CWE Board of Directors

Susan Loconto Penta is a Cofounder and Managing Partner at MIDIOR Consulting where she oversees the delivery of consulting services. With 25 years of experience as a management consultant, entrepreneur, senior executive and engineer, Susan is able to achieve dramatic results for her global clients by leveraging the disciplines of product development and product management to improve their financial performance.

Susan has authored numerous articles on product development, entrepreneurship and innovation. Susan is an Adjunct Faculty member of Northeastern University’s College of Business and the University’s Executive Education program where she teaches courses in entrepreneurship and new product development. Susan has received multiple awards including the “40 under 40” award by the Boston Business Journal and the Ichabod Washburn Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement from WPI.

Susan is an active supporter of non-profit organizations with a particular focus on education and entrepreneurship for disadvantaged populations. In addition to the Center for Women & Enterprise, she is Treasurer and Trustee for Belmont Day School, Trustee and Past Chair of Schools for Children. Susan has recently retired from her service as a director of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) as well as from her role as President of the New England PDMA chapter. Susan is a founding board member for WPI’s Collaborative for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and serves as Program Committee Chair for WPI’s Department of Management Advisory Council.

Susan holds a BSEE degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from The CASS Business School in London, England. An aspiring chef, Susan lives in Belmont, MA with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Why CWE?

Because growing up, I had great role models and fans in my parents and while at that time they could not “buy” me an education, a career, or my financial independence, they encouraged me to follow my passion, and assured me that I could achieve my goals. They gave me the confidence and emotional support structure to take the necessary risks and do it for myself. CWE provides this same backdrop for women who may not have enough support or advantage to achieve their financial independence and for me, the best way to say thanks is to give back.

Susan Rittscher, President and CEO of the Center for Women & Enterprise joined the organization in 2008 to continue her life's work of creating possibilities, connecting communities, and impacting lives through service. She has over 30 years of non-profit experience and 18 years of experience as a CEO of small and large not for profits. Most recently, Susan was director of Executive and Volunteer Development for the YMCA of the USA, with responsibility for educating and training the executive and volunteer leaders of the nation’s 2,600 YMCAs. Susan was formerly President and CEO of the Greater Providence YMCA, where she served for 12 years. She is a catalytic leader with strong skills in developing others, creating growth in the organizations she leads, and collaborating with others to provide innovative service.

Susan has held other key leadership roles, having served on the boards of the YMCA Retirement Fund, United Way, Leadership Rhode Island, Leadership Broward, the Junior League, University Club and in particular, the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, where Rittscher worked to make the mission of the organization, “to advance equity and social justice for women and girls,” a reality.

Susan has received many honors including being named by the Boston Herald as a “Woman to Watch”, Up and Comer of the Year by South Florida Magazine and Price Waterhouse and received the Administrative Excellence Award. While at YMCA of the USA she was Female Upward Mobility Task Force and Conference Chair and she was appointed a delegate at the Japan/USA Management Seminar and YMCA World Alliance in Africa. Susan has also been appointed a Rhode Island Commodore by the Governor.

Why CWE?

The mission of CWE is very powerful and relevant.  Economic empowerment, self sufficiency and equity for women are very important to create a better community, and social justice.  With women still making only 77% of what men make, I wanted to work for an organization to create programs that level the playing field and support women in achieving these goals. I felt called to serve this amazing organization to work with others to achieve this.

Maria is a Director at Deloitte Services LP and has 24 years of sales and marketing experience with a wide array of companies – from Internet upstarts to telecommunications providers to financial services firms and investment houses. She is highly experienced in anticipating shifting customer needs and market conditions and identifying promising new service opportunities.

She currently leads marketing for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP nationally, responsible for driving eminence, brand and relationships. Maria started her career leading marketing efforts for Deloitte Tax LLP, focusing on its core business. While in this role she launched a nationwide client awareness campaign that brought Deloitte Tax LLP recognition as one of the marketplace’s top tax practices.

Previously, she served four years as vice president of sales and marketing for a leading national telecommunications provider. Prior to that, she worked as director of corporate communications for an online supermarket. Maria, who holds a B.S.B.A. in marketing from Suffolk University, began her career in marketing, rising through the ranks of a major investment house in various capacities.
In addition to serving on the CWE board and actively participating in the nationally recognized Women’s Initiative for Deloitte, Maria has also served on a number of committees for the Legal Marketing Association, judged the American Marketing Association’s Houston offices Marketer of the Year Award, and presented on the topic “Carrying on the Client Conversation” for the Professional Services Forum.

Why CWE?

Ms. Abernethy supports CWE because she believes that every woman should have the opportunity to be economically self-sufficient; and she believes in the empowerment, freedom of choice, and opportunities this self sufficiency provides to not only the individual but to her family as well. Strong independent women create strong families, communities and businesses. Growing up she was surrounded by independent, supportive, self-sufficient women who instilled in her this ideal.  She now strives to “pay-it-forward” by supporting other women in pursuit of their dreams and living life to their full potential.

Joel is the practice director for Accretive Solutions, a national consulting and executive search firm which he joined after his firm The Pentad Group, was acquired by Accretive in January 2011. Joel is responsible for strategy development and project management used in improving the financial, operational and IT performance of corporate accounting and finance departments. Working with senior and line management, Joel helps address the business and technical challenges these people and companies face by designing and executing comprehensive solutions by offering a wide variety of services, including complete implementation teams to hands-on expertise in specific disciplines. 

Joel started his career at Coopers & Lybrand where he received his CPA. Joel has 30 years of experience in various corporate accounting and finance positions with public and private companies, large and small and was a Practice Director at a mid-size consulting firm. Joel has an M.B.A. from Boston University’s Graduate School of Management and his B.S. and M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Joel is a member of Financial Executives International, Massachusetts Society of CPAs and The Institute of Internal Auditors.

Why CWE?

My training in finance and accounting has given me the foundation and confidence to tackle many issues in both the business world and my personal life. CWE provides the optimal opportunity to utilize my expertise to give back to others by providing them the skills to achieve the same level of self-satisfaction and fulfillment of their own goals. I am proud to serve on a board with people that I respect and admire and have similar goals in addressing needs of the community.

Elizabeth Ames’ career includes accomplishments in a broad cross-section of both non-profit/social enterprise and for-profit spheres. Her particular expertise is in international and economic development. Elizabeth served in the Massachusetts State Cabinet and on the Governor’s Senior Staff in the Cellucci and Swift Administrations. In these roles she wore two hats. She ran multiple state agencies offering assistance and enhanced access to capital availability to businesses throughout the state and she was also responsible for policy development and implementation in promoting job creation and long-term economic growth.

Before government, Elizabeth was a principal of a venture capital firm in Moscow, did pioneering work in earliest post-soviet Ukraine launching the Peace Corps and privatizing large state-owned enterprises, and spent six years as an executive in the specialty store retailing industry in the United States. 

Elizabeth is passionate about the social enterprise arena, where she now works on issues surrounding small business development, women’s access to capital, and entrepreneurship in all forms. She is a past director of numerous private, non-profit, public, and quasi-public boards and authorities. In addition to CWE she also serves as a Director of the award-winning opera company Opera Boston.

Elizabeth earned her B.A. from Yale, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Why CWE?

I work for CWE because I believe deeply in our mission, we have always had great management, and our Board is second to none. I know in my heart we are truly worth as big a commitment as I can give. Growing up in girls’ schools and with parents who taught me that I needed to be independent for life, I learned early how critical business skills and understanding money and capital are. It is just not an even playing field unless women can access these skills. What CWE provides its clients is tools to build and transform their lives. How inspiring is it to see women doing that?

Karen is a partner in Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP’s Business & Technology Group. Her practice focuses on technology transfer and licensing of intellectual property, particularly in the areas of software licensing and open source business models. Karen is the Director of Intellectual Property Strategy for the Linux Foundation, a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux, and serves as an advisor to Black Duck Software, Inc., where she was instrumental in establishing automated methods of software compliance management as an industry best practice. 

Before joining Black Duck, Karen was a partner in the Patent and Intellectual Property Group of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP. She began her legal career at IBM Corporation. She was previously a Partner at Brown & Bain LLP in Phoenix, AZ and Palo Alto, CA. Karen is a frequent speaker on issues relating to technology licensing and open source software. Over the past year she has presented at more than 20 national and international events related to licensing of intellectual property and the adoption and management of open source software. Karen Copenhaver is listed in The International Who's Who of Internet & e-Commerce Lawyers, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer. She was also named in The Legal 500 for technology transactions. Ms. Copenhaver is only the 5th lawyer ever to receive Mass High Tech's prestigious “Mass High Tech All-Stars Award,” which honors the thought leaders and innovators throughout the New England technology sector. She has been chosen by Intellectual Asset Management magazine as one of the world’s top IP strategists in their feature “IAM 250 — A Guide to the World’s Leading IP Strategists.”

Why CWE?

CWE empowers women to envision, set and achieve their goals by providing the information, skills and support network necessary for women in business to succeed. It has been established time and time again in a wide variety of venues - in large corporations, on trading floors, in developing countries - that the full participation of women in economic matters is a key factor in long term growth. It is my great pleasure to work with CWE’s clients and stakeholders to enable all of us – including women - to reach our full potential.

John is the Operations Manager for UPS Northeast with responsibility for the state of Maine. He is in charge of all operations, which include the pick-up and delivery of more than 90,000 packages each day and 900 employees.

Prior to his current role, John served as both the Finance Director for the East New England District encompassing Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the Operations Manager for the Norwood, MA facility. John has over 20 years experience with UPS. As Finance Director, he oversaw all activities related to financial planning, revenue management, financial analysis, performance reporting, accounting and auditing.

John joined UPS in 1988 while still pursuing his bachelor’s degree. He began his career with UPS as a part-time package handler in Buffalo, NY. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in operations, logistics and finance. He began his management career with UPS in 1990 as an operations supervisor.

Beginning in 1997, John started a career path that has taken him to New Jersey, Illinois and Maryland. He moved to Massachusetts in 2004, where he began an assignment as Finance Director. He served in this role for four years before accepting the additional responsibility of Operations Manager in Norwood, MA. In April 2010, he took on his current role.

A native of Buffalo, NY, John earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, marketing and management information systems from the University of Buffalo. He has completed course work for his master’s degree at Rutgers University.

John is an active proponent of diversity initiatives within UPS. He served as the treasurer and held a seat on the Board of Directors for the Maryland/DC Minority Supplier Development Council from 2001-2004. In addition to sitting on the board of the Center for Women and Enterprise and various committees, he participates in the UPS Northeast District’s Women’s Leadership Development Council.

Why CWE?

As an active proponent of diversity initiatives, I feel it is extremely important to give back to the community. My sister and I were raised by a single mother. I have always had the highest respect for what she had to endure and how she struggled to provide for us. If she had an outlet like CWE, things might have been a little easier for her. Being able to give back in her honor is extremely gratifying.

Janet Dunlap spent 13 years in private law practice at Goodwin Procter in Boston and was a partner in the Technology Companies practice area, where she counseled entrepreneurs and the venture capital firms that invest in emerging companies. While at Goodwin, she established the firm’s pro bono relationship with CWE, creating an on-site internship program to support CWE’s clients. 

She left for the business world in 2006 to join Monotype Imaging, a publicly-traded international software company based in Woburn, MA that is a leading provider of typefaces, technology and expertise for creative applications and consumer devices.  Janet is Vice President and General Counsel and manages all legal functions, including merger and acquisition activities, and was named a Mass Lawyers Weekly Top Woman in the Law in 2010.  She also serves as a volunteer mediator in the Dedham District Court.

Janet has a B.A. in Economics from Franklin and Marshall College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. She and her husband Tom have two teenagers and live in a 235 year old house in Sharon.

Why CWE?

My involvement with CWE began on the training side and expanded to include legal support, both individually and through Goodwin Procter’s intern program, for CWE’s clients.  The organization is unique in its mission and I’ve always been happy to be one of the many who share their expertise with the talented, driven women who turn to CWE for support.  I always tell my children that hard work isn’t enough and you need to know the rules of the game you’re playing.  I recognize and am grateful for the opportunities and advantages I’ve had in my education and work experiences and am thrilled to continue my involvement with CWE to help as many women as possible discover what they’re capable of accomplishing.

Ellen is the former President of Devonshire Custom Publishing, a Fidelity Capital company. Prior to that she was Senior Vice President of Fidelity Investments, holding various positions in marketing, strategic planning, systems planning and business management. Ellen also held brand management positions at Lotus Development Corporation, where she was in charge of Lotus 1-2-3, and The Gillette Company, where she marketed various personal care product lines.

Ellen has served on several boards including Harvard Student Agencies, Inc., Let’s Go Inc., The Center for Women & Enterprise, the Wellesley Centers for Women and the Wellesley College Business Leadership Council. She is also an Overseer of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem and is a past board member and Treasurer of the Wellesley College Alumnae Association. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Wellesley College where she majored in Mathematics.

Why CWE?

Having had a successful career in business, with the advantages of a first rate MBA and all the connections and credibility that brought me, I was drawn to the idea of helping women who were less fortunate, but who had the guts and determination to want to start their own business. This was something I never wanted to do myself, but I really admired others who did. I also knew that for many CWE clients, necessity as much as a desire to work for themselves makes them consider entrepreneurship. When I retired, I thought I might be able to use some of my skills to help these women.

I am as drawn to the importance of helping women get off welfare by starting a home-based business as I am by helping women with established businesses raise money from angel investors or venture capital. I like that CWE addresses programs and services to this entire spectrum of women, with the focus on teaching them and helping them to find all kinds of resources, including each other through their networking programs. So the mission excites me; and the successful delivery of that mission to our clients sustains my interest and support. And for those clients who find they aren’t ready to start a business, CWE educates them on personal finance, to put them in a stronger financial position. We don’t give any handouts. But if someone really wants to succeed, CWE will do everything it can to help that person to help herself.

Susan is a partner at Liberty Capital Partners.  Formally she was at Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP where her clients included large, established corporate clients, both privately held and publicly traded, as well as start ups in various sectors. In addition to her corporate practice, Susan has extensive experience in the area of finance, including private equity financing, senior and subordinated financing from both the investor and lender side and the company and borrower side. Susan is the founder and chair of the Women's Business Collaborative at EWP. Under her guidance, the organization has been providing women with tools for business success since 1996.

Susan is a co-founder of the Women's Association of Venture & Equity, a national organization for women in venture capital and private equity. Susan spends a considerable amount of time counseling women business owners. Most recently, Susan was recognized for her work with women entrepreneurs by receiving the 2009 Business Women Award - Mentor to Women Business Owners from the Providence Business News. In 2002, her efforts resulted in receiving the Women in Business Advocate of the Year Award for Rhode Island and New England from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Big Sisters of RI honored Susan as one of the Magical Circle of Women We Admire in 2010. Susan has recently been appointed the Chair of the Providence Chapter of the Women Presidents' Organization. Susan is a Partner in Social Venture Partners Rhode Island, a collaborative community of experienced business professionals focused on advancing the non-profit sector and effecting social change in the community. Through SVPRI, Susan is involved with its Change Accelerator Program, one of the few social venture incubators in existence and is a mentor to one of the entrepreneurs. Before joining the board of CWE she was Chair of the organization’s Providence Advisory Board. Susan has a B.S. from Miami University and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Why CWE?

Because I am a supporter of helping women succeed and believe that women need some extra support and resources to truly succeed. Before CWE existed in Rhode Island, I was part of a group of women who informally decided to work with women entrepreneurs. CWE provides the outlet to allow me to continue to work with and advise women on business related issues. CWE provides high caliber, friendly assistance in a professional business setting. Women entrepreneurs grow and thrive when they take advantage of the CWE experience. Not only do I enjoy the board experience but I give back by teaching classes to CWE clients, empowering them with knowledge that allows them to succeed.

Pam Lenehan spent 21 years on Wall Street and was a managing director in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston, where she did mergers and acquisitions and equity and debt financing for public and private technology companies. She went to the corporate side where she was SVP Corporate Development and Treasurer of Oak Industries which was sold to Corning, and then became CFO of a high-tech start-up.

She is on the board of directors of three companies with publicly-traded equity, Spartech Corporation, Monotype Imaging, and American Superconductor, and on the board of one company with publicly-traded debt, National Mentor Holdings. She has chaired both compensation and audit committees. She is on the advisory board of Nina McLemore, a woman-owned fashion business. Pam is author of the book, “What You Don’t Know and Your Boss Won’t Tell You: Advice from Senior Female Executives on What You Need to Succeed.”

In addition to being on the board of the Center for Women & Enterprise, Pam is also on the board of The Wellesley Centers for Women, the Women’s Leadership Counsel of Brown University, and the Executive Council of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber. She has BA in Mathematical Economics and a MA in Economics from Brown University. She and her husband Dr. Lawrence F. Geuss have four grown children and live in Needham.

Why CWE?

I came in as a coach on the venture side and was immediately impressed by the professionalism of the staff and the leadership team. CWE is very serious about its mission to provide women with all the skills necessary to be successful in starting and growing a business. I especially appreciate CWE’s focus on business planning and financial competence, two areas I believe are critically important to achieving long term goals. As a single parent for more than a decade, I also relate to the struggle so many of CWE’s clients have to make a better life for their families. I feel it is a privilege to be associated with the organization. 

Donna Levin is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Government Relations & Partnerships at Care.com. She spearheads new programs for our nation's military population and families with special needs. Donna has over a 15-year career as a social entrepreneur and prior to co-founding Care.com, served as VP of Operations at Upromise. She has held several leadership positions across a broad range of technology and start up organizations including Furniture.com, Turning Point Software (acquired by Metamore Worldwide), and Thomson Financial. Donna serves on the advisory board for the Boston Chamber Women's Network, and the advisory board for WEST, which promotes the advancement of women in engineering, science and technology. She holds a B.A. from Emerson College and lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two kids.

Mela Lew is a Bar Examiner with the Board of Bar Examiners of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is also a member of the Character and Fitness Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Mela is a 2008 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, from which she received her Master of Public Administration. Immediately prior, she was a Partner and the General Counsel of Atlas Venture, an international venture capital firm with over $2 billion under management. Before Atlas Venture, she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Oak Industries Inc., a NYSE company that was acquired by Corning Incorporated in 2000. 

Mela earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School, and an A.B. in French Literature and Sociology from Smith College. In addition to serving on the board of the Center for Women & Enterprise, she is also on the board of the Milele Children’s Fund for Kenyan schoolchildren, and is a member of the Cornell Law Association Executive Board. 

Why CWE?

I support CWE because I believe that economic self-sufficiency is key to self determination. I love that CWE helps women who might never have realized their own potential to develop business acumen, and with it, find financial and personal independence.

Sandy Lish, principal and co-founder, The Castle Group, is responsible for the PR and events firm’s business development and strategic management, with particular emphasis on PR division clients. Sandy works with her teams to provide service and results for both privately held and publicly traded clients. She also counsels clients on crisis and transition communications, and media- and presentation-trains senior executives.

Sandy has received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 2011 Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurship, WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise Star award, and CWE Emerging Business Star award. She has been named a Top 10 PR Specialist by Women’s Business six times, and a Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40,” and has led Castle to win the BBJ “Best Places to Work” award twice. Under Sandy’s leadership, Castle teams have won numerous PR and business awards. Sandy regularly shares her expertise with the media and frequently presents to professional, academic and non-profit audiences.

Sandy chairs the Massachusetts March of Dimes board, and serves on the boards of the Center for Women and Enterprise and Green Education Foundation. She also co-chairs the WGBH Corporate Executive Council, and serves on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Advisory Network. A former director of the Progressive Business Leaders Network and Public Relations Society of America, she now serves on the Public Relations Global Network, an exclusive international organization of 40 independent PR firms. She lives in Walpole with her husband, two children and Wheaten Terrier.

Why CWE?

By owning a women-owned business, I understand of the needs, challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs. CWE addresses them on so many levels, it would be hypocritical NOT to support CWE’s important mission! By supporting CWE, I can help others start and grow businesses; for many women, entrepreneurship is the only road to economic independence. As a value add, through the many touchpoints CWE offers, I can help my clients make valuable connections. Since my first involvement with CWE, 14 years ago, I have been blown away by the expert and committed staff and volunteers. I’m proud to share their mission.

Jim, a General Partner of Flagship Ventures, joined the firm in 2000 and focuses on creating and funding new ventures in the sustainability, clean technology and special technologies (e.g. nanotechnology, materials and technology systems) sectors. Jim has over 20 years of technology and leadership experience across a variety of organizations and roles designing, engineering and deploying sophisticated technology platforms. He formerly served as a Navy F-14 & FA-18 pilot including duties flying over 200 combat missions from an aircraft carrier, as a TOPGUN Instructor and leading the Navy’s Adversary Program. He also gained broad experience in emerging aircraft and weapons system design, testing and procurement, and was deeply involved in many of the military’s IT modernization initiatives.

Jim serves on the boards of Flagship portfolio companies Advanced Electron Beams, Black Duck Software, Frontier Energy, Mascoma Energy Corporation, Midori, Novomer and Oasys Water and is Chairman of the Board of Genstruct and Ze-gen. He was previously a director of e-Dialog, Yantra and Flamenco Networks. Jim spearheaded Flagship Venture’s role as the Department of Energy’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Jim is on the Board of New York-based hedge fund Black Horse Capital, the National Board of the Clean Tech Open, and the Center for Women & Enterprise, and is actively involved in numerous entrepreneurial and venture capital organizations including the Department of Energy's Biomass Technical Advisory Committee, CLF (Conservation Law Foundation) Ventures, New England Clean Energy Council & Clean Energy Center, the MIT Enterprise Forum, The Deshpande Center, and The Service Academy Business Network.

Jim earned an MBA from The Harvard Business School, a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy and retired in 2008 as a Commander in the US Naval Reserves.

Why CWE?

I believe intensely in entrepreneurship as the mechanism through which people better themselves and their community, be it local or global. CWE also believes this and has helped thousands of women and men to access the power of entrepreneurship that might have otherwise never have been able to if not for CWE’s programs and services. CWE is a community of passionate, talented and like minded people, from the Staff to the Board to the Clients, and it’s a pleasure to be part of it.

Tim is a Partner in Accenture’s Management Consulting Practice. He focuses on helping organizations both public and private to formulate and implement actionable strategies to drive growth, productivity, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement through organizational transformation, shared services, operations excellence, outsourcing and strategic IT investment. He runs Accenture’s operations practice for state, local and higher education clients and his clients include state governments, universities, cities, Canadian provinces, the US Department of Defense and corporations in a wide variety of industries. He has authored articles on shared services, enterprise transformation, and supply chain management. 

Prior to joining Accenture, Tim was a software engineer. He has lived and worked in Japan and South Korea and traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA in Strategy and Operations and an MA in Asian Studies both from Cornell University. Tim lives in Wellesley, MA with his wife and 3 children. 

Why CWE?

Two reasons, one is professionally motivating and the second is very personal.

First, as a management consultant working with client executives in government and higher education, I hear first-hand about the importance of learning, developing leaders, creating new businesses, and spurring growth in the economy. CWE is about all of that and more for the women and the communities it serves. Whether through financial literacy, business education, executive networking, or coaching, CWE seeks to create opportunities that our economy and our society need today and in the future. 

Second, I owe it to the women who have helped shape who I am today and continue to inspire me: my mother, teachers, family friends, colleagues, wife and daughter. If I can help CWE make a difference, I can show my appreciation to these women leaders and, perhaps, at the same time create a better place with more opportunities for my daughter and her generation of women.

Sandra Rivo is a business leader who has a passion for defining and delivering innovative growth strategies for major corporations and not-for-profit organizations. In the for-profit sector, Sandra has held executive leadership positions in North America with Fidelity Investments in the U.S. and Investors Group (a Power Financial Company) in Canada. Her b2c and b2b expertise is in strategy, branding, product design, promotion, distribution and corporate communications.

Sandra is now part of the adjunct faculty at Babson College, teaching Marketing Management and b2b Marketing courses to undergraduates. She also serves as an advisor for graduate students in Babson’s Corporate Consulting Program.

Sandra has served on the board for several not-for-profit organizations in the US and Canada. In addition to the board of CWE, while in Canada, Sandra was a member of the board and led the marketing and fundraising committees for CancerCare Manitoba and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

A citizen of the US and Canada, Sandra holds a B.A. from University of Rochester in Economics and Psychology and an M.B.A from The University of Michigan. 

Why CWE?

My first job after college was with The Department of Health and Human Services developing programs for families with economic need. The majority of the families we served were headed by mothers who worked hard to do more for their families. From that time onward, I wanted to find ways to help women who have the drive and commitment to succeed.

Victoria Sassine is currently a lecturer of finance at the Graduate School of Business, Babson College. Victoria has worked in strategic financial and brand management positions in a variety of industries, including Biotechnology (Biogen Idec), Consumer Products (Kraft Foods, Phillip Morris Companies, Polaroid), and Petrochemical (Royal Dutch Shell). Victoria also serves as a consultant to non-profits, developing operational and financial metrics to measure economic impact. She serves on boards of several non-profit organizations, focusing on entrepreneurship and the economic empowerment of women.

Victoria received an MBA from the University of Chicago, with a concentration in finance and strategy. She also earned a BSBA from Kansas State University, and is a CPA.

Why CWE?

I have been a volunteer with CWE since 2002. Why? Every day CWE’s programs improve women’s self esteem, and financial and economic future. At CWE, I can be a positive force for change in women’s lives.

Chris is Chief Operating Officer at TrueLens, an innovative customer intelligence company based in Boston.   Prior to TrueLens, he served as Managing Director at CommonAngels an early stage venture fund and well-known angel group.  There he led investments in Carbonite (IPO: CARB), Blaze Software (acquired by Akami),  Insightix (acquired by McAfee), Crashlytics (acquired by Twitter) OwnerIQ, Linkable Networks, Offerpop, Practically Green, Xconomy, Yieldbot, Kibits, docTrackr, SocMetrics, ownCloud, Promoboxx, Powerhouse Dynamics and Disruptor Beam.   
 
Previously, Chris was a venture partner at Industry Ventures where he was actively involved in the acquisition and management of secondary venture investment portfolios.  Prior to Industry Ventures, Chris was a Director of Corporate Development for BEA Systems, a leading enterprise software company with over $1B in sales. Prior to BEA, Chris led the private equity practice for the startup research firm, Stax Inc. Chris also spent six years with the top ranked investment bank in Australia and co-founded an investment firm, Northstate Partners.  He started his career as an equity analyst.

In addition to serving on the board for the Center for Women & Enterprise, Chris is a mentor at TechStars. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Queensland, Australia.

Why CWE?

I volunteer at CWE because I believe the organization fulfills a very important social mission. CWE improves the livelihood of women by teaching about something that is fundamental to our community and economy - how to start and grow businesses.

Juli Sinnett is principal and co-founder of SwervePoint, a B2B communications merchandising firm. She is responsible for the company’s business development and client services efforts with a focus on account planning and strategy. Juli works closely with her teams to deliver recognition, promotion, and activation programs for clients such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, BlackRock, Campbell, CBS, EMC, Ernst & Young, Fidelity Investments, Ocean Spray, Pepperidge Farms, Showtime Networks, and State Street. Before starting SwervePoint, Juli held sales training and senior sales management positions with Brown-Forman and CYRK.

Juli has led SwervePoint to win the Boston Business Journal “Best Places to Work” award three times, and to a #37 debut on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Businesses” in the nation.

Juli serves on the WBENC Regional Leadership Forum on the Marketing and Opportunities Committees and is a board member of Accolade Worldwide. She is also actively involved in helping children learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving through her Destination ImagiNation mentoring.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Juli holds a BA in design from Bowling Green State University. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts with her husband David, and their two children. 

Connie Wright has more than 30 years of accounting, consulting, and professional services management experience. Connie is an expert in accounting process improvement, and assists firms in mergers and acquisitions and going public.

Connie began her career as a CPA with Deloitte & Touche and became a senior manager of its audit practice, working with clients in the United States and Germany. While at Deloitte & Touche, she was instrumental in establishing The Resources Connection, a professional services firm. In 1998 she established the firm’s Boston office and serving as the managing director, built its New England practice to more than $10 million in annual sales.

In addition to the board of directors for Center for Women and Enterprise, Connie is on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp., the treasurer for a state senator, and is the chair for the Andover Parent Fund, raising funds for needs blind admissions. She is a graduate of Stanford University.

Why CWE?

Economic independence and financial literacy for women is one of the few places where the concept of trickle down economics works. Helping women become successful entrepreneurs is such a wonderful way for me to give back, and create a lasting impact not only on individual women – but all the lives that they in turn touch.