops and keynotes on entrepreneurship and leadership integrate her philosophy of achieving success by creating life-long connections, building one’s personal brand and developing leadership skills.
She is Chief Connections Officer for Cojourneo, a start-up Internet company offering collaborative workshops to help people progress on their personal and business journeys. Grossman is past president and founding international chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners, has served on many boards, including her present role on the board of Unleashed, a nonprofit that transforms middle school girls into leaders and social change agents. She been a professional speaker for over 12 years, speaking and leading workshops at associations, universities like Cornell, NYU and University of Maryland, and corporations, like JP MorganChase, MetLife, IBM, Aetna, Northwestern Mutual and Jones NY. For more information visit www.lesliegrossmanleadership.com.
Ilonka M. Salisbury

Educated in communications and marketing, and blessed with a natural ability to motivate people, Ilonka Salisbury is the quintessential Sales and Fundraising/Telemarking Senior Manager. She has been an anchor for SD&A’s professional management team for 24 years, during which time she has generated upward of $100 million plus in subscription sales and fundraising revenue for our clients, including New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; to name a few of her accounts.
Ilonka has managed back-to-back subscription sales campaigns for New York Philharmonic since 1994. In 18 years, she has generated more than $40 million for the organization. She is also an expert user of Call Manager, SD&A’s computerized lead management and dialing system. Ilonka was one of the pioneering users of this innovative service and later provided one-on-one training to other SD&A campaign managers around the country
Ilonka’s long and productive journey with SD&A began in May of 1987. At that time, she was working for Syracuse University as a financial aid counselor and admissions recruiter. Seeking additional income, she took a job as a phone representative for our company’s telemarketing and telefundraising campaigns at Syracuse Symphony, and within a year she was promoted to a management position. From the very beginning, Ilonka’s knowledge, versatility and professionalism have made her one of this company’s most valuable assets.
Popular with sales/fundraising agents and clients alike, Ilonka’s working philosophy is grounded in integrity, hard work, and a passion for the ARTS. Ilonka’s concern and respect for others, a sense of humor and high energy are ingredients she combines in successful measures to consistently produce some of the highest revenues for SD&A clients.
Ilonka earned a B.A. in speech communications with a minor in marketing from Syracuse University.
Ilonka has managed back-to-back subscription sales campaigns for New York Philharmonic since 1994. In 18 years, she has generated more than $40 million for the organization. She is also an expert user of Call Manager, SD&A’s computerized lead management and dialing system. Ilonka was one of the pioneering users of this innovative service and later provided one-on-one training to other SD&A campaign managers around the country
Ilonka’s long and productive journey with SD&A began in May of 1987. At that time, she was working for Syracuse University as a financial aid counselor and admissions recruiter. Seeking additional income, she took a job as a phone representative for our company’s telemarketing and telefundraising campaigns at Syracuse Symphony, and within a year she was promoted to a management position. From the very beginning, Ilonka’s knowledge, versatility and professionalism have made her one of this company’s most valuable assets.
Popular with sales/fundraising agents and clients alike, Ilonka’s working philosophy is grounded in integrity, hard work, and a passion for the ARTS. Ilonka’s concern and respect for others, a sense of humor and high energy are ingredients she combines in successful measures to consistently produce some of the highest revenues for SD&A clients.
Ilonka earned a B.A. in speech communications with a minor in marketing from Syracuse University.
Linda Arrey

Linda Arrey is President and CEO of Women In Leadership Development and Empowerment, LLC (WILDE). WILDE was birth from Linda’s vision and dedication to the education and empowerment of women globally, and her inclination to improving individual and community standards. As a philanthropist, she is constantly seeking innovative ways to give back to the community through mobilization, direct service, donations, and more. Among other community and non-profit organizations, she has enjoyed serving as Secretary General of the African Women Development Foundation Inc., Manager of the Miss Africa USA Scholarship Organization, and Programs Coordinator of Pan-African Medical Missions providing sustainable health care to underserved communities. Linda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and a Master of Science in Public Health. She is a member of Black Dolls Affair, a philanthropic organization of women headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also a member of the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW). She currently seats on the Advisory
Board of the Atlanta chapter EYEClub-Educating Young Entrepreneurs. Linda is a member of Church of The Harvest International, and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Board of the Atlanta chapter EYEClub-Educating Young Entrepreneurs. Linda is a member of Church of The Harvest International, and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mona Sinha

S. Mona Sinha is a Trustee of Smith College. She is a founding member of the Asian Women’s Leadership University (modeled after the Seven sister colleges), being established in Malaysia. Mona is an advisor to Impact Investment Exchange, the first social stock exchange being established in Singapore, and a Board member of Impact Investment Shujog, the non-profit arm that works with social enterprises. Mona also serves on the Board of the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School and is a Trustee of All Souls School. She is on the advisory council of the American Museum of Natural History.
Mona began her professional career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, followed by a marketing career at P&G and Unilever, during which she helped restructure the Asia Pacific operations of Elizabeth Arden.
She is passionate about women’s leadership education and the empowerment of women entrepreneurs. In 2010, she conducted a study for Goldman, Sachs Asia on Asian leadership.
She holds a BA (economics, art history) magna cum laude from Smith College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; and an MBA in finance and marketing (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University.
She has previously served as a Trustee to Girls Learn International and is a patron of the Science and Nature Program (serving inner city girls) at the American Museum of Natural History. She has also served as an Advisory Director to Breakthrough, a human rights organization.
Mona began her professional career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, followed by a marketing career at P&G and Unilever, during which she helped restructure the Asia Pacific operations of Elizabeth Arden.
She is passionate about women’s leadership education and the empowerment of women entrepreneurs. In 2010, she conducted a study for Goldman, Sachs Asia on Asian leadership.
She holds a BA (economics, art history) magna cum laude from Smith College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; and an MBA in finance and marketing (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University.
She has previously served as a Trustee to Girls Learn International and is a patron of the Science and Nature Program (serving inner city girls) at the American Museum of Natural History. She has also served as an Advisory Director to Breakthrough, a human rights organization.
Pattie Simone

Pattie Simone is a Serial Entrepreneur, New Media Activist, Speaker, Vlogger, and founder of WomenCentric, a socially-conscious business networking and opportunity hub for ambitious working women worldwide. WomenCentric's mission - to amplify women's voices, tap the power of collaboration, close the gender gap and achieve pay parity for women in all walks of life, especially for our Kindred Sisters in disadvantaged communities, both locally and abroad.
Pattie is a credentialed Journalist and Vlogger with 850+ bylines for print and online publications by WomenEntrepreneur.com, Entrepreneur, Gannet, North Jersey Media Group, and New Jersey Bride Magazine. She is one of 72 Co-Authors of Jersey Women Mean Business! Big, Bold Business Advice from New Jersey Business Women: Practical Pointers, Solutions and Strategies for Small Business Success, available on Amazon. She has produced hundreds of videos for clients and WomenCentric Media, interviewing experts, authors, thought leaders, activists and entrepreneurs, including Gloria Steinem, Rachel Ray, Communications Guru Charlotte Beers, the first women CEO of Oglivy & Mather, Billie Jean King, Sr. Helen Prejean, Author of Dead Man Walking, and Mary & Carol Higgins Clark. Her diverse "in-the-trenches" life learning experiences have shaped her vision as a profit generalist; helping startups and growth track firms with branding, communications, promotion, strategy development, efficiency, and new media, including video production, scripting, and media training.
Pattie has been featured on WCBS Newsradio's Wall Street Journal and Opening Bell report, on Making a Living with Maggie on Martha Stewart Living Radio on SiriusXM, as well as on MSNBC, ABC and FOX 5 TV, and in MORE Magazine.
She is married to her high school sweetheart (who she met in a high school musical) and is a proud mom to three 20-somethings. Pattie is working on achieving everything in her bucket list; which includes spending more offline time with family and friends, perfecting the perfect croissant and writing her second book - a sassy communications success guide (to publish in 2013). For more information about Pattie, Google her. Follow her on Twitter @PattieSimone and on WomenCentric's YouTube Channel.
Pattie is a credentialed Journalist and Vlogger with 850+ bylines for print and online publications by WomenEntrepreneur.com, Entrepreneur, Gannet, North Jersey Media Group, and New Jersey Bride Magazine. She is one of 72 Co-Authors of Jersey Women Mean Business! Big, Bold Business Advice from New Jersey Business Women: Practical Pointers, Solutions and Strategies for Small Business Success, available on Amazon. She has produced hundreds of videos for clients and WomenCentric Media, interviewing experts, authors, thought leaders, activists and entrepreneurs, including Gloria Steinem, Rachel Ray, Communications Guru Charlotte Beers, the first women CEO of Oglivy & Mather, Billie Jean King, Sr. Helen Prejean, Author of Dead Man Walking, and Mary & Carol Higgins Clark. Her diverse "in-the-trenches" life learning experiences have shaped her vision as a profit generalist; helping startups and growth track firms with branding, communications, promotion, strategy development, efficiency, and new media, including video production, scripting, and media training.
Pattie has been featured on WCBS Newsradio's Wall Street Journal and Opening Bell report, on Making a Living with Maggie on Martha Stewart Living Radio on SiriusXM, as well as on MSNBC, ABC and FOX 5 TV, and in MORE Magazine.
She is married to her high school sweetheart (who she met in a high school musical) and is a proud mom to three 20-somethings. Pattie is working on achieving everything in her bucket list; which includes spending more offline time with family and friends, perfecting the perfect croissant and writing her second book - a sassy communications success guide (to publish in 2013). For more information about Pattie, Google her. Follow her on Twitter @PattieSimone and on WomenCentric's YouTube Channel.
Rimma Doubinskaia

International business woman, Rimma Doubinskaia, knows firsthand the difficulties in trying to achieve success when all odds are against you. As a young woman in her native Ukraine, Rimma experienced countless incidents of anti-Semite prejudice and sexism but she never allowed those experiences to deter her from chasing her dreams. After graduating with a Degree from college as a Classical Pianist, she moved to North America in the early 1990s to continue her education in an environment that was more diverse. Ms. Doubinskaia continued her education with a focus in Economics and Business Development at New York University. In 1999, she joined a brokerage firm on Wall Street as an equity trader and later move into the real estate arena. Today, Ms. Doubinskaia, works at Izsak Real Estate – is a New York based boutique Real Estate firm.
Rimma’s mother taught her the core values of family, love, education and unity. She wishes to spread those values to others through the formation of the ‘Global Women’s Partnership. The Global Women’s Partnership seeks to empower women in the developing world (rural villages, towns, and cities) who have limited or no access to the most basic of resources. On previous trips to Africa, the Middle East, Asia and various third world countries, Rimma witnessed much poverty but also saw the unrealized strength that the women had and their sheer determination to make their communities better.
By teaming up with the Macdella Cooper Foundation, a foundation dedicated to providing Liberian children with education and basic necessities. Ms. Doubinskaia strongly believes that women in the developing world have great potential for success but are lacking basic knowledge, occupational training, and other necessary resources to succeed and enjoy their lives. When equipped with these basics tools, they can make better lives for both themselves and their families.
Ms. Doubinskaia lives in Manhattan with her Welsh corgi name Buddy.
Rimma’s mother taught her the core values of family, love, education and unity. She wishes to spread those values to others through the formation of the ‘Global Women’s Partnership. The Global Women’s Partnership seeks to empower women in the developing world (rural villages, towns, and cities) who have limited or no access to the most basic of resources. On previous trips to Africa, the Middle East, Asia and various third world countries, Rimma witnessed much poverty but also saw the unrealized strength that the women had and their sheer determination to make their communities better.
By teaming up with the Macdella Cooper Foundation, a foundation dedicated to providing Liberian children with education and basic necessities. Ms. Doubinskaia strongly believes that women in the developing world have great potential for success but are lacking basic knowledge, occupational training, and other necessary resources to succeed and enjoy their lives. When equipped with these basics tools, they can make better lives for both themselves and their families.
Ms. Doubinskaia lives in Manhattan with her Welsh corgi name Buddy.