PAT MITCHELL, President and CEO of The Paley Center for Media 
From network correspondent to documentary producer to network executive to president and CEO of PBS and now president and CEO of The Paley Center for Media, Pat Mitchell’s career is characterized by her commitment to optimizing the power of media to inform, inspire, entertain, and empower. From her early career as a classroom teacher and college English instructor, Mitchell transitioned to print journalism (LOOK) and then took her writing and storytelling talents to television as the opportunities opened for women in the early 1970s. She was among the first women to anchor the news (WBZ-TV Boston), host a morning talk show (Woman 74), and report from national political conventions and the White House. Championing the interests of women through her choice of stories and assignments, Mitchell combined an on-camera career with producing, and over the next two decades, documentaries and specials produced under her direction were recognized with thirty-seven Emmy Awards, five Peabodys, and two Academy Award nominations. Among her groundbreaking work is Women and War, with reports from the front lines of conflict in the Middle East, El Salvador, and Northern Ireland; Century of Women, a six-hour documentary series on the history of women in America; and COLD WAR, the award-winning, twenty-four hour documentary series she produced with a global team while president of CNN Productions. Mitchell was also the first woman to host a talk program, Woman to Woman, brought into national syndication by her production company. It won the Emmy for Best Talk/Service Program in 1984 and ran as a weekly feature for five years on NBC’s TODAY program.
In addition to her accomplishments and awards for her work in media, (Broadcasting and Cable’s Hall of Fame, CINE’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Woman of the Year in Broadcasting, Promax’s Century Award, Hollywood’s Most Powerful Women in Entertainment), Mitchell has recently been appointed a Commissioner by CSIS (Center for Strategic International Study Commission on Smart Global Health Policy. She also serves on as vice chair of the Sundance Institute, is a trustee of the Mayo Clinic, a board member of the VDAY movement to end violence against women, chair of the Jordan River Foundation US Board, and the founding president of Global Green USA, the American chapter of President Mikhail’s global environmental organization. Mitchell is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Women’s Forum, as well as a director on the corporate board of AOL.
MARGIE WARRELL, Author & Executive Life Coach, "Find Your Courage"
Margie Warrell is an ICF certified coach with a background in psychology and Fortune 500 business. As an expert on courage in the workplace and beyond, she is passionate about challenging both individuals and organizations to expand their vision, engage in bigger conversations and lead more courageously.
As the best-selling author of Find Your Courage: 12 Acts for Becoming Fearless in Work and in Life (McGraw-Hill 2009, USA Best Book Awards Finalist), Margie is a sought-after media guest, appearing on NBC’s The Today Show, FOX News, CNBC, Better TV and others. In addition, she was recently named “Resident Coach” for Let’s Talk Live,Washington D.C.’s daily talk show. She has also contributed to two other books, 101 Ways to Improve Your Life and Discover Your Inner Strengths, with internationally-renowned experts including Stephen Covey, Jack Canfield, Ken Blanchard and John Gray.
Margie works with a broad array of global organizations, presenting dynamic keynotes and interactive workshops that have enhanced communication, produced greater collaboration, and improved bottom-line results, to include UnitedHealthcare, British Telecom, ExxonMobil, NASA, Best Buy, Accenture, and AOL. Her individual coaching clients range from entrepreneurs to executives in senior leadership positions. Margie is also a regular guest lecturer at MBA student programs at Georgetown University and Southern Methodist University.
Margiegrew up on a dairy farm in rural Australia, and brings her down to earth Aussie humor and pragmatic approach to every situation. Her intrepid spirit and passion for workhavetaken her around the world, to more than 55 countries throughout the Middle East, South America, Africa and South East Asia– including three years in Papua, New Guinea. Her sense of adventurealso extends into the realm of family. As one of seven childrenand as a mother of four, Margie provides invaluable insight into the challenges of meeting the conflicting demands of work and family.
Margie resides in northern Virginia, and is currently writing her next book which focuses on building resilience and expanding capacity for leadership and life.
JOAN LORDI AMBLE, Executive Vice President and Corporate Comptroller of American Express Company 
As Executive Vice President and Corporate Comptroller for the American Express Company, Joan is responsible for all controllership finance functions across the Company. Joan's accountabilities include oversight of all aspects of the Company’s global reporting, financial control, SOX, and technical accounting advisory functions. She also manages the Company's Quality organization, as well as Operational Risk Management for Finance.
Prior to joining American Express, Joan served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of GE Capital Markets. From 1994 to 2003, she served as Vice President and Controller for GE Capital Services. Her prior roles with GE were CFO of GE Commercial Real Estate (1992-1994); Technical Advisor for GE Structured Finance Group (1991-1992); and Technical Advisor for GE HQ (1989-1991).
Prior to joining the General Electric Company, from 1984 to 1989, Joan specialized in derivatives and other financial instruments as well as pensions for the Financial Accounting Standards Board. She was actively involved in developing several Financial Accounting Statements and related publications, including SFAS 87 and 88 (Pension related) and supporting Q & A books, and SFAS 105 (Off-Balance-Sheet Instruments). Joan also spent seven years in public accounting with Ernst & Young.
Joan serves on the Board of Directors of Sirius XM Satellite Radio as Chairman of the Audit Committee, as well as on the Board of Directors of Broadcom Corporation. Joan also serves on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council, the technical advisory board to the FASB.
Joan, a CPA, obtained her undergraduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University, where she currently serves on the Board of Visitors for Smeal College of Business and the Smeal College Accounting Advisory Board. In 2005, Joan was honored with the Penn State Alumni Fellow Award, and in 1996 she was named the Smeal College of Business Department of Accounting’s Alumna of the Year. In 2010, Joan received the Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Alumni Award. Also in 2010, she served as the business sponsor for the inaugural Partners in Business Ethics Symposium, co-hosted by The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College, an annual event co-hosted by a leading business school and a corporation aimed at promoting business ethics in academia and corporate America.
A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Investment Companies Scope Task Force, Joan was actively involved in drafting AICPA’s June 2007 Statement of Position 07-1, Clarification of the Scope of the Audit and Accounting Guide Investment Companies and Accounting by Parent Companies and Equity Method Investors for Investments in Investment Companies.
In 2007 Joan was honored by Treasury & Risk magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance. In June 2008 Joan was honored by CFO Magazine as one of the 25 Women to Watch in Finance.
Joan is an avid proponent of helping women develop professionally and advance in the workplace. In 2008, she served as keynote speaker at the inaugural Pennsylvania State University Annual Symposium Celebrating Women in Business, where she spoke about “Harnessing the Power of the Changing Workforce.” She was also keynote speaker at the Women in Financial Leadership Conference, co-hosted by American Express in 2008, where she discussed the increasing diversity in the workforce and the resulting challenges and opportunities for companies. In 2009, Joan was appointed to represent American Express on the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force, a private sector Task Force created by The Center for Work-Life Policy to examine issues and policies pertaining to female and minority talent. She is also a co-founder and Chairwoman of the W.O.M.E.N. In America, Inc. Leadership Program, which launched in fall 2009.
Joan and her husband David live in Connecticut and are the proud parents of two daughters: Susan, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law, and Catherine, a graduate of Dartmouth College, majoring in Neuroscience. They are also proud grandparents to a granddaughter, Annie.
KATHERINE TALLMADGE, President, Personalized Nutrition and Author of "Diet Simple"
Katherine Tallmadge is internationally recognized and respected in the nutrition and weight loss field. She is also prized and sought after by the media for her expertise, which is why her name or face may be familiar to so many of you.
Author of Diet Simple (listed as a top three diet book and called “nutritionally balanced and easy to follow” by Good Housekeeping Magazine) and media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, she regularly appears on CNN, and major network news programs such as Fox News, ABC’s Good Morning America, 20/20 and ABC Nightly News, NBC’s Today Show and Evening News, CBS’s Good Morning and CBS Nightly News. She has been featured on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, The Emeril Lagasse Show, PBS’s Talk of the Nation and the Diane Rehm Show. She is quoted in USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart, and others. She is also an award-winning journalist and has written columns for The Washington Post, Shape Magazine, Vegetarian Times, Eating Well, BEE Magazine for Women, Restaurants & Institutions, and eDiets. She regularly contributes to Politico, Eating Well Magazine and others. She has been named the best nutritionist by The Washington Post and Harpers’ Bazaar.
Katherine is passionate about helping people transform their health and their lives, prides herself on keeping up with scientific research in the nutrition and weight loss fields and has been sharing her insights through counseling, corporate wellness programs, speaking engagements and the media for 20+ years.
Nothing’s more important than your health, your energy – and even appearance. And today for many of us, stressful long hours are a way of life. Katherine has a proven track record of helping hundreds and thousands of people shed extra weight while they get their health and their stress levels back under control… and without complicated or depressing diets.
Credentials
A licensed and registered dietitian, Katherine has a B.S. in dietetics and nutrition from the University of Maryland, an M.A. degree in behavioral sciences from Catholic University, (and a second M.A. degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University), unique qualifications. Her primary goal is to help make any program satisfying, enjoyable and sustainable, through carefully individualizing each plan while providing the psychological help and support through behavior modification. Daily, her clients tell her…
“Losing weight is easier and more enjoyable than I ever imagined!”
Katherine first started thinking about weight problems as a child. A vivid memory from childhood was finding her mother weighing peas at the kitchen counter before dinner. The peas were scattering all over the counter and floor and I helped her pick them up.”Mom, what are you doing?” she asked. Weighing peas, after all, seemed like a very strange thing to do.”I’m fat,” she replied. “I’m on a diet and I have to lose weight.”Now, you have to understand that Katherine’s mother was – and is – a beautiful Swedish woman. She is artistic, funny and has always had tons of friends. But all she could think about was how fat she was.
Years later, when faced with choosing a major in college, Katherine picked nutrition and behavioral sciences, unaware of the inner voices affecting her decisions at the time. It’s only now, after years of reflection, that she realizes why she is so passionate about her work. “I chose this as my life’s vocation so that I could help people like my mother,” said Katherine. When Katherine’s own weight problem developed and caught her by surprise in college, and it eventually turned into an eating disorder, she was determined to solve her own problem so that she could help herself avoid the pain her mother experienced, and be the better counselor she is today.
JEANNEMARIE DAVIS, Assistant to the Governor for Intergovernmental Relations for the Commonwealth of VA
Jeannemarie Davis is the Director of the Virginia Liaison Office, in the Office of Governor Bob McDonnell. A member of the Governor’s Senior Staff, she serves as the Governor’s advisor on intergovernmental relations, working closely with the Virginia Congressional Delegation and the various Governors Associations.
Jeannemarie Davis served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1998-2003, before being elected to the State Senate in 2003, where she served for four years. In her first term in the House of Delegates, she was elected as her Republican Freshman Class President and her peers elected her Majority Whip in her third term – the only Republican woman ever elected to a leadership position in the General Assembly. Similarly, she represented the 34th Senatorial District as the only Republican Woman in the Virginia State Senate.
Jeannemarie has been active in the Northern Virginia area for over 20 years, 10 of which she has devoted to political service, sponsoring over 146 bills that have become law and spending much of her time with local organizations that focus on improving lives and strengthening the community. Senator Davis served on 5 committees during her Senate term including Transportation, Rules, General Laws & Technology, Privileges & Elections, and Rehabilitation & Social Services.
Jeannemarie was a partner with ICG Government, a technology consulting group, from 2003 until January 2010, when she accepted her position with the Governor. She also serves on the Sorensen Institute State Board of Directors.
Jeannemarie graduated from Yorktown High School, in Arlington, VA, and earned a BA in Mathematics from the University of Virginia, in 1978. She is the mother of four daughters and resides in Vienna, VA, with her husband, former Congressman Tom Davis.
NICKY GOREN, President at the Washington Area Women's Foundation
Nicky Goren is president and CEO of Washington Area Women’s Foundation, the only public foundation in the Washington metropolitan area solely focused on improving the lives of women and girls. Nicky comes to The Women’s Foundation after 12 years at the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation is the nation’s largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering. Nicky began her career at the Corporation in 1998 as associate general counsel. She also served as chief of staff before becoming acting chief executive officer. As acting CEO, Nicky led the agency through the transition between administrations and laid the foundation for the Obama Administration’s service plans.
Prior to joining the Corporation, Nicky spent five years in the legislative branch, first as assistant general counsel in the Congressional Budget Office and then as counsel in the Office of Compliance.
Raised in the United States and Britain, Nicky is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Brandeis University. She is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Spanish. Nicky lives in the District with her husband and two sons.
HOPE GIBBS, Author & Entrepreneur
Northern Virginia freelance writer Hope Katz Gibbs has been a newspaper and magazine reporter since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. After studying for her master’s degree in educational leadership at The George Washington University, she launched her freelance writing business in 1993.
Hope’s articles have appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Miami Herald, dozens of association, business, education and general interest magazines, and many alumni publications including her own alma maters, the University of Pennsylvania and The George Washington University.
She won two awards for feature writing from the Florida Magazine Association, and a six others honors for newsletter writing from the National School Public Relations Association. She has been listed in Who’s Who in Media & Communications since 1989, and Who’s Who of American Women since 1993.
In 2008, Hope founded Inkandescent Public Relations, a PR / publications / media relations / marketing firm that helps small businesses get the visibility they need. Along with her award-winning team, she creates high-end marketing materials, writes and edits press releases, newsletters, and white papers, and works closely with reporters to help get the word out about her clients. Hope also plans and organizes events, co-writes and ghostwrites books, and maintains her clients’ websites so they are up-to-date and provide an accurate, impressive image.
ELIZABETH GORE, Director at Global Initatives UN Foundation
Elizabeth Gore is the executive director of global partnerships for the United Nations Foundation, currently managing partnership and cause marketing strategies implemented in programs and campaigns of the United Nations. Mrs. Gore also directs successful initiatives such as Nothing But Nets, the recently launched Girl Up campaign benefiting adolescent girls globally, $150 Million campaign for malaria programs and the Global Fund, and a multi-million dollar partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Elizabeth recently joined Summit on the Summit and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the global clean water crisis on behalf of the United Nations.
Prior to joining the UN Foundation, Mrs. Gore served as the director of development and corporate relations for the Points of Light Foundation. There, she facilitated the development department by successfully fulfilling yearly financial needs of the organization. In tandem, she created a new fund-raising model for the Foundation through corporate cause marketing, connecting the Volunteer Center National Network with corporations and financial partners. Her consulting experience includes the implementation and launch of The Great American Bake Sale, an anti-hunger initiative for Share Our Strength, ABC television and Parade magazine.
Mrs. Gore is a former United States Peace Corps volunteer and served in Bolivia, South America. In Bolivia, she wrote, received and managed a USAID grant to better the food availability and economic situation for the Chaco.
Mrs. Gore is originally from Texas where she was a financial development associate for the A&M Foundation. She holds a bachelor of science in Animal Science and a masters in Financial Development from Texas A&M University.
In 2008, Mrs. Gore was named by People Magazine as one of the top 100 Extraordinary Women. Mrs. Gore has been featured on multiple media outlets including; Glamour, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, People Magazine, Real Simple and the New York Times. Mrs. Gore is a World Champion Equestrian.
BECKY LEE, Founder & CEO Becky's Fund
After receiving her B.A. Degree in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan, Becky Lee continued on to receive her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Interested in the prevention of domestic violence, Ms. Lee has been working on issues concerning domestic violence survivors over the last fourteen years as an advocate, a kickboxing instructor, a policy associate and an attorney.
Becky Lee is the Executive Director of Becky’s Fund, a national non-profit organization committed to addressing and preventing the occurrence of domestic violence through advocacy, research and support for survivors. When she was given the opportunity to try out for Survivor: Cook Islands during the summer of 2006, Ms. Lee decided to go for it because she wanted to break media stereotypes of Asian Americans and bring awareness to the prevalence of domestic violence. After coming in third, Ms. Lee took much of her 3rd place winnings to create the non-profit organization, Becky's Fund, (www.beckysfund.org) due to seeing the lack of attention given to addressing the issue of violence prevention and education. Even though she has never personally experienced domestic violence, she wanted to show people by example how important it is to work on domestic violence as it affects 1 in 3 women in the United State, calling the organization Becky’s Fund to stress how each person can make a difference in our community on this issue.
Realizing that she would need to mobilize and organize a grassroots effort from the ground up with little budget and no staff, Ms. Lee specifically built a targeted marketing/branding campaign for Becky’s Fund utilizing social media, technology, and her connections with both the reality t.v. world and domestic violence network. Ms. Lee built a website that coordinated closely with sites like twitter, facebook, and Constant Contact which allowed her to successfully and quickly connect with thousands of people from all over the world who are from different backgrounds, interests and ages. People are often surprised that Becky’s Fund is only a small non-profit with no full-time staff by the appearance of its thorough outreach through social media, it’s website, and implementation of successful and innovative projects. However, with the use of social media and related-technology, Ms. Lee has been able to create, maintain, and grow an organization with over hundreds of volunteers all over the country to help assist in the programs and outreach to the specific audiences to address domestic and dating violence.
One such cutting-edge project that Ms. Lee is working on is the development of a unique mobile/web application to assist victims of domestic violence and people who want to support victims. This application, ENDDV is the first of its kind and will fundamentally alter the way domestic violence resources are accessed, empowering victims with the tools and knowledge to fight their abusers by making informed decisions. A multi-media campaign, ENDVV will harness the latest technological advancements in communication and social media to effectively raise awareness and help put an end to domestic violence.
JOANNA ROBINSON, CEO, Lunar Massage
Joanna Robinson started her first business in April 2009 when she opened Lunar Massage, an affordable, no-frills therapeutic massage studio for busy professionals and area residents in the Mt. Vernon/Convention Center area of DC. The first location became profitable after nine months and she opened a second, bigger location in the fall of 2010 which is now also profitable on its own. She plans to continue opening neighborhood massage studios in DC.
Joanna was featured in the cover story of BusinessWeek’s Small Biz magazine for its October/November 2009 issue in an article about how entrepreneurs come up with their product.
Before switching to entrepreneurship she was a fundraiser in DC for various policy-related causes. She currently sits on the board of the America’s Future Foundation.
Prior to coming to Washington she worked in Dallas, Texas, first as a campaign manager for a Congressional campaign, then in merchandising and sales for the craft industry, and finally at a boutique financial advising firm run by the former CEO of Lincoln Financial Advisors.
Joanna grew up in an Army family and has lived in Germany, Korea, and across America. Her degree is in English Literature.
LIZ CHADDERDON, CEO, Chadderdon Group
Liz, a native Houstonian, is often been described as “of the of the smartest straight-shooters” in the business. During her 12 years as a direct mail consultant, Liz has created messaging, strategy and persuasion mail for presidential, congressional, state legislative and municipal races in 25 states. She has won twelve “Pollie” awards from the American Association of Political Consultants, two “Addy” awards for outstanding political advertising from the Ad Club of MetroDC and Politics Magazine’s Reed Award for the “Toughest Direct Mail" piece in 2009.
Liz has been a guest on Larry King Live, CNN American Morning, CNN International, CNN.com, The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, Your World with Neil Cavuto and MSNBC. She has also been a contributing writer to PoliticsMagazine.com, AndersonCooper360.com and the book Voting in America, Volume 2, What Influences the American Voter: Interest Groups, Issues and the Media.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Liz was named a political 'Rising Star' by Campaigns & Elections magazine in 2005. She is a former adjunct professor at American University and George Washington University as well as an Institute Fellow at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation at the University of Texas at Austin. Liz has taught messaging seminars at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the National Lung Cancer Partnership, the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University, the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and the Central Florida Political Leadership Institute. She has also produced and managed Advanced Candidate Trainings for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Leadership Institute.
Prior to her direct mail career, Liz was the North Carolina House Caucus Director in 1998 where she won seven seats and returned Democrats to the majority. She worked for Mark Warner on his 1996 US Senate campaign and for various state legislative races in Virginia in 1997 and 1995. She began her career as a volunteer coordinator for Texas Governor Ann Richards in 1994.
PAULA JAGEMANN, CEO and Founder of Someone With
Paula Jagemann is the CEO and Founder of Someone With, a home health & medical supply company created to support women with breast cancer. Ms Jagemann started Someone With, LLC because she saw the need and business opportunity to provide modern-day shopping tools to help save time for patients and ease the personal and financial burden of disease management.
Ms. Jagemann has deep roots in enterprise technology. From 1994-1998, Ms. Jagemann served as Vice President of Investor & Public Relations and Vice President, Communications Office of the Chief Executive Officer for UUNET Technologies, Inc., (now owned by MCI) and again from May to October 2002. As Employee #33 at one of the first seven deregulated Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the nation, Ms. Jagemann helped UUNET grow to become the largest ISP in the world – from 33 employees in 1994, to more than 10,000 six years later.
A self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Ms Jagemann’s previous venture was founding eCommerce Industries, Inc. (ECI2). With her guidance, the company that started as a paper-clip and office supply retailer, grew to a $100 million software company, for which she raised $89 million in venture capital.
Ms. Jagemann holds prestigious appointments and sits on numerous business community boards. In 2008, Ms. Jagemann was appointed by Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley, to join The Technical Economic and Development Corporation (TEDCO) of Maryland which facilitates the transfer and commercialization of technology from Maryland’s research universities, federal labs and Ft. Detrick into the marketplace and assists in the creation and growth of technology-based businesses in all regions of the state.
In April 2006, Ms. Jagemann joined the Kauffman Foundation’s eVenturing web portal for entrepreneurs as an Editorial Entrepreneurial Advisor. She had previously served as a board member for the National Committee for Entrepreneurship, a group funded by the Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, from 2000-2002. Ms. Jagemann was the chairperson and co-Founder for Frederick County, Maryland’s first and only bioscience and information technology business incubator, Frederick Innovative Technology Center Inc. (FITCI). The economic development and comprehensive business assistance program has hosted 35 tenant companies with fourteen successful graduating organizations.
Ms. Jagemann served on the Boards of Frederick Memorial Hospital and Healthcare Systems, Hood College Board of Associates, the Family Heritage Trust Foundation and KORE Telematics, a leading wireless machine-to-machine communications company and a growing Healthcare Media/Technology company named CaerVision. She has received numerous awards, including Women in Technology’s Executive Leadership Award in 2001 and the National Woman Business Center’s Leadership Award. In addition, Ms. Jagemann was a regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in the year 2001, was nominated by Bill Gates for the ComputerWorld Smithsonian Award in 1998. She was also awarded Microsoft’s Ecommerce Solution of the Year.
Ms. Jagemann graduated Cum Laude from Hood College with a B.A. in Economics. She received the Larry T. Campbell Memorial Prize from the Department of Economics. She is a lifetime member of both the Phi Kappa Phi and the Omicron Delta Epsilon organizations.
JESSIE HRIVNAK, Director of Service for VisionQuest Wealth Management
Jessie Hrivnak has developed a philosophy and service model of providing quality, conscientious service to our clients aimed at fostering continued customer satisfaction, confidence, trust and company loyalty. Jessie is involved in all areas of VisionQuest operations including business development, assessment process, investment strategies, private placement due diligence, creation of service models, public relations and marketing. Jessie is a licensed investment advisor.
Prior to joining VisionQuest Wealth Management, Jessie was the Member Relations Director and Private Events Director with ClubCorp in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jessie graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Public and Interpersonal Communication.
She has continuously been active in the community through charitable organizations such as Futures for Kids,Washington Cancer Institute, Models for Charity, and Hospice of Wake County. For seven years, Jessie has been an integral part of one of Raleigh's largest charity events, The Big Bad Ball, benefiting Hospice. Jessie currently serves as a coach for Girls on the Run D.C.
She lives in both Raleigh, NC and Washington D.C. with her husband Michael. She enjoys yoga, running, travel, and spending time with her husband and their Westie, Gilmour.
SELINA HAYES, Director for International Business Development for SRA International
Selina Hayes is an experienced executive and humanitarian with over twenty years’ experience in development work and international diplomacy. Selina’s capabilities and experience in Africa include research, analysis and writing about women’s issues, politics, economic and social-cultural issues; designing and managing innovative initiatives that improve government service delivery and economic growth primarily in the application of information technology (IT)and health; and new business development. Selina currently is the Director for International Business Development for SRA International, working in Europe, Africa and the Middle. Selina has worked with EUCOM and AFRICOM, her most recent work has expanded into Djibouti with the Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (JTFHOA).
Selina is also the co-founder of the nonprofit Project H.O.W (Helping Other Women). Born out of a love for Africa, Project H.O.W. is focused on the health and well-being of women and children. Believing that a community consisting of strong healthy women will thrive; a concept that healthy women raise healthy children that are more likely to go to school, less likely to resort to violence, H.O.W’s programs have focused on how empowering women can have significant effects on the overall security and economic growth of the community.
Her most recent work in Nigeria involved interacting with key Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and Private Volunteer Organizations (PVO) government officials, the military and the private sector to achieve results for those most in need. As part of this program Project H.O.W designed and developed assessment and metric tools as part of an overall assessment program of a number of medical missions. Her work looks at how events involving women and children in locations outside of the US have a direct influence on US National security. She has supported the idea that early identification and support of programs supporting women and children should be considered as part of US policy. Her work included the study of three community-based development projects in Northern Nigeria and Western Kenya(in the areas of sustainable development, women’s and children’s health care, and outreach programs). Her work has also included a detailed social-cultural analysis that addresses economic, political and security issues. Selina is also looking at the empowerment of women in the DRC who have been the victim of rape.
Selina has travelled extensively and originates from Sydney, Australia. She has a B.A. International Relations from George Washington University, International M.B.A. University of San Diego and M.A. International Relations.
