FEATURED INTERVIEWS
Each month the editors will choose one interview to feature.
These interviews are with women of distinction, those who have made an incredible difference in their local or global communities.
Click on photo for interview.
These interviews are with women of distinction, those who have made an incredible difference in their local or global communities.
Click on photo for interview.
Photo Courtesy: The Seeing Eye
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Margaret "Peggi" Howard (March 2023 Featured Interview) was named president & CEO of The Seeing Eye on September 15, 2022 after having served on the Board of Trustees since 2009. Founded in 1929 by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank, The Seeing Eye is a 501(c)3 philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the independence, dignity and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs. Dorothy holds a B.A. from Kenyon College, an M.S.W. from Rutgers University, and a D.Lit. from Drew University. Peggi was the Vice President of Administration and University Relations at Drew University. She also served as New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary from 1984 to 1990.
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Photo Courtesy: Ock Pop Tok
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Joanna ("Jo") Smith (January 2023 Featured Interview) earned a B.A. in fine arts, specializing in sculpture and photography. A photography contract with an E.U funded development project brought her to Laos in 1999. While in Laos, Jo was becoming increasingly enamored with the intricate weavings and the women of Laos who produced them. Veomanee Douangdala’s creativity attracted Jo like a magnet. Both women shared a love for the traditional, handloomed textiles and were committed to preserving and promoting these textiles to the rest of the world. These shared interests led them to co-found Ock Pop Tok in 2000. In 2002, Jo initiated Ock Pop Tok’s rural development program, the Village Weaver Projects, to alleviate poverty in rural areas. Jo has spoken about Ock Pop Tok’s mission at academic and museum conferences from Sydney to Washington D.C.
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Featured Interviews: 2022
Photo Courtesy:
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation |
Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, (December 2022 Featured Interview) is an architect and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. She joined the foundation following ten years as the Managing Director of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, Center for Architecture. Both an architect and a creative institutional administrator, Cynthia was responsible for the creation of Archtober, the New York City month-long festival of architecture and design. As one of the early pioneers of co-education in the 1970’s, Cynthia graduated from Princeton University receiving both an A.B., magna cum laude, and Master of Architecture. She worked for Philip Johnson in the 1980’s and taught at the University of Virginia, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and her alma mater.
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Photo Courtesy: Yuko Hara, Ph.D.
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Yuko Hara, Ph.D. (November 2022 Featured Interview) is the director of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation’s (ADDF) Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention team. In this capacity, she critically evaluates the scientific evidence behind therapies to promote brain health and/or prevent Alzheimer's disease. She also investigates potential risk factors as well as research proposals on prevention therapies. Yuko manages the content and updates for Cognitive Vitality, a program of the ADDF that provides a free resource on brain health that is evidence-based. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including articles in PNAS and Journal of Neuroscience.
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Photo Courtesy:
Corporation for Supportive Housing |
Deborah De Santis (October 2022 Featured Interview) is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), the largest Community Development Financial Institution in the United States devoted to housing solutions for those at risk of homelessness. Deborah has led CSH since 2007, tripling its lending and support toward the creation of more than 300,000 permanent, stable homes for individuals and families struggling through multiple challenges, including the trauma of homelessness, lack of healthcare, and intergenerational poverty. In 2019, Deborah was recognized as one of the top 10 leading women in the affordable housing industry by Affordable Housing Finance magazine and has been cited as one of the 10 Most Influential Americans for Homelessness Reform.
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Photo Courtesy: Women Make Movies
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Debra Zimmerman (September 2022 Featured Interview) has been the executive director of Women Make Movies (WMM) since 1983. During her tenure, the organization has grown into the largest distributor of films by and about women in the world. WMM’s internationally recognized Production Assistance Program has helped thousands of women get their films made. Films from WMM programs have been nominated or have won Academy Awards year after year, including recent documentary award winner, Citizen Four. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the New York Women in Film and Television’s Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award, the Athena Award, and Hot Doc’s 2013 Doc Mogul Award.
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Diane Nickerson (August 2022 Featured Interview as part of Focus on Youth) is founder of Castle Island Bilingual Montessori, serving students in the Capital District of New York State. With more than 25 years of experience as an educator, she has achieved NYS certificates as a teacher of elementary education, English as a Second Language, Spanish, and as a K-12 Administrator. While raising her four sons to be bilingual, she had been seeking a school for them that would not only meet their language goals but would also provide creative opportunities for their inquisitive minds and active bodies. After some research and travel, Diane found an ideal approach in the Montessori method that holistically meets the learning needs of each child.
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Michelle Hollaender (July 2022 Featured Interview) has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years. Born in Guatemala City, Michelle moved to Dallas, Texas in 2002. She served as Chief Development Officer for an international nonprofit organization for many years before founding International Esperanza Project (IEP) in 2017. Michelle is passionate about inspiring hope and improving lives in Guatemala, and she is doing just that having helped thousands of Guatemalans to experience better healthcare, community development and education. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Texas A&M University. She is the mother of two adult sons.
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Jocelynn Anderson (May 2022 Featured Interview) is co-founder of Well Earth Goods, a company based in Oregon that strives to minimize waste by using products from sustainable resources. The company's quality products support a minimalist, waste-free lifestyle for all ages and help keep the earth well. Jocelynn and her husband, Lee, have devoted themselves to helping others change their habits and find better solutions to reduce a reliance on plastic. Jocelynn shares, "We strive for a balanced business/family culture for our whole team and a simple lifestyle that prioritizes family, gives back to our community, and takes care of our planet."
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Photo Courtesy: University of Oregon
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Laura Lee McIntyre, Ph.D., BCBA-D (April 2022 Featured Interview) is the interim dean for the College of Education and Castle-McIntosh-Knight Professor at the University of Oregon. She is known for her work in autism, family-centered interventions, and family–school partnerships for children with disabilities. Laura Lee is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), certified school psychologist, and board licensed psychologist. She has professional experiences in both school and hospital settings. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Oregon, she was a faculty member in the Psychology Department at Syracuse University and an affiliated faculty member in the Center for Development, Behavior, and Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
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Photo Courtesy: Emma Willard School
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Jenny Rao (March 2022 Featured Interview) grew up in Mexico City and is the daughter of a Mexican mother and a British American father. She earned her B. A. in economics from Bates College and began her professional career in investment consulting for Cambridge Associates. Jenny moved into education starting as a classroom teacher and then pursued a master’s degree in private school leadership at the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Before arriving at Emma Willard School in July 2017, Jenny was the director of academic affairs at Garrison Forest School, where she combined classroom teaching (English, Spanish and Geography) with administrative work. Jenny is the 17th Head of School at Emma Willard.
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Nieca Goldberg, M.D., (February 2022 Featured Interview) is a nationally recognized pioneer in women’s heart health. She is medical director of Atria New York City and clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. She is also the co-medical director of the 92nd Street Y’s Cardio Rehab Program, a cardiologist, author, and former radio show host of "Beyond the Heart" on Doctor Radio SIRIUS XM 81. Nieca is a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and started the “Go Red for Women” campaign. "Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. But it’s a worldwide problem." ~ Nieca Goldberg, M.D.
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Wendie Blanchard (January 2022 Featured Interview) is the founder and national director of Arthur & Friends, a social entrepreneurial training and employment program that provides meaningful community employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities and individuals with socio-economic disadvantages who have for many years been considered unemployable. In June of 2011, Wendie was awarded the New Jersey Heroes Award by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie for her work with Arthur & Friends. The program has been recognized by many organizations over the years, and Wendie was acknowledged by the White House during the Obama administration as one of 50 Champions of Change.
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