Positively Pittsburgh Live! 8-23-10
Celebration of the 19th Amendment in Pittsburgh
Positivelypittsburghlive.com is proud to be a sponsor of the Celebrate and Share event celebrating the passing of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote. Tonight’s conversation is about this important milestone in our history.
Today’s Guests
Anne Marie Gire, Women’s Independent Press
Selena Schmidt, Power of 32
Bonnie DiCarlo,
JoAnn R. Forrester
Today’s Discussion
· The 90th anniversary of the amendment that gave women the right to vote will be celebrated on Thursday by Celebrate and Share, an organization that features the achievements of women.
· Celebrate & Share was founded by Bonnie DiCarlo and JoAnn R. Forrester in 2002, the year in which they also restarted this celebration of the 19th amendment in the Pittsburgh area.
· Bonnie DiCarlo and JoAnn R. Forrester are both experienced entrepreneurs, strong community activists, and politically savvy, as are Anne Marie Gire of Women’s Independent Press and Selena Schmidt of the Power of 32.
· What does the 19th Amendment mean to these Ladies?
· What is the history of the celebration of the 19th Amendment and why do we celebrate it?
· What are the unresolved issues that we face as women though we have the gained the right to vote? What is the next challenge?
CELEBRATE AND SHARE CELEBRATES THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT
Celebrate & Share invites you to Breakfast on August 26 At the Rivers Club. Honor the passage of the 19th amendment and Celebrate with us and with the women who did and continue to do the difficult and almost impossible here. The celebration will include a Panel discussion entitled, “The Politics of Business, The Business of Politics”.
Special guest:
· Barbara Hafer, First Woman Allegheny County Commissioner, Former Pennsylvania State Treasurer, Pennsylvania State Auditor
Panelists:
· Jann Chirdon - Political strategist
· Amanda Green Hawkins, Esquire - Counsel for United Steelworkers of America, Allegheny County Council member
· Selena Schmidt - Executive Director, Power of 32
· Elisabeth Bennington, Esquire - Pollock Begg Komar Glasser LLC
The United States ranks 84th in the world of elected women officials and
PA ranks 46th in the nation.
Celebrate and Share
Since 2002, this organization has been dedicated to raising funds for women and children in need and highlighting the achievements of women in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Celebrate & Share has raised over $160,000 through events. Over 150 women have been recognized for their contributions to the Greater Pittsburgh region. The long term goal of the Women of Achievement event is to establish a permanent Women’s Hall of Achievement.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Anna Marie Gire
· Volunteer Work at:
-Women’s Center and Shelter
-Pittsburgh Action Against Rape
-Harmony Hospice
· Began publishing in 2003:
-First, the Women’s Independent Press, a general interest newspaper
-Then, the Women’s Yellow Pages (WYP) of Greater Pittsburgh
-And finally,the Women’s Independent Press newsletter online, www.womensindependentpress.com, providing information, articles of interest and a listing of events/ workshops/conferences and meetings. Events can be posted for profit and nonprofit businesses/organizations free of charge.
· Member of
-The Power of 32
-The Women’s Group of the American Forest Foundation
Selena Schmidt
· Currently trains and facilitates workshops on leadership, advocacy and strategic planning for corporate, community and nonprofit clients
· Positions:
-Project Director for the Power of 32 – the largest regional visioning project ever undertaken
-Pittsburgh Regional Alliance Champions Business Development Board Chair
-Director of Leadership Development at the Coro Center for Civic Leadership
-Served as Pittsburgh City Council President’s Chief of Staff
-Elected Chapter President and National PAC board member
-Sits on several boards including Strong Women Strong Girls, Global Pittsburgh, -Pittsburgh Green Project and Friends of the Riverfront
-Appointed to the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) Policy Advisory Committee
· Accomplishments
-Reformed Pittsburgh’s Ethics Code; changed policies across the country for women, young leaders, land-use
-Grassroots advocacy and organizing including the election of Allegheny County’s first African-American woman to county office
-Crafted significant legislation including funding for new policies and procedures for domestic violence, legislation requiring the city conduct a workforce Gender and Race Pay Equity study and a landmark revision of the Municipal Ethics Code.
-Rookie and Public Policy Advocate of the Year
-Graduate of the Yale Campaign School for Women and Leadership Pittsburgh
-Recognized as a 2009 Woman of Achievement, Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40, and inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Bonnie DiCarlo
· Worked as a financial planner for over 28 years with Allegheny Investments, concentrating on women and small businesses
· Presented seminars at many institutions including Carlow University, Chatham University, YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, LaRoche College, and Point State Park University
· Taught as an Associate Professor at CCAC, Carlow University and Duquesne University
· District 3 Director for Business & Professional Women
· Accomplishments
-Served on many Boards including The Pittsburgh Camerata, Bethlehem Haven, NAWBO, Carnegie Library of Homestead, Thomas Merton Center, Financial Planning Association, and is a long-time member of the Pittsburgh Guild of organists.
-Received the YWCA Tribute to Women Award
-Named one of The PA Best 50 Women in Business
and the SBA's Women's Advocate for Small Business Owners
-Well known throughout Pennsylvania for her support of and strategy for electing women to public office
-Can often be seen on PCNC-TV as a political analyst
JoAnn R. Forrester
· Co-host of Empress of Biz Talkcast (http://tinyurl.com/EmpressofBiz) and APoliticalPoint.com.The Point is. (http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/81413)
· Founder, president and owner of S I Business Associates, a business growth management firm established in 1975
· Co founder of Celebrate & Share Women of Achievement
· Co-developed the PRICE IT PERFECT™ cost management and cost analysis program for small business
· NAWBO Board member & Past President
· Accomplishments
-Over 75,000 hours of experience in teaching, consulting, human relations and business development classes, seminars and individual consultations
-Secured 40 million dollars in loans and investment for her clients
-Recognized by numerous organizations, including the Small Business Administration (Women Business Champion 1989 and 2000), as a Pennsylvania Best 50 Women (1999) and a 2010 YWCA Tribute to Women Honoree.
JoAnn R. Forrester
Office: 412-440-6969
Cell: 412-670-4322
To hear this episode of Positively Pittsburgh Live in its entirety go to http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/audioPop.jsp?episodeId=389622&cmd=apop
Delana Flowers is a Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, an independent writer and owner of Ingenuity by Delana Flowers ©, writing effective copy so you don’t have to. Services include copywriting for newsletters, blogs, ad copy, marketing pieces, articles, reviews, invitations, postcards, flyers and more.
