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Eight outstanding women were recipients of the first Enterprising Women Advocacy Award, presented to acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of women who have provided vision and outreach to the women business owners’ community through service in government, non-profit organizations or for-profit organizations that provide networking and education to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Award winners included:
- LezLee Westine and Cynthia Williams for their work at the White House with the Office of Public Liaison during the first administration of President Bush. Their outreach, communication and advocacy on behalf of the women business owners’ community provided significant assistance to the major organizations that represent the interests of women business owners, including Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and the Business Women’s Network (BWN), among others.
- Patty Forbes, former Chief of Staff, Senate Small Business Committee, and top advisor to Senator John Kerry (D-MA). As chief counsel for the Committee on Small Business, Forbes brought over 18 years of small business experience to her position and was a strong advocate for women entrepreneurs.
- Gelly Borromeo, president of the National Council of Asian American Business Associations (NCAABA), the largest membership organization for Asian-American business owners with more than 380,000 members. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Enterprise magazine, disseminating valuable information to the growing number of Asian entrepreneurs and serving as a role model for Asian women in business.
- Leslie Grossman and Andrea March, founders of the Women’s Leadership Exchange, an organization that provides women entrepreneurs with access to tools and connections that fuel business growth. The Women’s Leadership Exchanges hosts educational conferences throughout the year in New York, Dallas, Chicago, Long Beach/Los Angeles, and Atlanta, for established women business owners with enterprises that have revenues from $750,000 to $25 million.
- Molly Barker, founder of the non-profit organization, Girls on the Run, with a mission of empowering young girls to become strong, healthy and productive women. Beginning in 1996 in Charlotte, NC with just 13 girls, the organization has grown to 110 cities and touched the lives of over 40,000 girls. Molly’s book, Girls on Track, is in its third printing with Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, and has helped spread her message to an even wider audience.
- Liz Ryan, creator of WorldWIT, the largest online networking organization for women in business and technology. The organization sponsors local events and activities in 25 countries and more than 70 cities around the globe. Membership is free and is comprised of women who range from corporate CEOs to home-based consultants and entrepreneurs.
Enterprising Women proudly honors these outstanding advocates of entrepreneurial women and girls.
(This article is reprinted from the Spring 2005 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2005 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.)
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