JJ: Stephanie, congratulations on your new role in the New York Chapter! What do you see coming down the pike in the next year?

SC: I’m thrilled to serve as the leader of the Chapter in New York – where it all began! In the past couple of years in serving on the leadership team, I have been inspired to grow my professional network and be an active participant in helping others do the same. Further, my law firm has signed on as a corporate sponsor with 85Broads and I’m excited about working with other companies to promote the tremendous value of the community of 85Broads.

JJ: At our recent Rockstar Mingle on September 20, I know that you, I, and a couple other Chapter Leaders where completely overwhelmed by the amazing turnout and, more so, by the sheer numbers of questions that the many members and prospective members had for us. One that came up a lot was if 85Broads is just for women in finance.

SC: I heard that question several times! And, the answer is absolutely no. Although the organization was founded by a trailblazing woman who worked in financial services for many years, we have a membership of 20,000+ women in business – any business. In our Chapter, we have over 7,000 members! In addition to those from banking, we have artists, lawyers, non-profit workers, entrepreneurs, and many more represented professions. We’re all about empowering women in business no matter what “business” means to you.

JJ: Another question that came up again and again was from members asking how to get involved. What are your suggestions?

SC: 85Broads is not your ordinary organization – we’re here for the membership. Our goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for the women in the organization to be recognized for their amazing work. So, you won’t find a ton of volunteer opportunities within the organization. We encourage each member to be sure to complete their profile fully and keep it up to date. The information in your profile is how members connect and how many members look for speakers/ writers/ experts on various topics. I encourage every member to take advantage of the opportunity to write expert articles and blog entries regularly. We are very active on Twitter and it is absolutely possible that your blog entry or article will be a featured Tweet or highlighted in the newsletter. You can also submit ideas to Krista and Meghan for one of the network’s monthly online Jam sessions. And, if you haven’t visited the events section of the Website, you should go there immediately – there are more amazing events (posted by members) than one person could ever possibly attend and they are all for YOU! Another amazing resource is the job posting section of the site; new postings are happening daily and posting of jobs are FREE for members! Honestly, the options that have been created to serve the membership are endless.

Having said all of this, there is a New York Chapter volunteer group which is a sub-group of the Linkedin Group. This is where any and all volunteer opportunities for the New York Chapter Leadership are communicated. Be sure to join today!

JJ: So, I see on the Site that there is a section for “Men Who Rock” – so men can be members of 85Broads?

SC: Yes – there is a special “membership” category for guys who rock, as Janet Hanson has noted, women’s advancement is about co-partnership with men. Some of the guys who have joined the network are Rick Smith, author of “The Leap” and a featured Power Networking Breakfast speaker; John Hooks, Managing Director at Large Pond and author of the Wealthy Women’s Resource Guide (which has featured profiles of a number of 85 Broads members); Niko Canner of Booz & Company (who was a keynote speakers at the 85 Broads’ 2020 Vision Conference); and Gary Gerstein, a longtime supporter of the network and husband of Power Circle member Phyllis Weaver.

JJ: What are some of the benefits of Corporate membership – I know that your Firm is a strong supporter.

SC: In a word: access. I am very fortunate that the leadership at my law firm is committed to the success of its female attorneys and was one of the first law firms to become a sponsor. Joining on an individual level allows that one individual access to the fabulous opportunities and events hosted by 85 Broads. However, corporate membership takes it to the next level. Since joining, my firm has identified various opportunities it wants to explore, including a women-in-leadership series that it will be conducting with Rothstein Kass, another corporate sponsor.

Stephanie Cohen can be reached at scohen@mccarter.com
Jennifer Johnson can be reached at jjohnson@shiftworldwide.com