PCCW eNEWSLETTER

Fall 2006

This is the fifth edition of the PCCW eNewsletter, which is designed to keep members up-to-date on each other’s jobs, travels, families, activities, musings and anything else we want to share. Contributions for the winter edition should be sent to Sally Jacobsen by Jan. 31, 2007.

FALL LETTER FROM MARGIE

PCCW President Margie Turner writes in her fall letter to members about President David J. Skorton’s vision for Cornell in 2015 and about changes being made to PCCW to ensure it’s adapting to the University’s needs.

SPOTLIGHT ON: DIANA DANIELS

Diana Daniels, general counsel of The Washington Post Co., is a Cornell Trustee and Vice Chair of the Board. She talks about her ties to Cornell and the rewards from being involved with the University. Read the Q&A here.

REGIONAL MEETINGS

Western Regional Meeting at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.
By Mary Ellen Plubell Miller ‘82

(Enjoy a beautiful slideshow of the event here)

More than two-dozen PCCW members and their spouses were greeted with warm Western hospitality during the regional meeting at the Broadmoor Oct. 5-8. Our gracious host and hostess were PCCW member Frankie Tutt and her husband, Bill, (C.U. Hotel Class of’ ’63). The theme of the meeting was “Unstoppable Women.”

In classic PCCW style, Frankie kept us going at a whirlwind pace!

Those who arrived early on Thursday were treated to a dinner at the Broadmoor golf club, overlooking one of the property’s three scenic mountain courses. (PGA Senior Tour and LPGA events are played here.)

Following that we heard John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt band fame live at the Western Jubilee Warehouse downtown. John is a friend of the Tutts - as is, we were to soon find out, most everyone in Colorado Springs! Bill’s grandfather, Charles Tutt, partnered with Spencer Penrose to open the finest resort in the West in 1918 so the Tutt name is well-established in Colorado Springs.

On Friday, Frankie hosted a warm welcome and introductions and gave us a tour of the property where she and Bill once lived. It features 750 guest rooms and employs a staff of 1,600. The Broadmoor, known for a tradition of quality and service, has been awarded Mobil’s Five Stars for 46 consecutive years, an honor unprecedented in the hospitality industry.

Then the group was off! We toured the Garden of the Gods and had a “photo op” by Colorado’s most photographed rock formation, called “the balancing rock.” In the evening, we dined at the Garden of the Gods Club while looking at the breathtaking views.

On Saturday, Bill told us about the military presence in the area, then we went to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense) for a look behind the scenes at Cheyenne Mountain. We visited the U.S. Olympic training center and received a VIP tour and lunch with several Olympic handball athletes, including former Olympian Cindy Stinger.

After some free time, Frankie demonstrated her awesome packing skills (how to tour the world in one carry-on bag), and we had dinner at another luxurious country club. Our speaker was Pam Schockley, Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, who told us about several “unstoppable women.”

Space was Sunday morning’s topic and we heard from Elliott Pulham, president of The United States Space Foundation and our own Nagin Cox, who gave us the latest from the Mars Rover project. Then it was time to say goodbye to our dear Cornell PCCW friends.

Everyone who attended would like to take this opportunity to thank Frankie and Bill for their wonderful, warm, western hospitality.

Washington Area Regional Meeting
By Carolyn J. Jacobson

Although showers were predicted, PCCW events in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22 turned out perfectly. The sun was shining brightly, the leaves were in the process of turning colors, and everyone had a wonderful time.

Twenty PCCW members, including three of six new members from the Atlantic region - Marjorie Corwin, Lane McClelland and Alison Weir - participated in the events, organized by "hostess with the mostess" Randy Segal.

Although many in the group have lived in the area for years, no one had ever taken the one-hour mule-drawn barge ride. The most exciting part of the trip was experiencing the lift lock which, when traveling upstream, lets in enough water to push the barge up eight feet. On the way back, the process was reversed.

We learned that the C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal, conceived by George Washington, was built between 1828 and 1850 and extended about 185 miles from Washington to Cumberland, Md. It generally follows the Potomac River, which cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. The plan was to continue the canal so that it would link to tributaries of the Ohio River (hence the name), but by 1850 railroads had proved to be superior means of transportation, and the canal terminated at Cumberland.

The canal operated until 1923 when one of the periodic floods caused too much damage to justify the cost of the repairs. It was never profitable due to high maintenance expenses and competition from rail transport. Since 1971, the canal has been a National Historical Park under the auspices of the National Park Service.

At the conclusion of the barge ride, the group walked to the nearby Four Seasons Hotel for an elegant High Tea. We caught up with each other and met the new members. Everyone agreed that taking off time to sit and quietly converse in an elegant setting, with a pianist playing in the background, was a wonderful respite from our normal routines. The lovely autumn day was an added treat.

Southeast/Miami’s Dancing 2006 Fall Event
By Carolyn Kiryluk

PCCW members Carolyn Landis, Laurie Jennings, Gladys Diaz-Jourdain and Sherri Klein warmly welcomed new members Mimi Whitefield and Camille Lepre at a luncheon hosted by Carol Kiryluk in early October. The luncheon was also an opportunity to plan for regional alumnae outreach programs, including a tour of the new Miami Performing Arts Center (The Carnival Center) in late fall and the annual student winter break mentoring/networking session in January, which will be co-hosted by Carol Kiryluk, Mimi Whitefield and Camille Lepre.

New York Metro Area’s Artfull 2006 Fall Event

Nov. 16. Cocktails, networking and a special guided tour of Neuberger Berman's superb contemporary art collection in New York City. Hosted by PCCW member Sue Caplan.

Los Angeles/Southern California’s Green 2006 Fall Event

Nov. 12. Topic is Sustainability. Harper’s Restaurant, Westfield Century City. Contact is PCCW member Nancy Mills.

DEC. 15 DEADLINE FOR NOMINATING NEW MEMBERS

Reminder: The deadline for nominating candidates to PCCW is Dec. 15. Please consider nominating one of the wonderful Cornell alumna whom you know or have heard about. It's acceptable to nominate women whom you have read about in a magazine or newspaper; forward as much information as you have and we will find out more about her. The nomination form is available here. 

VIRTUAL TEA
By Gloria Lang

On Oct. 4, Laura Wilkinson, Chair of the membership committee, welcomed 17 of the 29 new members joining PCCW in 2006 during a virtual tea. The one-hour conference call permitted a wonderful exchange of Cornell and personal experiences related to a connection with Cornell. She was joined by 16 PCCW members, who represented the standing committees and new member mentors.

Margie Turner, PCCW Chair, offered an overview of PCCW’s mission and focus. This followed brief overviews of each standing committees. This was an opportunity for the new members to learn about the activities of each committee.

Each participant in the call had received photos and bios of those on the call. When a new voice spoke, we could connect the voice with the face.

Our new members represent Cornell classes 1961-1994 and are from throughout the country. Many have stayed with their career focus while others have made significant leaps to new career paths. During the call, each expressed a common Cornell trait - they want to give back some of the spirit that energized their life after Cornell.

A list of the new members is below (highlighted names joined the Virtual Tea):

Lynn Vacca Ambrosia
Donna Rae Bacchi-Smith
Lisa Bronson
Charlotte Jones Collister
Marjorie (Margie) Ann Corwin
E. Pauline Degenfelder
Carla Helene Ginsburg
Kimberly Jane Hehir
Lynn Edelstein Heymont
Deborah Waterman Johns
Shaz Kahng
Peggy Jean Koenig
Terry Kornblum-Singer
Ronni Lacroute
Camille Susanne Lepre
Deborah Lee Mace
Leah Deirdre Mahan
Lane Irene McClelland
Norma Grace Meacham
Nanci S. Palmintere
Brenda Romney Martin
Rachel Sol Simon
Gina Suzanne Sucato
Laura Szeliga
Dorothy Teitelbaum Terman
Lorraine Power Tharp
Alison Mannion Weir
Maureen Anne Whitefield
Michele Anne Whitham .

UNIVERSITY SEEKS ALUMNE MENTORS: We’re Making Progress
By Carolyn Jacobson and Jill Goldy

PCCW’s mission includes providing opportunities for career counseling, internships, networking, and mentoring for Cornell undergraduate women. In recent years, PCCW has challenged our members to provide the broadest possible participation of members in these programs. Here's more information.

SAVE THE DATE: Spring Meeting: Thursday, March 8 - Sunday, March 11, 2007

 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT FOR WOMEN FACULTY MEMBERS

Discusses Provost Biddy Martin’s work on Cornell’s $3.3 million NSF grant to increase the number of women faculty in engineering and the sciences: Read the story here.

CORNELL’S CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: PCCW to Play a Role in Cornell’s Capital Campaign

PCCW is proud to announce that it will participate in a major fundraising effort to support the new, publicly-announced Capital Campaign that began October 26 of this year and continues through December 2011. The goal of the Capital Campaign is to raise four billion dollars to support the University and its Medical College and provide endowed support for scholarships and fellowships that will assist in the recruitment of outstanding students and the next generation of faculty and launch the renewal and development of facilities for 21st century teaching, learning and research throughout the University.

A PCCW task force, led by Martha Coultrap, is currently planning the PCCW fundraising campaign effort. Our goals will be guided by the university priorities and will carry on PCCW’s mandate to provide support to programs that enhance the academic, career and personal goals of female undergraduate and graduate students and faculty through the PCCW’s Affinito-Stewart Endowment and General Leadership Grants. Specifics of the PCCW participation in the university campaign will be discussed during the Annual meeting, March 8-11.

This academic year, our focus is to raise funds for the Affinito-Stewart Endowment, named in honor of PCCW founders, Lilyan Affinito and Pat Carry Stewart. Since 1992, the PCCW has awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 from the Affinito-Stewart fund for the retention and development of women faculty and the financial support of research projects in their related fields of study and interests leading to tenure. The second primary PCCW granting fund, the Leadership Fund for Women, has awarded funds in the amount of $133,500 since 1994 to women faculty, staff, students and administrators. It supports PCCW’s mission to underwrite projects that recruit and sustain women in the crucial areas of physical sciences, engineering, leadership, health, music and sports.

The PCCW anticipates making a significant contribution to the Capital Campaign through planned fundraising activities that will result in a stable source of income to support effective opportunities for women students and faculty at Cornell.

An interview with Charlie Phlegar, Cornell’s vice president for alumni affairs and development, about Cornell’s capital campaign can be accessed through this link.

FOR MORE HAPPENINGS ABOUT CORNELL

Visit the Online Chronicle to see what is new on campus:

Subscribe to the Online Chronicle and receive by email weekly information about campus activities: 

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

PAULINE BENNETT has been selected by the Black Engineer Selection Panel to receive a Special Recognition award at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) conference in February in Baltimore.

LAURIE BERKE-WEISS’ law firm, Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP, hosted a student intern during the summer, Kathy Chang ’07, who participated in the Cornell University Prelaw Program

LEAH BISSONETTE writes that she is still consulting in energy. She says: “My biggest client is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation. I have been setting up their infrastructure for trading energy. This summer during the July heat wave, I brought them from selling zero electricity to selling 2,000 MW overnight (and I arranged part of this via internet while I was on vacation in the Middle East). As a result, in their first week of trading they did over $10M of business. I don't think any other energy company has gotten into the business so quickly. I continue to work with them on expanding and they are now active in both the California and the Texas markets. My other engagements have included testifying as an expert witness on behalf of Southern California Edison in some energy contract litigation and working with a small solar company that is being pursued for purchase by a large independent power company. On a personal level, I have been doing some travel. In July, I went to Petra, Jordan, to see the ancient tombs, and in September I visited Istanbul. For Cornell, I will be attending the Human Ecology Advisory Board Meeting in NYC at the end of September and meeting with the dean when she visits San Diego in October.”

LAURA ARMSTRONG FALVEY received a Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Program Award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. Laura, who works for the Maryland Department of the Environment, received the award for developing and managing a program that helps manufacturers implement Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) based on the global ISO 14001 standard. EMSs help organizations improve their environmental performance and save money. The national award is designed to recognize outstanding and innovative pollution prevention projects and programs that exemplify innovation, measurable results, transferability, commitment, and optimization of available project resources.

FRANCES HARDIN writes that she has returned from an IMF mission to Tanzania and Senegal. She coordinates press coverage of the IMF, mostly in Africa. In both Tanzania and Senegal, she accompanied two IMF economists - Raghu Rajan, the IMF's chief economist, and Sanjeev Gupta, one of the IMF's leading authorities on African economies. They presented the IMF's latest findings on the global and African economies, respectively. She’ll return to Dar es Salaam to coordinate a workshop for Tanzanian journalists. She’s engaged a non-profit, the International Center for Journalists to run the workshop with the aim of teaching better reporting techniques for covering business and economics.

LINDA DAVIS HARRAR reports from Boston that the WGBH/NOVA/Vulcan PBS Series "Rx for Survival - A Global Health Challenge" that she has been working on for several years has won a national Emmy for Best Documentary Series in the News and Information Category. Narrated by Brad Pitt, the series aired in November 2005. Linda is developing new programming for PBS on health, the environment, microcredit and social entrepreneurship.

PHYLLIS WEISS HASEROT, president of Practice Development Counsel, has won the 2006 Edge Award for a short article, part of the winning ensemble piece, “Is Your Marketing Stuck Inside the Box? Break Out by Answering the Basics.” It was a cover story for the March 2006 issue of Law Practice, a publication of the American Bar Association. The Edge Award is given each year to the authors of the two best articles and the one best column published that year in Law Practice. Her article addresses the hot issue: “My partners think the solution to our getting more business is that we simply need to bring in a good rainmaker. Are they right?” She also was a recent guest on Coach TV, speaking about relations among the different generations in the workplace and how to improve them for better productivity, retention and business development results.

MARY ELLEN MILLER, Marquee’s executive editor, was recently honored with two prestigious awards. The Johnson City, Tenn., Kiwanis Club named her “Kiwanian of the Year” for her leadership in creating the Young Children Priority One Committee. The committee provides backpacks and toys to abused children who were put into the state’s foster care system. She’s only the second woman in the Johnson City club’s 86-year history to win the award. The second award was from East Tennessee State University’s College of Business and Technology, which presented Mary Ellen with its Horizon Award. Mary Ellen, who received her MBA from ETSU in 2000, was given the award for her “noteworthy career and her display of significant accomplishments and commitment to the business community, the college and the university.”

JUDY MONSON writes that she joined the U.S. Foreign Service in June: “It’s a long and iffy process to arrive at this point and, happily, all the stars aligned for my entry at this time. The ‘beginning’ is a seven-week orientation class during which one learns their first assignment. I now know that I’ll be headed to Mexico City – the second largest embassy in the world – in June 2007. Before that, I’ll have almost a year of training, including Spanish lessons for six months. There were no Cornellians in my class of 88, but I’ve met many since then who are speakers at some of my classes, particularly in advanced degrees in aspects of Latin American studies. I wanted an adventure and this certainly is that, and more.”

PHYLLIS WEISS HASEROT writes that long-time PCCW member and University Trustee ELIZABETH D. MOORE received the inaugural Diversity Champion Award from the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (New York Citibar). Quoting from the Bar’s newsletter: Liz “advocates for diversity through her roles as a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, a practicing employment lawyer and a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University, and as an active participant in the community at large. Within her firm, (she) has been described as the ‘driving force’ behind Nixon Peabody’s efforts in the field of diversity. As co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Action Committee, she has spearheaded the creation of a multi-year diversity plan focused on gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and staff/attorney relations….Externally, one of Liz’s notable efforts includes driving three major diversity efforts at Cornell University to support and strengthen the pipeline of racial/ethnic minority students.”

GRACE RICHARDSON has been appointed to the Business Advisory Council of Women for Women International whose mission is to help women in war-ravaged areas move from victim to self-sufficiency. A one-year program provides vocational and business skills, leadership training and eventually access to capital – along with a link to a sponsor/mentor in the US. The organization’s work was recently recognized with the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

MUREM SHARPE writes that she launched Evoca (www.evoca.com) earlier this year. She says it’s been an invigorating period of business development, raising capital, and PR activities. Evoca makes it easy for mainstream users to create, organize, share and search audio recordings on-line and using a telephone. Evoca is for recording valuable content by businesses, journalists, politicians, oral historians, and for personal use such as family reunions, personal oral histories, etc. Evoca was selected to become a member company of the Georgia Tech Advanced Development Technology Centers, which gives it access to the significant technology and business resources associated with Georgia Tech. Having served as chair of the advisory council for Cornell’s Entrepreneurship Program, it is a terrific opportunity to be associated with other high tech venture CEO’s and founders through this program. Her husband Tom Sharpe ’69 has established his real estate marketing and development business in Savannah and welcomes Cornellians who are considering living and/or investing anywhere in the SC, GA and NE FL coastal areas (tsharpe@sharpemc.com) . Their son Eric is a senior at the Savannah College of Art & Design (“SCAD”) majoring in advertising design. Emily ’05 is a Fulbright Scholar in the Middle East, first in Qatar and now in Kuwait, where she has been researching and writing about the role of women in public life in the Arab world.

ROSEMARY STASEK writes: “With the increasing level of violence in Kabul, including nearly daily suicide bombings and threats of attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, I took the chance to head back to the States for a little break. I did lots of speeches all over the country, but one of the highlights was speaking at brunch with the Cornell Club of Los Angeles. It was wonderful to stand outside on a beautiful day overlooking the Pacific Ocean and get to visit with PCCW friends.”

BONNIE WEINSTOCK held a labor arbitration session at Cornell in September for about 60 students for an on-campus shadowing experience. The students watched a labor-management arbitration case being presented. Bonnie answered students’ questions from the arbitrator’s perspective. She issued the written Opinion and Award, which ends a case. A copy was provided to the two professors who brought their classes.

LAURA WILKINSON received the 2006 Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni award from the Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Black Graduate Business Association. The award is named for the first African American to graduate from the business school in 1950. She also received the Women of Achievement award during an event sponsored by the Montgomery County, Md., Business and Professional Women organization and the Montgomery County Commission for Women. Similarly, this award was in recognition of her professional accomplishments and community service

OTHER MUSINGS ….

CAROLYN JACOBSON sent links to a study about women and their reasons for leaving the workforce: http://www.uchastings.edu/site_files/WLL/OptOutPressRelease.pdf and http://www.uchastings.edu/site_files/WLL/OptOutPushedOut.pdf

AMY WANG MANNING reviewed “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians, by Jan Hyun ’90, HarperCollins, 2005. Read the review here.

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