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Transformational Women

Month: November 2011

Transformational Women Highlights Ann Cramer, Director IBM Corporate Affairs for the Americas

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We sat down to talk with Ann Cramer, Director IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs for the Americas. Listen in to the interview to hear about how a transformational leader truly aligns the work they do with their core passion and purpose and get her tips on how to influence powerfully without direct authority.

Ann Wilson Cramer, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a degree in mathematics and serves on its board.  She is with IBM Corporation as its Director for IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs for the Americas.  Ann and her husband, Jeff, their two children, Megan and Wil, are all active at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where Ann has served as Senior Warden of the Vestry. Ann started with IBM as a Systems Engineer in Jacksonville. After being “retired” from IBM for ten years, Ann returned to IBM in External Programs, now Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs.

Ann’s commitment to and involvement with children and youth has been a lifelong journey. Her current job with IBM allows her to continue her work with the improvement of conditions for families, because of IBM’s historic involvement with and investment in local communities.

IBM is committed to K-12 education, job training and employment, community and family services, literacy programs and support for the disabled and disadvantaged through its people and technology.  IBM employees are considered its strongest philanthropic asset in its approach to improve the communities in which they live and work. IBM’s primary emphasis is focused on education reform, especially related to the powerful use of solutions including services, software and technology as tools for learning.

In support of IBM’s primary focus areas, Ann currently serves as chair of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), the Carter Center Board of Councilors, Atlanta Partners for Education and the Council on Foundations Public Policy Committee and is on the Council’s board and past chair of Communities in Schools-Georgia, and the Georgia Chamber’s Education Committee, Voices for Georgia’s Children, and is on the Executive Committee for the US Chamber’s Institute for Competitive Workforce and BCLC, the Conference Board’s Business and Education Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber Education Committee and Project GRAD Board.   She serves on several non-profit organization boards including the Woodruff Arts Center,  the Alliance Theatre Company, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, the Georgia Center for NonProfits, Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,  the Georgia Chapter of the International Women’s Forum, UGA Board of Visitors, the Hands-on-Atlanta Advisory Board and the Atlanta Cities of Service board.  And currently chairs the Advisory Councils for the Alliance Theatre and Imagine-It the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.

In 2009, Ann was the first to receive the “Essence of Atlanta” Award at the 41st Anniversary of Outstanding Atlanta.  She was recently honored with the Georgia Center for Non-Profits 2011 Revolution Legendary Philanthropist Award and named by Atlanta Woman Magazine as the Power Woman of the Year,”25 Atlantans to Watch,” inducted into the Business Hall of Fame and awarded Georgia’s 1st Visionary Leadership Award,  Leadership Atlanta’s Legacy of Leadership Award, the Lexus Leader of the Arts, the Shining Star recognition from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the first Narrowing the Digital Divide Award, the Andrew Young  Public Policy and Faith award, Leading Ladies and Women Making the Mark distinctions, the Georgia Council for Economic Education’s prestigious VanLandingham Award, the Urban League’s 2000 Distinguished Community Service Award, the LifeTime Achievement in the Arts, Outstanding Achievement in Child Advocacy and she has received the 1988 11-Alive Community Service Award, the 1983 Georgia Volunteer of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Public Service Award; 1991 Alumnae Leadership Award for Salem College, and the 1990 DECA Award, one of ten outstanding business women in Atlanta.

Ann is past chair of the United Way of Metro-Atlanta, Research Atlanta, the Arts and Business Council; the WorldClass Schools Foundation; past president of the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. and was selected by the YWCA for its first Outstanding Women of Achievement Recognition in 1984.  She has participated in Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia and the Regional Leadership Institute, is a member of Outstanding Atlanta, and chaired Leadership Atlanta’s 25th Anniversary Celebration.   Also, she chaired the Volunteer Task Force for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), was appointed the public member and has served as the Chairman of the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Transformational Women Highlights Executives in Media & Cable TV

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We sat down today to talk with Veronica Sheehan, SVP Turner Broadcasting, Ann Hart VP Sales Digitalsmiths, and Kathy Hatala, President of WICT (Women In Cable & Telecommunications) and VP Business Development for Speakeasy. Hear us talk about what it takes to be an authentic leader, to articulate our personal brands, and to keep pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones.

Veronica Sheehan is Senior Vice President of Global Network Operations and International Information Technology (IT) for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), with executive oversight of U.S. Network Operations and International Operations and Technology in the Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East Africa (EMEA) regions. She is based in Atlanta and reports to Dan Darling, chief information officer for TBS, Inc.

Most recently Sheehan served as Senior Vice President of U.S. Network Operations for TBS, Inc., responsible for leading the broadcast operations, engineering, traffic and media management functions for Network Operations, the division that provides 24-hour technical and operational support for Turner Broadcasting’s entertainment networks, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, truTV, NBA-TV and NBA-TV International, as well as content offerings and products on numerous other platforms such as portable handsets, tablets, and the Web.

Sheehan joined Turner Broadcasting in 1999 as Director of broadcast operations and later that year moved to TBS, Inc.’s in-house production/post-production division, Turner Studios, where she served as vice president of operations and original productions. Previously, she was director of operations/division services for National Video Center/Recording Studios, Inc. in New York City.

Sheehan earned a bachelors degree in communications and journalism at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY and currently serves on the President’s Council, advising the college on the evolution of the cable and broadcast industry. She is the founding chair of TBS, Inc.’s business resource group, Turner Women Today, whose mission is to inspire, encourage and empower women to achieve their full potential. Currently, Turner Women Today has chapters in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles and plans to expand internationally. She is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). In 2002, WICT inducted her into the prestigious Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and in 2010, she was awarded the national honor of WICT “Woman to Watch.” For several years, Sheehan has served as the National Chapter Advisor for the WICT Atlanta Chapter and was named 2008 WICT “Chapter Advisor of the Year.” Since 2006, she has been named one of the most powerful women in technology by CableWorld magazine. In 2007, she was named to Atlanta Woman magazine’s “25 Power Women Awards” list and that same year also received WICT Atlanta’s Red Letter Catalyst Award for Women in Technology. Most recently, she was named one of the 2011 Working Mothers of the Year by Working Mother Magazine and was also awarded the 2011 Champion for Success by Dress for Success Atlanta.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Ann Hart is Vice President of Sales for Digitalsmiths, a technology leader in Video Search and Recommendations.  Ann is responsible for surfacing sales opportunities within the Telecommunication’s Industry with high caliber content owners and distributors.   Ann’s leadership within the Telecommunication’s industry has been spent building a diverse, multi-platform career.  The majority of her professional life was spent within the Weather Channel Companies in various Vice President roles in Distribution, Affiliate Sales, Strategic Marketing and Promotions.

She transitioned a 14-year career within the Distribution group and moved over into The Weather Channel Interactive Digital Media Group.  This transformation allowed Ann to maximize her skill set and exposed her to Fortune 500 brands where she developed strategies to drive revenue for digital platforms including weather.com and Mobile.  After leaving weather.com, Ann was hired by Digitalsmiths to “open doors” within the Cable industry.   Throughout her career, she has been recognized for securing strategic partnerships, strengthening value proposition and sales solutions across multiple industries to achieve revenue and marketing goals.  Digitalsmiths has opened new doors within the technology side of the business and empowered Ann to grow and transition her skills into a new industry.

Ann has been recognized for her personal and professional philanthropic volunteer work including Women in Cable & Telecommunications and Cable Positive (HIV/AIDS Education).  She is a fellow in the prestigious WICT Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Board of the National Parkinson’s Unity Walk, playing key roles in fundraising on both the local and national level.  Ann received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Radio, TV, Film from Oklahoma State University and currently resides in Marietta, GA.  Ann is married and has a 16 year-old son.    About Digitalsmiths
Digitalsmiths is the technology leader in the rapidly growing segment of video search and recommendations. Digitalsmiths Seamless Discovery™, revolutionized the accuracy and ease with which end-users find relevant, personalized entertainment across multiple channels and devices. Digitalsmiths has become a competitive edge and trusted resource for customers such as Warner Bros, Paramount, Technicolor, Turner, the NBA and NASCAR.

Kathy Hatala is VP Business Development for Speakeasy. She has been in the cable television industry for 25 years. Most recently, she was Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Turner Network Sales (TNS), the domestic distribution arm of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.  As Vice President, Kathy was responsible for staff management and distribution activities of Turner’s 10 networks, focusing on top cable affiliates: Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision and Mediacom. In addition, she oversaw the execution of strategic marketing promotions designed to maximize exposure for Turner networks through affiliate partnerships. Prior to Turner, Kathy worked for Nickelodeon (MTVN) as VP Affiliate Marketing, MTV Networks as Director of National Accounts, and The Weather Channel as Manager, Local Ad Sales. Kathy has been an active member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) serving on the SE Chapter Board as Director of Mentoring for 2 years, Vice President of the chapter in 2010 and now President of the WICT Southeast Chapter for 2011. In 2009, she was a recipient of the WICT Southeast Red Letter Award for Mentoring.

Transformational Women Highlights Social Media Experts Judi Knight, Diane Kaufman, Cynthia Rogers

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What are the top 2-3 social media tools that actually drive business revenue? Hear from our 3 entrepreneur CEO’s their story and their tips on how they have grown their business with social media.

Judi Knight is a successful entrepreneur. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, was the CEO of a Medical Records Software Company, and designed and built award winning real estate projects in Atlanta’s historic districts. Over the last few years, Judi parlayed her valuable business, coaching, technology and design skills into the creation of New Tricks where she and her team work with small businesses and entrepreneurs to create an on online presence that reflects their business brand and converts visitors into sales. Not only does New Tricks set up creative, useable WordPress websites, they train their clients to use new technologies and social media tools to reach their business goals.
Judi is the co- coordinator of the WordPress Users Meetup Group with over 800 members, Co-organizer of WordCamp Atlanta 2012 and speaks and consults with organizations on topics such as web design and social media marketing. You can visit her website at http://newtricks.com, or find her on Twitter @judiknight.

Diane Willard Kaufman is Head Mermaid and founder of Mermaid Cottages Vacation Rentals on Historic Tybee Island, GA.  Her collection of cozy cottages and historic home are mostly pet friendly , all include WiFi and were created and  designed to offer her guests the best vacation experience ever!  She has been in business for 6 1/2 years starting with one home and now managing 45 properties.  She retired from her previous career with Marriott International after 26 years working in all phases of the hotel business.  Her last 10 years included handling some of Marriott’s largest National Accounts as well training in destination sales and marketing with Marriott’s hotels around the world.  She has literally traveled the globe with Marriott but her favorite place to be in Tybee Island!  She is very active in her community including the Tybee Tourism Council, Historic Savannah Foundation’s Preservation Fest Month,  SUGA (Savannah Urban Garden Alliance) and Sea Turtle Conservation thru the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.    She graduated from the University of Maryland with BS in Business Administration and major in Marketing.  She is a certified Business Coach , coached during her Marriott career and now working with vacation rental clients as a  coach and consultant thru her new business, Island Dog Consulting.   She has grown her brand to include Beach Bum Dog Biscuits with proceeds going to sponsoring service and guide dogs and Mermaid Morning Bliss Coffee which proceeds going toward sea turtle preservation.   She has bought, restored and sold 12 houses on Tybee Island and just purchased her first historic cottage built in 1889 in downtown Savannah. Diane is the proud mother to daughter Katie who lives and works in Brevard, NC,  two labs, Danny a retired guide dog and Sophie a rescue lab. 

Cynthia Rogers is CEO of Strategy+Innovation. Cynthia is a digital business and ecommerce strategist focused on growth and innovation. She’s applied her transformational skills to startups and turnarounds as both an executive and entrepreneur for Fortune 100 and venture-backed companies. Besides helping companies  do business online, she’s expert at building collaborative partnership ecosystems and high energy, high functioning teams.

Cynthia’s leadership roles and projects in consumer and business categories range from healthcare, retail and media to hospitality, telecom and financial services. She’s worked with such brands as Verizon, Humana, JCPenney, Zagat, HP, Avon, P&G, General Mills, Turner Entertainment, NBC-TV, and the European Union.

 

Transformational Women Highlights Kelly Regal, EVP Turner Broadcasting System

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We sat down with Kelly Regal, EVP of Turner Broadcasting System to discuss what it takes to succeed in corporate careers as well as hear her personal story. Listen in on what it takes to climb the corporate ladder, to make a great career transition, and to be both successful and fulfilled in the work you do. Here’s more background on Kelly Regal.

Kelly Regal is Executive Vice President of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.).  Her leadership portfolio includes the company’s programming and sales research; public relations, corporate communications and philanthropy; human resources; and media strategy and buying functions.  In addition, she directs wide-ranging strategic and operating initiatives bridging Turner’s global news; entertainment; animation, young adult & kids; and sports networks and businesses.  Regal is based in Atlanta and reports to Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS, Inc.

Regal joined the company in 1996 as employment counsel, overseeing employment litigation and related matters including contracts, policy development and consistent enforcement of day-to-day employment policies.  She was promoted to senior counsel in January 1998, with subsequent promotions leading to her being named executive vice president in March 2003.

Prior to joining TBS, Inc., Regal was an attorney with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Boston College and a juris doctor degree from Boston College Law School. Regal is a member of the national board of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the Georgia Bar Association.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Transformational Women Highlights CEO’s Genevieve Bos and Judy Willis

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We sat down today with CEO’s Genevieve Bos and Judy Willis who, in addition to being serial entrepreneurs and CEO’s of their companies, also are serial power networkers. Hear their advice and wisdom on how to transform your business with a powerful network and how to be powerful in growing your own business.

Genevieve Bos is CEO and Global Connector of People and Ideas at IdeaString.  An accomplished entrepreneur, she has started and sold multiple venture-backed and privately held corporations in the technology and media sectors. Genevieve has been featured sharing her success and start-up secrets in Forbes, CBS Good Morning, NBC, CNBC, WE TV and CNN. Genevieve is also known for launching and successfully running then selling the publishing lifestyle brand PINK (www.littlepinkbook.com), created exclusively for today’s professional woman that has been described as “Fortune Meets Oprah.” Genevieve’s newest venture, www.IdeaString.com is is a place where people come together to connect, collaborate and create valuable world-changing ideas. A cloud-based service, it harnesses the thinking power of groups, then manages, promotes and evaluates the best ideas for innovation and business process optimization. With her celebrated international business background and various board, executive and business interests, Genevieve is a sought after speaker for organizations like Cisco, Dell, Morgan Stanley, GE, Ernst & Young, The Home Depot, KPMG, The Coca- Cola Company, Johnson & Johnson, Harvard University, and many more. She is also a regular guest lecturer Emory University’s MBA program.

Judy Willis is the President & CEO of Judy Willis Marketing, LLC. Pulling from both sides of her brain, Judy has the ability to quickly analyze complex business situations and determine the best course of action to meet and exceed client goals and expectations. Having been a pre‐med student with a minor in fine arts undergraduate, and having earned her MBA in Marketing, Judy has been combining the art and science of marketing for over 27 years. During her career, Judy has successfully identified and solved strategic internal and customer-facing marketing challenges for hundreds of companies, including UPS, LexisNexis, IHG, Procter & Gamble, GTE, SITA, IBM, Disney, Square D/Schneider Electric, NCR, TSYS, Merck, Delphi, Per‐Se Technologies, Georgia‐Pacific, Cox Enterprises, Fujitsu, Johnson & Johnson, and United Healthcare. She has a proven track record in the areas of strategic marketing, integrated communications, social media, market research, sales support, direct marketing, business consulting, finance, and business management experience with entrepreneurial businesses, advertising agencies and design firms, as well as large Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to starting her second company, Judy Willis Marketing, LLC, Judy headed up Porter Novelli’s Consumer Practice for the Atlanta office.  Porter Novelli (PN) is a global public relations firm that is part of the publically-traded Omnicom family of companies. While with PN, Judy led all new business development, business operations, P&L, market research, client services, talent management and support for the practice.  Judy also directed and managed the PN Atlanta Digital & Social Media Group, and served as the Interim Chief Marketing Officer for one of Porter Novelli’s Fortune 500 clients, Asbury Automotive Group.

Prior to joining Porter Novelli, Judy was the Chief Marketing Officer of Merge Agency.  Prior to joining Merge, Judy was President, CEO and Co‐Founder of Bright Impact, Inc., a strategic branding firm that specialized in business‐to‐business marketing for companies in technology, health care, manufacturing and professional services. Judy has also held a series of high‐level marketing, advertising and consulting positions with several notable companies, such as Foote, Cone and Belding (Vicom/FCB) and LexisNexis.

Judy has been on the Board of the Georgia Executive Women’s Network (GEWN) and served as Board President in 2006. Judy is also very active in the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and has served as a Judge for the Emory Goizueta Business School Marketing Strategy Competition. Judy earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology/Pre‐Med from Mt. Holyoke College, and her Master’s in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Connecticut.

Transformational Women Highlights Karen See, Susan O’Dwyer and Mary Barton

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Do you know how to grow your business in these tough times? If you’re wanting to start a business, what are the critical traits required to be an entrepreneur? Hear from powerful business developers who know how to Pitch Like A Girl and win!

Karen See is co-founder of two companies: Abovo Partners, an opportunity catalyst consulting firm specializing in fund-raising and sponsor/member strategy for not-for-profits, trade associations, political and educational organizations. With her partner, based in Washington, D.C., they have worked for such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute’s National Zoological Park, National Institute of Health, AARP, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, the National Commission on Orthotics & Prosthetics Eduction, Merrill Lynch, and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

ClarityClose, is a strategic win consulting firm for business-to-business enterprises who have complex selling environments. Working with executive teams, the firm focuses on ensuring successful “sales closings” by conducting win/loss performance audits and analysis, “deal-based” strategic planning, competitive differentiator messaging, and sales material asset packaging. ClarityClose clients include Skanska, Datex Corporation, Carefx, North Highland Group, Prenova, and ThanksAgain.

Prior to starting ClarityClose, Karen was CEO of Abovo Group for over 11 years. Abovo Group, a marketing and branding firm reached $15 million in service fees and 70 employees within its first three years, earning the company a spot as the 7th fastest-growing, privately-held company and 4th fastest-growing, female-owned business in Atlanta. Karen’s corporate positions include serving as Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for HOK, Southeast Area Director of Marketing for KPMG, Director of Marketing Communications for First Data Corporation’s Health Systems Division, and as a sales representative for Xerox Corporation.

Karen has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, (including  three years as a member of the WIT board). She holds bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University.

Susan O’Dwyer is responsible for driving business development across the various sectors that her firm Habif, Arogeti &Wynne, LLC serves. She has over 30 years of experience with professional services firms, specifically in the high technology industry, in both Silicon Valley and Atlanta. Previously, she served as the National Director of Venture Capital Research for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ MoneyTree (a quarterly survey of over 1,000 venture capitalists that measured venture capital activity) throughout the country, including benchmarking work with various constituencies: venture capital investors, C-level executives of technology start-ups, governmental economic development units, universities, and the media. She was responsible for designing and managing all industry-focused, firm-sponsored events, including a major fund-raising effort for Tech High (Atlanta charter school), alumni relations and the “AJC Top 100” program. She also served, for 15 years, as the Program Director for the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. She represents HA&W in the community and performs liaison work with industry trade associations.

Susan received her BA degree from Fresno State University in Journalism. She is a Board Member of B&TA (Business & Technology Alliance), ICAPP (University System of Georgia’s economic development program), and GIFT (Georgia Industrial Fellowships for Teachers, a program of Georgia Institute of Technology). In addition, she is on the Executive Committee of the CEO High Tech Council and the chairperson of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Marketing Committee’s Venture Capital Program. She serves on the National Council for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and was a mentor for the 2011 Ambassadors class at High Tech Ministries. In addition she is on the Board of Advisors for InVasc Therapeutics, an Atlanta-based drug development company. She serves as President of the Georgia Alumni Chapter for Fresno State University. Susan is also a lifetime member of Sigma Delta Chi and Phi Kappa Phi.

In addition to her work, Susan is the proud mom of her kids including James O’Dwyer who was recently recognized by Nickolodeon TV in the work he did marshalling resources when Alabama was hit with tornadoes in April 2011. His work was followed by Taylor Swift who declared him her “hero”. More about this here. http://www.teennick.com/videos/clip/teennick-halo-awards-2011-hero-spot-taylor-swift.html

Mary Barton has been collaborating to reach marketing goals with clients for almost three decades. Her marketing communications expertise has expanded as the number of channels available to marketers grew. Today, she is expert at integrated marketing, lead generation, lead nurturing and getting the attention of C-level decision-makers. She has worked with an impressive list of clients in many industries including:

  • Manhattan Associates, a recognized leader in supply chain software.
  • Fiserv, a multi-billion dollar financial leader.
  • Porsche North America, one of the finest luxury automobiles in the world.
  • Motorola, an innovator in smartphone technology and more.
  • Coca-Cola, consistently lauded as one of the world’s most recognized brands.

Mary occupies a unique position, because she has run her own successful business plus she has worked in the corporate world. Currently, she is a Senior Account Executive at Standard Press. Mary chose to come on-board at this long-time leader in print because they are an innovative company committed to providing customers with strategic thinking, flawless execution and a superior customer experience. At Standard Press, Mary is able to leverage her knowledge about marketing and print to create campaigns that get results.

Prior to her position at Standard Press, Mary was CEO of Mary Barton Productions. She grew the company from the start-up phase with $0.00 sales to a thriving business that employed 12 people and had over $3.5 million in billings.  In 2006, Mary merged her business into a $55 million dollar company. After it experienced an unexpected economic event, she came to Standard Press.

Over the years, Mary has given back to the community in many ways. She has served on the board for the Business Marketing Association, and also chaired the print committee for Share Our Strength, an organization committed to overcoming hunger. She’s also been involved in Women in Technology, the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia and High Tech Ministries.

Mary’s personal philosophy about client and personal relations has served her well over the years. She believes you should surround yourself with the best people, operate with integrity in the client’s best interests and be passionate about what you do. Mary believes that what you give will come back, so give to the fullest extent.