November 2021 Newsletter

Forum members Eboné Carrington, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, Jessica Lappin, President, Alliance for Downtown New York, Carolyn Maloney, Congresswoman, US House of Reps. (NY-12), Jonelle Procope, President & CEO, Apollo Theater, Jennifer Raab, President, Hunter College of the City University of New York, Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President & CEO, Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO) and Sheena Wright, President & CEO, United Way of New York City, were honored in City & State’s Manhattan Power 100 2021 list, which highlights the public officials, business executives, hospital CEOs, community leaders, consultants and reformers who have made the borough what it is – and are making sure it gets back on track from the COVID pandemic.

To read more on our members and other notable people featured in the Manhattan Power 100 list, please visit HERE.

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Dede Bartlett, Non-Profit Director & Co-Chair, The Jim and Dede Bartlett Foundation, announced a major gift to Vassar College to build a state-of-the-art Admissions and Career Education Center. Dede, who graduated from Vassar in 1965  stated that construction of the Dede Thompson Bartlett Center will begin in the next 18 months. Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley said: “For nearly a decade, Dede Bartlett has been helping Vassar students and graduates carve their career paths by funding paid internships and other initiatives through the College’s Career Education office. Her extraordinary gift will enable the college to provide exceptional facilities and programming that will truly enhance the services our Admissions and Career Education offices can provide.”

“This extraordinary building ushers in a new era for the college. Technological, economic and social forces are disrupting and challenging many traditional careers while creating new opportunities. That is what is so valuable about career education.” – Dede Bartlett

To read the press release, please visit HERE.

Maura Carley, President & CEO, Healthcare Navigation, LLC, was interviewed for an article entitled Enrollment is Right around the Corner: How to Avoid these Affordable Care Act Traps for Bottom Line Personal, where she offers helpful financial tips and information on the Affordable Care Act to prepare others for the upcoming healthcare enrollment period.

To read the article, please visit HERE.

Ruth Ann Harnisch, President, Harnisch Family Foundation, recently donated $75,000 to the Higher Heights Leadership Fund, a 501(c)(3), dedicated to building a national civic engagement infrastructure and network to strengthen Black women’s leadership capacity. Higher Heights Leadership Fund is investing in a long-term strategy to expand and support Black women’s leadership pipeline at all levels and strengthen their civic participation beyond just Election Day. Every donation to their organization helps them grow a robust network of Black women to run for office and build political power.

To learn more about the Higher Heights Leadership Fund, please visit HERE.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President & CEO, Women’s World Banking, was interviewed by Katherine Klein, vice dean for the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, during an episode titled “How a Nonprofit Is Helping Women Reach Economic Parity” on the Dollars and Change podcast to discuss Women’s World Banking’s mission to give low-income women in the developing world access to the financial tools and resources they need to achieve security and prosperity.

To read the full interview with Forum member Mary Ellen, please visit HERE.

To listen to the Dollars and Change podcast featuring Mary Ellen, please visit HERE.

Francine A. LeFrak, President, Francine A. LeFrak Foundation, was featured in the Chicago Tribune in an opinion article titled In the Age of Social Media, How Do We Protect Young Women’s Well Being? Nurture Resilience written by fellow member Sian Beilock, President, Barnard College, in which Francine offers feasible solutions for protecting our youth from the adverse consequences of different social media platforms.

To read the article, please visit HERE.

Tara Walpert Levy, VP Agency and Media Solutions, Google, was tapped by Youtube to become VP of Americas, overseeing content partnerships. Tara will be leading the teams overseeing the video giant’s partnerships across the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Brazil that work with creators and media partners to build their audiences and monetize content. Tara officially starts in the new role Nov. 29th and will remain based in New York City. “YouTube is the foundation of the creator economy… and yet I think there’s another wave of explosive growth to come…” – Tara Walpert Levy

To read more on Tara’s latest appointment in Variety, please visit HERE.

Tracy McKibben, Founder & CEO, MAC Energy Advisors LLC, was selected as Chair-Elect to the board of The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) at their recent quarterly meeting. Tracy is a regular speaker and thought-leader on topics such as renewable energy, water/energy nexus, green technology, innovation, ESG and sustainability. Tracy is poised to step into the role as Chair in October of 2022.

“It has been my honor to serve on the Board of NKF and I look forward to this new role and working with my fellow directors and the NKF management team to support the important role NKF plays in advancing initiatives to address kidney disease that includes education, prevention and living-donor transplantation, especially in diverse communities,” McKibben said. “I was able to give my mother a kidney and a much-improved quality of life and I strive to let others know that they can do the same for their loved ones. I don’t know that there is anything better you can do.”

To read the press release on Tracy’s latest appointment, please visit HERE.

Jonelle Procope, President & CEO, Apollo Theater, will be honored on November 3rd, at The New York Landmarks Conservancy 28th Living Landmarks Celebration at The Plaza. The Living Landmarks celebration was created to recognize extraordinary New Yorkers who give back to the city we love. Jonelle joined the Apollo Board of Trustees in 1999 and became its President and CEO in 2003. During this period, she led a successful Apollo Rising Capital Campaign to restore the legendary theater. Jonelle has overseen the Apollo’s transformation into a vibrant not-for-profit performing arts organization. Under her leadership, the Apollo has dramatically increased its base of financial support, expanded its education and community programs, and launched a strategic plan to transform the institution into a 21st century performing arts center through the creation of large-scale artistic initiatives and unique artistic collaborations with an array of prominent cultural organizations including the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture, Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

To learn more about this event and the other featured honorees, please visit HERE.

Minerva Tantoco, First CTO, The City of New York, was featured by Girls Who Code for being a game changer in tech as a part of a multimedia campaign with a bold new message for girls called “Make That Change” launched by the leading non-profit in early October to celebrate “International Day Of The Girl”, which inspires girls to code and lauds women in tech.

“A true expression of wealth is not how much you have but how much you can give away. I would like to think that women would put wealth to good use, to solve problems, and create equal opportunities for others who may not have had those advantages from the beginning, not just use wealth to create more wealth.” -Minerva Tantoco

To read more on Girls Who Code “Make That Change” initiative featuring Forum member Minerva, please visit HERE.

Sheena Wright, President & CEO, United Way of New York City, was named a recipient of Berkeley College’s 2021 Women’s Empowerment Awards. “I am honored to have been named a recipient of Berkeley College’s 2021 Women’s Empowerment Awards. For 90 years, Berkeley has been a supporter of women’s entrepreneurship…” – Sheena Wright