Dress for Success: Who We Are: Board of Directors

Who We Are | Board of Directors

Dress for Success Worldwide Board of Directors

Niki Leondakis
Dorria Ball
Elena Kiam
Clarice Kennedy
Frank Aquila
Bobbi Brown
Maureen Case
Doug Checkeris
Salaam Coleman Smith
Alex Garfield
Donna Griffin
Carla Hendra
Lillian Hernandez
Mary Ivers
Debra Kelly-Ennis
Dottie Mattison
Robbin Mitchell
Kim Van Der Zon

Niki Leondakis Chair
Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants

Niki Leondakis, President & Chief Operating Officer for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, oversees operations, sales and marketing, revenue and distribution, human resources, technology, sustainability and social responsibility initiatives for the company’s 50 boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants.

Actively serving on the steering and senior executive committees, Ms. Leondakis has been a key player in the creation and development of Kimpton’s brand, values and culture, and in leading the growth and expansion of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in the U.S. In 1998, Ms. Leondakis formed Kimpton’s Mentor Program, aiding in the development and advancement of emerging leaders. In 2003, she launched Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ Diversity Initiative, which is committed to creating a culture that acknowledges, understands, accepts, values and celebrates differences among people. Ms. Leondakis is also responsible for furthering the mission of Kimpton University, an education and training program that inspires personal as well as professional development and growth.

Ms. Leondakis has received numerous industry awards, including being named one of the “100 Most Influential Women” by the San Francisco Business Times every year from 2002 to 2010, being recognized as one of “30 Women Power Players” by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2002, and named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Travel” by Travel Agent Magazine that same year. In 2007, Ms. Leondakis received the International Food Service Manufacturer’s Association Silver Plate Award for Operator of the Year. In 2008, Ms. Leondakis received the Fred Tibbits Hospitality Award for Lifetime Excellence and in 2009, the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society named Ms. Leondakis the Hospitality Executive of the Year. The American Hellenic Institute awarded Ms. Leondakis the 2010 Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award.

An avid contributor to the community, Ms. Leondakis also has served on the Board of Directors for the National Restaurant Association since 2004 and currently chairs the National Restaurant Association’s Sustainability and Social Responsibility Committee.

Prior to joining the Kimpton, Ms. Leondakis worked as a food and beverage director for the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in Marina Del Rey, Calif., Atlanta and San Francisco, from 1985 to 1993. She began her hospitality career as a manager for Marriott Hotels in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ms. Leondakis holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant management and travel administration from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Ms. Leondakis now resides with her husband in San Francisco, California.

Back to top

Dorria L. Ball Vice Chair
Kraft Foods, Inc.

Dorria L. Ball is the senior director of Human Resources, Beverages, for Kraft Foods, headquartered in Tarrytown, NY. In this role, Ms. Ball and her team are responsible for developing and leading the implementation of all human resources strategies and activities in support of all Beverages Business Unit functions from marketing to manufacturing. Kraft is the largest food company in North America and the second largest in the world, with net revenues exceeding $34 billion, 90,000 employees worldwide and operations in 70 countries.

Ms. Ball began her career with Kraft over 18 years ago in Sales Management, where she held numerous assignments of increasing responsibility, calling on customers and leading teams. She transitioned into human resources in 1994 and has since held a variety of human resources generalist and specialist assignments across a number of functions and business sectors. Most recently, Ms. Ball was the Senior Director of Global Diversity and Work Life, where she was responsible for developing and implementing the Global Diversity and Work Life strategy for Kraft Foods worldwide.

Ms. Ball is one of the founding members of ASCENT, and was formerly on the Conference Board's Council on Workforce Diversity , the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund advisory board, the steering team of the William J. Clinton Foundation's Harlem Small Business Initiative, and the Boston College Global Workforce Roundtable Steering Committee. In addition, Ms. Ball is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Ms. Ball is a native of Indianapolis, a graduate of Indiana University and a resident of Westchester County, New York.

Back to top

Elena Kiam Treasurer
lia sophia

Ms. Kiam is senior vice-president of lia sophia, a direct selling, fashion jewelry company that has selected Dress for Success as its not-for-profit partner. Like Dress for Success, lia sophia's mission is to connect women to their dreams and to help them gain significant financial independence; lia sophia does so by giving women the opportunity to establish their own businesses. Nationally based, lia sophia is one of the fastest growing direct selling companies and currently has over 15,000 sales advisors. lia sophia is known for its elegant, well-priced jewelry as well as its more fashion forward collections designed for press, celebrities and tastemakers. It is the only branded fashion jewelry company that is routinely featured in the national fashion magazines and the weekly entertainment publications, due in part to its celebrity following.

Ms. Kiam oversees the company's marketing and public relations efforts including its valued partnership with Dress for Success. Through this partnership, lia sophia is working to expose Dress for Success' clients to another career possibility as well as to encourage its own base of sales advisors to give back to their communities through Dress for Success.

Prior to lia sophia, Ms. Kiam had a 14-year career at J.P. Morgan primarily in the Asset Management/Private Banking division, where she was responsible for advising private companies and high net worth individuals on a range of financial matters. She helped establish J.P. Morgan's' businesses in Colorado, Texas and other western states prior to the company's opening offices in these areas.

Back to top

Clarice Kennedy Secretary
Resources Global Professionals.

Clarice Kennedy is the senior director of Information Management for Resources Global Professionals, www.ResourcesGlobal.com. NASDAQ: RECN.

Ms. Kennedy brings 20 years of experience in the technology industry and in this role manages the strategic development of the Information Management practice, specifically in the areas of business (IT) governance, business process transformation and program and project management.

Prior to joining Resources, Ms Kennedy was the founder and CEO of CCN, Inc., a technology staffing firm. During the last two decades, she guided its growth and expansion into a full-service provider of technology services and talent management solutions for some of the world's leading companies.

Ms. Kennedy began her career as a systems programmer, then transitioned into a network engineering role supporting European traders at Security Pacific Bank, now Bank of America. Two years later, the entrepreneurial 24-year-old founded CCN and strategically fulfilled the emerging need for IT services as North American companies began widespread deployment of personal computers across the enterprise.

Ms. Kennedy is a member of Columbia University's mentoring program within the Executive Master of Science in Technology Management degree program, offered by Columbia's School of Continuing Education. She serves on the New York Leadership Board of Women in Technology International (WITI) and is an active board member for the New York Society of Information Managers (SIM).

Ms. Kennedy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Buffalo State University, Buffalo, New York. She lives in New York with her husband and her three greatest accomplishments - her children, Dylan, Connor and Aidan.

Back to top

F rank Aquila
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Frank Aquila has been an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell since 1983 and a partner of the firm since 1992. He has served as the partner in charge of legal recruiting and is currently one of the partners responsible for associate matters. Mr. Aquila's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, takeover defense, strategic alliances and corporate governance matters for a broad range of leading international companies. He serves as regular advisor to global leaders such as Amgen, British Airways, Diageo and InBev. He can be regularly seen and heard discussing M&A activity and trends on CNBC TV, Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg TV and Fox Business News. In demand as an author and lecturer on M&A and corporate governance, Mr. Aquila received The Burton Award for Legal Achievement 2005 in recognition of his article, "Back to the Future! Recent Hostile Bids Make Takeover Defenses Relevant" (The M&A Lawyer, April 2004).

Mr. Aquila has been featured twice in The American Lawyer, "Daddys Weekend on the Phone" (January 2002) and "Supersonic Lawyers" (May 2004), and once in The Wall Street Journal, "Business Trips Leave Little Time for Luxuries" (May 31, 1996). Mr. Aquila is chair-elect of the board of trustees of The NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education and is a member of the board of advisors of the Salvation Army of Greater New York.

Mr. Aquila is a native of New York City and a graduate of Columbia College (Columbia University) and Brooklyn Law School.

Back to top

Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

In 1991 Bobbi Brown started a makeup revolution with a handful of lipsticks and a simple philosophy: Women want to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident. Her dream came true when she debuted her line of cosmetics just 10 brown-based lipsticks at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.

Ms. Brown's love affair with makeup started at an early age when she discovered her mothers collection of cosmetics. Driven by her passion, Ms. Brown went to learn the art of theatrical makeup at Emerson College in Boston, then headed for New York City to work as a professional makeup artist.

Tackling the challenges that face any novice in her industry building a portfolio from scratch, making contacts Ms. Brown found that her biggest frustration was the lack of flattering makeup products. A chance meeting with a chemist at a magazine photo shoot changed everything. The chemist made the lipstick following Ms. Browns exacting specifications and the result was Brown Lip Color, a pinky-brown shade. Nine other brown-based lipstick shades followed soon after, and Ms. Browns set of lipsticks was complete.

Take one look at the Bobbi Brown line today and it is clear that Ms. Browns mission remains the same to give women options. As a working makeup artist, entrepreneur, wife and mother of three, Ms. Browns approach strikes a chord with consumers it is about achieving and maintaining balance, cultivating a positive outlook and loving yourself the way you are.

Back to top

Maureen Case
The Estee Lauder Companies

Maureen Case was appointed President, Specialty Groups Worldwide, for the Estee Lauder Companies in January 2006 and currently heads three of the company’s most innovative brands: Bobbi Brown, La Mer and Jo Malone. In addition to heading global business operations for each, Ms. Case has also been responsible for recognizing, developing and implementing strategic brand building openings that have spurred their tremendous growth.

Ms. Case has been a leader at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics for nearly a decade, joining the brand in 1999 as Vice President, General Manager, Bobbi Brown International. Within a year she stepped up to the role of VP Global Marketing, Bobbi Brown Worldwide and by 2001, expanded her responsibilities considerably through her promotions to Senior Vice President, Global Marketing.

Ms. Case was named General Manager, Bobbi Brown Worldwide and the following year, as President, she proceeded to strategically structure and position the brand for further global and regional growth. Since joining the brand, sales have quadrupled and Ms. Case has expanded it into more than 15 key markets including Russia and China. She continues to oversee the company’s development through such means as alternative distribution via QVC and free standing stores. All in all, Ms. Case remains instrumental to Bobbi Brown’s continued double-digit growth.

Ms. Case boasts more than three decades’ of experience in the cosmetics business. She began her career in beauty in 1975 when she joined the finance arm of the Estee Lauder Companies. In 1979 she transferred to the New York headquarters as Regional Finance Manager for the Travel Retailing Group. Promoted to Executive Director, Marketing, Travel Retailing, Estee Lauder International, Inc. in 1989, Ms. Case made significant contributions to the growth of the Travel Retailing operations, which doubled in sales during her tenure.

Ms. Case sits on the board for Dress for Success as well as the Emerson College Board of Overseers, and is an active member of Cosmetic Executive Women. She is an avid scuba diver, enjoys snow-skiing and practices yoga. Ms. Case lives in Manhattan with her family.

Doug Checkeris was named CEO of MediaCom U.S. in the fall of 2007. Since signing on as head of the agency's U.S. operation, Doug's focus has been leading MediaCom's strategic reinvention. During the period that Doug has held this position, the agency has achieved several successes, including deepened relationships with - and several significant new assignments from - a diversity of clients, consolidation of the GlaxoSmtihKline media business under MediaCom, stewardship of the WPP Dell account and the continued holistic integration of digital media into the core of the agency.

Mr. Checkeris began his career at MBS in Canada 25 years ago as a media trainee. He joined the MBS management committee in 1986 and was named managing partner in 1996, one year before MBS joined forces with MediaCom to form The Media Company, MediaCom's Canadian operations. In 2003 he was named president and CEO of The Media Company and during his tenure he was instrumental in the company's placement as #1 for several successive years on RECMA's ranking of Canadian agencies. Throughout his career, he has successfully pitched and run a broad range of clients spanning virtually every category, some of which include: TD Canada Trust, BMW Canada, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Staples, Warner Bros., LVMH, GlaxoSmithKline and Rogers and Michelin.

Mr. Checkeris' involvement on the community level includes serving on the boards of the arts-focused Canadian Fringe Festival and Canadian Stage Company and participating in the charitable groups Reach for the Rainbow, an organization that enables disabled children to attend summer camp, and Mothers Trust Foundation, which helps children in need. He also led MediaCom Canada's strong participation with the United Way. Since coming to the U.S., Mr. Checkeris has embraced MediaCom's participation with Dress for Success, spearheading a volunteer day at the Brooklyn, NY warehouse and establishing an internship program with the organization.

When he's not working, Mr. Checkeris enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, competing in Masters Lacrosse and Basketball and pursuing his admitted obsession with Ski Racing. He also plans to run in the charity-based JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge and ride in a 200K, 3-day bike ride to benefit a leading Canadian cancer institute.

Salaam Coleman Smith
President, The Style Network

As President of The Style Network, Salaam Coleman Smith is charged with leading cable television’s fastest-growing network for women. Since her appointment to run The Style Network, Ms. Coleman Smith has led the network to achieve significant ratings gains, delivering a record breaking 86% increase in Primetime total viewers over last three years and the network’s most watched year ever in 2009. In 2009, The Style Network joined the ranks of Top 50 cable networks and one of the top five fastest growing cable networks for the first time ever in the history of the network.

For the past 3 years, the Style Network has forged an unprecedented pro-social, initiative through its partnership with Dress for Success—a non-profit organization committed to helping women (many of them women of color) get back into the workforce. The partnership includes a range of initiatives, including Style Network’s on-air support of Dress for Success’s “S.O.S - Send One Suit - Weekend” campaign as well as programming featuring the inspirational makeovers and stories of women Dress for Success mentors who have suffered hardship and are re-entering the workforce.

Ms. Coleman Smith joined E! Networks in 2003 as Senior Vice President, Programming and quickly led E! to experience record-breaking growth and performance. She was promoted to run The Style Network as its lead Executive Vice President in 2006 and was named President of The Style Network in 2008. Prior to joining E! Networks, she spent nearly 10 years with MTV Networks. As Vice President of Programming for Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, she oversaw the successful programming shift and re-branding for Nick at Nite. Additionally, Ms. Coleman Smith played an integral role in MTV and Nickelodeon’ global expansion, managing programming and brand localization activities for the launch of 12 international Nickelodeon networks in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. During her international tenure, Ms. Coleman Smith lived in the UK, Germany, and Latin America. Prior to joining MTV Networks, she worked in management consulting at Andersen Consulting.

Ms. Coleman Smith currently serves on the national board of Women In Cable Telecommunications. She is a previous Walter Kaitz Foundation Fellow and Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Class XV Fellow. In 2009, Coleman Smith was bestowed a LEA “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Women In Cable Telecommunication’s for her achievements and active mentorship of the next generation of diverse leaders and was one of the youngest recipients ever for this honor.

In 2009, Ms. Coleman Smith was named one of “8 to Watch” by Fortune Magazine in Fortune Magazine’s “40 under 40” issue and one the “Top 10 Most Influential Minorities in Cable” by Cable Fax. Additionally, in 2008 she was named one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cable Fax Magazine and one of the “Top 25 Minorities in Cable” by Cable World. In 2007 Ms. Coleman Smith was featured as one of the “Top 50 Black Hollywood Powerbrokers” in Black Enterprise Magazine. Additionally, she was named one of the “Top 40 Executives Under 40” by Multichannel News in 2006 and was named one of the “Top 35 Executives Under 35” by the Hollywood Reporter in 2003.

Ms. Coleman Smith graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Dr. Christopher Smith, a Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, and their 2 young children, ages 6 and 2.

Alex Garfield
Co-designer and Co-owner, Peace of Cloth

Designer Alex Garfield fell in love with fashion as a young man and to this day, continues to dress savvy, confident women around the country. His newest company formed in 2006 with long time associate and current business partner, Jaime Nortman, called Peace of Cloth, is a modern bridge collection of suiting separates and casual elements that emphasize style and practicality.

Prior to Peace of Cloth, Mr. Garfield along with partner Bernie Marks, founded the Garfield & Marks brand in 1993, which had grown into the GarfieldMarks (GM) Design Group, Ltd. Under his tutelage, GMDG created and produced Garfield & Marks, Womyn, and iAlex, where Garfield & Marks was awarded Nordstrom’s “Partners in Excellence” vendor award.

His appreciation for women and their well-being does not stop with his creative designs and fashion expertise. Being able to reach out and help those less fortunate powerfully fuels Mr. Garfield’s desire to merge fashion with philanthropy. A longtime supporter and board member of Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire and a network of support, Mr. Garfield has traveled the country on behalf of the organization assisting low-income women entering the workforce. In addition to his commitment to Dress for Success, he also is one of the original founders of Cure by Design, which operates as part of the American Cancer Society. A truly unique event, Cure by Design is a fashion show where every model who walks the runway is a cancer survivor and hero. With fabulous auctions and a cocktail reception, this is an event where the fashion, design and retail communities join forces to benefit the American Cancer Society. "Giving back is always in style," has always been Mr. Garfield's motto.

Mr. Garfield is also a frequent guest lecturer at fashion schools such as F.I.T and the Parsons School of Design and mentors aspiring designers and future fashion leaders.

Back to top

Donna Griffin
Citibank North America

Donna Griffin is the senior vice president and national human resources director for Citibank North America. Having been with Citigroup for over 32 years, Ms. Griffin began her career in St. Louis, Missouri while attending college and then moving into a number of managerial positions in the areas of Credit Policy and Operations Control for the Consumer Sales Finance and Mortgage Divisions.

Ms. Griffin relocated with Citibank in 1982 to San Francisco, California, where she began her career in human resources. Over the subsequent 17 years, she oversaw Employee Relations, Recruiting, Training, Compensation and Benefits.

After relocating to New York during the summer of 2000 she was appointed to her current role, where she directs a team of 140 human resources professionals to support Citibank North America's Retail Branch network of 1,000 branches and 18,000 employees across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. She directs all aspects of Citibank's people initiatives, including developing talent, managing performance, rewarding results and creating an environment where people want to work to build their careers. In her current capacity Ms. Griffin has proudly worked with Dress for Success' job fairs to support our clients in their employment transitions.

Dedicated to giving back to the community, Ms. Griffin has been involved with Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes, United Way, AIDS Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Ms. Griffin holds a BS in business education from the University of St. Louis-Missouri. Recently married 25 years, Ms. Griffin enjoys all health and fitness activities, home decorating, wine tasting and dogs-she is the proud owner of Snowball, a 7-lb. Maltese.

Back to top

Carla Hendra
Ogilvy & Mather North America

Carla Hendra was named Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy North America in 2005 and in 2007 was appointed Chairman of Ogilvy New York, the flagship of Ogilvy & Mather's global network. With responsibility for Ogilvy's key business units: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, OgilvyOne, OgilvyAction, OgilvyPR, OgilvyHealthworld, and Redworks, Ms. Hendra oversees the Ogilvy network's largest operations.

She has been the driving force of digital at Ogilvy for 13 years. Her focus on digital innovation resulted in OgilvyInteractive being named one of the world's leading digital marketing agencies in North America by Forrester Research in 2007 and 2009, based on pioneering digital work on behalf of clients such as IBM, American Express, TD AMERITRADE, Unilever, SAP, Kraft, Cisco and Time Warner Cable.

Ms. Hendra joined Ogilvy in 1996 as part of Steve Hayden’s legendary “Team Blue,” which served the IBM account globally. She was appointed President of OgilvyOne New York in 1998, following her successful leadership of IBM’s digital and demand generation business. Ms. Hendra assumed regional leadership of the integrated Ogilvy & Mather Group in 2005. During her management tenure, OgilvyOne and OgilvyInteractive have won more awards than any other agency in their category for innovation and results in digital and direct marketing. In 2004, Ms. Hendra launched the Verge conference, Ogilvy’s global digital summit series, and hosts this thought leadership event each year in the U.S. She speaks frequently on digital innovation at conferences such as Web 2.0, the adTech and the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE).

Ms. Hendra served as the first-ever female jury chair of the Cannes Advertising Festival when she presided over the 2001 Cyber Lions. She was selected one of Working Mother magazine’s “Advertising Working Mothers of the Year” in 2004, and named Advertising Woman of the Year by AWNY in 2005. Ms. Hendra received the YWCA’s “W” award, given for eliminating racism and empowering women, in 2008. She has served terms on both the 4A's Board of Directors and the DMA Board of Directors; currently she is a member of the Digital Board for the 4A's.

Ms. Hendra became a David Rockefeller Fellow of The New York City Partnership in 2006 to further Ogilvy's involvement in important civic and educational issues. She is active in several organizations promoting inner city education, including PENCIL and Schools That Can. Ms. Hendra was elected to the Board of Directors of Dress for Success in 2007. She is a Director of Brown Shoe (BWS) a global footwear manufacturer and retailer and Unica (UNCA), a global enterprise marketing software company.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Ms. Hendra resides in New York City with her husband and three children.

Lillian Hernandez
Founder, Dress for Success Hudson County

Since 1971 Lillian Hernandez has worked in almost every aspect of the design, manufacturing and production areas in the Fashion industry. Her career began in the design of fur coats and sweaters for Sprout Enterprises and evolved into the area of active sportswear for Sportiva Limited where among other well known lines; she created and produced the first Jacquelyn Smith line in the 1980’s. Ms. Hernandez’s fashion expertise launched extensive travels throughout Asia, China, Central and South America for design inspiration and manufacturing opportunities.

In the early 1990’s she used her expertise and desire for social relevancy and impact to write, lecture and consult about fashion, the business world and the importance of one’s wardrobe in career success. In 1999 she co-founded Dress for Success Jersey City and she is now the Executive Director of an expanded Dress for Success Hudson County. Since 2000 to 2010, Dress for Success Hudson County has served more than 20,000 women; not only by providing business attire, but by also providing valuable post employment seminars and career advice.

Since its beginnings, and under her leadership, Dress for Success Hudson County has branched out and offers critical social and community services such as Career Guidance Program, Post TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Sanction Outreach, NJ Judiciary Foreclosure and New Jersey Shares programs. These programs help needy families transition from welfare to self-sufficiency, through services ranging from career guidance and assessments, to home energy and foreclosure assistance.

Ms. Hernandez’s work, and that of the affiliate, has received numerous awards and citations including the 2004 Dress for Success Worldwide Sisterhood Award. In 2005 the Dress for Success Worldwide Nancy Lublin Award, New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s “Seeds of Hope” Award and the Jersey Journal’s Everyday Heroes Award. In 2006 Ms. Hernandez received the NJ AARP Community Service Award and in 2007 received the Jersey City Puerto Rican Woman of the Year Award, Certificate of Recognition from the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Hudson County and the WAARFA Outstanding Community Service Award. In 2008 she received the Maria de Castro Blake Recognition for Outstanding Community Service and in 2009, the New Jersey Community Service Block Grant Award.

But for Ms. Hernandez, more important than the personal recognition achieved, are the lives that Dress for Success Hudson County has been able to change and the smiles and optimism of the thousands of clients they have served. Ms. Hernandez sees each of these as triumphs of a team commitment to hard work, excellence and community service.

Mary Ivers

Founder, Dress for Success Cincinnati and 4^th Street Boutique

Mary Ivers started her business career in 1979 as an entrepreneur, co-founding, Software Clearing House. As this company grew over 15 years, Ms. Ivers learned how to expand an organization on a tight budget and also worked with many of the internal systems for managing clients, databases, mailing campaigns and websites- all skills that would later prove useful in managing a Dress for Success affiliate.

In 1999 Ms. Ivers founded Dress for Success Cincinnati (making 2009 their tenth anniversary). Ms. Ivers is passionate about every woman being able to achieve her dreams. This Dress for Success affiliate operates a large facility (8,000 square feet) in downtown Cincinnati that serves women throughout the Greater Cincinnati area with a Professional Women’s Group and a Career Center.

Ms. Ivers has introduced several innovative fund raising concepts in Cincinnati. She created the 4^th Street Boutique as an Earned Income Venture to sell excess clothing in its thrift store, contributing the proceeds to the Dress for Success affiliate. This concept worked so well that it earned an Honorable Mention competing at the Yale School of Management National Business Plan Competition in 2004.

The affiliate has won several awards from World Wide, including the Brand Champion Award in 2005, the Sisterhood Award in 2006 and the Founders Award in 2007. Community awards include being a finalist in both 2006 and 2008 for the ONE Award for nonprofits – comparable to the Baldridge Awards for business.

Ms. Ivers has been personally recognized for her efforts in Cincinnati with several awards including the Leadership Cincinnati Alumni Award, and Enquirer Woman of the Year. Ms. Ivers' greatest source of pride is being a mother of four and her greatest reward has come from the joys of building a supportive, tightly knit family.

Debra Kelly-Ennis is President and CEO of Diageo Canada. Diageo is the world’s leading spirits, wine and beer company.

Ms. Kelly-Ennis directs one of Diageo’s largest markets – among the top 10 out of the 180 global markets in which Diageo does business -- making her a global leader in the execution of Diageo’s mission to be among the world’s leading consumer products companies. She manages a workforce of 220 employees, and, under her leadership, Diageo Canada was named one of the “Best Places to Work in Canada” in 2009 (by the Great Places to Work® Institute).

Ms. Kelly-Ennis’ vision for Diageo Canada is to become the leading total beverage alcohol company by building strong people, brands and partners. Her vision has led to a transformation in Diageo’s competitive footprint in Canada. Under her leadership, Diageo Canada has grown its core spirits brands, its beer business by one-third and nearly doubled its wine business. Her vision has led to the development of relationships with world-class partners, adding fantastic premium wines to the Canadian marketplace, including Rosenblum Cellars, Sacred Hill and Quintessa. She has also completed distribution agreements with South African-based KMV wines and Mike Weir Canadian Wines as well as Heineken-owned Scottish & Newcastle brands in Canada, including Strongbow, Bulmers Original Cider and Newcastle Brown Ale. Ms. Kelly-Ennis continues to strengthen partnerships with Ketel One Vodka and Marnier Lapostolle and look for opportunities to add other premium wines and spirits to Diageo Canada’s ever-growing portfolio. She is also driving growth on Diageo core brands Smirnoff, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Guinness beer, which have grown share by 5%, 12%, and 6.2%, respectively, during her tenure.

Ms. Kelly-Ennis was previously Chief Marketing Officer of Diageo North America, where her vision transformed the capabilities of her marketing department, resulting in award-winning advertising campaigns, breakthrough digital work and a step-change in the company’s multicultural marketing. Her leadership helped the company achieve record results and recognition as a world-class marketing force. In partnership with Sean “Diddy” Combs (chairman of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group), Debra developed a wholly new kind of marketing initiative for a luxury brand, Cîroc Vodka, which led to a fivefold increase in sales.

Prior to joining Diageo, Kelly-Ennis served as President and Chief Operating Officer of General Motors subsidiary Saab USA. She has also held marketing, sales and general management positions with world leaders RJR/Nabisco and Grand Metropolitan, plc.

Ms. Kelly-Ennis has served for over ten years on the Pulte Corporation Board of Directors and chairs the Governance Committee. In 2009, she became a member of the International Women’s Forum of Toronto as well as the CEO Network of Canada. In 2007, she joined the Board of Directors of Dress for Success Worldwide, an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged women get ahead in the workplace. Using her own marketing prowess and with help from her employees’ volunteered time and effort, Ms. Kelly-Ennis initiated a philanthropic movement among several corporations for Dress for Success in the United States, generating not only awareness but also several million dollars in donations for the organization. She is now working to gain support and awareness for Dress for Success in Canada. Under her leadership, Diageo Canada has been very active in supporting the environment through Evergreen, a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities -- now and for the future. To date, Diageo Canada employees have planted 6,700 trees across Canada.

For all of her achievements, Ms. Kelly-Ennis has been named a 2009 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.

Back to top

Dottie Mattison
Wal-Mart

As senior vice president and general manager of the Apparel strategic business unit for Walmart Stores US, Ms. Mattison is responsible for overall apparel strategy, assortment strategy, brand strategy, private label product development and sourcing for merchandise categories including Ladies, Shoes, Jewelry, Accessories, Intimates, Mens, Kids, Baby Apparel, Baby Consumables and Baby Furniture. She is also the lead of the Textiles Sustainability Network within Wal-Mart.

Ms. Mattison joined Wal-Mart in March 2006. Before joining the Wal-Mart Stores U.S. team, Ms. Mattison was the vice president and chief merchant of Walmart.com.

Back to top

Robbin Mitchell
Polo Ralph Lauren

Robbin Mitchell is currently senior vice president, chief of staff at Polo Ralph Lauren (PRL). Ms. Mitchell is responsible for working across all businesses and brands on a worldwide basis synchronizing global management activities, fostering business process improvements and helping to streamline key decision-making.

Prior to this role, Ms. Mitchell was senior vice president, Supply Chain Business Process Integration, managing Polo's largest global business initiative, which involved implementing a new Global ERP System across all global wholesale brands, including menswear, childrenswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. This initiative included re-engineering current business processes and implementing a common business and operational infrastructure across all divisions. Ms. Mitchell began working for PRL in 2001 as vice president, Wholesale Replenishment for the Polo Brands Wholesale Division, where she managed all aspects of the men's wholesale replenishment business.

Ms. Mitchell's career in the apparel industry has spanned more than 15 years; she has previously held positions at both the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and GFT USA, which encompasses brands such as Giorgio Armani Le Collezioni Men's and Women's, Joseph Abboud, Calvin Klein Men's Apparel and Valentino Men's and Women's.

Ms. Mitchell's apparel experience includes her involvement with McKinsey & Company, Inc. as a retail practice consultant, where she focused on product development reengineering, global supply chain management, and global sourcing and production management. Before entering business school, she spent two years at The Boston Consulting Group and two years in the mergers and acquisitions department at Lehman Brothers, where she concentrated on the retail industry.

Ms. Mitchell has served as both a keynote speaker and panelist at the 2004 and 2006 annual User Conference of Logility & Company, a global industry leader in planning, forecasting, logistics and supply chain software. She was also named one of the top 25 Visionaries by Consumer Goods Technology magazine in 2006.

Ms. Mitchell received her BA from Stanford University and was awarded an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Back to top

Kim Van Der Zon
Egon Zehnder International

Kim Van Der Zon currently serves as a partner in the New York office of Egon Zehnder International. Egon Zender International is the largest privately-held search firm in the world, with more than 300 consultants located in 63 wholly-owned offices in 36 countries. The firm specializes in senior level executive search, board consulting and board director search, and talent management. Ms. Van Der Zon's expertise is in CEO/president/general manager and board of director searches, working primarily with global Fortune 500 clients both domestically and internationally.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Ms. Van Der Zon served as vice president, corporate marketing for Bank of Montreal in Canada. In this role, she provided strategic marketing leadership to the $250 billion national financial services institution. Previously, she spent more than four years in senior management positions at LaBatt/InBev, including director or new business development, where she led new business initiatives. Kim also has strong packaged goods marketing experience, including P&L responsibilities, which she established in her six years at Proctor & Gamble.

Ms. Van Der Zon earned an MBA from the University of Toronto, and an undergraduate degree in business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada. She is from Toronto and has enjoyed living in New York City since 1998.

Back to top

Dress for Success Worldwide :: 32 East 31st Street 7th Floor :: New York, NY 10016

Ph: 212.532.1922 | Fax: 212.684.9563