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Kathy Aaronson - Sales Athlete Executive Search
Kathy Aaronson is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sales Athlete Executive Search, and author of The Golden Apple (John Wiley & Sons, Inc), Selling on the Fast Track, How to Become a Sales Athlete (Putnam/Berkley), and the acclaimed, Kathy Aaronson's Compensation Guide (SW7, Ltd). She began her executive sales career with Cosmopolitan magazine and went on to spearhead the sales and marketing efforts as Advertising Director of Fairchild's "W", and the founding Marketing Executive of Working Woman magazine before turning her full time efforts to Sales Athlete Executive Search. Sales Athlete Executive Search is a premier executive search firm based in Beverly Hills and New York. They partner with leading global brands and diverse industries in need of high performing sales, marketing, and management talent.

Gloria Allred - Allred, Moroko & Goldberg
Gloria Allred is a founding partner of the law firm of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg. Her law firm handles cases involving employment discrimination, including sex, race, age, physical handicap, sexual orientation discrimination, Aids discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. The firm is also well-known for their work on behalf of victims in civil rights, rape, child sexual abuse and murder cases. Over the course of her 30 year career, Gloria has won countless honors for her pioneering legal work on behalf of women's rights and rights for minorities. Gloria is the most famous woman attorney practicing law in the nation today, a tireless and successful advocate whose high-profile legal battles on behalf of victims whose rights have been violated have led to many landmark precedent-setting court decisions and hundreds of millions of dollars which she has won for her clients.

Jane Arnault - JurEcon, Inc.
Jane Arnault founded the company in 1981 with the goal of offering highly credentialed economics, finance and statistics experts to the business and legal communities. She helps diagnose problems and identifies for clients the best expertise and expert team for a particular matter. Jane has lectured and written about topics in economics and litigation consulting for the State Bar of California, California Continuing Education of the Bar, and economic journals. She has been a Public Member on the State Bar of California's Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) since 2003. Jane is a former professor of economics and former consultant to the Rand Corporation. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the California Chamber Commerce, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Center Dance Associates of the Music Center of Los Angeles, the Council of Advisors for a large health corporation, and Executive Committee of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation section of the Los Angeles County Bar.

Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire - Berkhemer Clayton, Inc.
Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire leads the corporate communications, public relations and marketing specialty practices of Berkhemer Clayton, Inc. She has three decades of management experience in corporate communications and public relations.  Prior to establishing Berkhemer Clayton, she launched and built one of the largest independent public relations agencies in Los Angeles, Berkhemer & Kline, which handled national public relations for Nintendo, Toshiba, Southwest Airlines, Price Waterhouse, Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream, Mrs. Fields Cookies, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, and Rebuild Los Angeles.  Berkhemer & Kline was acquired by national PR firm Golin/Harris. She and Fred Clayton founded Berkhemer Clayton in 1994. Betsy has served as Board President and Chair of both NAWBO-LA and the Foundation.

Sue Bohle - The Bohle Company
Sue Bohle is a highly regarded public relations professional. She started her career at Burson-Marsteller, the world's largest public relations agency. She was then hired by the J. Walter Thompson Co. to help the firm develop a PR presence in Los Angeles. Within three years, she became JWT's first vice president on the West Coast and a year later, the first woman in Los Angeles to be named general manager of an office of an international PR firm. In 1979, Sue decided to open her own public relations firm. Today, The Bohle Company is one of the 50 largest independent PR agencies in the country and the largest technology-focused firm in Southern California. Active professionally, Sue is both a member and former chair of the College of Fellows, PRSA, an honor bestowed on professionals judged to be role models in the PR industry. She is also past chairman of the Counselors Academy, a national organization of heads of agencies, as well as past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of Public Relations Society of America.

Karen Caplan and Frieda Caplan - Frieda's, Inc.
At age 30 in 1986, Karen Caplan became the President & CEO of Frieda’s Inc., the nation’s leading marketer and distributor of specialty produce. As the first born daughter of entrepreneur Frieda Caplan, the company’s founder, Karen propelled the company to the forefront of the produce industry with annual sales now exceeding $30 million. Not only has Karen served as President of NAWBO-LA, but she has been highly involved in the industry serving on the Boards of the Fresh Produce and Floral Council, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and the Produce Marketing Association. Ms. Caplan has also been honored with many awards, including “Business Woman of the Year” for the National Association of Women Business Owners, and was named the 1996 Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Women in Business Advocate for the Western United States. Frieda Caplan has spent 38 fruitful years in business founding the first woman-owned and operated wholesale produce company in the U.S. Her marketing abilities became recognized worldwide with her success in introducing and promoting the Kiwifruit in the U.S. Some of her honors include being elected vice president of the national Produce Marketing Association in 1972. Frieda has also received the UCLA Professional Achievement Award. In 1986, Frieda was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Frieda’s Inc. In 1987 Frieda was selected as an outstanding California Woman in Business by California’s former Governor Deukmejian. She is a member of the Vegetable Research & Information Center Advisory Committee at UC Davis. A veteran of network radio and television, Frieda was the original Greengrocer on ABC-TV.

Barbara Sayre Casey - Casey & Sayre
Barbara Sayre Casey is Chairman/CEO of Casey & Sayre, a Los Angeles-based public relations and communications consulting firm that advises businesses and professional firms. The firm is one of the largest independent and most highly respected public relations firms in the Los Angeles area. Barbara is the guiding spirit of the firm, recognized for its strategic thinking, innovative concepts, strong media relations, and ability to communicate serious issues. Founded in 1980, Casey & Sayre is a full service public relations consulting organization with a focus on professional services, a pioneering initiative at that time. The firm's first clients were Korn/Ferry International, the world's leading executive search firm, and Kenneth Leventhal & Company, a major national accounting firm. Longstanding relationships are a hallmark of the firm with the majority of its clients on board for five years or more. Several are 20-year clients.

Peggy Tsiang Cherng, Ph.D. - Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.
Peggy Tsiang Cherng and her husband, Andrew Cherng are the Co-Chairwoman/man of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., which includes Panda Inn, Panda Express and Hibachi-San. The first Panda Inn restaurant opened in 1973, serving gourmet Mandarin and Szechwan cuisine in an upscale, casual-dining atmosphere. Today, the family-owned Panda Restaurant Group has more than 1,200 locations and employs a team of more than 18,000 associates and oversees its successful restaurants throughout 37 states and Puerto Rico. Due to the success of Panda Express, the largest Chinese fast food chain in the U.S., Panda Restaurant Group had annual revenues of more than $1 billion in 2007 and 2008. Panda has achieved 11 consecutive years of same store sales growth, averaging 5% over that time. Additionally, Panda's net sales have grown by a compounded annual rate of 20% over the last 5 years.

Ellen Daigle - Ellen's Silkscreening & Embroidery
In 1978, Ellen Daigle opened shop and began silkscreen printing in her garage, where she worked for 6 years before she made the move to her shop in South Pasadena. As her business grew steadily, Ellen's big break came during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. That contract, along with the boom in the T-shirt industry, helped propel her company forward. Ellen's mission is to keep her customers satisfied with the best customer service and quality product. Ellen’s Silkscreening has been supplying t-shirts, hats, and promotional materials to Pasadena businesses and non-profits for more 30 years. They do all the embroidery and silkscreening on the premises.

Brenda French - French Rags
Entrepreneur Brenda French is the founder and former CEO of Colorknits Inc., dba French Rags™, a fashion design company that specialized in “MASS CUSTOMIZED KNITWEAR”. Brenda headed the multi-million dollar company and led the fashion industry in the new concept of merchandising directly to the customer. A native of England, Brenda’s career in fashion began in New York in 1962. French Rags™ revolutionized the fashion industry by offering “mass customized” knitwear and led the industry in direct-to-consumer merchandising by selling the designer collection through independent wardrobe consultants, via trunk shows throughout the country.

Stacie Hunt and Sally Jewett - On the Scene Productions
Stacie Hunt, an Emmy award-winning radio and television host, launched On the Scene Productions in 1985, with her partner, Sally Jewett. OTSP pioneered the concept of electronic publicity for the music industry, producing the first ever-electronic publicity kit promoting a concert on behalf of singer Billy Joel. OTSP services included producing live concerts and events and delivering artists globally, via satellite, to traditional broadcast outlets as well internet portals and websites. On The Scene Productions had offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Nashville.

Susan Kendall - Kendall Frozen Fruits, Inc.
Susan Kendall is President of Kendall Frozen Fruits, Inc, pioneers in the development and marketing of specialty dried products and fruit concentrates. Originally founded in 1939 by Mort Kendall, Susan purchased the company from her father in 1976. Under her direction and management, the company grew tremendously. Kendall Frozen Fruits was named one of the top 50 women owned businesses in LA County. By working directly with growers, packers and customers, Kendall Frozen Fruits remains on the cutting edge of innovation and will continue expanding its presence both nationally and internationally. Ms. Kendall is politically active in the Women’s Democratic Leadership Forum and is involved in the 2000 Gore campaign. In recognition of her philanthropic contributions, Ms. Kendall was invited to join the Board of the Thalians Mental Health Center, run by Cedars Sinai Hospital.

Sue Laris - Los Angeles Downtown News
For almost 40 years, award-winning writer Sue Laris, founder of the Los Angeles Downtown News, has made her multimedia company an integral part of urban Los Angeles’ information network. Sue has also served as a member of more than 30 local and national public service organizations. In 1995 she became the first woman to chair the Central City Association. She has served on the Boards of Directors for the Central City Association, L.A. Convention & Visitors Bureau, Public Counsel and Grand Performances. She is a fourth generation Californian and a fourth generation female entrepreneur. Since 1972 Los Angeles Downtown News has been the voice of the Downtown community. Locally owned, Downtown News fills a unique and highly focused niche in the lives of the more than 150,000 readers.

Barbara Lazaroff - Imaginings Design & Spago/Chinois/Cut/Restaurant Group
Restaurateur and interior designer Barbara Lazaroff, A.S.I.D., is renowned for her innovative restaurant concepts. As President of Imaginings Interior Design, Inc., Lazaroff created the original concept and design of Spago. Lazaroff collaborated with her partner, chef Wolfgang Puck, to create and design a number of their restaurants, including the original Spago Hollywood, which was the 1994 recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s award for Restaurant of the Year. In that creation, Lazaroff launched a new concept in kitchen design by creating an exhibition kitchen, which has become very popular in restaurants today. With Puck, Lazaroff owns and operates Spago Beverly Hills, Spago Las Vegas, Spago Chicago, Spago Palo Alto, Spago at Four Seasons Resort Maui, Chinois On Main in Santa Monica, Granita in Malibu, Vert in Hollywood, Chinois and Trattoria del Lupo located in Las Vegas and Postrio in San Francisco and Las Vegas and the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Las Vegas.

Brenda Levin - Levin & Associates Architects
Born in the New York metropolitan area and educated in graphic design at Carnegie Mellon and New York Universities and in architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Brenda A. Levin, FAIA established her architecture and urban planning firm in downtown Los Angeles in 1980. Identified with the urban revitalization pioneers in the 1980s who were able to restore life to parts of the city that nearly everyone had written off, Barbara gained worldwide attention for her historic preservation and adaptive re-use work on some of the city's most beloved icons, including Bradbury and Oviatt buildings, Grand Central Market, Wiltern Theater, City Hall, and Griffith Observatory. Recent projects include the design of new institutional, commercial and multi-family housing facilities, including buildings at Occidental and Scripps Colleges; galleries at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Huntington; and housing at the Downtown Women's Center and Adams Congress Apartments. She and her firm have received many awards from the profession, business and government.

Mary Micucci - Along Came Mary
Founded in 1975 by Mary Micucci, Along Came Mary is now in its fourth decade of producing and catering events. ACM has been widely recognized as the architect of a groundbreaking style of event production that has revolutionized the field. The company has developed the concepts for Hollywood's most celebrated events and established new and innovative production and culinary standards in an industry known for its trendsetting. Mary and company is frequently credited as having set the standard for the modern movie premiere. In 1980, when she produced her first premiere party for Paramount’s “Popeye,” Mary didn’t realize she’d be setting a precedent for a $20 billion-a-year “party planning” industry. Today, ACM’s influence on event planners worldwide is seen by incorporating gourmet cuisine with sights, sounds and textures into a feast for the senses.

Anne Ready - Ready for Media
Anne Ready is distinguished on both sides of the industry from print journalism and talk show production to media strategy and communications coaching. With over 25 years of experience, Anne has coached corporate executives, celebrities and sports stars for interviews on the TODAY Show, 60 Minutes, Nightline, QVC, PC Week, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, Fortune, People Magazine, and countless infomercials, webcasts and satellite media tours. Anne began her career writing for the Chicago TRIBUNE, ADVERTISING AGE and the Los Angeles TIMES. In television, Anne was an Associate Producer for Regis Philbin. A published novelist and screenwriter, Anne Cooper Ready makes her own media and personal appearances with her latest non-fiction work on impromptu speaking from Career Press entitled, Off the Cuff, What to Say at a Moment's Notice.

Barbara (Bobbi) Rice - B.P. Rice & Company, Inc.
Established in 1979, B.P. Rice & Company is an advertising, public relations and marketing agency for business-to-business communications serving national and international clients including Fortune 100 businesses, non-profit organizations and e-commerce. Barbara has received honors including the Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses of L.A., Mobius International Advertising, AAF Silver Medal, Designer Best Exhibit & Best of Show –Lulus, and New York Festivals Awards. She is also a member of the American Advertising Federation; NAWBO-LA; Los Angeles Advertising Women; California State University – Fullerton, Endowment Council, School of Communications Advisory, and Executive Alumni, International Interior Design Association and Network of Executive Women in Hospitality.

Sandra J. Rygel - Laurel Grove Capital, LLC
Sandra J. Rygel is a Consultant at Laurel Grove Capital, LLC. Her expertise is in fixed income and asset allocation. A cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, she is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Investment Counselor. Her investment counseling career began at Scudder, Stevens & Clark where she was Vice President and Associate Director of their Short Term Asset Management Group. In 1983 she co-founded Payden & Rygel, a fixed income securities management firm, where she served as Executive Vice President. She is currently a Trustee of Gifts and Endowments at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, as well as Trustee for their pension plan and is a Library Advisor to the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity.

Deborah Sussman - Sussman/Prejza & Company, Inc.
Deborah Sussman is recognized as a pioneer of environmental graphic design for creating arresting visual imagery and designing its highly imaginative applications for architectural and public spaces. Her passion for the marriage of graphics and the built environment, fueled by her early career at the Eames Office, has led to collaborations with planners, architects and clients. Deborah's work, informed by perceptive observation and rigorous documentation of communities and cultures, has found its place in projects for cities, arts and entertainment venues, commercial developments and the private sector around the world. She began to work with architects in the late sixties and seventies; then incorporated as Sussman/Prejza & Co., with husband Paul Prejza. Deborah has led the firm in designing an array of notable projects.


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