Monthly Archives :

November 2019

Reflecting on Women: Wage and Power

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On September 19th, over 30 members met with Andrea Silbert and Evelyn Murphy at the UMass Club of Boston to learn more about the Power & Wage Gap. We had a dynamic and thought-provoking conversation about where women are with the wage gap today and where we are going.

 

Stay tuned to learn how MWF plans to use its collective influence to make a difference. If you weren’t able to attend, let us know how you want to be involved moving forward.

Diane Hessan Receives Business & Community Leader of the Year Award

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Member Diane Hessan (HBS MBA 1977), Chairman of C Space and CEO of Salient Ventures, was recently honored at the Harvard Business School’s 2nd Annual Business & Community Leadership Dinner. Diane received the Business & Community Leader of the Year Award for her dedication and commitment to entrepreneurship and community impact in Greater Boston and beyond.

Myechia Minter-Jordan to Join DentaQuest as Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer

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DentaQuest recently announced member Myechia Minter-Jordan’s appointment as Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer.

 

The announcement states that, “In her new role, Dr. Jordan will establish and drive overall strategic investments and partnerships to fulfill DentaQuest’s mission to improve the oral health of all, with a focus on systems change. She will lead the DentaQuest Partnership’s existing philanthropic and programmatic initiatives and align the team around new strategies and innovative approaches to deepen and accelerate DentaQuest’s impact. She will also work with a broad set of external stakeholders in business, government and academia to influence and drive policy and clinical changes that improve the health of millions of Americans.”

 

Click here to read more about her new role.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter To Receive Thinkers50 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award

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Thinkers50, the global ranking of management thinkers, today announced that member Rosabeth Moss Kanter is to be the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

The announcement states, “The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to someone who has had a long-term impact on the way people think about and practice management,” explains Thinkers50 cofounder Des Dearlove. “Rosabeth Moss Kanter has championed a humane, inclusive, practical, and inspiring brand of management throughout her career. From Men and Women of the Corporation and The Change Masters to her forthcoming book, Think Outside the Building, Rosabeth has a distinctive and compelling take on what it takes to manage.”

 

Click here to read more about Rosabeth’s innovative work and this prestigious honor.

First International Women’s Bahamas Intensive Program

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Priscilla H. Douglas moderated the first-ever International Women’s [IWF] Bahamas “Intensive” Program 9/19-20 in Nassau over 100 women from the Caribbean enthusiastically participated. Former IWF President Allyson Maynard Gibson and current Nassau President Sonia Brown realized their vision by hosting an “Intensive” leadership event, formerly called Executive Development Roundtables [EDR].

 

The Intensive included eight sessions and took a deep dive into trust, political leadership, women on boards, agility, and crafting a personal narrative. Mrs. Patricia Minnick, wife of the Prime Minister, a stalwart supporter of women and girls greeted the group. Futurist Edie Weiner began the event with a powerful morning session on innovation. Sonia Brown, IWF member and President of Graphite Engineering welcomed the 100+ women. Dignitaries included The Right Honorable Dame Janet Bostwick, The Provincial Parliament member the Honorable Mitzie Hunter, Former Mayor of Reykjavik and current Senior Advisor to the UN on Women’s Leadership Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir, the 2019 Nelson Mandela Humanitarian “Mother” Pratt and former Attorney General of Bahamas Allyson Maynard Gibson.

 

In addition to facilitating the two days, Priscilla moderated two panels one on Agility and Curiosity. Featured panelist: Dr. Susan Amat, Executive Director of GEN Accelerates and Irene Arias Hofman, Head of the InterAmerican Develop [IDB] Lab and the second with Anthropologist Nicolette Bethel and Darryl McKissack,  President of McKissack & McKissack construction engineering [Smithsonian AA Museum and MLK Memorial].

 

Priscilla Douglas with panelists Irene Arias Hofman and Dr. Susan Amat

Members Named Amongst Leaders of Massachusetts’ Top 100 Companies

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The Commonwealth Institute and the Globe Magazine partnered to name the most noteworthy 100 companies and nonprofits helmed by women in Massachusetts in 2019. Congratulations to the following members who were honored:

 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Laurie H. Glimcher, President and CEO

Boston Children’s Hospital, Sandra L. Fenwick, CEO

Globalization Partners, Nicole Sahin, CEO

Bentley University, Gloria Cordes Larson, President

The Dimock Center, Myechia Minter-Jordan, President and CEO

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Laurie Leshin, President

John Hancock, Marianne Harrison, President and CEO

Regis College, Antoinette M. Hays, President

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston, Eileen Skinner, Administrator

InkHouse, Beth Monaghan, Cofounder and CEO

KHJ Brand Activation, Judy Habib, CEO

 

Click here to read coverage of this honor in the Boston Globe.

C.A. Webb: When Principles Guide Work, Innovation Follows

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C.A. Webb has spent her career building ground-up products, programs, and brands at the intersection of entrepreneurship and social change. In her current role as President at Kendall Square Association, C.A. and her team are making Kendall Square a global corporate destination and the world’s epicenter of innovation. Through her current work at KSA, she is creating systems and campaigns to drive connectivity, learning, and social impact. Recently we had the chance to speak with her about her career and the new transportation initiative in Kendall Square.

 

Guided by a personal mission statement

 

In 2017 C.A. found herself in a transition. Moving on from the venture firm she co-founded C.A. started with her own personal mission statement — to help make Boston the most equitable and prosperous place possible. She looked for platforms that would enable her to bring powerful communities together around needed critical change. Networking was essential in her search and she sought out connections with people ready to do this type of work. C.A., having spent four years running the New England Venture Capital Association, connected with entrepreneurs that were forging new paths and capitalized on shared motivations with local venture capitalists that could lead to transformations in existing organizations.

 

Defining her own rules

 

For C.A. it has been crucial to live by her own principles, defining what was most important to her in guiding her own career.

  • Space was key – C.A. vowed to work mostly in cities, where diversity and connectivity were valued and pervasive.
  • Startup mentality was a must – She would only work in an entrepreneurial setting where smart people were willing to walk through walls and build things that mattered and impacted the community.

C.A. found symbiosis in a place where this vision was possible, the New England Venture Capital Association. During her time there, she reinvented the organization, turning it into a meaningful platform for engaging the community. C.A. has been lucky that she has been able to continue this vision in her work with the Kendall Square Association.

 

There’s no playbook when you build from the ground up

 

Kendall Square Association defines itself as an organization that enables the future by connecting the people who are changing the world. At KSA, C.A. is leading a new transportation initiative with 19 of the state’s largest employers to ensure that Kendall Square remains the epicenter of global innovation. As the first business community to advocate for the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President, the KSA is working to push the state to raise new revenue and find solutions for the worst congestion in the country.

 

Over the next five years, KSA will guide transportation reform and innovation through employer-led initiatives of experimentation and they will share their data with the broader Massachusetts community. C.A. says there is “no playbook for what we’re doing” and is passionate about the collective action work that KSA brings to the employer community. C.A. believes that through KSA, they are inventing the next-generation community platform.

 

Finding meaning outside the office

 

C.A. sits on several Boards. One of her most passionate projects is her work with the Boston Foundation, an organization that connects philanthropists to high impact social change organizations. These initiatives range from reforms in K-12 education to reforms in the criminal justice system. She has found incredible meaning in this work and would love other Forum members to join her in finding ways to be involved with the Foundation.

 

Throughout her career, C.A. has led innovative transformations of companies and championed projects that enhanced communities. Be sure to follow the trajectory of her new transportation initiative where she plans to transform not only Kendall Square but all of greater Boston.