For Your Calendar
Thursday, April 25, 6:00 PM
Register Today for a Signature Event:
Make the Life You Want to Live - An Evening with Robin Chase, Entrepreneur & Founder of Zip Car
Tickets are still available.
Save-the-Date:
New Connections Luncheon St. Francis Yacht Club
Saturday, June 22.
Save-the-Date:
Summer Camp
Stillheart Institute, Woodside, Friday - Sunday, July 19 - 21.
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New Members
 Linda Graebner
Executive Chairman
Chef'n Corporation
Linda Graebner is Executive Chairman of Chef'n Corporation, a marketer of innovative household products. She brings extensive experience as an entrepreneur and CEO at several consumer products companies. Linda also serves on a number of Boards of Directors of private and public companies in industries including food, wine, kitchen, cleaning, personal care, cookware, bakeware, gardening and medical devices.
Sharon Levine
Director and Senior Advisor for Public Policy, Pharmacy and Professional Development,
Permanente Medical Group of Northern California
Sharon Levine, MD, is Director and Senior Advisor for Public Policy, Pharmacy and Professional Development for The Permanente Medical Group of Northern California (TPMG, Inc.), and has held multiple leadership roles within the medical group and within Kaiser Permanente nationally, including Associate Executive Director from 1991 through 2012.
Dr. Levine serves on the Boards of Directors of the Public Health Institute of California, the California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG), The Reagan Udall Foundation, the Medical Board of California, Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP), and the Board of Governors of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She is a member of the Committee on Evidence-Based Benefit Design of the National Business Group on Health.
Priscilla Partridge de Garcia
President
AIM - Partridge Garcia Group, Inc.
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia represented her community and her county as their only 1996 Olympic Torchbearer and was selected to light the cauldron. She was selected because of her work with United Way and her participation in the National United Way Ethics Board.
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia is a top-rated business and management consultant to government, military, industry, health care and non-profit organizations; media and broadcast personality and a nationally acclaimed keynote speaker.  Dianne Glynn
Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, LLP
Dianne has over 20 years of experience providing audit and accounting services to public and private companies as a partner in Ernst & Young's Silicon Valley based Technology, Communications & Entertainment practice. Dianne is a co-leader for the Internet/Social media technology sector group and has also served as the partner champion for the PNW Area Professional Women's Network. Additionally, Dianne is the Office Managing Partner of the Redwood Shores office.
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Final Conference Kudos
Gift Bag Stuffing, Page 2....
by Judy Johnson
 | | Sylvia Chase |
"BUT, there's more to the story - that was only Day One of the Gift Bag "stuffing."
"Because sourdough and Boudin Bakery are synonymous with San Francisco, Sylvia Chase asked her good friends Lou Giraudo and the Giraudo family and Sharon Duvall, Managing Partner, if they would like to see Boudin logo inside our Macy's San Francisco gift bag. Sylvia received an enthusiastic response and Boudin's contribution exceeded our expectations.
"The Boudin team specifically designed a 9" x 10" collapsible canvas bag into which were placed individually packaged cinnamon sugar, salt and olive oil and garlic and asiago cheese crisps, each tied with a red ribbon bow. To insure freshness, the crisps were specially baked, assembled and delivered to the hotel on Tues, 10/23, shortly before the first IWF members started to arrive. Sylvia was on hand to receive, to oversee the initial placement of the Boudin bag into our Macy's gift bag and to hear the oohs and aahs of the first registrants as they were handed their gift bags.
Another team of volunteers took turns over the next two days of seeing that each gift bag was topped with a colorful Boudin bag. Sylvia and Karen Brown Herbert took the lead and were aided by Eva Auchinclos, Kathleen Burke, Mary Bersot, and Maxine Papadakis.
Another example of "only in San Francisco", Forum teamwork and enduring friendships.
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The 2012 Holiday Party
 | | Susan Dauphine, Mary Kay Crockett and Sue Sprunk enjoy the evening. |
 | | Jenny Erwin, Barbara Creed and Rebecca Barfknecht. |
Elizabeth Colton's elegant Christmas party for members of the International Women's Forum was decorated with her collections of ornaments, nutcrackers and Santa dolls. IWF members are so interesting that there were great conversations about issues that spanned the globe. What a great way to spend 12-12-12.
Thanks to Elizabeth Colton for hosting this wonderful event.
 | | Sylvia Kwan and caterer Gabriele Museli admire the buffet. |
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Members in the News
Heidi Kuhn, CEO, Roots of Peace, Awarded First-Ever Peace Medal by the
Catholic Church for work in the Holy Land
 The first-ever 'Peace Medal' was presented by the Catholic Church to Heidi Kühn, Founder & CEO of Roots of Peace, by Latin Patriarch Twal in Jerusalem. In one of his last proclamations, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, bestowed Apostolistic Blessings from The Vatican to Kühn, honoring her work to remove landmines and plant grapevines in The Holy Land. Her vision to turn MINES TO VINES began in September 1997, and she has expanded her efforts internationally to help heal the wounds of war in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Iraq, Vietnam by replacing minefields with bountiful vineyards.
There are an estimated 1.5 million landmines and UXO in The Holy Land. Following the completion of her work in Bethlehem, Kühn aims to broaden the Roots of Peace demining efforts in Qasr al Yahud, the Baptismal Site of Jesus-respected by Muslims, Christians and Jewish alike.
Nanette Lee Miller Discusses the Cost of Marriage Inequality Under DOMA on Suze Orman Panel
Nanette Lee Miller, a partner at Marcum LLP and head of the accounting and advisory firm's National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) & Non-Traditional Family Pratice group, spoke about the tax inequities for same-sex married couples as part of a panel moderated by personal finance guru Suze Orman at New York University. The "Cost of Marriage Inequality" panel was sponsored by the Respect for Marriage Coalition and also include Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, who advocates for same-sex marriage as an economic necessity in his state, and two same-sex couples who have struggled with issues of parity under the federal and state tax codes.
Denise Brosseau Honored at Stanford
De
nise Brosseau was honored as one
of the extraordinary Stanford volunte
ers at the STARS Volunteer Leadership Assembly on April 12 and 13. The STARS Assembly is Stanford's premier volunteer recognition event.
Two IWF Northern California Members Honored
Members Lydia Beebe and Dru Ramey were honored at Legal Momentum's Annual Women of Achievement Awards Dinner on March 21. The event celebrates distinction in business, law and public service.
ALS Gala will Honor Diane Winokur
Diane Winokur will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ALS Gala on Friday, April 26, at the Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco. Nannette Griswold is offering an opportunity to IWF members to attend and sit together at the Gala honoring Diane.
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The Girl With the Pearl Earring
by Patti Clark 
Thirty five members and guests gathered on the morning of March 23 for a private docent-led tour of
The Girl With the Pearl Earring exhibit of the Dutch Masters at the de Young Museum.
By avoiding the crowds and having a really knowledgable docent, the quality of the experience was far superior to visiting an exhibit of this type as a member of the general public. Members gathered after the exhibit visit for a snack and time to visit at the museum cafe.
Feedback from the event survey once again enforces our membership's interest in arts programming and opportunities for exclusive access and Behind-the-Scenes activities.
Thank you to Joanne Howard for organizing this event. And to Bobbie Sue Hood and Nannette Griswold for managing the nametags and traffic control on the day of the event.
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Your Forum Looking Forward
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Greetings! 
As I began my Presidency of the Forum in 2012, we began looking forward to what impact our banding together to host the 2012 IWF Conference would have on our organization, specifically as a launching event for our future. The event involved nearly 70% of our members, and its energy was contagious. Once again, we have had a membership renewal rate of over 90% of our members.
Now, your Board is channeling these successes into planning for the future. You may have noticed new events, like our Four-Corners Dine Around and Signature Speaker events that will include other organizations comprised of leading women. Our February event about women on corporate boards included the Bay Area Women Corporate Directors organization, and our event with Robin Chase in April will include Watermark, a group for women entrepreneurs. The inclusion of these organizations embodies our goal of expanding our collective circle of influence.
This month the Board has launched a task force, led by VP Rebecca Barfknecht, to reach out to our members to determine their satisfaction with the Forum, its programs and its current status and demographics as an organization of accomplished women. We hope that you will participate with this task force when it reaches out to you for your thoughts. In addition, the task force will benchmark other Forums of similar size to learn of their practices and engagement of members. The results of this research will be presented to the Board and the Board will begin the process of strategic planning for the next five to seven years.
I am very excited about not only the long term future, but all of the great opportunities that this year's calendar has to offer. Please be sure to sign up for our Signature Event with Robin Chase on 4/25, our New Connections Lunch in June, Summer Camp in July and our visit to Ashland with the Oregon Forum in August.
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Membership Committee Changes Leadership
by Sheri Barden
 It was with deep regret that I accepted the resignation of Nannette Griswold as Chair of our Membership Committee. Nannette served for three full terms and had taken on an unprecedented fourth term, leading this most important committee with integrity and fair mindedness as the committee evaluated candidates brought forth by our members for consideration and made recommendations to the Board for election. Her leadership allowed us to add 48 members in three years, while always meeting or exceeding our criteria.
Nannette also took a very proactive role in helping with membership renewals. As an organization, we were blessed to have her organizational skills, her commitment to quality, her discernment and for her committment to doing the research necessary to ensure that evaluations were fully and fairly done. I thank Nannette for her partnership and leadership.
The Board has elected Cindy Eisenberg to assume the role of Chairman of our Membership Committee. Cindy's commitment to excellence, her leadership, creativity and her inter-forum network will give her the tools to lead this effort forward. 
Serving with Cindy on the Membership Committee this year are: Nina Gruen, Susie Hoganson, Lydia Beebe and Denise Brousseau. |
The Food & Fashion Incubator
by Patti Clark
The evening of January 28, 2013, found 40 IWF Nor Cal members and guests gathered in a unique space in the Macy's Mens Store building. A truly fascinating evening began with a brief presentation by Caleb Zigas, Executivew Director of La Cocina, the food incubator that was born in the Mission District as a means of fostering young foo
 | | Guest Elizabeth Krueger & Claire Carlevaro get Acquainted with another "Guest" |
d entrepreneurs. He spoke about the success of the program and introduced three people who have successfully started their own businesses through La Cocina.
A delicious buffet had been prepared by these talented entrepreneurs including delicious Mexican cuisine and exquisitely beautiful floral gelatin desserts.
 Following dinner the main event of the evening was led by Jeanne Allen. Jeanne spoke about the reasons behind a Fashion Incubator and how it functions. The incubator concept is a means of helping young designers find success in their chosen field. The incubator teaches how to refine draft designs into designs that can be produced on a marketable scale. The young designers are taught about business and finance, recognizing that their artistic design skills alone are not enough for them to build a successful design business in a highly competitive field.
 | | Kathi Burke, Anne Broome & Claire Carlevaro learn about the fashion design process. |
It was a truly fascinating evening with unique Behind-the-Scenes exposure to both the food and fashion industries in a way not usually available to people outside of those industries.
Thanks to Jeanne Allen for hosting this wonderful event!
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Economic and Financial Stability:
What to Expect in 2013
Economic Forecast Luncheon, Feb. 5, 2013
Teresa Curran, IWF Northern California member and Sr. VP and Director, Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, brought to our Forum the annual economic forecast from the experts. Teresa and Dr. Yelena Takhtamanova, economist at the Bank, presented a glimpse into what is happening with the economy and why, as well as future prospects One of the great advantages of this particular program was the way Teresa and Yelena structured an amalgamated view of the economy using a variety of indicators, trends, and new legislative rules to present an integrated overview of the topic.
Even if we as concerned individuals may have a fair knowledge of some of these variables, we may not know how to weigh and combine these various facts into a more holistic perspective. Teresa focused on the stability of our financial/banking sector. Yelena gave a more general update on the economy. Together, they provided an informative and insightful overview.
 | | Marcia Linn and New Member Beth Devin get acquainted. |
This was a very detailed and highly "charted" presentation, which couldn't be even remotely summarized here, especially by a non-economist. However, a few factoids are always interesting (Notice: Writer's opinion of presentation.)
We found out that part of Teresa's job is administering the Dodd Frank Act in the banks in our region. From Yelena we learned that although the Dodd Frank Act is 2 1/2 years old, only 50% of the regulations have been issued. Eight hundred more rules need to be made. Some of the impacts of this legislation, e.g., IT costs, will hit the smaller banks more, even though they, ironically, were not as responsible for the banking failures as the bigger banks.
The Fed's monetary policy is meant to foster maximum sustainable employment and promote stable prices. These goals are both short term and long term, and that difference is a balancing act. The current thinking is that the existing guidelines of keeping rates low until unemployment goes below 6.5% is a threshold, not a target. Current estimates are that it might be reached in late 2014.
Our sincere thanks to Teresa Curran for having provided once again a unique opportunity to our Forum and our guests.
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Inter-Forum Events
by Patti Clark
 | | Sue Sprunk, Rebecca Barfknecht, Joan Kahr, Anne Chermak Dillen, Beatriz Nofal & Cindy Eisenberg |
IWF Northern California has had some guests this winter. Henna Guardans from IWF Spain visited the Bay Area and had the opportunity to lunch with Sheri Barden and Cindy Eisenberg at The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel on January 26.
A couple of weeks later Cindy organized a luncheon for Beatriz Nofal, President of IWF Argentina and member of the
 | | Sheri Barden & Cindy Eisenberg entertain Henna Guardans, IWF Spain at lunch on January 26. |
IWF International
Board. Once again the venue was the lovely Garden Court with Sue Sprunk, Rebecca Barfknecht, Joan Kahr, Anne Chermak Dillen & Cindy gathered to entertain Beatriz on February 12.
The other success story for Inter-Forum activities was a trip to Dallas for a theater weekend coordinated by IWF Northern California member Heather Kitchen, Managing Director of the Dallas Theater Center and members of the Dallas Forum. Six IWF Northern California members were able to make the trip: Mary Kay Crockett, Cindy Eisenberg, Joanne Howard, Judy Johnson, Barbara Kamm, and Rachel Mueller. The Dallas Forum had 30 members participating in various aspects of a very full weekend and were fabulous hosts for this first Inter-Forum connection between our two Forums.
And now - Here's Joanne Howard's First-Hand Report:
IWF-Dallas hosts IWFNC in Big D
What started as a conversation with Heather Kitchen, Managing Director of Dallas Theater Center, at our Summer Camp in 2012 became a reality March 1-3, 2
 | | JOanne Howard presents gift of appreciation to Heather Kitchen |
013. "What plays are you doing this season?" One play, RED by John Logan, had been seen by our Theater Group at Berkeley Rep. Heather was so enthusiastic about their plan to turn the theater into Mark Rothko's artist's studio and to collaborate with the Dallas Museum of Art on capturing his history and genius.
Joanne Howard contacted Margaret Keliher, President of IWF-Dallas and along with Heather created a weekend filled with wonderful encounters every step of the way.
We met about a dozen IWF-Dallas members at Marion and Nash Flores' home in Highland Park, TX. They generously shared the stories behind their remarkable contemporary art collection with us. We went around the corner for dinner at Café Pacific located in the country's first shopping center and one of the premier venues for upscale shopping and dining.
The next morning we were led on an architectural walking tour learning the history of Dallas and viewing the growth of this financial center. We ended at the Adolphus Hotel for lunch.
Then on to the remarkable Arts District of Dallas and the special program on Mark Rothko arranged by the education department of Dallas Theater Center and led by Nicole Stutzman Forbes, Chair of Learning Initiatives and Dallas Museum of Art League Director of Education. An extra bonus was viewing the Marc Chagall exhibit at its only U.S. venue.
IWF-Dallas hosted us for a reception catered by Wolfgang Puck where we met 34 members and guests. The Dallas women were welcoming and engaging. We then wandered into Mark Rothko's studio set in New York, 1958. This uncompromising, volatile, brilliant, successful artist was undertaking a new commission for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Mies van der Rohe/Philip Johnson Seagram Building. His newly hired intern challenges the master's theories and both learn from each other.
Heather hosted us for brunch at her lovely home and we met a few more delightful members from Dallas. Cindy Eisenberg shared her ambassador's vision of IWF members connecting around the world.
So our visit included the many aspects of IWF - meeting new friends, sharing good times with old friends while wining, dining, learning, and connecting on so many levels.
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Four-Corners Dine-Around
by Patti Clark
Take members spread around the four-corners of the Bay Area, add four great restaurants recommended by local members, sign up members from that geographical area for a great night out and you have a winning formula.
 The week of March 11 saw a total of 32 members meeting for dinner at Insalata's in San Anselmo, Rivoli in Berkeley, Piperade in San Francisco and Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park. 
The brand new Four-Corners Dine-Around is the brainchild of our President, Sheri
 Barden who has been looking for ways to make it easier for members to gather with Forum friends, even on a busy weeknight.
Be on the lookout - Another Four-Corners Dine-Around is planned for October 2013! And if you have a restaurant you really love and would like to share with friends, contact Gwen Mazer. Bon Appetit! |
New Perspectives Event: Women on Corporate Boards Breakfast
by Patti Clark
February 26, found nearly 40 members and guests gathered at The City Club for breakfast and a great program. A fireside chat was the format for a fascinating conversation between Marsha VandeBerg and Shireeen Muhiudeen, Founder, Managing Director & Principal Fund Manager of Corston-Smith Asset Management and a strong international voice for increasing the role of women in corporate governance. She authors the popular monthly column "Governance Matters", which is published in the largest English Malaysian daily. In 2007, she authored a self-help financial handbook for young adults.
The event was co-sponsored by Women Corporate Directors. Thank you to Marsha VandeBerg for arranging for Shireen to be available for a program with us. 
A keep your eyes open for more co-sponsored events with significant women's organizations from around the Bay Area. |
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Celebrating Our 1st Anniversary
with Constant Contact
by Jenny Erwin
Have you noticed how this newsletter has changed significantly in the past year? Since February 2012, we have been using Constant Contact to deliver our newsletters and program announcements. Patti Clark, newsletter creator, quickly learned this new application and then enhanced her skills by participating in a Constant Contact Boot Camp this fall. She is helping us raise the bar by using these multi-purpose tools to improve communication and track our results.
Thanks Patti for your creativity and diligence with these positive changes for IWF.
Now here are a few reminders about the process for submitting articles and photos for the newsletter. If you are in charge of an event, please email Patti and me the information to be included in the announcement, newsletter and website. If you are in charge of the activity, you need to submit a post event write-up with photos or identify others who will do this. Also, please bring to our attention any newsworthy information about activities/accomplishments of our members to be included in our various communications. The newsletter deadlines for the articles and photos are on the website under Board Calendar at www.iwfnorcal.org/AboutUs/Board .
Thanks for your support, ideas and contributions that continue to enhance our communication process.
 Editor's Note: Jenny is on Leave of Absence from the Board while she takes on an important, but temporary, position with the Labor Department. Please send your contributions to pclark.iwfnorcal@gmail.com AND to Board Member Anne Chermak Dillen. Anne has agreed to take responsibility for the newsletter and website during the period that Jenny is away.
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