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Student broadband: how to get the best deal
STUDENT households have more to think about than most when it comes to sorting out their internet connections.
Students are more likely to be moving within a year, which understandably makes them less attractive to providers.
They're also more likely to be heavy downloaders - all those online resources take up GBs even before factoring in a steady stream of movies, games and music - which means unlimited deals are a must.
On the other hand, because they're sharing the cost of a connection, student households can get great broadband fairly cheaply per person.
Here are the three things we think student houses need to consider before signing on the dotted line.
1. Contract length vs. tenancy length
Most standard broadband contracts last 12 months, and fibre contracts often last 18 months. But many student tenancies are shorter than that - or at least, not everyone will be there for the whole period, and may well begrudge paying for months when they aren't present.
Don't get too hung up on getting a shorter contract when it comes to standard broadband at least. A 12-month contract will often be cheaper and less fussy than a short or no contract deal overall because it'll come with free setup, free hardware and, often, a big joining discount.
With a short or flexible contract, however, there's often an upfront fee for joining - and some no-contract ISPs will insist on their customers buying their own router, which can add significantly to the total cost.
The plus sides of a flexible contract include there being no threat of hefty early termination fees and the ability to leave for another provider if the service isn't good enough.
Furthermore, the number of providers offering flexible deals and contracts has risen over the past few years, with some of them specifically aiming at the student market by offering streaming devices as well as lower prices - click here for our full guide.
But how do they compare with the deals offered on standard contract terms?
Let's compare one of the cheapest, most widely available, unlimited no-contract options - from Plusnet - with the identical package offered on contract, assuming a 12-month term:
**Calculations correct at time of writing
Do note mention of the 12-month contract above. Depending on the introductory offer they're running, Plusnet will sometimes bump their minimum ADSL contract length up to 18 months long.
When they're selling 12-month contracts, it's almost worth taking the hit and paying for the extra three months even if no one will be in the house for them.
But if the current offer is based on an 18-month commitment, students thinking of signing up for "free" broadband face paying for nine months of service that they don't need, or the above-mentioned termination fees.
This isn't the only case of the "shorter contracts aren't always cheaper" principle: for up to the minute prices on these and many more ISPs, check our full search here.
At the time of this update there's one big exception to this rule: Virgin Media sell student specific nine month deals that tend to appear from around July each year.
In previous years BT have also offered nine-month student contracts, usually for roughly the same price as their standard deals.
Virgin Media's student contracts are for broadband alone, and cost £1.75 per month more than the than their standard 12-month deals.
But because they're three months shorter, that means student households will save between £81 and £130 compared with the total price payable during a standard contract, depending on which speed connection they opt for - which includes their up to 200Mb deal.
2. Factor in phones
The vast majority of broadband deals require customers to pay for line rental as well as broadband because ADSL connections are delivered through (active) phone lines.
BT line rental has recently increased to £18.99 a month. They're pretty much always the most expensive provider in the market, but many of the others hover around a similar or slightly reduced mark, so it's a significant extra expense that's worth bearing in mind.
But while a landline can be handy, many student households prefer not to use it at all since: a) everyone has a mobile anyway and b) a phone bill is a housemate argument waiting to happen.
With that in mind, students are often well served by the cheapest landline deals that come with broadband packages. The fact that not many offer inclusive calls doesn't matter when people aren't using the phone anyway, and taking both services often gives a discount overall.
Once upon a time there were providers like Primus - reviewed here - whose line rental cost way less than most others.
But since they relaunched as Fuel Broadband - who we look at here - they've gone for a much simpler, much more standard, line rental deal.
That said, their broadband is still pretty cheap, and they often throw in student friendly incentives such as offering new subscribers Amazon Fire Sticks.
If freebies are just going to cause more house arguments, concentrate on slashing the cost of the line rental, which we look at here.
Home phone free
There's only one way to go completely home phone free, though: broadband only deals from Virgin Media.
Since it's a purely cable connection there's no need for an active phone line.
The problem is that Virgin Media services are far from universally available, although student heavy towns seem to have better coverage than most. Carry out a postcode search in the review we link to above.
The only other way to go home phone free is with a mobile broadband connection, which we look at here. That will usually be unsuitable for sharing, although some 4G deals are becoming increasingly usable.
3. Downloads
The final thing to consider when looking at student broadband is usage allowance.
This is less of an issue than it used to be, as the majority of providers now concentrate on selling unlimited packages.
But for those on flexible or rolling contracts, which are more likely to come with data caps, trying to work out how much data everyone in the house will use is a bit of a mugs game.
Never mind the streaming and downloading of videos and music, and the odd bit of gaming; most courses will ask students to download large PDF files at home, which will quickly eat through a small allowance.
We've provided a guide to data usage here, along with how different providers deal with those who go over their allowances.
Penalties for exceeding data caps can be monetary - and quite steep - or come in the form of a throttled connection. Those who consistently go over will usually be asked to move to a more expensive deal so it's worth getting this right first time.
Frankly, it's often easier and cheaper in the long run to go for an unlimited package - just check the length and terms of contract.
P2P and gaming
This also takes care of households that do a lot of P2P downloading and/or a lot of online gaming.
That said, such users will instead need to think about their provider's traffic management policy and/or fair use policy: heavy use could result in even an unlimited service being severely slowed or stopped.
Information on these can be found in our full product reviews and in this article on broadband fair use policies.
To sum up
To sum up: think about, but don't panic over, year-long contracts; don't forget to factor in home phone, and look out for usage allowances.
Happy student broadband hunting! Let us know how it goes in the comments below.
You should probably add that high speed Virgin broadband is only available in cable areas - otherwise you get a much worse deal. Also BT Infinity is not a bad deal if available, because especially large student houses will definitely need the speed.
I worked for nine months at Tiscali/Talk Talk (don't touch them with a bargepole!) so I do know what I am talking about.
I would add caution to the praise given to O2.
I say this only because although O2 began as almost a re-branded Be product (O2 own Be) their current product
is akin to other mass providers. The legacy O2 broadband is not available to new or returning customers. I have
had both and Be are outstanding.
I'm looking at providers at the moment. Sharing as a 5 bed, and we often play games or stream movies via sky player. I've had problems with ADSL connections in the past where streaming movies can be very stop-start and becomes impossible to watch when others are using internet at the same time. Has anyone experienced this with O2? I know that Virgin doesn't suffer this problem as bandwidth is better on optical lines, but looking for a cheaper option.
Hey, just to validate this claim, I've had O2 for 2 years in a student house, no problems and great customer service when I was starting up.. Thumbs up for O2! :)


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Barbie or McDonalds? If you had to get an embarassing tattoo at the urging of your friends, which would you choose?
A Norwegian man, according to the Daily Mail, chose the latter, McDonald's, or his McDonald's receipt to be precise.
According to the Huffington Post, the 18-year-old's friends thought he was too popular with the ladies, so as punishment, he had to get a tattoo either the receipt on his arm, or a Barbie doll on a more-private, less seen area of his body.

subset: commoncrawl


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Training Programme
We believe that well-educated management and staff is key to maintaining a satisfactory information security within an organisation. No state-of-the art security solution will give results unless employees know how to use it properly.
When customers entrust us to secure their communications infrastructures with our encrypted products and other solutions, the Advenica training programmes provide customer teams with the right skills and knowledge to confidently use the products and maximise the security investment.
Our training programmes for security officers, system administrators and end-users have been designed to meet the needs of participants with varying levels of experience in cryptology. Sessions cover different information security principles, encryption technologies for information security, and security awareness sessions where can we help to identify threats and risks related to your operational environment.
Employees are also trained in how to do basic trouble-shooting and measure progress with our tracking and reporting tools.
Advenica Academy
We can also offer an in-depth education programme that we have developed in collaboration with our academic partner, Lund University and the Faculty of Engineering. This programme consists of three topical modules and a wide variety of courses. The objective of this in-depth education is to give a deeper understanding of modern communication networks, the security challenges, and different security mechanisms and tools, such as the use of modern cryptography in network security solutions.


text:
'The bonds of friendship. The possibilities of magic. The power of intuition. First the missing assignment, then the broken angel, and now the accident. Bad luck comes in threes, but Tara never suspected the third thing would be as horrendous as this ... When Troy Daniels, the guy Tara likes from school, is critically injured in a car crash, Tara needs help from her friends in the Circle. While Troy struggles for life, the girls draw on all their magic to try to turn the bad luck around. But when Tara's dreams start to become more real than waking life, she is forced to undertake a dangerous quest in the eerie realm of Gamova. Who is the imprisoned prince? How are Tara's dreams connected to Troy Daniels? And why is she too afraid to share them with the Circle? One thing becomes clear - to save the prince, Tara needs to understand a lot more about Troy's mysterious life ... ' (Publication summary)
'A strange hill. A hidden room. A book of spells. A gorgeous guy she cannot trust. When Jess travels to Glastonbury, she learns the secret her mother has been desperate to keep. But it doesn't end there. Someone is using dark magic to kill her grandmother. It is time for Jess to accept the power of the Gift...' (Publication summary)
'Ella sees herself as ugly and overweight, because that is what her shallow step-sisters tell her she is. She spends more and more time in front of the sinister mirror her step-mother gave her, its dark image giving her a distorted image of herself. Cruel teasing by a young guy triggers Ella into episodes of overeating and bulimia, and she becomes dangerously thin. Can Ella's friends in the Circle find a way to help? Or has Ella become so obsessed with her mirror world that she can no longer distinguish her true self from a false reflection?
'PRINCESS is a multi-layered retelling of the classic Cinderella tale of transformation, exploring issues of adolescent self-image, the beauty myth and the power of friendship.'
(Publication summary)


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Waka Flocka Flame Signs Neon Dreams to 36BRICKHOUSE, Releases Remix of '50k'
2014 saw a huge change in the way we define EDM thanks to both new genres rising and new faces entering the scene. One face that continues to streamline his way into dance music culture is Waka Flocka Flame, who began his conquest into EDM well before this past year. His daunting list of collaborations with artists such as Borgore, Steve Aoki, Borgeous, Diplo, and Yellow Claw have bridged EDM's party-driven antics right into the mainstream, and he is undoubtedly taking the next step forward with his signing of trap aficionados Neon Dreams to his illustrious label, 36BRICKHOUSE.
The Halifax-based quartet Neon Dreams are celebrating their new signing with a elbow-throwing trapstyle remix of Flocka's "50k," and it truly sets a precedent for the rapper's upcoming EDM album Turn Up God. With a handful of the album's tracks already produced by the talented group, Flocka and Neon Dreams will undoubtedly be cementing their place in the scene in the coming year. Take a listen to the party-starting edit below and get ready to turn up with "The God" himself.
Follow Waka Flocka Flame:
Follow Neon Dreams:


text:
Company Name : Wingify Software, Education Qualification : BE / B.tech
Experience Required: 2 to 4 years ( 2012, 2013 & 2014 Batch ) Entry Level Jobs for 2015 & 2016 Pass Out: Apply Here
Job Location : New Delhi, Job Profile : Customer Support Engineer
More Details About this job : Wingify Software Recruitment 2016 for Customer Support Engineer (8 LPA) - @ New Delhi - Apply Online Now.
This is a high-profile customer-facing technical role to find solutions to issues faced by customers with the products and help them work through technical difficulties.
Customer support Engineer is the technical interface between the customers and VWO's Development/QA and Product management teams.
Research, diagnose, troubleshoot and identify solutions to resolve customer issues.
Regular and proactive follow ups with customers with recommendations, workarounds, updates, and action plans.
Log software defects using a bug tracking system and work closely with software developers to analyze the defects and track them to resolution.
Create internal or external knowledgebase articles/whitepapers.Work with the product management team to continuously evolve the product based on customer feedback, reported issues and new trending technologies.
Register your Mail & Mobile No. - Click Here Apply Online Click Here


text:
|The Oiran eyeing TH
Eve is used to being an Eventful Woman, but TH (the husband) had an eventful experience of his own in Japan recently.
I know that TH is gorgeous but I didn't expect him to catch the eye of an Oiran (a high-ranking courtesan). There was even a suggestion of marriage!
How did this happen?
I blame the ninjas for distracting me. We were visiting Edo Wonderland, a sort of historic village set in the Edo period of Japan (1600s to mid 1800s) with costumed actors playing various characters.
Almost everyone knows of my skills in karate and tai chi. I was spellbound from the techniques and expertise I had witnessed, as I staggered breathlessly out of the Ninja theatre.
|Photo copyright: Digitaltrends.com
My fogged glasses had nothing to do with agile young men leaping about the stage to the throbbing of the drums.
We then strayed into the Traditional Japanese Culture Centre, found our seats and listened to the gentle plucking of lutes while waiting for the show to start. With the exception of a man with a red maple leaf emblazoned on his back pack, the rest of audience were all Japanese.
The MC/Court Jester ambled among the seated throng and eventually paused in front of TH. The Jester invited TH up to the stage and, after the usual questions about where are you from and how do you like Japan, TH was suddenly whisked behind the curtain. I wasn't too worried - the natives appeared friendly and I was still in my 'post-Ninja high'.
Imagine my surprise when the curtains swished back to reveal TH lounging on a silken cushion and resplendent in long, fine garments. He had transformed into an Odaijin (an aristocratic man). The crowd giggled in delight.
The Oiran made her entrance and made a beeline straight for TH.
She plied him with a whole saucerful of sake.
They had a conversation, with the Jester providing TH his stage lines on big cards. I couldn't follow a word as it was all in Japanese. However, the body language was obvious - that Oiran was after my man!
However, despite the sake and some fancy dancing with fans, TH was not swayed.
|The Oiran is devastated she can't have TH
Anyway, how could there be a new 'match made in heaven' when TH is already in orbit with me?
The play ended without a marriage and the actors and TH took their bows. The audience clapped and I gave TH a standing ovation. I had forgotten all about my ninjas.


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You slowly moved on the comfy bed with your bare legs touching the silky fabrics that your skin would never get used to. Nothing of that sort existed naturally on Earth but you considered yourself to be the luckiest woman on the planet because your set was imported from Asgard. You barely opened your eyes to come across with a familiar scene, your eyes lingered on the wide window on your left side and they were slightly overwhelmed with the moonlight peeking into the room each time the curtains moved. You stretched your arms up with a wide smile taking over you and the cool air sneaking inside tickled against your arms that you just put over yourself. You could feel that your nightgown was almost completely pushed up, nothing was certainly covering your legs, and you felt the absence of warmth on your right side that you were very used to feeling with your big husband sleeping next to you half naked every night.
You groaned and turned toward your right side to see that he wasn't in the bed with you. That was odd. You pushed the blanket where the several scraps of black lace were strewn across the silk sheets. You sat up and directly looked at the clock.
3:37 a.m.
He could be in the bathroom, why would you be so worried about him? What could possibly happen to him on this planet? He was the God of Thunder, the demigod everyone feared— the brute son of Odin, the mighty Thunderer! But for you, he was just a delicate gem even more beautiful than those Asgardian ones he'd occasionally gift you to appreciate your beauty. You crossed your arms and pouted, waiting for him to come back to bed already because you needed your personal radiator or radia"thor" as you called him to tease him. You stared at the clock for a while and after about ten minutes you gave up and decided to search your sweet bestial lover. You got on your bare feet and silently eased into the kitchen, with as much food as he ate this would be the first stop for you.
"This is so weird…" your voice cracked as you stared into the empty kitchen; nothing was out of place either. You were sure that he didn't come this way so you decided to try the living room. Maybe he was upset about something and he didn't want to tell you about it? There had been moments when something upset him, he'd try to overcome it himself alone thinking he was the mightiest hero of them all—oh yes he was, but life on Earth was much more complicated than that.
You tiptoed into the living room to come across something you'd never seen happen before. There sat the Lord of Asgard in front of your small ____(f/c) laptop, the brightness of the screen was surely overwhelming his aquatic eyes since he was frowning like he was staring at his brother Loki. Your eyes scanned over his beautiful golden hair with excitement, it was past his shoulders again and that reminded you that you were supposed to have his hair cut last week. But you always made up excuses because you adored how soft it was, braiding his hair was your favorite past time—he seemed to know that and always let you. You saw that he was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that felt too tight against his wide shoulders and big arms, you gave up on finding clothes fit for him a long time ago and you somehow didn't really complain about his tight "sexy" clothes. You loved indulging in such view, he was yours and you knew no mortal woman would be luckier than you.
You tilted your head and leaned on the door for a split second before you came back to your senses again. What would a man do in the middle of the night in front of a computer? Was he… watching something? What would guys watch at such time? Your eyes opened wide and a mixed feeling of fear and uneasiness pooled your stomach, your lips curled and you took timid steps towards his back. You already knew that you had to make sure he knew you were approaching; you didn't want to risk death in case he thought you were a thief. He could send you through the walls of your house and kill you with one blow of his hand. You pushed back a strand of hair from your face and sighed deeply to address him.
"Th-Thor…?" you said very slowly not to scare him, he nevertheless slightly jumped from his seat and turned to face you with a smile too bright for such a late time at night.
"____(y/n), have you had a bad dream?" his voice instantly melt your heart and you smiled at him yet it was a half smile with ideas storming inside your head. He didn't seem to be hiding anything from you, he seemed very happy as he always did.
"No, I was just wondering where you were and…" you didn't really finish that sentence as you came right next to him. You let your left arm go around his shoulders and you twisted your hand so that your fingers would be roaming among his soft facial hair. You felt that he instantly put his right arm around your waist.
"Forgive me for alarming you my love, it was not my intention at all" Thor said with his adorable accent and voice. You put your chin over his golden locks and smelled the heavenly scent coming off his hair; your eyes took the advantage of your broken eye contact to roam over the laptop screen. It surely wasn't what you expected to see, you weren't sure what to feel about what you were staring at either.
"Why are you on a recipe website, sweetheart?" you asked him and pulled away to look into his eyes that seemed rather playful. He grinned and shook his head.
"Ever since you've taught me the ways of this system called the internet, I've made the decision to utilize googoo and learn new things about your way of life" he said with excitement and you miserably failed at holding back your laughter with the way he pronounced "Google". You bit your lips very hard and stared at him like he was an adorable cat.
"Goldilocks, it is not googoo it is Google!" you burst into laughter and buried your head on his neck to hold back, he just smelled so good.
"Oh shut up! I don't make fun of you for not knowing the ways of Asgardian champions!" he said and violently pulled you by your waist to make you sit on his lap. You blocked the brightness radiating off the laptop and you could see your relatively small silhouette on him, his playfulness seemed to disappear when he looked into your eyes deeply. His left hand went through your hair and gently pushed it away, you never understood how you could send him into such trances sometimes but there was no complaining because you wanted him, all the time.
"I gave you my word that I would do my best tomorrow" he whispered and cupped your cheek with his hand that'd been roaming in your hair.
"It's not something so serious to leave you sleepless or anything…" you murmured and put your hand on his face to gently caress his alluring face. His free hand went on yours and he smirked.
"It does not matter, for I will give my lady the honor she requires" he whispered and before you could even react he pressed his soft lips on yours.
You tried to keep your eyes open to see his closed ones that seemed to be in complete bliss, but with the shock of the way he made you feel you weren't able to keep them open for too long. Once more you knew why he was the Thunder God, the way he made you feel was as if he was electrifying you, every small kiss he placed on your lips was a single current going through your body. You felt that his hands went on your back and he seemed very excited with the way you returned his kisses with so much desire. You suddenly moved both of your hands through his hair and took a tight hold of it, this made Thor become drunk with emotions, and you felt that the ferocious side of him would soon take over to demand all of your love which you'd give him gladly even if he didn't ask for it so desperately. You pulled back to stare into the deep sea of his blue eyes that matched his t-shirt. You felt his warm breath against your mouth and your noses touched a couple times with the way you both were shaking with blinding lust.
"All the power of the storm, from all the world, flows through my veins and powers my heart, that beats for you" Thor said in a low voice and pulled your hand on his chest so you'd feel his heavy heartbeats. You were too weak against his sweet words, your lips parted and you barely pulled yourself together to say something.
"And it causes this crazy storm inside my heart" your staggered breathing made you sound like you were choking. You felt that the demigod placed his hands around you and swept you off your feet in an instant like you were a single feather.
"Thor…" you hesitantly whispered as he led you back to your spacious bedroom.
He didn't say anything or even look at you; he walked over to your bed and placed you right in the middle of it. You stared at him in awe as he took his shirt off to reveal his porcelain smooth, hard rock torso that you would never get over no matter how many times you'd seen it. He kept his eyes locked with yours as he placed himself right over you without giving his weight on your feeble body, you let your hands flutter over his wide chest and you moved them to his stomach to outline his abs. At first you thought he'd reach out to remove your clothes, but to your surprise he slowly came closer to your face and stared at you with a small smile. You heard a strange humming noise coming from the edge of the room, you tried to prop yourself up on one elbow, but Thor barely let you lift your head.
"Is that Mjolnir making that noise?" you whispered. Thor's eyes flickered, aware enough to feel self-conscious under the spell you put him under.
"I suppose I am very excited. Does it matter since you cannot wield it?" he murmured and made you feel a little awkward. Your eyes narrowed and you started to nod, he raised an eyebrow in his confusion.
"I can wield Mjolnir, just not that one" you said and Thor yanked himself, burying his face that just turned tomato red under his hands. You figured he'd stay like that for a while with the way you embarrassed him but what you said was true.
"I pray to Gods that Heimdall did not listen to this certain conversation" your heard his muffled cute voice, you smirked and pushed yourself back on your pillow since he wasn't on top of you to stop you anymore. The shy prince lifted his head and sniffed awkwardly, moving himself next to you with an impressed face.
"Is my princess too jaded to battle me at such a late hour?" Thor said with one elbow on the pillow while his other free arm went around your belly. You were already feeling relaxed and sleep wanted to take over so badly, you sucked in a deep breath and faced his adorable complexion that seemed a little disappointed.
"Can you just hug me?" you said in a tiny voice with your eyes half open. Thor's face seemed like he was both victorious that you ended up not being able to do what you claimed you could and sad that you politely turned him down for the night.
"Of course, my lady" he whispered and pulled you closer to him, you almost seemed like you weren't there with how big his body was that just enveloped you. You let out a sigh with the way you felt so comfortable and finally very warm.
"I shall make you proud in the morning" you heard him say weakly in his relaxation. You drifted to sleep listening to the God's calmed heartbeats.
Hello my mighty Thunderers!
I've had too many Thor feels in the last couple days so I decided to write a oneshot with him BUT my feels were too much that this ended up to be a mini 2 part story. I just love this man so much; I hope you enjoy reading this because I certainly enjoyed writing it!
Please add this to your s if you think Thor is just an amazing sweet brute! I just love him so bad I cant even…*faints* Thanks for reading, fair maiden!
You can check out my oneshots and mini stories like these in this GALLERY
I've had too many Thor feels in the last couple days so I decided to write a oneshot with him BUT my feels were too much that this ended up to be a mini 2 part story. I just love this man so much; I hope you enjoy reading this because I certainly enjoyed writing it!
Please add this to your s if you think Thor is just an amazing sweet brute! I just love him so bad I cant even…*faints* Thanks for reading, fair maiden!
You can check out my oneshots and mini stories like these in this GALLERY
Can't believe she said that
mmm the perfect combination <3 <3 hotness, sweetness, strength and vulnerability
"I can wield Mjolnir, just not that one"
Unless my mind is just totally messed up.
Unless my mind is just totally messed up.
*dies* How is it possible for a man to be so fucking hot and adorable at the same time!? It's illogical!!
Part 2 soon?
*revives you* chill. we don't need a dead fangirl.
That....was....so....sweet..! *sigh*
I was just guessing there lolololol XD
I was just guessing there lolololol XD
I DON'T GIVE A F BOMB. *cuddles and flees* > (little shit am I? XD)
Fluffnes.. Better than Twilight. c:
Fluffnes.. Better than Twilight. c:
LOL awwwww!!!!!!! And thank goodness it's better than Twilight, I would be rather offended if it wasn't!!! LOLOLOL
D'aw!!!!!!!! I really wish that would be possible, I'd love to have these in a book form! ;D
D'aw!!!!!!!! I really wish that would be possible, I'd love to have these in a book form! ;D
D'aw!!!! Yay! I'm glad that maybe it will make it... more bearable or something >.<
I hope so! Though the first day of school is usually easy, this will make tomorrow even more enjoyable.
OH! Well that shouldn't be too bad... sigh, I wish I was in high school again ;C
Nope. Hopefully it'll be an easy day. *knocks on wood*
No you don't. XD
I.. I actually do because then I wouldn't have to worry about moving to another city on my own or worry about finally deciding what I should do with my life. I could just go to school and just write stories for the rest of my time SIGH, because I never had the need to study for anything in high school.. I thought it was too easy. But now I shall suffer in a challenging university *sobs*
Radia"thor"? Googoo?
I almost choked myself tryinig not to laugh out laud. I also melted an have a few heart attacks (survived only thanks "my" X-gene thanks Wolvie!). That was amazing story! Well the first part of it. And how could I turn his offer down in the story? Even watching at him makes me feel want him.
I almost choked myself tryinig not to laugh out laud. I also melted an have a few heart attacks (survived only thanks "my" X-gene thanks Wolvie!). That was amazing story! Well the first part of it. And how could I turn his offer down in the story? Even watching at him makes me feel want him.


text: from Friday 17/12/2010 to Monday 20/12/2010 Location: Budapest (Hungary) Contact: Massimo Liberati (email@example.com) KICKBOXING STAGE IN BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) From 17th to 20th December 2010 an international Kickboxing stage will be held by hungarian national coach of Light contact Mr MIKLOS ZRINYI and by Mr Alessandro Manfredi of the Italian Kickboxing Federation.For info:Alessandro Manfredi: tel. +39 320 251 93 14Massimo Liberati: tel. +39 338 399 57 56


text:
Interested in becoming a Mentor for Women inPower? Contact us to learn more.
Emily Kernan Rafferty, President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Emily Kernan Rafferty, President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, served for 40 years at the Museum, as chief of institutional advancement, Senior Vice President of External Affairs, and as President from 2005 to 2015. As President, she was the Museum's chief administrative officer, supervising a staff of some 2,000 full- and part-time employees and volunteers. Ms. Rafferty's global experience in some 50 countries on behalf of the Museum included interactions and negotiations with many senior world leaders. In the U.S., she worked with government and private-sector officials on initiatives involving funding, marketing, and multiple cultural issues. Ms. Rafferty currently serves as a Board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank (Chair, 2012-2016); Chair of NYC & Company (the city's tourism, marketing, and partnering organization); Board member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; Senior Adviser for Heritage Protection and Conservation for UNESCO; Board member of PJT Partners; and served as an Advisory Board member of the eight women Bipartisan Congressional Commission for The American Museum of Women's History in D.C. (May 2015-December 2016), and continues as an advisor to the project. As principal of Emily K. Rafferty & Associates, she consults for many organizations, including Russell Reynolds Associates in the firm's nonprofit practice and The Shed, a performing arts center under construction in Hudson Yards. She is an Advisory Director to Carnegie Hall, a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut, and also a member of the Economic Club and the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Rafferty is a frequent speaker on non-profit and board management, fundraising, and cultural heritage and conservation, and has long been actively affiliated with a number of arts and inter-museum organizations. The recipient of many awards and honors, Ms. Rafferty was named by Crain's New York Business one of New York City's 100 most influential women from 2009 through 2013, and in Fall 2015 she was elected to their Hall of Fame. In 2012, she received the New York University Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City.
Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Frederick P. Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sandra Jackson-Dumont is the Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education at the Metropolitan Museum of Art— the largest museum in the western hemisphere. Jackson-Dumont is responsible for the vision and management of education, public programs, the live arts/performance, audience development and academic programs. Her work encompasses a wide range of experiences designed for a diverse cross-section of audiences. She was formerly the Deputy Director for Education + Public Programs and Adjunct Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). She had strategic oversight of programming at SAM's three sites—Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park. Prior to her appointment at SAM, Jackson-Dumont worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Whitney Museum of American Art among other cultural organizations. Known for her ability to blur the lines between academia, popular culture and non-traditional art-going communities, Jackson-Dumont is invested in curating experiences that foster dynamic exchanges between art/artists, past/present, public/private and people/places. She has organized numerous exhibitions, lectures, performances, symposia and education initiatives and she has contributed essays to a host of publications and worked with numerous artists. Past projects have included: Brenna Youngblood: Abstracted Realities in 2015/16; LaToya Ruby Frazier: Born By a River in 2014; machupicchu afterdark, a site specific installation by contemporary Afro- Peruvian artist William Cordova in 2013/14; We Will Blow the Roof Off The Mother, a site-specific installation for the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park in 2013; Theaster Gates: The Listening Room in 2011; Record Store, a roving social practice project initially installed in an urban store front in partnership with Olson Kundig Architects featuring listening parties hosted by a wide cross-section of artists, curators, community/public figures, cultural producers and others in 2011/12; Xenobia Bailey: the aesthetics of funk an exhibition at the Northwest African American Museum in 2011; Titus Kaphar: History in the Making in 2009. Jackson-Dumont currently serves on the boards of Seattle's Friends of the Waterfront Project, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs' Advisory Commission, the National Guild for Community Arts Education and the Friends of the Highline. She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including: the 2012 Community Leader of the Year Finalist for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce; a 2012 Women of Color Empowered Award; the 2013 Creative Leadership Award from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award from Sonoma State University; and the 2016 Medal for Distinguished Service from Columbia University's Teachers College. She was included in Seattle Magazine's Most Influential People 2010, The Smartest People in Seattle's Politics 2013, and the Twenty-five Influential Black Women in Business for The Network Journal 2015. She is also an independent curator/writer and programming consultant working across communities, disciplines and sectors. She received her B.A. in art history from Sonoma State University in California and her M.A. in art history from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Cindy F. Golden, Chief Financial Officer, Belfer Management, LLC
Cindy F. Golden is the Chief Financial Officer for Belfer Management, LLC, a family office and investment firm. She started the Belfer's family office 17 years ago by creating the infrastructure that emphasizes investment, tax, accounting and family management. Prior to joining Belfer Management, LLC, Ms. Golden was the Controller of the Lefrak Organization, Inc., a family Real Estate ownership and management enterprise. Ms. Golden started her career in Public Accounting working with both Kenneth Leventhal & Co. (Ernst & Young, LLP) and David Verdon, LLP. Her time in Public Accounting emphasized Audit, Tax and Advisory services. Ms. Golden received her BA/BS from Queens College in Accounting and Information Systems. She also completed a minor in Business Psychology. Ms. Golden is a Certified Public Accountant and an active member of the NYS Society of CPA's and the American Institute of CPA's.
Henry Timms, Executive Director, 92Y
Henry Timms, Executive Director, 92Y and Founder, #GivingTuesday As Executive Director of 92nd Street Y, Henry creates programs and movements that foster learning, civic responsibility, culture and innovation, both in New York City and around the world. He is the founder of #GivingTuesday, a global philanthropic movement that was awarded a Cannes Lion at the International Festival of Creativity; a PRWeek Global Award for Nonprofit Campaign of the Year; and the inaugural UJA-Federation Riklis Prize in Agency Entrepreneurship. Henry's work has been profiled in publications like the Harvard Business Review, and his most recent thinking with Jeremy Heimans on "new power" was featured as the Big Idea in HBR and by CNN as one of the ten top ideas to change the world in 2015. Henry is a Practitioner-in-Residence at the Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, a faculty member of the GovLab Academy and a member of the World Economic Forum's Network of Global Agenda Councils. Henry was named the NonProfit Times Influencer of the Year in 2014 and was honored as one of Crain's New York Business 40 under 40 in 2015.
Whitney W. Donhauser, President, Museum of the City of New York
Whitney W. Donhauser joined the Museum of the City of New York as President and Ronay Menschel Director in January 2016. Her appointment follows a 23-year career in museum management at the Metropolitan Museum of Art including policy and Masterplan development, capital projects such as the Fifth Avenue Plaza and MET Breuer, and fundraising. At MCNY Donhauser has overseen the final phases of New York at Its Core, a permanent exhibition, that opened on November 18, on the four-century history of New York City with a Future City Lab that explores the city's ongoing challenges of housing, population growth, embracing diversity, transportation, and climate change. Historic highs in museum and education program attendance and numbers of online followers were recorded in 2016. The first ever multi-lingual advertising campaign aims to draw even more and more diverse visitors. Ms. Donhauser has a B.A. from Vassar College and a Certificate from the Royal Society of Art in London.
Raoul Bhavnani, Senior Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting
Raoul Bhavnani is a Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, and is based in New York. He also serves as global head of the segment's Strategy Consulting & Research practice. For more than 20 years, he has worked at the intersection of communications, finance and government affairs while living in Asia Pacific, EMEA and the United States. Mr. Bhavnani began his career on Wall Street, with several years at Morgan Stanley in India and the United States as an investment banker and fixed-income specialist. At Morgan Stanley, he advised senior corporate and government leaders on capital markets matters; mergers and acquisitions (M&A); privatization activity; and risk management. He was one of the first employees of Morgan Stanley's investment banking division in India, where the firm was involved in groundbreaking, capital-raising activities — as well as the development and modernization of India's financial markets. Upon returning to the United States, Mr. Bhavnani also spent time in the political and public sectors, helping to manage the campaigns of high-profile candidates, and engaging in public-policy issues facing New York City. For the last decade, he has advised large organizations on communications strategy, first as a partner at Westhill Partners, and then as a senior managing director at FTI Consulting. His expertise involves the development and application of analytical methods in communications and business strategy, as well as the management of large, global client engagements. Mr. Bhavnani also spent nearly two years of his career with FTI Consulting, in the firm's London office as part of the group's EMEA management team. Besides client work, Mr. Bhavnani serves in a leadership capacity for the firm's diversity & inclusion efforts. Mr. Bhavnani is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and is active in a leadership capacity with a variety of civic and cultural organizations around the world. He is the co-founder and Board President of The India Center Foundation, a non-profit cultural institution and think tank based in New York focused on India and its relationship with the United States. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Arielle Tepper Madover, Theater and Film Producer & Board Chair, The Public Theater
Arielle Tepper Madover is The Board Chair at The Public Theater in New York City as well as a Tony Award winning Theater & Film Producer. Mrs. Madover has had a long-standing relationship with The Donmar Warehouse since 2005. She worked with Artistic Director Michael Grandage from 2005 to 2012 and Josie Rourke starting in 2012. Mrs. Madover is Executive Producer of the film Genius by John Logan directed by Michael Grandage starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Laura Linney. Mrs. Madover's theatrical credits include: Broadway: Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Liev Schreiber and Janet McTeer and directed by Josie Rourke, The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper, The Cripple of Inishmaan starring Daniel Radcliffe, directed by Michael Grandage, Lucky Guy, by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks, directed by George C. Wolfe, I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers written by John Logan, starring Bette Midler, Annie directed by James Lapine, Red, the 6 time Tony Award winning Best Play of 2010 starring Alfred Molina, directed by Michael Grandage, the Tony Award winning revival of Hair, Hamlet starring Jude Law, directed by Michael Grandage, Mary Stuart directed by Phyllida Lloyd, starring Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter, Equus, Frost/Nixon, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, Democracy, A Raisin in the Sun as well as The Royal National Theater's production of Tom Stoppard's Jumpers, the Tony Award winning Hollywood Arms written by Carol Burnett and her daughter, Carrie Hamilton, directed by Harold Prince, A Class Act, Tony Award winning James Joyce's The Dead, Sandra Bernhard's I'm Still Here..Damn It and John Leguizamo's FREAK. West End: My Night with Reg, Piaf, Monty Python's Spamalot, Frost/Nixon and Guys & Dolls both directed by Michael Grandage, Mary Stuart, A Voyage Round My Father and Sunday in the Park with George. Off- Broadway: De La Guarda " Villa Villa", The Last Five Years, written by Jason Robert Brown, directed by Daisy Prince and Olivier Award winning Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson, originally produced at The Royal Shakespeare Company. The Public Theater: in 2016 won 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Direction, Best Book of A Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by and Actor and Actress in a Featured Role, Best Lighting Design, Best Costume Design of a Musical for Hamilton and Best Costume Design of a Play for Eclipsed. Hamilton 7 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical written and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Fun Home, the 5 time Tony Award winning Best Musical of 2015 starring Michael Cerveris and directed by Sam Gold, Grounded starring Anne Hathaway and directed by Julie Taymor, Josephine & I, the Lortel Award winner for Outstanding Solo Show, starring Cush Jumbo and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) written by Obie Award winner Suzan-Lori Parks and Fortress of Solitude. She has also produced Bounce by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman directed by Harold Prince at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as the US National Tour of Frost/Nixon and the US National tour and Vegas productions of Monty Python's Spamalot. In 2005 Mrs. Madover formed The Living Room for Artists a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization to sustain and support the Summer Play Festival (SPF) which was first presented in 2004. SPF formed an alliance with The Public Theater and had a relationship with the Donmar Warehouse through its creation of the Playwright Residency Program. In her effort to promote Theater Education, in 2001, she created The Tepper Center for Careers in Theatre, which through The Tepper Semester in New York provides opportunities for college seniors to develop specific strategies for pursuing their career goals in the entertainment industry. In 2005 she initiated a theatre program for kindergarten through third graders at The Dalton School. Mrs. Madover is on the Board of Governors for The Broadway League and The Board of the Janice and Philip Levin Foundation, an Emeritus member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees and a past Board member of The Dalton School. Mrs. Madover is also a member of the Juilliard Drama Council and has been listed in Crain's 40 under 40 and was one of Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Females. In 2016 Mrs. Madover received the George Arents Award from Syracuse University. It is the highest alumni honor, presented annually to four alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields.
Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner, New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs
Penny Abeywardena is New York City's Commissioner for International Affairs. As head of the Mayor's Office for International Affairs, she is leading the City's effort to build a global platform from which the City is promoting its goals for a more just and accessible society, showcasing the diversity of New Yorkers, and sharing policies and best practice with the world. Since her appointment in September 2014, the International Affairs team has launched a series of initiatives focused on connecting New Yorkers and City agencies to the diplomatic community as well as more effectively serving NYC's diplomatic corps, which is the largest in the world. Prior to joining Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, Penny was the Director of Girls and Women Integration at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a non-partisan organization that convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Penny joined CGI in 2009 to develop strategy highlighting and integrating the gender lens throughout the organization's various platforms. She led the program's evolution into one of CGI's most successful efforts. While at CGI, Penny was responsible for the portfolio of CGI commitments focused on empowering girls & women worldwide, developing year-round programming, and integrating the gender lens throughout the CGI platform. During her tenure, she advised multinational corporations, philanthropists, NGOs, and multilateral institutions to increase investments in gender-focused development initiatives; and expanded the community of CGI members who incorporate the gender lens in their work. Before joining the Clinton Global Initiative, Penny worked in both development and programmatic areas for Human Rights Watch, the Funding Exchange and the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. In 2016 Penny was named by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. She is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Nations Development Corporation, New Course, Global Partners, Inc and the Eastside Greenway and Park. On her personal time, Penny serves on the Hillary for America Policy Working Group on Global Women's Issues, the Innovation Advisory Committee for 92Y and the Founding Member Committee of Lincoln Center's Global Exchange. She has previously served on the World Bank's Advisory Council on Gender and Development, the Board of Directors of Sakhi for South Asian Women and Resource Generation. Penny's a contributing author to "Women in the Global Economy: Leading Social Change," and in 2012 was recognized by the United Nation's Decide Now Act (DNA) Summit, as one of 101 Global Innovators for her work to put women's rights on the global political agenda. She's a graduate of the University of Southern California and completed her Master of International Affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Penny lives on the Upper West Side with her husband. She loves to explore the five boroughs for regional cuisines and jog in Central Park.
Eileen A. Aptman, Chief Investment Officer, Belfer Management LLC
Eileen A. Aptman is the Chief Investment Officer for Belfer Management LLC, a family investment firm that emphasizes energy, real estate, financial services and certain consumer-facing businesses. Prior to joining Belfer Management LLC, Ms. Aptman managed the small and midcap value investment strategy in the Asset Management Division of Goldman Sachs. Ms. Aptman started her investment career as an Equity Analyst for Scott Black at Delphi Management. Ms. Aptman has served on the Boards of Directors of public and private companies including Presidential Financial, American Midstream Partners and Rose Tarlow Melrose House. Ms. Aptman is currently a Director of Del Taco Restaurants and is Chair of the Compensation Committee. As a Trustee for The Town School, a K–8 school in New York City, Ms. Aptman chairs the Finance and Endowment Committees. She is also a Member of The Brookings Council. Ms. Aptman received a BA from Tufts University in Political Science and Asian Studies and is a CFA® charterholder.
Deepali Bagati, Executive Director, Catalyst
Deepali Bagati, PhD, is the Executive Director for Catalyst's United States region. She is responsible for leading and strengthening Catalyst's offerings and solutions for the U.S. member companies. Dr. Bagati continues to serve as a resource on diversity and inclusion, and frequently speaks on topics such as women in leadership, organizational change, inclusive leadership, and global diversity and inclusion. Previously, Dr. Bagati was a Vice President of the Catalyst Inclusive Leadership Initiative, and led curriculum development to transform diversity research, expertise, and advocacy into skill-building leadership programs for emerging leaders. She recently launched Catalyst's introductory course on Inclusive Leadership Training on the edX platform. Dr. Bagati also led the growth and expansion of Catalyst India, and managed the Catalyst India Advisory Board and developed knowledge products on women in business. Most recently, Dr. Bagati authored Leadership Gap in India Inc.: Myths and Realities and the 2010 India Benchmarking Report. In her prior role at Catalyst, as a Director of Research, Dr. Bagati led research on workplace challenges for women of color and developed solutions for building more effective and inclusive workplaces. Dr. Bagati co-led the Women of Color in Professional Services series, led the Women of Color Issue Specialty Team, and authored several reports. As a member of the Catalyst Award Evaluation Committee, Dr. Bagati was a strategic adviser for the evaluation of global initiatives, and as a member of Catalyst's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, she was an internal advisor on diversity and inclusion for Catalyst staff. She received her PhD in Social Work and Social Research from Bryn Mawr College, with her dissertation focusing on the impact of microcredit loans on gender relations at the household level for low-income women in New Delhi. Dr. Bagati earned a MA in Social Work and a BA in Economics, with honors, from Delhi University, New Delhi, India.
Cathie Black, Consultant
Cathie Black is a well-known media and publishing executive having spent the majority of her career as president, then chairman of Hearst Magazines in New York. (Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine, Food Network Magazine, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, and Veranda among others). Prior to Hearst, Cathie was president and publisher of USA Today for seven years. She was also the first woman publisher of a consumer weekly, New York Magazine. For much of her career, Ms. Black has been a "first", breaking barriers along the way and helping pave the way to create opportunities for the younger generation of female media executives. She is also an author, having written Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller and published in 12 countries. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ms. Black was also a longtime board member of IBM and The Coca-Cola Company, along with being a trustee of The University of Notre Dame. A graduate of Trinity College, Washington, D.C., Ms. Black holds ten honorary degrees. Now, Cathie lives in the startup world as an advisor, board member or investor in a variety of young companies to include PubMatic, Yieldbot, Bark & Co (Bark Box), and Pinks and Greens, among others.
Katherine Wu Brady, EVP of Commerce, Registry & Guest Services at XO Group
Katherine Brady is the EVP of Commerce, Registry & Guest Services at XO Group, best known for the brands The Knot and The Bump. She oversees national transactional partnerships for couples and their guests during key moments in their lives. Ms. Brady most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Vente-privee USA, the e-commerce venture backed by American Express, where sales doubled in 2013 under her management. She helped launch Vente-privee USA in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer and oversaw sales operations, human resources, as well as product development. Previously, Ms. Brady held senior-level positions at AOL, in strategy and operations, and at NBC Universal, where she was a member of the Hulu launch team and helped transform NBC's Local Media digital unit into a high growth and profitable business. Ms. Brady started her career in Technology and Health Care investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Ms. Brady is a graduate of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, earning bachelor's degrees in Finance from The Wharton School and in Systems Engineering from The School of Engineering and Applied Science. She lives in New York City with her husband, son and daughter.
Jimmie Briggs, Co-founder and Executive Director Emeritus, Man Up Campaign
Jimmie Briggs is a freelance journalist and teacher. A National Magazine Award finalist and recipient of honors from the Open Society Institute, National Association of Black Journalists and the Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism, Jimmie Briggs' book on child soldiers and war-affected children Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War won him accolades in 2005, and took readers into the lives of war-affected children around the world. Further, Briggs has served as an adjunct professor of investigative journalism at the New School for Social Research, and was a George A. Miller Visiting Professor in the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana. He was also the founding director of Man Up Campaign, a global initiative to activate youth to stop violence against women and girls. Briggs' next book Blood Work, is a meditation on manhood and transformation through the lens of illness. For his work with Man Up Campaign and the issue of violence against women, Briggs was selected as the winner of the 2010 GQ Magazine "Better Men Better World" Search, as well as one of Women's eNews' 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, and is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards and fellowships. He is a member of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity, (PACH) at New York University. Currently, Jimmie Briggs is executive director of LOVE U.S. (Leave Out Violence). LOVE's mission is to enable youth who have been affected by violence to create positive change in their lives and become leaders among their peers and in their communities by providing safe settings, media arts training, social and emotional learning, and leadership development opportunities. Youth emerge from LOVE committed to carrying forward messages of non-violence, and ready to engage more fully in the world around them.
Christine Cea, Founder & Principal, Posit Communications
An industry-recognized leader and innovator in the field of marketing communications, Christine Cea has led world-class initiatives and campaigns for some of the world's most iconic brands. A highly strategic, insightful and creative thinker, she is an accomplished leader of high-performance teams and transformational change. As Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Unilever for eight years, Christine led Brand Public Relations, Earned Social Media and Health & Wellness marketing for the U.S. portfolio of foods and personal care brands – Dove, Suave, Lipton, Hellmann's, and Magnum ice cream among dozens of others. She led the launch of Unilever Project Sunlight, the company's first consumer marketing initiative to foster its sustainable living mission, which received a Cannes PR Lion. She has held senior management positions at global PR agencies in both New York and London, including tenure as the Global Consumer Brand Marketing Practice Leader. With the emergence of Social Media, Christine became an industry leader who served five years on the Board of Directors of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, delivered keynotes and lectured at The Wharton School of Business. Christine has been ranked twice on the PR Week Power List, which recognized her as "a champion who helped propel Unilever's venerable brands into the digital age." She received the 2014 PR Week Awards Honorable Mention as PR Professional of the Year – In House, which noted her industry thought leadership. She holds a BA in English from Barnard College and an MA in English from Columbia University.
Margaret Coady, Executive Director, Coach Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility at Coach, Inc.
Margaret Coady is Executive Director, Coach Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility at Coach, Inc., a publicly-traded New York design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle collections for women and men employing 17,000 colleagues across locations worldwide. As Executive Director of The Coach Foundation, Margaret works with the Foundation Board to deploy more than $5 million annually to high-impact non-profit organizations serving communities around the globe. The Coach Foundation's principal mission is help women to fully realize their potential and to improve educational opportunities for the underserved. In her role as Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Margaret leads Coach, Inc.'s efforts at the intersection of corporate and community success, and develops opportunities for the company's worldwide teams to participate in giving back to the communities in which they live and work. Margaret has had a longstanding career of thought leadership in corporate community engagement, having served as Executive Director of CECP, a coalition of 150 CEOs united in the belief that societal improvement is an essential measure of business performance. At CECP for more than a decade, Margaret was instrumental in establishing the non-profit as the top forum for inspiring and challenging CEOs and corporate philanthropic leaders to align community initiatives with core business strategy. Margaret graduated with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors from Williams College and was Valedictorian of her class at Columbia Business School. In 2013, she was one of 6 national finalists for the American Express NGen Leadership Award honoring nonprofit leaders age 40 or under who have demonstrated significant impact in addressing society's critical needs.
Lori Conkling, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, NBCUniversal
Lori Conkling was named Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development of NBCUniversal in February 2013. As such, she is responsible for developing progressive business strategies for NBCU's new and existing digital businesses, driving innovation and monetizing cross-platform content. Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Conkling was EVP, Distribution, at A+E Networks (AEN), having joined from Lifetime Networks when it was acquired by AEN in 2009. For the past five years Conkling has been named one of CableFAX's Most Powerful Women in Cable and was inducted into Multichannel News' Wonder Women Class of 2011. She has served time on the Board of Directors for Women in Cable and Telecommunications, the Alliance for Women in Media and the Fuqua School of Business Alumni Council. Conkling received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Duke University.
Aria Finger, CEO & Chief Old Person, DoSomething.org; President, TMI
As CEO and Chief Old Person of DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change in the world, Aria Finger uses her expertise on all things young people and tech to lead a diverse, impact-driven team. She has been an instrumental part of scaling DoSomething.org from less than 100,000 members to over 4.6 million members in 125 countries today. Starting at DoSomething.org as an associate 10 years ago, Aria created their Teens for Jeans campaign which has clothed over 5 million homeless teenagers to date. With her cause-related marketing experience, Finger has spearheaded partnerships with top brands including Johnson & Johnson, H&M, Sprint and American Express. In 2013, Aria founded and became President of TMI, a subsidiary agency that uses DoSomething.org's 20+ years of experience to help clients reach young people and fuel positive impact in the world. She graduated magna cum laude in economics and political science from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Aria currently serves on the board of the NYC-based not-for-profit Care for the Homeless, was one of the first ten World Economic Forum Global Shapers and is an adjunct professor at New York University. She has been highlighted in the New York Times, Fast Company and was named to the 2012 Crain's New York Business list of "40 Under Forty" and featured on the cover. When she is not running DoSomething.org or desperately trying to improve her Spanish, Aria can be found reading The New Jim Crow for the thousandth time, or relearning her ABCs with the newest addition to the DS family, her adorable son Luke.
Fran Hauser, Startup Investor & Former President, Digital at Time Inc.
Fran Hauser is an early stage investor, long-time media executive and a vocal advocate for women across the globe. Best known for her role building PEOPLE.com – one of the biggest media brands online – Hauser made the leap to early stage investing in 2014, funding and advising consumer-focused companies such as HelloGiggles, Levo, Mogul, The Wing and Gem&Bolt. Thirteen of the fifteen companies in Hauser's portfolio are founded by women, highlighting her broader commitment to increasing the representation of female founders and investors. Hauser previously spent 15 years in the digital media space, holding President and General Manager positions at Time Inc., AOL and Moviefone. She played an integral role in the $400mm sale of Moviefone to AOL and in building PEOPLE.com into one of the most successful women's websites. Hauser speaks frequently about topics such as career building, digital media and investing in and by women. She recently received the Fairy Godmother Award from Girl Be Heard and the W Award from the YWCA of the City of New York, both of which honor change makers who advocate for women and girls around the world. In 2014, Forty Over 40 selected Hauser as one of 40 Women to Watch Over 40, a distinction that honors women who are reinventing, disrupting and making an impact. That same year, she was also named one of the Six Most Powerful Women in New York City's Tech Scene by Refinery29 and was honored as a Global Champion of Women on International Women's Day. A passionate advocate of women around the globe, Hauser is an advisory board member of 92Y Women inPower, Rent the Runway's Project Entrepreneur, WomenOne and TIA Girl Club; on the board of directors of GlobalGiving; and a mentor to hundreds of young women. A summa cum laude graduate of Pace University, Hauser lives in Bedford, New York with her husband and two darling boys.
Anna Holmes, Founder, Jezebel.com
Anna Holmes has written and edited for numerous publications, including the New York Times,Washington Post, Newsweek, InStyle and The New Yorker online. She is the founder of the popular website Jezebel.com and the 2012 recipient of a Mirror Award for Best Commentary. In 2013 her Twitter account was named one of the top 140 Twitter feeds by Time Magazine, at which point she became incredibly self-conscious and stopped tweeting as much. She is the editor of two books, including theBook of Jezebel, and works as a columnist for the New York Times Book Review and as an editor of Digital Voices at Fusion. She lives in New York.
Maz Kessler, Founder, Catapult
Maz Kessler is a designer, artist and serial entrepreneur with roots in the music industry. After more than a decade as a successful songwriter and producer, Maz migrated to Silicon Valley and the tech sector to work on pioneering voice interfaces for major clients. In 2006 Maz joined Advocacy International as Creative Director. By 2012, she had teamed up with Women Deliver to launch Catapult. She designed and built Catapult to channel her passion for girls' and women's rights, and to take action for equality
Gillian Lester, Dean Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Gillian Lester is Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. She joined the Law School in 2015 as its 15th dean. Lester began her teaching career in 1994 at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, where she later became a full professor in 1999. In 2006, Lester joined the Berkeley Law faculty, where—in addition to serving as acting dean from 2012 to 2014—she was the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law and the Werner and Mimi Wolfen Research Professor. Lester also co-directed the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security and was the Associate Dean for the J.D. Program and Curricular Planning. Lester has held external appointments at Harvard Law School as the Sidley Austin Visiting Professor and at the Georgetown University Law Center as a Sloan Fellow and visiting professor. She also held short-term visiting appointments at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, University of Chicago Law School, and Radzyner School of Law Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. Lester serves on the Executive Board for the International Society of Labor Law & Social Security and the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of New York. Lester received a J.S.D. from Stanford Law School, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia.
Terri McCullough, Director of No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, Clinton Foundation
Terri McCullough is the director of No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, a Clinton Foundation initiative led by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. No Ceilings is a Clinton Foundation initiative that brings together partner organizations to evaluate and share the progress girls and women have made in the 20 years since the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and chart the path forward for full participation in political, civil, economic and cultural life for girls and women in the 21st century. Terri joined the Foundation from the Tory Burch Foundation, which works to support women entrepreneurs in the U.S. through small loans, mentoring and entrepreneurial education. She previously served as chief of staff, advisor on women's issues and in a number of other roles in the office of Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her non-profit experience includes positions at NARAL Pro-Choice America, PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning), and Anna Deavere Smith's Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. She has a B.A. in politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz and lives in New York City with her husband, daughter, and son.
Tim Maleeny, Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Worldwide
Tim Maleeny leads an eclectic group of strategic planners, communications architects, digital experts, and analysts who collaborate on building meaningful and effective brand platforms for our clients. Tim is known as a pioneer in reshaping the industry's approach to strategic planning, hiring hybrid talent, and building dynamic teams that can be reconfigured as client needs change. He is a hybrid himself, having worked as a copywriter, producer, account director, and strategic planner since his career began over two decades ago. Tim has degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University, and he is a best-selling author of numerous short stories and four award-winning novels.
Jessica Peltz-Zatulove, Principal, kbs+ Ventures
Jessica Peltz-Zatulove is the Principal at kbs+ Ventures. Prior to joining kbs+, she specialized in helping connect marketers with emerging technology and spent 10+ years working with Fortune 500 brands including Verizon Wireless, Kraft Foods, and H&M. At Evol8tion she brokered numerous first to market startup and brand partnerships, and as a VP at Zenith Media was recognized an industry pioneer in the mobile space; her cutting edge collaborations were often featured in Mashable, Adage, Mobile Marketer, and Mediapost. Jessica has a global footprint with strategic relationships at over 250+ startup organizations across 20+ countries worldwide; she's been named one of NYC's 100 Most Influential People in Tech, and has been featured on CNBC, Fox Business, and popular podcast ThePitchDeck. Jessica has a BA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, with a double concentration in Marketing and International Relations.
Adam Quinton, Founder/CEO, Lucas Point Venture
As the Founder/CEO of Lucas Point Ventures, Adam Quinton invests in and advises early stage companies. His focus is supporting diverse management teams and his investments include The Muse, Glassbreakers, Venuebook, Pinks and Greens, Snaps, Rapt Media, EpiEP, Hire an Esquire, Tactile Finance, Validately, Consensus Point and LawGo. He serves as an Advisory to Hire an Esquire, Tactile Finance and San Francisco based SwoopTalent as well as Chicago based techweek. In H1 2014 he served as Chief Financial Officer of leading NYC based cybersecurity company NopSec, another of his investees. He Chairs the East Coast Advisory Board of Astia as well being a Founding Astia Angel. He is an Advisor for San Francisco based Women's StartUp Lab and a mentor for the Boulder based accelerator MergeLane. He is also an advisor/mentor to 37 Angels and The Vinetta Project. In 2014 he was named by AlleyWatch one of "25 Angel Investors in New York You Need to Know" and also one the "100 NYC Tech Influencers You Need to Know". In 2015 tech.co named him "One of 8 VCs making waves." In the not-for-profit space, Quinton is on the Board at International House New York, and a member of the Executive Committee. He is also a Board member at the Center for Talent Innovation. Adam has over 25 years of investing and management experience, most recently at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was most recently Managing Director and head of Global Macro Research. He has been a top ranked sell-side investment analyst in the UK, Asia, and the US. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, where he is a Capstone workshop advisor and member of the Management and Gender & Policy faculties. Quinton holds a MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cass Business School, London.
JJ Ramberg, Founder & Managing Director, Goodshop; Host, Your Business, MSNBC
JJ Ramberg is the co-founder of Goodshop, host of the MSNBC program Your Business and author of the bestselling book It's Your Business. Now in its tenth season, Your Business is the only program on television dedicated to helping small business owners solve the issues they face every day. JJ has travelled across the country, interviewing thousands of small business owners, investors and advisors – as well as cabinet members and members of Congress — to learn what works and what doesn't. JJ is a leader in the space of social entrepreneurship. Through its innovative online platform, her company Goodshop has forged a connection between retail savings and non-profit and school fundraising—by creating coupons that give back. Not only does it provide the best coupons and deals at thousands of stores including Target, Kohl's, Old Navy, and Macy's, but if you select a nonprofit or school to support, it donates a percentage of the purchase from many of these stores back to that organization. Launched in 2006, the Goodshop family of sites has raised nearly $12 million for its participating causes as well as saved people more than $100 million. JJ has been honored for her work with Goodshop as well as with MSNBC by organizations including the American Women's Business Association, Self Magazine, The Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Executives, Small Business Influencers and the New York Enterprise Report. In addition, as an entrepreneur herself as well as a journalist who covers small business, JJ is often called to speak to organizations including the Small Business Administration, National Women Business Owners Corporation, National Association of Women Business Owners, American Express CEO Bootcamp, and many others. JJ holds her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children.
Rachel Sklar, co-founder, Change the Ratio and TheLi.st
Rachel Sklar is a writer, entrepreneur and feminist based in New York. She is the co-founder of Change The Ratio, which increases visibility and opportunity for women in tech & new media, and TheLi.st, a network & media platform for awesome women. A former lawyer who writes about media, politics, culture & technology, Rachel was a founding editor atMediaite and the Huffington Post.
Adaora Udoji, CEO and Founder, outLoud inc, Managing Director of The Boshia Group
Adaora Udoji is an award winning journalist. She is a mentor for WIM, Women Innovate Mobile and an advisor to several start-up companies. She serves on the board of the Montclair Film Festival and is a member of the advisory board for Women at NBC Universal. Udoji founded The Boshia Group, a network of content and operational strategists, producers and storytellers. An award winning journalist, Udoji is a graduate of UCLA School of Law. She is among a small group of journalists who have worked in network and cable news, as well as public radio. She's lived on three continents including Africa, Europe and North America; and holds dual American & Irish citizenship.
Jenifer Willig, Founder, Motive and former CEO of (RED)
Jenifer Willig is the Founder of Motive and former CEO of (RED). Partnering with iconic brands including Nike, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Starbucks Jenifer most recently led (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to fight AIDS in Africa, to momentous growth over her four year tenure. Through her leadership (RED) raised $185 million and became a global brand with a social following of over 2.5 million active people who advocate on behalf of (RED). Prior to joining (RED), Jenifer spent her career in advertising on global brands including AT&T, Levi Strauss & Co, British Airways, The Financial Times, ran the New York office of M&C Saatchi and developed the dot com business at TBWA/Chiat/Day SF during the tech boom of the late 1990′s. She has recently been named one of the 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses by Catch a Fire's Generosity Series featured on Fast Company and recognized as one of the 40 women over 40 to watch. Jenifer is also the co-founder of WHOLE WORLD Water, a social enterprise raising money to provided access to clean and safe water around the world.
Kristy Wallace, COO, Ellevate Network
Kristy Wallace is the Chief Operating Officer at Ellevate Network, where she is responsible for business operations, product development and strategic partnerships. With an entrepreneurial mindset and an aptitude for building businesses from the ground up, Kristy is backed by more than 15 years of experience in generating thriving revenue centers, including corporate strategy, product development, marketing, and sales. Prior to joining Ellevate, Kristy oversaw sales and business operations as a founding team member of Zeel.com, a health and wellness startup with deep roots in the New York City tech scene. From 2002 to 2007, she served as VP of Sales at Vault.com, a career information website that surveys employees for vital industry and business information. While there, she grew recruitment advertising revenues and ultimately generated 40% of the company's income. In 2008, she was named GM of Vault International and went on to build and grow the company's global footprint. Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University and began her career as a financial analyst at KeyBank. In her "free time," she serves as Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York and is an Executive Board Member for Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI). A passionate runner, reader and world traveler, Kristy lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and three wonderful children.
Jennefer Witter, CEO and Founder of The Boreland Group
Jennefer Witter is the CEO/Founder of The Boreland Group Inc., a boutique public relations agency headquartered in New York City. The twelve-year old firm was named by TheStreet.com as one of five black owned businesses in the US "making a buzz." The agency specializes in corporate visibility, getting their clients their "unfair share" of business-building attention via customized, results-driven PR programs. A 30+ year PR veteran, Jennefer was ranked as one the nation's top ten black CEOs and entrepreneurs by Madame Noire Magazine (the only other female on the list was Ursula Burns, the CEO/chairman of Xerox). Jennefer is the author of "The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed" (AMACOM, 2014) . She has presented at the 92nd St Y, American University, The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, GlobalWIN, Women's Presidents Educational OrganizationWomen's Presidents Educational Organizationthe Women's Presidents Educational Organization, The Communication Exchange and Ellevate Network. The former PR expert for Inc.com TV, Jennefer has been featured in the Associated Press, TheStreet.com, Crain's New York Business, and MarketWatch Radio Network. She has been profiled in the Huffington Post and the Amsterdam News.
Ravi Karkara, Senior Advisor on Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy to the Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women
Ravi Karkara is Senior Advisor on Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy to the Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women. With over 20 years of experience, Ravi is an acknowledged expert in various development related fields. He has been driving innovation and advocacy as well as building strategic partnerships in the areas of human rights, participation, inclusion and gender equality, accountability, and social justice. Recently, Ravi developed a partnership between UN Women and the City of New York and organized a unique gender equality march with over 20,000 participants from the UN Headquarters to Times Square. Ravi has built UN Women's Strategy on youth and gender equality and established and co-ordinates the Working Group on Youth and Gender Equality for the UN Interagency Network on Youth and Development. He developed and led the youth outreach of the UN Secretary General's MyWorld Survey to deliver votes from more than 6 million youth from 193 nations. Ravi has been the recipient of the prestigious NOVUS Award – that unites global leaders from around the world to tackle today's big challenges via actionable change. He has also been appointed as honorary Global Ambassador by the prestigious Junior Chamber International. Inspired by the outcomes of the Beijing Conference in 1995, Ravi is a feminist and has been advocating for gender equality and girls/women's empowerment throughout his career. He has worked on programs for strengthening women's political participation in local governance and economic empowerment in South Asia and also served as a pioneering Male Trainer for gender sensitization at the Centre for Social Research's Gender Equality Training Institute, India. He has been a founding member of the Men-Engage Alliance and was instrumental in forming their South Asian network. As Save the Children's Sweden Regional Program Manager Ravi worked to mainstream gender and action to end violence against women and children in South Asia and promoted cross-regional programmatic collaboration. He also served on Save the Children's Global Gender Task Force. Ravi's publications have been fundamental in forming policy at the United Nations in youth-related areas. Representative publications include: Youth 21: Building the Architecture of Youth Engagement in the UN System", which contributed to the creation of the United Nations Secretary General's Envoy on Youth. In addition, he has been the co-chair of World We Want 2015— the largest UN & civil society post-2015 data-curation-visualization big data platform to further engage global populations on Sustainable Development Goals with over 1,000,000 perspectives on sustainable development goals harvested. Additionally, Ravi has worked with other UN agencies and governments. He served as Global Advisor on Youth with UN-HABITAT and has represented UN-HABITAT as the co-chair of the UN Interagency Network on Youth Development. Ravi also served as the Global Strategic Advisor on Partnership with the UN Millennium Campaign. He has also worked for UNICEF at HQ and the Regional office for South Asia on child and adolescent participation, gender equality and child protection. He also served as Child and Adolescent Participation Advisor to the UN Study on ending Violence against Children in Geneva. He has written more than 80 publications.
Barri Rafferty, Senior Partner and CEO, North America, Ketchum
Barri Rafferty is the Senior Partner and CEO, North America at Ketchum. In her current role, Barri Friedman Rafferty leads Ketchum's nine offices in North America as well as Ketchum Digital and Ketchum Sports and Entertainment (KSE). In addition, she oversees the complementary businesses, Access | Emanate Communications, Interfuse, Capstrat and Harrison & Shriftman. She is also part of the eight-member Worldwide Executive Committee, which focuses on guiding the strategy, client service and performance of the agency. During her tenure at Ketchum, Rafferty has held several different roles to support the agency's overall business goals, including overseeing the global brand marketing practice and running the New York, Atlanta and Dallas offices. She also oversaw specialty units such as digital, entertainment, sports, and multicultural. Rafferty has a legacy of client service and continues to advise many of the agency's largest clients, including Gillette, P&G, Frito-Lay, Ikea, and Chase. As a counselor, she specializes in integrated marketing, brand reputation and corporate reputation and has helped countless clients with award-winning campaigns, including "Tostitos Fiesta Bowl" for Frito Lay, Kodak's Inkjet Launch and Maxwell House's "Build a Home America." Outside of Ketchum, Rafferty participates in a number of groups, such as the sustainability taskforce for the World Economic Forum and is a member of Arthur W. Page Society Page Up program. Barri also sits on the executive board of StepUp, an organization with the mission of empowering girls from under-resourced communities to become confident, college-bound, and career focused. She is also active in the Public Relations Society of America New York Chapter and is a former chapter president. She is a 2015 recipient of the Plank Center's Milestones in Mentoring Award. In 2012, she received the President's Award for her many contributions. In addition, she is a Capstone advisor and former adjunct professor in the Master's program in public relations at New York University, as well as an advisory member of the Branding and Integrated Communications program for the City College of New York. Rafferty has a passion for developing up-and-coming talent, and is particularly interested in the topic of women's leadership. She is a member of the governing body of OmniWomen, Omnicom's Leading Women's Network, for which she holds quarterly panel discussions featuring prominent women within the marketing and communications industry who share their own experiences and offer advice to women. Prior to Ketchum, Rafferty had a senior role at Lippe Taylor, where she worked on such prestigious brands as Maybelline, Matrix, Escada Beaute and J.F. Lazartigue. She also worked at Slim-Fast Foods Company, Burson-Marsteller and Cone Communications. She received a master's degree in corporate communications from Boston University and an undergraduate degree in communications from Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University.
Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs & Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Doron Weber runs the program for the Public Understanding of Science and Technology for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He also directs the Foundation's efforts to promote Universal Access to Knowledge through the Digital Information Technology program, which seeks to utilize emerging developments in information technology to make the benefits of human knowledge and human culture accessible to people everywhere. A fledgling program in International Science Engagement will focus on South Asia and seek to bring scientists and engineers in conflict regions together to collaborate on subjects and projects of mutual interest. Mr. Weber has primary responsibility for the Foundation's efforts to educate and engage the public through books, radio, public and commercial television and film, theater, opera, the Internet, and new media. He also supports selected scientific events of national concern and targeted public policy initiatives. In 2004, the Foundation received the National Science Board's Public Service Award, citing Mr. Weber's program "for its innovative use of traditional media—books, radio, public television–and its pioneering efforts in theater and commercial television and films to advance public understanding of science and technology." On behalf of the Foundation, in 2007, Mr. Weber received the PBS Leadership Award for over a decade of support, in 2009 the Nielsen Impact Award from the Hollywood Reporter, and, in 2011, the Communicator Award for a documentary about the Foundation's history, "Sloan at 75." Mr. Weber's work at Sloan has been profiled in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Fortune, and The American Way. Prior to joining Sloan in 1995, Mr. Weber served as Director of Communications at The Rockefeller University (1991-1995), and Director of Communications for the Society for the Right to Die (1989-91). Earlier, he worked as a senior editor for The Reader's Catalog, a speechwriter for the United Jewish Appeal, and a screenwriter for both television and film. He has also been a teacher, tutor, taxi driver, romance novelist, busboy and boxer. In February 2012, Mr. Weber published a critically acclaimed book, Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir (Simon & Schuster), that was widely reviewed, including reviews by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and People. Mr. Weber has previously coauthored three nonfiction trade books: Safe Blood: Purifying the Nation's Blood Supply in the Age of AIDS (Free Press, 1990), The Complete Guide to Living Wills(Bantam Books, 1991), and Final Passages: Positive Choices for the Dying and their Loved One (Simon & Schuster, 1992, Fireside, 1993). His articles and reviews have appeared in, among other places, The New York Times, USA Today, Barron's, The Baltimore Sun, The Village Voice Literary Supplement, and the Boston Review. His first novel, The Deserters, was excerpted in the fall 2003 issue of Kinder-Link. Mr. Weber was educated at Brown University (BA, 1977), the Sorbonne, and Oxford University (MA, 1981), where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He also received a Fulbright. He served for ten years (1995-2005) as secretary of the New York State Committee for the Rhodes Scholarships and currently serves as President of The Writers Room Board of Trustees,Vice Chair of the Digital Public Library of America Steering Committee, Advisory Board Member of the Science and Entertainment Exchange, and Board Visitor of the Wikimedia Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, U.S.A. Triathlon, and the Century Club.
Stacey Hadash, Managing Director and Metro New York Market Executive for Global Commercial Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Stacey Hadash is managing director and the Metro New York Market Executive for Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She oversees banking teams that cover New York City and Long Island, providing a full range of solutions to companies with revenues of $50 million to $2 billion. Stacey is responsible for delivering the entire enterprise to clients, including investment banking and capital markets, credit, syndications, global treasury services, leasing, risk management, global markets and wealth management. Previously, she was chief operating officer for the firm's Global Capital Markets business, which includes equity capital markets, investment grade capital markets, leveraged finance, and derivatives & foreign exchange origination. Stacey joined the firm in 2005 from The New York Stock Exchange, where she was managing director and head of Financial Planning. Prior to that, she worked with former Texas Governor Ann Richards at Public Strategies, a communications consulting firm. Stacey began her finance career as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. She later worked for the mergers and acquisitions group at Goldman Sachs in both New York and London. Earlier in her career, Stacey worked on economic policy in the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. Following the election, she was appointed as a Special Assistant in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Stacey holds a BA from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a 2003 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Stacey sits on the board of the Ann Richards School Foundation.
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell, General Manager, Enterprise and Partner Group, NY Metro District, Microsoft
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell is General Manager, Enterprise and Partner Group, NY Metro District. In this capacity, she is responsible for supporting the digital transformation of key customers in the largest district in Microsoft's US subsidiary. Laura is an executive with extensive sales management and legal experience in the information technology industry. Her most recent prior position was Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Aspect Software. Prior to that role, she was Vice President of Strategic Services at IBM and closed the first $200M+, 5 year long term services transformational deal with a leading insurer/healthcare provider in Spanish South America. She also was Vice President, Public Sector, West IMT, North America Group leading a $2.2B sales organization which supported the State and Local Government, Education, Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. In that capacity, she generated 11 out of 13 quarters of positive growth, holding or taking market share in all quarters except one. She also led the Smarter Cities/Smarter Planet and the North America Healthcare Growth Initiatives. Laura's prior IBM positions included Vice President, Services Business Development, S&D Communications Sector, Director & Senior Client Solutions Executive for Global Technology Services, and Director of Contracts & Negotiations for Global Business Development. Before joining IBM, she was Vice President of Business Development at Rational Software. Prior to Rational, Laura was at Sun Microsystems, Inc. where she held a variety of executive-level positions including Senior Director of Market Development and Strategic Planning, and General Counsel of the Consumer and Embedded Software Division. Prior to joining Sun, she was Managing Attorney for North American Sales at Cisco Systems, Inc. and a Senior Counsel at Apple Computer, Inc. Prior to Apple, Laura was in private corporate and securities law practice at a law firm in San Francisco. Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree "with distinction" in International Business Administration at San Jose State University, her Masters in Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in Finance and International Business Administration, and her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. At Boalt, she was awarded "Best Oral Argument" for First Year Moot Court, and served as Articles Editor for the International Tax and Business Lawyer Journal. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of California. Laura has held leadership positions in community and business professional organizations. She has served as President of the Barristers Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. Laura has been a member of the Development Council for the Haas School of Business, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boalt Hall School of Law Alumni Association. She is a recipient of the 2008 YWCA of Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award (TWIN). Laura is a member of the Women's Forum of New York and an Advisory Committee Member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact of the 92Y.
Kim Pendergast, Managing Partner, Pendergast Partners, LLC
Kim Pendergast is Managing Partner of Pendergast Partners, LLC, a private equity management company that invests in technology driven performance automotive aftermarket companies, more specifically power-train related companies, which are in a position to benefit from active management. Kim is a serial entrepreneur. She was founder and CEO of five companies before starting Pendergast Partners. Pendergast Logistics Services, was a dedicated freight management company for a $5 billion publicly traded company with over $100 million in freight. Client Distribution Services, was created with the assets of a division of Random House and grew to a run rate of $70 million dollars annually before it was sold. She also founded an environmental consulting company based in Denver, a strategy and investment banking company whose client list included AT&T and ABB, and a leasing company. Currently, Ms. Pendergast is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Magnuson Products, LLC, a portfolio company located in Ventura, California. Kim graduated from Indiana University with honors, B.A., M.B.A. and was selected as a Henry Crown Fellow, Aspen Institute. She helped found the Learning Spring Academy, a school for Children with Asperger's Syndrome in NYC, and the National Art Museum of Sport and supports The Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana. She speaks both German and Spanish.