2011-2012 Board of Directors

Patricia Greene, Ph.D. - Chair Patricia Greene Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies, Babson College (Babson Park, MA) Dr. Patricia Greene is the former provost and dean of the undergraduate school at Babson College. She previously held The Ewing Marion Kauffman/Missouri Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and served as Scholar in Residence at the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Patti's research focuses on the identification, acquisition, and combination of entrepreneurial resources, particularly by women and minority entrepreneurs. She is a founding member of the Diana Project, a research group focusing on women and the venture capital industry. Her current Babson assignment is as the National Academic Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative and advisor to the 10,000 Women program.

Beverly Holmes - Immediate Past Chair Beverly Holmes Founder and President, B A Holmes & Associates Beverly Holmes is a business leader, strategist, author and activist for women and their financial security. In December, she completed a 25-year career with MassMutual Financial Group. She was honored with her company's prestigious President's Leadership Award in 2000 after the successful creation, development and growth of a business designed to provide 401(k) retirement plans to small and medium size businesses. Under her leadership the new retirement business grew to $4 billion of assets under management. Today it continues as a profitable, growth business for the company. She has a passion for and interest in economic development opportunities for women and has traveled nationally and internationally speaking and advising on economic and retirement security solutions for women. She is a board member of WISER (Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement) and one of the first inductees into the Twenty First Century Women Business Leaders Hall of Fame by Bay Path College. She holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree from Southern New Hampshire University and Cambridge College respectively

Margaret Smith - Treasurer and Former Chair Margaret Smith President, Domus (Los Gatos, CA) Margaret Smith is the CEO of Domus, one of the San Francisco Bay Area s largest independently owned kitchen and home accessories stores. In 2000, the Women s Hall of Fame recognized her work as a past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and for her work in helping establish a billion-dollar loan fund for women entrepreneurs with Wells Fargo Bank. In 1997, Margaret was elected as one of five world wide vice presidents of Les Femme Chefs D Entreprises Mondiales, a 50 year old international organization representing women entrepreneurs from 38 countries.

Sheila Brooks - Vice-Chair for Public Policy Sheila Brooks Founder, President and CEO, SBR Communications, LLC (Washington, DC) Sheila Brooks is an Emmy-award winning journalist, entrepreneur, and dedicated advocate for minority and women's issues and small businesses. Ms. Brooks is founder, president and CEO of SRB Communications, LLC, a full-service media and communications agency and post-production facility in Washington, DC. Celebrating 19 years in business, SRB Communications is an award-winning agency that provides creative, branding, and post-production services for the client s print, broadcast and online needs. The agency specializes in social and community issues, especially diversity, education, health care, the environment and public policy. SRB Communications primarily produces and manages cross-platform advertising and integrated communications campaigns for a diverse group of clients, including some of the nation's leading corporations, the Federal government, municipalities, the military, nonprofit organizations and political candidates. Prior to starting her company in 1990, Ms. Brooks built a distinguished television career as a news director, reporter, anchor, and documentary producer at CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox owned-and operated and affiliate TV stations across the country. She has won many awards for journalism excellence and entrepreneurship, and she is a nationally recognized speaker on women and business issues. She serves as National Spokesperson for "Accelerating the Growth of Businesses Owned by Women of Color" Research Project, a multi-year research effort to help "women of color" entrepreneurs grow their businesses, sponsored by the Center for Women's Business Research and Babson College. Ms. Brooks has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a major in broadcast journalism from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Master of Arts degree in political science from Howard University in Washington, DC. She is an alumna of the Leadership Greater Washington program, the Minority Business Executive Programs at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business and Dartmouth College's Amos Tuck School of Business.

Candida Brush, Vice-Chair for Research Candida Brush Professor of Entrepreneurship, Babson College (Babson Park, MA) Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division, holds the Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurship, and visiting Adjunct to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Dr. Brush has authored four books, four edited volumes and more than 90 publications. A recent book, Clearing the Hurdles, provides strategies and approaches for growth oriented women entrepreneurs. Her research investigates women's growth businesses and resource acquisition strategies of in emerging ventures. She is a founding member of the Diana Project International, which is the 2007 recipient of the FSF-NUTEK International Research Award for Outstanding Contribution to Entrepreneurship Research. She was recently acknowledged as a 21st Century Scholar by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers. Dr. Brush serves on several for profit and non-profit boards, and is a frequent mentor for doctoral students and entrepreneurs.

Gail McDonald - Vice-Chair for Board Development Partner, St. Charles Consulting Group, LLC. (Dallas, TX) Gail McDonald is a Partner of St. Charles Consulting Group, LLC., a management consulting firm that specializes in executive coaching, team coaching, outcome-driven meeting facilitation, and organizational assessment. Previously, she served as senior vice president of human resources and senior vice president of government affairs and communications at Ryder System, Inc. and held various human resources roles at Xerox Corporation, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and Bankers Trust Corporation. She is a past president of the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She holds a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a master's degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Kathleen K. Diamond - Secretary Consultant, Language Access and Entrepreneurship (Washington, DC) Kathleen Diamond is consultant, entrepreneur, and business leader in the language services industry. In 1979, she founded Language Learning Enterprises, Inc. (LLE ), a full-service language company based in Washington, D.C. Over the next 30 years, the company grew from a sole proprietorship to a dynamic, multimillion dollar corporation, serving a wide range of clients, in both the private and public sectors, across the United States, and worldwide. In 2009, LLE was acquired by CyraCom International. Today, Kathleen continues her work advocating for the importance, and relevance of language services, as Commissioner on the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), member of the Leadership Council of the Association of Language Companies (ALC), and serving as Membership Secretary of ASTM F43 Language Services and Products. Kathleen also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Center for Women's Business Research. She earned her M.A. and B.A. from the University of Florida, and is an alumna of IES Abroad, Nantes, France. She is fluent in both Spanish and French.

Denise Evans Denise Evans was named Market Development Executive for Small & Medium Business in the IBM Corporation, April 2006. She leads a team of market development executives responsible for the strategy and marketing to Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Black and women owned businesses and IBM Suppliers in North America. She also markets to women owned, led and influenced businesses in select countries worldwide. Prior to her current position, Denise served globally as Director of e-Relationship Marketing for ibm.com, Director of Customer Loyalty for IBM and Director of e-business for IBM Enterprise Systems Group. Denise has served in numerous global leadership and executive positions in IBM marketing and sales for 33+ years. Her marketing experience includes customer and e-relationship marketing, customer loyalty, eBusiness on demand-now Smarter Planet, diversity marketing and social media marketing. Denise was named a Sequoyah Fellow by the American Indian Engineering and Science Society in 2006. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Native American Chamber of Commerce, the Women Presidents Organization, the Center for Women's Business Research and the Executive Board of Directors for the National Council of Better Business Bureaus. Denise is active in her community where she serves on the National Advisory Council of the Center for Excellence in Education and is a Lifetime Member of the Girl Scouts. She is a mentor to many in marketing and sales. Denise earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Economics from Brown University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She resides in Chevy Chase, MD with her husband, Norman and daughter, Allison.

Susan Duffy Dr. Susan Duffy teaches entrepreneurship, management, and organizational behavior courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and is committed to creating learning experiences that change students' lives. Professor Duffy is first and foremost an entrepreneur and has brought opportunity-based thinking and behavior to work as a university professor, an association director, a business owner, and a consultant. She has won numerous awards for teaching, service and leadership. She is recognized as a source of thought and initiative in advancing entrepreneurship, developing innovative education programs, and delivering system-wide value in diverse organizations. Professor Duffy earned her Ph.D. from the George Washington University (GWU) in Management and Organization, a Master's Degree in Applied Behavioral Science from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition Science from the Pennsylvania State University. At Simmons College she serves as the Director of the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship program and faculty advisor of the CEO club and the student-run Edun Live on Campus fair-trade apparel company. While completing her doctorate, Dr. Duffy was a member of the GWU Department of Management faculty where she served as the Executive Director of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) and founded the GWU Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) initiative. WEL was subsequently recognized as the National Model Specialty Program in Entrepreneurship Education by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Currently, Dr. Duffy serves on the board of directors of the International Council for Small Business and the Center for Women's Business Research. She also volunteers as an instructor in Venturing Out, a Massachusetts non-profit corporation that teaches entrepreneurship to incarcerated and court-involved adults and high-risk youth. Before entering academia, Dr. Duffy was co-owner of a family business commercial construction company and owned and operated the Ho-Lee-Chow Chinese Food franchise restaurant. She has held leadership positions in health care and worked as an organizational consultant and trainer in private and public work systems.

Helen Hodges Helen Hodges President, SSCI (Houston, TX) Helen Hodges has over 28 years of public and private sector experience in environmental construction and consulting, training, and project management. As owner and operator of SSCI, she has served as manager for environmental remediation projects, including emergency response, groundwater remediation and control, demolition and decommissioning, LPST abatements and removal, subsurface investigations, RI/FSs and RD/RAs (State and Federal Superfunds), detention and storm water facility construction, and storm recovery and reconstruction projects. More recently, general construction and infrastructure repair have been added to SSCI's services. Ms. Hodges awards include Top 50 Women Business Owner, Top 25 Women Business Owner, Woman of the Year, and Woman of Excellence.

Diahann Lassus,CFP , CPA/PFS Diahann Lassus, CFP, CPA/PFS Co-Founder and President, Lassus Wherley (New Providence, NJ and Bonita Springs, FL) Lassus Wherley is a Fee-Only wealth management firm with expertise in financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, trust services, and family office support. Lassus Wherley works with individuals, couples, families, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities. Using a team approach that was developed over more than 25 years, Lassus Wherley has helped hundreds of clients build secure financial futures and achieve peace of mind. Lassus Wherley is a nationally certified Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Diahann is recognized in the industry as a pioneer of the Fee-Only profession and among the profession's most influential members. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the nation's leading organization dedicated to the advancement of Fee-Only, comprehensive financial planning, awarded Diahann the 2010 Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award. Diahann served as a member of NAPFA's National Board, chaired the organization's Industry Issues Committee, and served as the 2008-2009 National Chair. Diahann serves as a representative of NAPFA on the Financial Planning Coalition where in 2009 she testified before the House Committee on Financial Services in Washington, DC, on regulation of the financial planning profession. Diahann also serves on the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Rothman Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Advisory Board. She has served on the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Board of Directors and was National President from 1996-1999. Diahann has been recognized in many ways for her numerous contributions to her profession, clients and consumers, including being named among the 2011 Leading Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners in New Jersey by Own It Ventures and New Jersey Monthly, one of the 2011 50 Top Women in Wealth by AdvisorOne, a 2012 and 2011 FIVE STAR Wealth ManagerSM by New Jersey Monthly magazine, one of 150 Top Advisors for Doctors by Medical Economics three times, and one of Worth Magazine's Top Financial Advisors 7 times beginning with the first list in 1994. In 2010 Diahann was recognized at the Rothman Institute's 20th Anniversary Celebration as the inaugural speaker for the Female Entrepreneur Lecture series. Earlier this year the Rothman Institute re-launched their 20th Anniversary compilation book, Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Global Insights from 24 Leaders. Chapter 18, "Creating a Business from Scratch," is an excerpt from Diahann's inaugural speech in March, 2004. Diahann serves as an informal mentor to many women, providing advice, referrals and overall support to women in all stages of their careers and lives.

Francine Manilow Founder and CEO, Manilow Suites (Chicago, IL) Francine Manilow is Founder and CEO of Manilow Suites, the first company in the nation to offer upscale short-term corporate housing incorporating hotel-quality services and amenities. A 30-year old business, Manilow Suites has grown from seven residence units to more than 200 elegantly appointed apartments in Chicago's most prestigious and luxurious buildings, and it serves a varied marketplace ranging from CEOs and executives to entertainment and sports figures. Francine is credited with coining the term "corporate housing," and now, three decades later, Manilow Suites is still the leader and trendsetter in the industry it created. Francine has long been regarded as a pioneering entrepreneur always seeking innovative ways to make things better. She became a "serial entrepreneur" long before that epithet crept into American business vernacular. Concurrent with a long career as a full-time flight attendant, she created and ran a number of innovative business ventures that came from her ability to see a need and a profitable way to fulfill it. In 1966 she formed her first corporation, employing stewardesses on their days off to work exhibit booths at trade shows in 16 cities. Two years later, she expanded her trade show offerings with another first-of-its-kind concept: providing business services to trade show and convention participants a concept that presaged the elaborate business centers now commonly seen in convention and exhibit halls. In the early 1970s, she employed housewives to conduct food tastings in supermarkets, a first in the Chicagoland area and also a business that provided a good source of supplementary income for wives and mothers. By the mid 1970s, Manilow formed Rapidfoto, the first company to offer next day film developing in Chicago and the first company to offer color photos on T-shirts. Later, following the establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Francine opened a retail business in Cancun, Mexico, selling American made linens. Among her many honors for business achievement and community service, Francine is a 2010 inductee into the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, winner of both the 2008 Tower of Excellence Provider and the Member of the Year awards given by the Corporate Housing Provider Association, and winner of 2007 Office Depot Businesswoman of the Year award. In addition, she is an Advisory Board member and Illinois Team Leader for Women Impacting Public Policy.

Susan Peterson (Emeritus) Susan Peterson President, The Communication Center / Susan Peterson Productions Inc. (Washington, DC) Susan Peterson is president of The Communication Center, a media and presentation training company that she founded in 1983 after a decade of experience as a network television correspondent for CBS and NBC News. She is a past chair of the Board of Directors at the Center and is a member of Leadership Washington, a prominent organization of leaders the Washington DC area. Peterson is a graduate of the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. She received the 1998 Leadership Award from the Capital Chapter of American Women in Radio and TV.