Women's Rights and Economic Development Experts

The most well-known diversity initiative is the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission established by The Civil Rights Act of 1991. Its mandate was “to identify the glass ceiling barriers that have blocked the advancement of minorities and women as well as the successful practices and policies that have led to the advancement of minority men and all women into decision-making positions in the private sector”.

The Commission was directed to conduct a study of opportunities for, and artificial barriers to, the advancement of minority men and all women into management and decision-making positi…

There are windows of opportunity in life that pass us by unless we seize them. WomenThrive is working hard to push I-VAWA (International Violence Against Women Act) through Congress during this month’s lame duck session. Now – this month of November – is that window and there is every reason in the world to support this, with no down-side. And it takes LESS THAN 5 minutes… [passivawa.org]

Be sure to scroll down the page and click on “contact your representatives” to fill out the online form. Then pass along to friends and family!

Members of Congress have a uni…

While diversity is frequently viewed as a social good or an altruistic gesture, the facts prove that diversity is a business operating principle. Unfortunately, the detail is often buried in hundreds of pages of material. The following is a high- level summary of some of the more poignant facts. All sources for the quotes are available at [strategicdiversityadvisors.com].

Diversity is proven to increase stock valuation and ROI:

• “The 100 companies rated lowest in diversity averaged 7.9% annualized stock return; compared to 18.3% for the 100 companies that rated highest”.

• “Compa…

October has been a dizzying month keeping track of the most powerful women. Forbes, Fortune, and U.S. Banker all rang in with their picks, while Institutional Investor named their all-stars. Well, after waiting here like Linus who sits in the pumpkin patch anticipating the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, I received no such accolades. (Ok, I wasn’t really serious about that.)

While I don’t mean to take anything away from the achievements of the honorees, other news this month regarding women’s status in finance remained daunting. A Blooomberg article summed up many of the findings:

Women i…

Fortune published its 50 Most Powerful Women list yesterday. Nine of those named, or 18%, came from the financial services industry, even with the number from last year. Congrats to the following:

1. – Angela Braly, Chairman, President, & CEO, WellPoint (WLP)

1. – Barbara Desoer, President, Home Loans, Bank of America (BAC)

1. – Abigail Johnson, Vice Chairman and Director, FMR LLC, President, Fidelity Personal Workplace, and Institutional Services

1. – Sallie Krawcheck, President, Global Wealth & Investment Management, Bank of America (BAC)

1. – Susan Wagner, Vice Chairman, B…

PRESS DOCUMENT by Devon Fleming 9/17/10

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell recognizes Women Mean Business Day, October 5, 2010, with a special proclamation saluting women and their economic contributions to coincide with Women Mean Business Benefit conference scheduled for October 5, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich.

This Women Mean Business Day October 5, 2010 Proclamation addresses the transformational milestone of the new female workforce majority that is poised to lead Connecticut’s economic recovery.

While the recent recession has proved volatile for all, women have navigated th…

Fatima Bhutto, who is speaking at The Daily Beast’s Women In the World summit, comes from a long line of politicians mired in violence and corruption, including her aunt, Benazir Bhutto. She talks to Gayle Tzemach Lemmon about seeking a better path for her country—even when it means challenging her family.
Fatima Bhutto’s life has been shaped by death.

In 1996, Pakistani policemen fatally shot her father, Murtaza Bhutto, just 200 yards from her house. Fatima, then 14, watched him die hours later in a hospital too poorly equipped to treat him. The police would not let her mother file a re…

Today is International Women’s Day and according to Wikipedia “it is a major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political and social achievements.”

It is a day to be both grateful for the advancements that have been made, but also be revolutionary in our thinking about what still needs to happen. I have received countless emails ranging from the announcements of new initiatives, to wonderful reflections from thought lead…