Monday, February 12, 2018

A speed coaching and networking event powered by bizwomen.

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#MentoringMonday

Kathy Abbott, Seat #1 Boston Harbor Now

Phyllis Barajas, Seat #2 Conexión Inc.

Abigail Barrow, Seat #3 Mass Tech Transfer Center

Lisa H. Barton, Seat #4 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Vallerie Bettini, Seat #5 EVP, Marketing Director

Victoria Bondoc, Seat #6 Gemini

Tracy Burns, Seat #7 NEHRA

Tara Clark, Seat #8 Draper

Danielle Curcio, Seat #9 Raytheon Co.

Debra Drapalla, Seat #10 Webster Bank

Jana Eggers, Seat #11 Nara Logics

Ronit Enos, Seat #12 Founder of Maxime Salon

Sandra Fenwick, Seat #13 Boston Children’s Hospital

Trisha Filippone, Seat #14 UMass Building Authority

Wendy Foster, Seat #15 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay

Carol Fulp, Seat #16 The Partnership Inc.

Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, Seat #17 Tufts University School of

Medicine and RecycleHealth

Cindy Hale, Seat #18 KHJ Brand Activation

Kip Hollister, Seat #19 Hollister Institute 

Rhonda Kallman, Seat #20 Boston Harbor Distillery

Donna Levin, Seat #21 Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship

Sandy Lish, Seat #22 The Castle Group

Stefania Mallett, Seat #23 ezCater

Ellen Mann, Seat #24 Arbella Insurance Group

Eileen McAnneny, Seat #25 Mass. Taxpayers Foundation

DirectionsOur Mentors will be seated at tables throughout the room. Each Mentor seat location is noted with their bio. Mentors will also be identified with a name plate. Mentees should consult the Mentor’s bios and select which Mentor(s) they would like to meet with for a one-on-one coaching session. Please note their seat location so you can find your choice of Mentor. Mentees are asked to take the seat opposite the Mentor and take part in a 7-minute coaching session. If a Mentor is already occupied with another mentee, you may choose a different Mentor for that session or wait in line for the Mentor’s next opening. Coaching sessions will be timed to last seven minutes. At the end of the coaching session, there will be an audio cue signifying the end of that coaching session. At that time, Mentees are asked to vacate the chair opposite the mentor and move on to another mentor they would like to meet with.It is encouraged for the mentees to not only speak with the mentors, but also network with the other mentees of the event. The format will be fast, fun, and fulfilling as everyone gets a chance to meet new people & gain new insights.Mentees are divided into two groups: Group A & Group B. We will begin with Group A participating in one-on-one sessions with our mentors, while those in Group B enjoys round table discussions with our table hosts. Hosts have a star on their nametag. Halfway through the morning, the two groups will switch and Group B will be begin their one-on-one sessions while Group A enjoys the roundtable discussions.

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MentorsTrisha Filippone, Seat #14 UMass Building Authority

Wendy Foster, Seat #15 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay

Carol Fulp, Seat #16 The Partnership Inc.

Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, Seat #17 Tufts University School of

Medicine and RecycleHealth

Cindy Hale, Seat #18 KHJ Brand Activation

Kip Hollister, Seat #19 Hollister Institute 

Rhonda Kallman, Seat #20 Boston Harbor Distillery

Donna Levin, Seat #21 Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship

Sandy Lish, Seat #22 The Castle Group

Stefania Mallett, Seat #23 ezCater

Ellen Mann, Seat #24 Arbella Insurance Group

Eileen McAnneny, Seat #25 Mass. Taxpayers Foundation

Carla McCall, Seat #26 AAFCPAs

Nadia McKay, Seat #27 CorpsTeam

Gillian Meek, Seat #28 Keds

Tracey Noonan, Seat #29 Wicked Good Cupcakes

Colette Phillips, Seat #30 Colette Phillips Communications Inc

Tracy Pitcher, Seat #31 Comcast Massachusetts

Deborah Re, Seat #32 Big Sister Association of Greater Boston

Cathy Schmidt, Seat #33 McLane Middleton

Valerie Shulock, Seat #34 Basil Tree Catering

Jane Steinmetz, Seat #35 EY

Anita Verheul, Seat #36 Gallagher Benefit Services

Catherine Williams, Seat #37 Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Peggy Yu, Seat #38 Startup Institute

#MentoringMonday

Meet the Mentors

Kathy Abbott | President and CEO, Boston Harbor NowKathy Abbott is the President and CEO of Boston Harbor Now envisioning and promoting a thriving harbor that belongs to everyone, is environmentally healthy, resilient to climate change, and fosters economic and community health and wellbe-ing. Upon assuming this role, Kathy has come full circle. The young college student whose career began as a manager on the Boston Harbor Islands has become a leader who is charged with planning for and promoting those very same waters. Kathy was the founding President of Boston Harbor Island Alliance and has also held executive leadership positions at the Trustees of Reservation and Tower Hill Botanic Garden. She has also served as the first Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Her experience as an executive and entrepreneur in government and non-profits uniquely qualifies her to build upon the successes of the current waterfront renaissance.

Phyllis Barajas | CEO and Founder, Conexión Inc.Phyllis Barajas is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conexión, (www.con-exion-all.org) a ten-month executive mentoring and leadership experience for mid career HispanicLatino professionals. The program is based on the concept of social capital built on positive reciprocal social networks. The mentees and their executive mentors, most of whom are not HispanicLatino, come to understand the implica-tions of the rising HispanicLatino demographic, now the second largest segment of the U.S. population. One alumnus described her experience as a “call to action” that HispanicLatinos can make a positive difference for the future of the country.

Abigail Barrow | Interim Executive Director, Office of Technology Commercialization and Ventures (OTCV) at the University of Massachusetts

Dr. Abigail Barrow is the Interim Executive Director, Office of Technology Commer-cialization and Ventures (OTCV) at the University of Massachusetts. She joined the UMass President’s Office in 2004 as the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC). At OTCV she supports the campus technology transfer programs, promotes start-up formation and other entrepreneurship activi-ties as well as being responsible for the overall management of the MTTC. From 1990 to 2004, Dr. Barrow served as managing director of von Liebig Center at the Universi-ty of California San Diego (UCSD) and worked in a variety of roles at UCSD CONNECT.

Lisa H. Barton | Office Managing Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLPLisa Barton is the Managing Partner of Morgan Lewis’s Boston Office and provides strategic advice about employee benefit plan matters to plan sponsors, including public and private companies, tax-exempt organizations and governmental employ-ers. She advises clients in the design, governance, compliance and operation of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, equity and executive compensation arrangements, and health plans. Her clients come from such industries as retail, manufacturing, life sciences, energy, and information technology. Lisa also devotes a significant amount of time to providing pro bono legal advice to clients and has a particular interest in helping to combat homelessness.

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Meet the Mentors

Vallerie Bettini | EVP, Marketing DirectorVal is a seasoned integrated marketer with more than 15 years of experience building brands and driving results for clients through advertising, digital and direct market-ing programs. She began her career at Arnold more than a decade ago, helping to launch VOIP to the masses for Vonage – an effort that added 2 million users to their customer base in 18 months and won an Effie Award in the telecommunications category. She then moved over to run the direct online channel and loyalty program for Royal Caribbean and helped to build Arnold’s credentials in the travel and tourism segment. Today, in addition to overseeing Talent Discovery and Development for the agency’s marketing department, Val leads Arnold’s work on the Progressive business. Under her supervision, Progressive policies have grown 28% and “Flo” was named “advertising’s greatest icon” by readers of Entertainment Weekly. Prior to joining Arnold, Val spent time at Ammirati Puris Lintas in New York working on Pricewater-houseCoopers and KPMG. Val began her career in Dallas at Launch Partnership, an agency that specialized in launching technology-based start-up companies. Fun fact: Match.com was one of Launch Partnership’s first clients!

Victoria Bondoc | CEO and Founder, GeminiA maverick in the defense industry, Victoria Bondoc supported the “Star Wars” mis-sile defense program, and worked undercover with the US Army investigating black market crime. Her “Battlefield to Boardroom” approach to business generated $300 Million in sales for Gemini Industries. Bondoc is the founder and CEO of Gemini, a strategic advisor to US Defense and Homeland Security, that has delivered advanced technology for the Navy Seals, and applied military concepts to business. In 2017, she received Special Congressional Recognition, the SBA Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year and Woman Business Owner of the Year Awards, and the Maverick of the Year Award.

Tracy Burns | CEO, NEHRATracy is the Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Human Resources Associa-tion (NEHRA). Prior to this role, she spent nearly 20 years working in corporate HR, serving in leadership roles across multiple industries, including financial services, publishing, food/beverage, health care and higher education. Tracy is the author of Before and After Resumes: How to Turn a Good Resume Into A Great One and serves as on the Executive Advisory Board for Work Without Limits, as well as the HR Busi-ness Advisory Board at Bryant University. She holds a bachelor’s in business/human resources from California State University and a master’s in Organizational Develop-ment from Lesley University.

Tara Clark | Vice President, Commercial Programs, DraperTara Clark joined Draper in January 2016 to lead the company’s strategic efforts within the biotechnology, transportation and energy markets. Formerly, she was the North American General Manager for Miltenyi Biotec where she initiated and secured FDA approval for the CliniMACS® Cell Separation System. Over the course of her career, she has served as a Director with Baxter Healthcare Corporation, where she launched novel medical devices and immunotherapeutics. She was elected as the first Industry Representative to the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Advisory Board, and is an active Member of the American Society for Blood and Mar-row Transplantation (ASMBT). Recently, she was recognized by the Boston Business Journal as a “Woman to Watch in Science and Technology, 2017”. Tara holds a degree in Microbiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

#MentoringMonday

Meet the Mentors

Danielle Curcio | Vice President of Engineering, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS)

Danielle Curcio became vice president of engineering for Raytheon IDS in 2016. She has transformed the engineering organization to maintain Raytheon’s position as a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense. Danielle previously served as Raytheon’s chief software engineer and helped promote best practices for the company. In 2017, Danielle was recognized by the Boston Business Journal for “Women to Watch,” and in 2012 she was recognized by the Society of Women En-gineers (SWE) with the SWE Emerging Leader Award. Danielle holds both a bachelor and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University at Buffalo.

Debra Drapalla | Regional President-Boston, Webster BankAs Regional President and leader of Webster Bank’s Commercial team in Greater Bos-ton, Deb oversees Webster’s Middle Market Banking efforts and growing community affairs activities in this region. Deb is a frequent speaker and active contributor to leading business organizations in Greater Boston, serving as board director of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, an active member of the Family Business As-sociation and the Association of Corporate Growth, and an advisory board member for the Greater Boston Chamber Women’s Advisory Network, as well as co-chair of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Leadership Council and as a member of the Perkins School Business Partnership.

Jana Eggers | CEO, Nara LogicsJana Eggers is CEO of the neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence platform com-pany, Nara Logics. She’s an experienced tech exec focused on inspiring teams to build great products. She’s started and grown companies, and led large organizations at public companies. She active in customer-inspired innovation, the artificial intelli-gence industry, the Autonomy/Mastery/Purpose-style leadership, as well as running and triathlons. She’s held technology and executive positions at Intuit, Blackbaud, Los Alamos National Laboratory (computational chemistry and super computing), Basis Technology (internationalization technology), Lycos, American Airlines, Spread-shirt (ecomm), and start-ups that you’ve never heard of.

Ronit Enos | An entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, writer, and creative image designer, Maxime Brands

Ronit Enos, whose fierce determination and optimism have spawned a joy-filled lifestyle underpinned by financial independence, is excited to be able to help her clients live the same freedom model. Prior to owning her agency, Ronit launched and grew Maxime Brands, steering her entrepreneurial ship for 20 years. Even during the economic downturn, she distinguished Maxime by delivering high value while streamlining expenses to reach record profitability--with zero cutbacks! In addition to people-oriented ‘soft skills’ Ronit is a savvy business development professional, with a record managing the practicalities and demands of the business environment. She has an extensive experience in systems development, digital marketing strate-gies, leadership training, team and staff development. I am thoroughly immersed in the particulars of financial forecasting, budgeting, metrics development and evalua-tion, profit/loss, etc.

Sandra Fenwick | Boston Children’s HospitalSandra L. Fenwick joined Boston Children’s Hospital in 1999 and was named Presi-dent and CEO in 2013. She serves on the Board of Directors of CRICO, Ltd, Wyss Institute, Children’s Hospital Association, Children’s Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, MASCO, Inc, and more. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum and Women Corporate Directors/Boston. She holds a Bachelor’s from Simmons College and a Master’s in Public Health in Health Services Administration from the University of Texas. She has received numerous awards and honorary degrees for her contribution to healthcare.

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Trisha Filippone | Executive Director, UMass Building Authority Patricia Filippone has been Executive Director of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority (UMBA) since February 2014. As Executive Director, Ms. Filippone oversees an ambitious $3.1 billion growth plan that includes the building and renova-tion of academic and research buildings, dormitories, and athletic facilities on all five UMass campuses. Ms. Filippone joined UMBA in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer. As CFO, she managed all aspects of finance, including controller, treasury, risk management, business systems, and capital planning.Prior to joining UMBA in June 2012, Ms. Filippone served in various positions at The Broad Institute since 2008, including Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer, Senior Financial Officer and Controller. Previously, she was Director of Allston Fi-nance at Harvard University. She received a B.S. from Babson College.

Wendy Foster | President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay

Wendy brings more than three decades of executive leadership in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay. Wendy joined the agency twelve years ago as Vice President for Program Services and has been Chief Executive Officer for eight years. She leverages top-level management experience as well as project, systems and technology development skills in support of the over 2,700 children the agency serves annually today – and the thousands more the agency is scaling to reach. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, Wendy served as a senior executive with America Online (AOL) and was Marketing Director for New Product Development at Time-Life Inc., a division of Time-Warner. She began her career in direct response advertising with Wunderman. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Large Agency Alliance, and is a board member of the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation. Wendy holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an M.B.A from The George Washington University.

Carol Fulp | President and CEO, The Partnership Inc.Carol Fulp is President and CEO of The Partnership, Inc., New England’s premier organization dedicated to enhancing the competitiveness of the region by attract-ing, developing, retaining and convening multicultural professionals. During its 30 year history, The Partnership has collaborated with nearly 300 corporations who have sponsored more than 4,000 multicultural executives and professionals in the organization’s innovative leadership development programming. Fulp has expanded offerings by creating the C-Suite Program for multicultural executives at the highest levels of corporations. The program was launched at the home of then Governor Deval Patrick and First Lady Diane Patrick and they have subsequently become co-chairs of the program. She created the Bennie Wiley CEO Diversity Award that honors a Massachusetts CEO who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in diversity and inclusion.

Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM | Tufts University School of Medicine and RecycleHealth

Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, is an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medi-cine in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, where she is the director of the Digital Health Communication certificate program. Her re-search focuses on the use of wearable activity trackers by older adults and on the integration of data from connected health devices into clinical care. Dr. Gualtieri is the founder of RecycleHealth.com, a non-profit which collects and refurbishes used trackers and donates them to underserved populations. She serves on the FDA’s General Hospital and Personal Use Devices Panel. Dr. Gualtieri has a Ph.D. in com-puter science from Harvard University, a Sc.M in computer science from Brown Uni-versity, and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts.

Meet the Mentors

#MentoringMonday

Meet the Mentors

Cindy Hale | SVP, KHJ Brand ActivationCindy is the SVP of KHJ Brand Activation, a full-service, brand strategy and communi-cation company located in the Seaport district of Boston. The agency serves clients across the continuum of healthcare, real estate, economic development and B2B Business services. Prior to joining KHJ, Cindy led teams at Boston Children’s Hospital, Fuseideas and OTW Communications. Cindy’s experience ranges from healthcare to hospitality, tourism, retail, economic development and consumer products. Cindy is committed to inspiring others through thoughtful brand stories and she is on a never-ending search for new opportunities to think outside the box. Cindy is co-captain of the PMC Team Flames and has raised $4M for Dana Farber. She is a board member of ABC and serves on the Healthcare and Life Sciences and Women’s Leader-ship councils for the Boston Chamber.

Kip Hollister | Founder & CEO, Hollister Institute Kip Hollister opened Hollister Staffing 30 years ago and has grown the company into one of New England’s premier woman-owned recruiting firms. 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner and national finalist, Kip attributes Hollister’s success to the trust and integrity that she and her team lead with every single day. Kip, who is passionate about creating a business culture that thrives, launched the Hollister Institute with the vision help organizations build stronger teams, eliminate workplace stressors, enhance productivity, and manifest a more unified, energized work culture. Kip teaches mindfulness and meditation to help create better self-awareness and leadership in the corporate world, including leading guided medita-tions at Hollister’s offices.

Rhonda Kallman | Founder & CEO, Boston Harbor DistilleryMs. Kallman is Founder and CEO of Boston Harbor Distillery, makers of award-winning, craft spirit brands including Putnam Whiskey, Lawley’s Rum, Spirit of Boston - distilled from Samuel Adams beer and Boston Harbor Maple Cream & Coffee Liqueurs. Some of her career highlights are cofounder of The Boston Beer Company (NYSE: SAM); recognition by the Brewer’s Association as “the pioneering woman in the beer industry”; her feature in INC Magazine’s “25 Entrepreneurs We Love” with other luminaries like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Larry Page/Sergey Brin; recipient of the “Maverick Award” from Beer Business Daily and Draft Magazine “Top 10 Innovators Award”

Donna Levin | Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur in Residence

Donna is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepre-neurship and a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.Donna is the co-founder of Care.com, the world’s leading online site for helping fami-lies find and manage family care with over 20 million members across 16 countries. During her tenure at Care.com, Donna played key roles in building and leading high performing teams, and scaling the company through 5 rounds of funding to IPO.Donna has an 18-year career as a social entrepreneur. Previously VP of Operations at Upromise, an online service that helps families save for college, she has also held several leadership positions across a broad range of technology and startup com-panies. Donna serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Business Leaders, WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, and Zero to Three. Donna holds an MBA from MIT and a BA from Emerson College.

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Meet the Mentors

Sandy Lish | Principal & Co-Founder, The Castle GroupSandy Lish is principal and co-founder of The Castle Group, a 21-year-old women-owned PR, digital and event firm based in Boston, with satellite offices in Atlanta and Maui. Castle is known regionally and nationally for its work with B2B and consumer clients, commitment to the community, and development and retention of its team. Castle recently won a bronze Stevie award as International PR Firm of the Year, was named a top corporate-nonprofit partner by the BBJ and recognized as a BBJ Best Place to Work for the 4th time. In recognition of her work, specifically as a leader in women-owned business, Sandy has been recognized by the Greater Boston Chamber with the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurship, The Women’s Enterprise National Council Business Enterprise Star Award, the Center for Women and Enterprise Rising Star Award and Tomorrow’s Women TODAY’s Woman of the Year Award.

Stefania Mallett | CEO & Co-founder, ezCaterStefania is a highly effective operating executive and strategist. She is co-founder and CEO of ezCater, a high-growth online marketplace for business catering that has secured $70 million in venture funding and stands at over 300 employees. Stefania was named a 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Hospitality Technology’s Top Women in Foodservice Tech. Stefania also co-founded two other firms: carving out a market and building a well-oiled machine for one (PreferredTime); and selling the other for 14X (InSite Marketing Technology, now NASDAQ: KANA). Stefania has a BS and an MS from MIT.

Ellen Mann | AVP of Human Resources, Arbella Insurance GroupEllen Mann’s career at Arbella Insurance Group has spanned over the past 10 years. In her current position as AVP of Human Resources, her responsibilities include Tal-ent Development, Management and Acquisition, Employee Benefits, Payroll, HRIS and Security. Ellen plays a strategic consultative role to the business leaders and employees, balancing work performance with the interests, values and needs of our valued employees and the company. In addition, Ellen provides customized coach-ing and lends her guidance to all levels of leadership on strategic staffing plans, compensation, succession planning, employee relations, development and perfor-mance management. Prior to Arbella, Ellen spent over 15 years working at Putnam Investments and Mercer in the Human Resources capacity. She is a graduate of Saint Anselm College, where she earned a BA in Business.”

Eileen McAnneny | President, Mass. Taxpayers FoundationMs. McAnneny, an attorney, has more than 20 years of government relations, public policy, advocacy and managerial experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to this role, Eileen served as the President & CEO of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs; as Director of Public Policy at Fidelity Investments; and as Senior Vice Presi-dent of Government Affairs & Associate General Counsel at Associated Industries of Massachusetts. Eileen started her career in the public sector as an attorney for the Joint Committee on Revenue. In addition, Eileen serves as a Commissioner of the Group Insurance Commission and a Board Director of the Cooperative Central Bank and the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners.

Carla McCall | Co-Managing Partner, AAFCPAsCarla is Co-Managing Partner of AAFCPAs, a best-in-class CPA and consulting firm known for assurance, tax, accounting, and business & IT advisory. McCall is founder of the firm’s Women’s Opportunity Network, a platform to educate and elevate awareness of women’s challenges in the workplace. She continues to reinvent “lean-ing in” with her strategic initiatives for the future. She is recognized often in Boston’s business community, as well as nationally, most recently featured on the 2017 “Forty Women over 40 to Watch” list. She is renowned for her creativity, clarity and confidence, and has been on the giving and receiving end of successful mentoring relationships.

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Meet the Mentors

Nadia McKay | President and Owner, CorpsTeamNadia McKay owns and operates the Corps Team/Mom Corps franchise in Boston. From 2007-2010, she served as the organization’s Regional VP, using her 20 years of experience in client service, marketing, and staffing to grow the Mom Corps presencein the Boston market and beyond. She purchased the Boston Franchise in 2010. Over the past several years, Nadia has partnered with start-ups, small-to-medium sized businesses, Fortune 500 companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organiza-tions to bring on professional-level contract, part-time and full-time talent across a variety of functions including Marketing, Strategy, Analytics, Human Resources, Finance/Accounting, and Legal. Nadia has a bachelor’s degree in Business Adminis-tration from the University of Vermont.

Gillian Meek | President, KedsGillian Meek joined the Keds team as President in 2016. In this role, she leads a cross-functional team which includes product creation, marketing, finance, sales and operations to deliver global growth for the Keds business. The Keds brand dates back to 1916 and, under Meek’s leadership, is forging a new future with a vision to become the most coveted women’s sneaker brand in the world. Prior to joining Keds, Meek led the product and marketing organization for Stride Rite Children’s Group. She has more than 18 years of experience with increasing responsibility in creating product and brand stories for brands such as Reebok, Timberland and Stride Rite. Gillian received her BA of Finance and Economics from the University of Western Ontario and her Masters of Business Administration from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. She is an active member of the Wolverine Worldwide Women’s Resource Group. Gillian lives in Newton, MA with her husband, two children and dog.

Tracey Noonan | Co-Founder, Wicked Good CupcakesTracey Noonan is one of the Co-Founders of Wicked Good Cupcakes Inc. along with her daughter Dani. After an appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank and deal with Shark, Kevin O’Leary, WGC has grown by 600% (in their first year) making the business a 20 million dollar company in just 4 years. The company is now franchising and focusing in on corporate gifting. Wicked Good Cupcakes was recently named in the Boston Business Journals fastest growing businesses in MA coming for the past two years, as well as Inc Magazine’s Top 5,000. Tracey has also been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Colette Phillips | Colette Phillips Communications IncIn 2017, The Boston Business Journal named her on its annual Power50 list as one of the most influential people in Boston, citing her as a Newsmaker. In 2016, BBJ also named her on its annual Power50 list as one of the most influential people in Boston, citing her as a Game-Changer. Boston Globe named her as a A-Lister calling her Boston’s “social connector,” and one of the “must have” people in the room when there are important events. The Boston Business Journal honored her with both its Woman of Influence and Lifetime Achievement for Diversity Awards. She was named Bryant University’s 2016 New England Business Woman of the Year. Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh, cites her as one of his invaluable trusted advisors and mentors. She and her firm work with corporations, C-level executives, public figures, world leaders, small business and mission focused non-profit institutions providing strategic and tactical support for stakeholder engagement, brand activation, reputation and crisis management, multicultural and inclusion communications and executive coaching. Their strategies also help companies expand both their market share and bottom line by effectively targeting the fastest growing consumer segments domestically and globally.

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Meet the Mentors

Tracy Pitcher | SVP of Comcast’s Greater Boston Region, Comcast Massachusetts

Tracy Pitcher serves as the Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Greater Boston Region, which includes more than 1.8 million customers in  Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Pitcher oversees all of the company’s operations in the region, including sales, customer service, network engineering, programming, technical operations and community investment.

Deb Re | President and CEO, Big Sister Association of Greater BostonA lifelong resident of Boston, Deb leads Big Sister with an emphasis on developing staff, maintaining high program quality, improving organizational capacity, and cre-ating collaborative partnerships. In 2015, Big Sister Boston was named Agency of the Year by the national Big Brothers Big Sisters network. Previously, Deb served as Ex-ecutive Director of City Year Boston and President & Founder of Bridges to Business, a company that specialized in training and placing young adults with non-traditional backgrounds in the workforce. Additionally, Deb served 16 years in the private sector as VP of Administration for Keyport Life Insurance Co. In 2014, Deb was appointed to the City of Boston Women’s Commission.

Cathy Schmidt | Executive Director, McLane MiddletonAs Executive Director of McLane Middleton (a 105-attorney firm with locations in Woburn and Boston, MA and Manchester, Concord, and Portsmouth, NH), Cathy is responsible for overseeing the operational, financial, marketing and human resource functions of the firm, and works closely with the firm’s management team on day-to-day operations & strategic planning. Cathy is a member of the firm’s management committee and is an integral player in the implementation of McLane Middleton’s strategic plan. Cathy joined the firm after spending over five years as President and CEO at Citizens Bank, where she was responsible for overseeing the success of 108 branches and 1,200 employees in NY & VT. Prior to that, Cathy worked as the EVP and Retail Banking Director for Citizens Bank Massachusetts.

Valerie Shulock | Chef/Owner, Basil Tree CateringValerie Shulock, chef/owner of Basil Tree Catering, started the business 30 years ago. Basil Tree provides corporate drop-off catering and has a staff of 30 people.Valerie received her Bachelor’s degree in Bio-Psychology from Tufts University and her Master’s in Management of Human Services from Brandeis University. Val is a member of the advisory board for Sustainable Business Network and annu-ally contributes 10% of Basil Tree Inc.’s profits to local charitable organizations. Basil Tree Catering recently received certification as both a Women’s Business Enterprise and a LGBT Business Enterprise. Valerie is committed to sustainable business prac-tices and providing a respectful work environment.

Jane Steinmetz | Boston Office Managing Principal, EYAs the Office Managing Principal of the EY Boston Office, Jane leads over 2000 area professionals and is responsible for market growth and overall client service. With over 20 years of experience, Jane is a leading expert in Massachusetts taxa-tion, and works closely with the business community, Department of Revenue and local government on tax policy matters. Jane earned a B.S. in accounting from Rhode Island College and her J.D and LL.M from Boston University School of Law. She is a member of the Connecticut and Massachusetts bar associations.

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Meet the Mentors

Anita Verheul | Area President, Gallagher Benefit ServicesAs Area President of the Gallagher Benefits Services (GBS) division of Arthur J. Gal-lagher & Co., Anita manages the Employee Benefits Practice of the Boston office. Since 1995, Ms. Verheul has been responsible for managing and advising clients with respect to their employee benefit programs. Her background includes knowledge of large, multi-state, self-funded clients, current industry trends, products, develop-ments, various funding arrangements and legislation affecting group life, health and disability programs. Ms. Verheul is a member of the CEBE – Council of Employee Ben-efit Executives –and currently sits on the carrier broker-advisory boards of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Neighborhood Health Plans, and Delta Dental of Massachusetts.

Catherine Williams | Senior director, communications and marketing, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Catherine Williams is the senior director of communications and marketing at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), a publicly-funded agency dedicated to expanding the Massachusetts clean energy sector. Prior to this, Catherine served as press secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environ-mental Affairs. Catherine worked as a journalist serving media outlets including the State House News Service, NECN, and the Boston Business Journal. Catherine served on the boards of directors for New England Women in Energy and the Environment and Commonwealth Children’s Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University.

Peggy Yu | COO, Startup InstitutePeggy Yu is COO of Startup Institute, an education startup that gives access to the innovation economy. Prior to Startup Institute, Peggy served as interim director and associate director of the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. Her interest in technology and innovation is longstanding, starting from her days in the transportation industry where she worked in sales, operations, and logistics at NOL Group. Following business school, Peggy worked for C Space and then joined CBS Interactive, where she was responsible for the monetization strategy of CNET Download.com, then, the highest trafficked CBSi site. Peggy holds a MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Communication Studies from Northwest-ern University.

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Sample Questions for Mentors and Mentees

• What was your first job?

• What advice would you give to someone going for a job interview at your organization?

• Are there one or two organizations you would recommend I get involved with? Why?

• What do you think we need to do to improve the business atmosphere in Boston?

• What advice would you tell your 25-year-old self?

• Did you have a mentor or coach? What qualities/attributes made them your mentor and

what did they teach you?

• Who do you look up to in business/life and why?

• What’s your favorite way to unwind? What do you do for fun? How do you de-stress?

• Who do you ask for advice or support from?

• Do you have rules to live by to stay balanced in business and home?

• What’s your personal motto?

#MentoringMonday

Notes

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