An Equal Opportunist

by Jennifer Gleeson Blue, NYWSE member

I sit down in the morning and in front of me are three beverages - coffee with soy milk, cranberry juice and water. Drinking large amounts of good ol' H2O throughout the day, I supplement at 11am with a cup of hot, herbal tea. Just after Noon, I enjoy a mug of two-bag plain black tea. I may hit up the herbal stuff again before the work day ends and I move on to a glass of wine or a beer. And my entire day would feel askew if it didn't end with a hot cup of Yogi ginger or Celestial Seasoning's Tension Tamer tea.

As I told a friend the other day: I'm an equal opportunist when it comes to beverages.

Naturally, this hydration obsession got me thinking about business!

Creating Social Change through Media

by Lannia Small, NYWSE member & volunteer

On Thursday January 28, over 45 women and one man attended the NYWSE event “Change through Media” at Green Spaces New York. The event was moderated by Alicia Marin of ALAS and included panelists: Yvette Alberdingk Thijm of WITNESS, Karena Albers, Founder of KONTENTREAL, Katherine Fry of The LAMP, and Alexia Prichard, Founder and Executive Producer of Closed Loop Films.

All of these amazing women are change makers using media in unique ways to expose social issues and create dialogue. The night’s topics ranged from measuring the social impact of media organizations and the importance of allying with policy makers and educators, to the need to empower victims around the world to tell their own stories of social injustice. Participants were also able to brainstorm with the panelists about how to find the right target audience for their media project, as well as how to make the career transition to the social media field or create their own organizations.

Dear Volunteers, Thank you! --NYWSE

As we start 2010, New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) would like to express our gratitude to all of our amazing volunteers.

Dear volunteers, thank you!

NYWSE volunteers have donated over 6,285 hours of professional services which have helped the organization grow. NYWSE would not be able to offer the high-quality, cutting-edge programs and services it does without the help of its dedicated volunteers--whose total in-kind donations amount to US$100,000.*

Since January 2008, NYWSE has grown to a membership of over 1,000 women, hosts monthly events on social innovation, and runs four programs--including the Incubator, Mastermind Mentoring Initiative (MMI), Book Club, and Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program.

We look forward to continuing to grow with you, the NYWSE community.  Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Please join us in celebrating the successes of 2009 by recognizing our outstanding volunteers!

NYWSE Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program:

• Ashby Andrews, Business Development Manager, Fast Forward Fund
• Danielle Coutinho, Equity Sales, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Stephanie Niloff, Strategic Business Services, Deutsche Bank

NYWSE Incubator Program:

• Maryam Rashid, Strategic Management & Analysis, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  
• Karima Lahrach, Master of International Affairs, Columbia University
  
• Melissa Osborne, MPA candidate, Carnegie Mellon University
• Annika Many (via Catchafire), Project Manager, College Board
• Elmira Bayrasli, VP of Partnerships & Outreach, Endeavor

NYWSE Events Committee:

• Alicia Marin, Deputy Director, ALAS
• Danielle Coutinho, Equity Sales, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Jennifer Apple, Attorney
• Tara Pyle, Senior Marketing and Events Manager, Center for Architecture
• Marcela Restrepo

NYWSE Fundraising Committee:

• Heather Rees, Founder and Board Chair, NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund
• Devyn Fomer Humphrey, External Relations Associate, Achievement First
• Tara Monroe
• Rebecca Lee, MPH candidate, Columbia University
• Sharmila Gordon, Legal Assistant, Seward & Kissel LLP

Graphic Design:

• Amy Anderson

Steering Committee & Advisory Council:

• Molly Alexander, Business Development Manager, Acumen Fund
• Marisa Guber, Cultural and Organizational Development Strategist, ABC Home
• Allison Lynch, COO, Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union
• Shari Aaron, Founder, Climb the Green Ladder
• Janet Wise, Founder, The Collaborative Factor
• Elmira Bayrasli, VP of Partnerships & Outreach, Endeavor

NYWSE Leadership/Management:

• Natalia Oberti Noguera, Executive Director
• Shari Aaron, Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Director
• Allison Lynch, Incubator Director
• Janet Wise, Mastermind Mentoring Initiative (MMI) Director
• A. Lauren Abele, Strategic Initiatives Manager
• Milena Arciszewski, Book Club Manager

Special thanks to our partners: LaTeisha Moore & Calgary Brown (Net Impact NYC Professionals Chapter), Angela Jia Kim (Savor the Success), Taryn Miller-Stevens (StartingBloc), Adelaide Lancaster (in Good Company Workplaces), Diana Ayton-Shenker (Fast Forward Fund), Mekaelia Davis & Dana Skallman (YNPN-NYC), Geri Stengel (Ventureneer), Allison Lennox (Chelsea Green), Rachael Chong (Catchafire), Michelle Lapinski & Sara Ellis Conant (YWSE)

Ways to contribute to the NYWSE community in 2010:

Volunteer: Email NYWSE Strategic Initiatives Manager A. Lauren Abele at [email protected]

Donate online: http://www.bit.ly/NYWSEdonate

Host an event: Email [email protected]

Invite a friend to join the NYWSE LinkedIn Group

*Assuming $40.67 mean hourly earnings for "Management, Professionals, and Related," taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Compensation Survey for the NYC-metropolitan area (May 2009).