17th Annual Pinnacle Awards MAKE A SPLASH! pinnacle award program sdbj 15.pdf · 17th Annual Pinnacle Awards MAKE A SPLASH! TITLE SPONSOR ... CBRE Cooley LLP ... Patrick Henry High

17th Annual Pinnacle Awards

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A SUPPLEMENT OF THE SAN DIEGO BUSINESS JOURNAL

Page A18 www.sdbj.com ATHENA PINNACLE AWARDS SUPPLEMENT May 4, 2015

2015 Athena San Diego Corporate Sponsors

2015 Pinnacle Awards Judges

2015 Athena San Diego Board Of Directors

Brenda GeblerPrincipal

Gebler Consulting Group

Armon MillsPresident & Publisher

San Diego Business Journal

Anne O’DonnellExecutive Director - Corporate Research Partnerships

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

Saundra PelletierCEO

Woman Care Global and Evofem, Inc.

Rick ValenciaSVP/General Manager

Qualcomm Life

Abby Silverman WeissMediator/Arbitrator/Consultant

Dispute Resolutions

GOLD SPONSORSBarney & Barney

Insurance Services, LLC, A Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC

Ernst & YoungFish & Richardson PC

Illumina

IntuitLytx

Morrison FoersterPwC

QualcommSan Diego Business

Journal

ScrippsSempra

SoGloMoSony

Towers Watson

SILVER SPONSORSAMN Healthcare Inc.

BDO

Caliber Associates

Canale Communications

CareFusion

CBIZ Mayer Ho� man & McCann PC

CBRE

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling, LLP

Cox Business

Deloitte LLP

DLA Piper LLP

Foley & Lardner LLP

Grant Thornton LLP

HoyleCohen

HSBC

InterKnowlogy

JLL

Jones Day

Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

KPBS

KPMG LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP

McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Mitchell International, Inc.

Perkins Coie

Procopio

Rady UC San Diego School of Management

RGP

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Synthetic Genomics

The Leadership Edge

ThermoFisher

ViaSat

Weintraub Tobin

Woman Care Global

Workday

ChairmanLisa MartensPrincipalFish & Richardson PC

Vice-ChairmanKaren FisherVP, Investor Relations & ComplianceOneRoof Energy

TreasurerJulie BurgessVP, Finance & AdministrationOtonomy, Inc.

SecretaryDeborah JondallInterim Executive DirectorAthena San Diego

Erna AdelsonSenior DirectorSony Network Entertainment, Inc.

Gemini BablaSr. Director, Brand and AdvertisingQualcomm

Jennifer CayerBoard MemberTravus Therapeutics

Michele ComtoisPrincipalBarney & Barney Insurance Services, LLC, A Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC

Karen DeschaineAssociateCooley LLP

Maureen FeerickAudit DirectorDeloitte LLP

Cathy GonzalesPartnerKPMG LLP

Emilie HershCEOInterKnowlogy

Sabrina JohnsonPresidentWoman Care Global Trading

Constance MaplesFinancial AdvisorMerrill Lynch

Tracy ParrottChief Development O� cerTragara Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Leni PreciadoSr. VP, Commercial BankingHSBC

Gwen RosenbergVP, Investor Relations & Corporate CommunicationsSenomyx, Inc.

Dawn SaundersMemberMintz Levin

Joan Stafslien

EVP, General CounselCareFusion

Annette WinnSr. ConsultantCompensia

Nikki ZahlVP MarketingPediatric Bioscience, Inc.

2015 Athena San Diego Foundation BoardPresidentLynne FriedmannPrincipalFriedmann Communications

TreasurerSue EbnerPrincipalMercer Health & Bene� ts

SecretaryDeborah JondallInterim Executive DirectorAthena San Diego

Helen AdamsManaging PartnerHaskell & White LLP

Barbara BryCOOBlackbird Ventures

June ChochelesCEOChocheles Consulting Group

Brenda GeblerPrincipalGebler Consulting Group

Vicki MarionPresident & CEOThe Marion Group

Amy RomakerDirector of Client ServiceSheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Abby SilvermanMediator/Arbitrator/ConsultantDispute Resolutions

TITLE SPONSORMintz Levin

PLATINUM SPONSORSAlexandria Real Estate EquitiesBank of America Merrill Lynch

May 4, 2015 ATHENA PINNACLE AWARDS SUPPLEMENT Page A19www.sdbj.com

continued on page A20

Co-ChairsConstance MaplesMerrill Lynch

Leni PreciadoHSBC

MarCom/Staging/SponsorshipDeborah Jondall

AuctionKelly CashionBarney & Barney Insurance Services, LLC, A Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC

Sara ZaknoenZED Strategic Consulting

LogisticsLei Lei SengchanthalangsyPfenex

Alison TjsvoldGrant Thornton LLP

NominationsMichele ComtoisBarney & Barney Insurance Services, LLC, A Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC

Pam LordCanale Communications

JudgingBrenda GeblerGebler Consulting Group

ScholarshipAmy RomakerSheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Kathy TannerRetrophin

2015 Pinnacle Awards Steering Committee

Brianna DiazCastle Park High School

2015 Athena San Diego Pinnacle Scholarship Winners

Through the lens of biology, Brianna Diaz sees the en-tire world as a never-ending story; from the � rst organ-isms that crawled the earth to the very muscles in the human body that respond to commands from the brain. Her entire world connects through her study of biology and the awe she experienc-es from her learnings. Diaz has taken an interest in bio-diesel fuels since joining the Biodiesel and Algae Study Group in her freshman year. Throughout her four years as a leader of this group, she has presented numerous pro-posals and requested funding from a host of people and or-ganizations. She has demon-strated her commitment to her peers and mentors on campus by her continuous participation in clubs, numer-ous sports activities and lo-cal community, all the while maintaining a 4.72 GPA. In the summer of 2012, she participated in an internship with Dr. Robert Polmeroy at UC San Diego to learn more about biodiesel fuels. The University of Pennsylvania is her dream school, with her other top choices being UC Berkeley and UCLA.

Marissa MartinezHigh Tech High – Chula Vista

Kathryn Coburn O’NellPatrick Henry High School

Daniela PerryPoway High School

Lisa VoCoronado High School

Marissa Martinez obtained an academic internship at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center with Dr. Hatim Husain who special-izes in lung cancer. The as-signments she received there were administrative and not geared toward her desire to learn more about a career in the medical � eld. Undaunted, she took it upon herself to re-search lung cancer and write a paper that helped her con-struct ideas around cancer and how it develops. She cre-ated a presentation with visu-als used in various versions of a brochure that was designed to help provide insight into lunch cancer and serve as a reference for patients and their loved ones. She then enrolled in a biology class at a local college where she gained a desire to change the world and improve the qual-ity of life. Her high school biology teacher states that Martinez has an unquench-able thirst for knowledge that drives her to dig deeper to learn more. She will be at-tending her dream school — Cornell University — as a biology major in the fall.

Katie Coburn O’Nell is fasci-nated by the way the human brain works, and hopes to pursue a degree in neurosci-ence or cognitive science. She is interested in everything from the general cultural frameworks that in� uence decision making to the min-ute molecular processes that control chemical balances. She is most interested in genetics and development, especial-ly the concept of epigenetics. She hopes to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. and research the e� ects of epigenetic changes in preg-nant mothers on axon growth in embryos in order to track which genes can be methyl-ated or demethylated to allow for healthy neural develop-ment. In addition to her scho-lastic achievements, O’Nell composes music for the piano, and loves to read and knit. She is characterized by one of her teachers as…“a student who uses everything she’s gifted with to leave a lasting impact in and out of the classroom.” From being the top student in her class, to leading the Academic League, to earning her Girl Scout Service Award, Katie has a limitless reserve of potential.” O’Nell plans on attending UC Berkeley in the fall.

In addition to playing drums and jamming with her friends, Daniela Perry sees her future in the � eld of bioinformatics. As one of 150 high school stu-dents and the only freshman in COSMOS at UC Irvine, she used MRI images and linear regression algorithms to an-alyze data and presented her research at the SET Awards as a recipient of the coveted National Center for Women in Information & Technology Award. Realizing she need-ed programming skills to improve the quality of her research, she took a program-ming class at Stanford and, as she puts it, “fell in love again.” She sought out a bioinfor-matics internship at Sanford- Burnham Medical Research Institute where she worked to create a code able to read mutated protein sequence data taken from actual patients and produce a 3-D structural model of observed discrep-ancies. Her research revealed a unique trend in detecting alternative splicing ratios, so she submitted a poster to the Annual International Society of Computational Biology Bioinformatics Conference where she was the only high school student in the history of the conference to be ac-cepted and to win recogni-tion. Perry will be attending Cornell University.

Lisa Vo enjoys karate, comput-er programming and coding, and writing satire on current events and social and political issues. She has worked as a mechanical engineering intern with the Marine Technology Society and was employed at SeeScan, a developmental � rm for utility locating equip-ment. She collaborated with a team of engineers, and was responsible for designing and engineering a GPS test mod-ule enclosure that facilitated their data collection. She was invited to present at the annu-al international MTS Ocean Technology Conference. She also was a research student at the Oncofertility Summer Academy at UC San Diego where she conducted research on adverse DNA methylation in embryos derived from intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, in vitro fertilization, and gonado-tropin stimulation, culminating with a scienti� c research post-er she presented at a ceremony judged by scientists and physi-cians. She was distinguished as the “Most Dedicated Student” and given the opportunity to present her research poster at the 2014 San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering, and was subsequently recog-nized as one of the Bright Idea Society � nalists. Vo hopes to at-tend Harvard or UC Berkeley.


2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - COMPANIES

2015 Company Pinnacle Nominations continued from page A19


In 2010, in an effort to break the male-dominated trend typical to the insurance industry, Barney & Barney launched its women’s initiative, B&B GROW — Growth in Relationships and Opportunities for Women. The firm is committed to advancing women into the leadership ranks of the organization by attracting, retaining, educating and supporting the women of the firm. GROW’s most notable program is the annual Keynote Speaker Series, which is aimed at increasing awareness and promoting professional development for women. GROW also includes a formal mentoring program for women. Eighty four percent of survey respondents reported having achieved their professional development goals as a result of the program. In 2014, GROW expanded to include a formal leadership development program in which four of the 10 in the first class were women. At the end of the program, only one graduate was promoted to principal — a woman — in recognition of her exceptional leadership.

CBIZ Women’s Advantage program directs the development of women professionals through focused leadership, mentoring, networking and professional development. Program goals include creating a competitive advantage by attracting, retaining and engaging talented women, strengthening internal/external recognition of CBIZ women. Within the program are committees dedicated to business development, training and mentoring initiatives. CBIZ has made promoting women from within a top priority. CBIZ women are encouraged to participate in Athena, support the San Diego Police Foundation’s Women in Blue event and support Dress for Success, which promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged

women. In 2015, three exceptional women were promoted to the shareholder/director role. Four out of seven managerial promotions in 2015 were women. The action taken by CBIZ to recognize and reward the dedication of its female members of staff demonstrates the firm’s commitment to creating opportunities for women to grow and become leaders.

In 2014, and for the third consecutive year, DLA was awarded the Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, which recognizes law firms for their advancement of women in leadership roles and in compensation. The chairs of DLA’s women’s affinity group and its director of diversity and inclusion work directly with firm management to ensure that women are considered for and represented in succession planning for key leadership roles within the firm. In 2014, DLA launched Women Emerging Leaders (WEL), a new pilot program designed to strengthen the pipeline of women leaders. WEL participants learn about firm leadership, engage with executive leadership, help lead strategic initiatives and work with coaches and sponsors to strengthen their own skills. DLA’s goal is to increase the number of women in significant leadership roles in its global firm. DLA also raises awareness about leadership opportunities and preparedness through its women’s speakers’ series and a client-facing firm wide recognition of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

Provide Commerce recognized the need to increase leadership opportunities for women and created the first ever “Provide Women’s Leadership Network” initiative in 2014. The initiative’s goals were to increase awareness around challenges women leaders face, provide education and create cultural discourse around issues to foster support for increased opportunities for women leaders. While the program was underway, Provide Commerce merged with FTD. The first phase of the program focused on measuring and changing attitudes by educating both men and women, with the goal of cultivating an organizational culture that values and leverages diversity of thought, competency and style, and to promote organizational norms and patterns that help all leaders. The program has helped change attitudes by educating both women and men; has successfully incorporated a peer mentoring program open to women at all levels; and has provided training and opportunities to create the next level of women leaders.

Geek Girl is 100 percent woman owned and operated. During its five-year history, Geek Girl has educated women about technology to ensure their career success and ensure they have greater opportunities. Founder Leslie Fishlock believes that teaching other women about technology is key to creating leaders in all industries.

Grant Thornton’s “Women at Grant Thornton” initiative was established in 2004. Its mission is to enhance the recruitment, retention and advancement of women into leadership positions and to enrich personal development at different stages of women’s careers. The initiative focuses on developing programs and activities that encourage gender diversity at the firm and mirror diversity in senior level positions. There are several programs and benefits administered by the organization to help reach these goals including Advancement of Women Sponsorship Program, Leading Women’s Mentoring Network, Executive Presence, Centered Leadership, and Networking, Rainmaking. Not only does the firm support the Women at Grant Thornton program, it has provided the entire network of employees a Gender Diversity Resource Center on the firm’s Intranet. The portal provides access to elevator conversations and information on the benefits of gender diversity.

The Intuit Women’s Network (IWN) mission is to inspire and enable women to lead with confidence and make a difference for Intuit and the community. IWN hosts regular events that give women a chance to share ideas about leadership. “Feed Your Career” is an opportunity for women to network in small groups with senior female leaders at Intuit. Leaders share their career journey and advice, and make themselves available for follow-up one-on-one meetings. The “Women in Tech Speaker Series,” in partnership with San Diego tech incubator EvoNexus, brings San Diego female thought leaders to Intuit. They share business successes, their experiences as women in a male-dominated industry and offer advice. Intuit’s Tech Women at Intuit (TWI) serves the unique needs of women in technology. Its charter is to recruit top female technical talent, retain existing technical women at all


2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - COMPANIEScontinued from page A20

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levels, and promote technical women into leadership roles. TWI recently launched Intuit Circles where women develop their leadership skills. TWI Technologist Speaker Series gives women visibility as thought leaders in the company through speaking about their work.

The Center is dedicated to mentoring faculty and student inventors through the proof-of-concept process. It provides commercialization support to bridge the gap between exciting laboratory discoveries and products that address market needs. Experienced technology and business advisors guide faculty and student inventors throughout the technology assessment, proof-of-concept and early stages of the commercialization process. The Center collaborates with a number of programs to increase visibility and participation of female students interested in entrepreneurial e� orts, including MyStartupXX, which encourages

female technology entrepreneurship among UC San Diego students through a combination of mentorship and fellowship awards enabling science and engineering students to pursue the launch of their startup company and designation as an NSF Innovation Corps Site that provides entrepreneurial education and funding to students and faculty interested in commercialization of their ideas. To date, the Center has supported 54 teams. Fourteen out of the 54 teams have a female scientist or engineering student as a lead or in leadership positions.


2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - EDUCATION


continued from page A21

2015 Individual in Education Nominations


Erika Arangure

Project CoordinatorSan Diego Workforce Partnership

Erika Arangure is the project coordi-nator for the Life Sciences Summer Institute (LSSI), a program of the San Diego Workforce P a r t n e r s h i p (SDWP). Arangure is the driving force of LSSI. In its inaugural year, 38 students applied. Five years later 305 applied, and the most recent year saw 320 applicants. Through her leadership, the program has supported 408 student interns, 197 teachers and 79 low-income students to-date. Through the teacher externship alone, 33,437 students have benefited from the innovative cur-riculum. Nearly 60 percent of the LSSI partici-pants are young women. Arangure goes beyond coordinating the program. She is a mentor to King Chavez Neighborhood of Schools students who intern with SDWP for a semester. She works closely with the interns to provide exposure to a work environment and to life sciences. She also coaches them on their final internship project. She is a tireless advocate for STEM education for youth.

Sarah Elghraoui

Math InstructorMesa College

As a math instruc-tor at Mesa College, Sarah Elghraoui in-spires her students to achieve their best through hard work. She also serves as a math instructor in the UC San Diego TRIO prog ram, which is designed to encourage underprivileged and first generation high school students gain a better grasp of math skills required to succeed in college and in life. She also serves as a mentor at the Expanding Your Horizons Conference at the University of San Diego. In addition to her multiple community service projects, Elghraoui has tutored countless students for free and volun-teered her time as a math teacher to academical-ly challenged middle school students, developing the curriculum and fostering a sense of teamwork among a set of students to drive their motiva-tion to learn algebra. As a math instructor, she makes herself available and dedicates hours of her time to perfecting her syllabus and curriculum. She also serves as an academic senator at Mesa College.

Jane Friedman, Ph.D.

ProfessorUniversity of San Diego

Dr. Jane Friedman has had a significant impact inspiring and advancing women at the University of San Diego (USD) and beyond. In her 21 years at USD, she has mentored and empowered hundreds of women, from undergrad-uate students to future teachers to faculty mem-bers in the Mathematics and Computer Science department and in other departments. She is the “guardian angel” of her department and of many women in other departments around campus. She started the Math Club at USD. Friedman works with young women to direct them and help them succeed in careers in math, science and tech-nology and continues to work with them after graduation. She often has several students in her office getting mentoring and advice. Many of the women benefiting from Friedman’s guidance are thriving and planning to pursue graduate school.

Roxanne Hunker

Science TeacherRhoades School

Roxanne Hunker was named San Diego County Sc i ence Fair Teacher of the Year and hon-ored as California Science Teacher of the Year. She con-tends that the awards that mean the most are those earned by her students. She has had 17 first place winners in the San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. More than one in five of the region’s 76 seventh and eighth graders who qualified for state competition were from her class. Over the years, she has consistently had a student among the 40 finalists for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. Last year, one of her students was a second grade final-ist at the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) STEM competition, one the nation’s most prestigious contests for middle school students. It is Hunker’s “hands-on approach” to teaching sci-ence that has successfully helped encourage and develop future female scientists, engineers and physicians.

Gloria McKearney

PrincipalOlympic View Elementary School

Gloria McKearney has dedicated her professional life to promoting women in the sciences and ed-ucation. Throughout her career, she has encouraged young women to pursue the sciences. Early in her career she recognized the struggles young women faced studying math and science. At Olympic View, she deliberately seeks out female math and science teachers ensuring they teach a quality science pro-gram. McKearney has significantly improved math and science scores at Olympic View as a result of her emphasis on math and science. Through her leader-ship, science scores on the California Standards Test increased from 60 percent in 2009 to 87 percent in 2014. She recognizes that the classroom teacher is the most important link in developing new scien-tists and engineers and is known for actively re-cruiting student teachers and mentoring them. She was one of the first in South Bay elementary schools to start a robotics team and has ensured that girls play a leadership role in her award-winning robotics program.

Allison OhleExecutive DirectorKIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy

As the executive di-rector for KIPP San Diego, Allison Ohle’s role is to strength-en the school so that it may serve as a suitable flagship for KIPP’s expand-ed impact in the region. The scholars at Adelante are hardworking, enthusiastic, and resilient and fo-cused; they also are mostly low-income, learners of English, new Americans and performing far below grade level when they arrive at the school in fifth grade. Ohle is obsessed with the idea that KIPP San Diego will be a proof-point that schools with high concentrations of kids that live in poverty are actually buildings filled with innovative, creative, engaged, passionate and valuable contributors to our community. In thinking about leadership and opportunities to support women and girls, Ohle is not only seeking to fill and/or create leadership op-portunities for women and girls, but for leaders who will support opportunities for inclusive and sup-portive environments.

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2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - EDUCATION




Cathy Pucher

Executive DirectorZahn Innovation Center, SDSU

As executive direc-tor at SDSU’s Zahn Innovation Center, Cathy Pucher en-courages women to participate in en-trepreneurship. She has set out to have a diverse sta� and hired a woman as her direc-tor of social innovation. The Center has 80 mem-bers/participations, of which twenty are women. She played a critical role in launching EvoNexus and has given back to her community through her support of the Solana Beach Foundation for Learning where she was responsible for raising $100,000 annually to support teachers’ salaries, art, science and physical education programs at the local elementary school. In this endeavor, Pucher has mentored other women on fundrais-ing techniques.

Katie Rast

Executive DirectorFab Lab

Katie Rast is the director of Fab Lab San Diego and has worked with MIT to develop the San Diego instanti-ation of the Global Network of MIT Fab Labs. Since 2007, she has managed this local invention space, and has de-veloped and deployed programs focused on inno-vation, ideation, hardware development, and rapid prototyping. Rast has inspired a number of women and girls to enter STEM based � elds through a combination of empowerment, inspiration and her “hands on” approach in education. She has provid-ed more than 3,250 free educational engagements for low-income youths, roughly half of them girls. Several of the female youths that Rast has men-tored through Fab Lab have gone on to four-year colleges and pursued careers in engineering, sci-ences, and technology. Many organizations have recognized Rast for her educational programs in-cluding, among others, the MIT Media Lab, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the Community Technology Association and the Education Development Corporation.

Darlene Willis, Ph.D.

Co-Founder/CEOConcerned Parents Alliance/College Bound Programs

Dr. Darlene Willis is known throughout San Diego as a role model and mentor for many women in-cluding profession-als, students, parents and community members. She has a proven track record of successfully help-ing others in higher education and throughout San Diego. She and her husband created their own nonpro� t in their living room more than 13 years ago to ensure that families were empowered and children of color had the chance to attend college. One hundred percent of the students who par-ticipate in the college bound programs graduate from high school and have the choice of attending college while their parents are empowered to take back control of their households while ensuring educational success. Many of her students have returned to her programs as alums after gradu-ating from college. Many have followed her lead and created family named scholarships to help the younger students in the College Bound programs.


continued from page A232015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - LIFE SCIENCES

2015 Individual in Life Sciences Nominations


Allison Alberts, Ph.D.

Chief Conservation Offi cerSan Diego Zoo Global

Under Dr. Allison Albert’s leadership, representation by women among ICR’s ( Ins t i tu te fo r C o n s e r v a t i o n Research) sta� has grown to more than 70 percent. Currently, 60 percent of higher degrees in the bi-ological sciences held by ICR employees belong to women, a percentage slightly higher than the national average for women earning such degrees. In 2006, ICR’s leadership team of directors and associate directors was only 25 percent female; to-day, 40 percent of the team members are women. Under Albert’s leadership, ICR provides an envi-ronment in which academic achievement among women is encouraged and female employees have the opportunity to advance and thrive. ICR par-ticipates annually in the BE WiSE Program help-ing to stimulate young women’s interest in STEM through interactions with professionals, increas-ing participants’ opportunities and knowledge of STEM � elds of study, developing a community of young women engaged in science through out-of-school activities, and sustaining interest and involvement through alumnae and ongoing partic-ipation for women in science at all levels.

Kaitlin Ball

Brand Director, SoftcupEvofem, Inc.

Kaitlin Ball has spent the majority of her marketing career fo-cused on women’s health care products. She joined Evofem, a San Diego biotech-nology company fo-cused on the development of women’s health care products, in 2009 and has worked exclusively on Softcup through a product re-launch, branding and commercialization. Under Ball’s leadership the brand is committed to empowering women and serving as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source for wom-en’s health topics. Ball has led a 100 percent female marketing team at Evofem and has been committed to mentoring her sta� and ensuring they continue to grow and develop. At times that has meant going above and beyond and supporting them not only in professional growth but also life transitions. Most re-cently she supported one of the women in her depart-ment to pursue her goal of becoming a health care Peace Corp volunteer in Paraguay.

Laura Clague

SVP/CFORetrophin, Inc.

People will change jobs to follow Laura Clague as a leader. Half of her current sta� have worked with her through three di� erent com-panies. She builds trust among employees with her honest and direct communication and through steadfast support of their work and their character. When Clague takes a leap of faith, her team jumps with her, and they all gain value from the experience. She inspires individuals to reach for their full potential; she makes development opportunities available and encourages them to step outside of their comfort zone without the fear of failure. Clague consis-tently recognizes the contributions and successes of the people around her. She has hired, mentored and promoted women to leadership roles in each organization in which she has been a part. After the acquisition of Amylin in 2012, Clague sent a personal note to her extensive network, proactive-ly providing references for the talent soon to be leaving Amylin.

Mary Glanville

SVP, Human CapitalRegulus Therapeutics, Inc.

Mary Glanville is a beacon of light in the San Diego life scienc-es industry. For the past 15 years she has dedicated herself to being a leader in the community where she has led by example, playing a key role in building two innovative companies from the ground up — Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDS), acquired by Roche in 2011 and Regulus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLS). She has personally handpicked more than 250 em-ployees for each of these companies and has built the HR infrastructure from scratch. Glanville is viewed as a leader and visionary by her peers and as someone who has written the HR rulebook for “how to hire in life sciences.” She believes in an open-minded culture, multi-cultural backgrounds and empowerment of all employees, especially women. She encourages women scientists to enroll in leadership courses, to speak with other wom-en across the community and to build upon their skills as women to open up the channels for more executive women in leadership roles.

Daniel Gold, Ph.D.

President/CEOMEI Pharma

Dr. Daniel Gold took the helm of MEI Pharma (for-merly known as Marshall Edwards Inc.) in April 2010. Recognizing the glaring need for oncology expertise within the company, his � rst addition to the board of directors was Christine White, former head of Global Medical A� airs for Biogen Idec. When MEIs chairman retired in January 2013, White was appointed lead director, a prominent role she still serves today. Of MEIs now 25 employees, 14 (56 percent) are women, including its senior vice president of regulatory a� airs, Karen Potts, the vice president of business development, Kelly Powell, two senior directors, � ve directors and the controller. Perhaps no one exempli� es Gold’s empowerment, mentorship and advancement of women in the workplace than Vanessa Esquibel. She has worked with him since the mid-1990s; joining him at each of his compa-nies. Through his mentoring and guidance, she has become director of clinical operations at MEI.

Zeynep Ilgaz

Founder/PresidentConfi rm BioSciences

As an immigrant from Turkey, Zetnep Ilgaz came from very humble beginnings. She left everything behind in 1998 and came here to the land of opportunity with her husband, Serhat Pala. She founded Con� rm BioSciences with $2,500 in capi-tal investment. It has been self-funded ever since. Ilgaz launched the company with no speci� c in-dustry background. Her passion to � ght substance abuse and the market potential she saw was enough reason to start the business. Ilgaz is an incredible leader promoting a balanced work life within her organization, creating an environment that sup-ports employees’ personal goals and families. The work hours at Con� rm BioSciences are � exible, and the culture encourages a high level of produc-tivity in fewer hours so that employees have work/life balance. The standards created by the culture and leadership at Con� rm BioSciences have pushed the company to the top of its � eld. Ilgaz is an ar-dent supporter of women looking to start their own businesses. She is a frequent contributor and has been published more than 50 times on topics



CONGRATULATIONS!

Wendy Manahan Navrina Singh Lee Wills-Irvine

Qualcomm congratulates Wendy Manahan, Navrina Singh and Lee Wills-Irvine on their nominations for the 2015 Athena Pinnacle Award. We are proud to honor the work that they do to empower and mentor women in the global business community.

qualcomm.com/blog facebook.com/qualcomm @qualcomm

0899_Corp_PinnacleAward_2015_Ad.pdf 1 4/27/15 3:08 PM

2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - LIFE SCIENCES


such as health, parenting, and women in business in prestigious outlets like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Hu� ngton Post.

Ciara Kennedy, Ph.D.

VP, Head of Colestatic Liver DiseaseShire Pharmaceuticals

Throughout her career Dr. Ciara Kennedy has sup-ported women in the workplace. She cur-rently leads a team consisting of 90 percent women, all of whom she personally hired and continues to promote their career advancement. In the community, she was not only in the inaugural class at Rady School of Management, she has promoted the program as an example of what a woman can accomplish. Also while at Rady, she was involved in establish-ing “Rady Ladies” – a forum for female students to interact with successful women in the San Diego community in a small intimate setting featuring guests including Tina Nova, Karen Eastham and Connie Matsui. Her now 12-year history with the Rady School has positioned her as a valuable re-source for women (and men!) considering an MBA

as a means to advance their careers, and again at the completion of their degrees as they seek to complete their transitions.

Diane Klotz, Ph.D.

Director, Offi ce of Training & Academic ServicesSanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

Dr. Diane Klotz was recruited by Sanford-Bur nham Medical Research Institute (SBMRI) to be the founding director of their O� ce of Training & Academic Services to develop and implement programs and initiatives to advance the careers of young biomedical scientists. Approximately 75 percent of Klotz’s mentoring ef-forts support female postdocs and grad students. She founded the SBMRIs Diversity Taskforce to address issues of diversity in all areas, including the number of women who remain in STEM � elds and, in particular, academia. She also is committed to identifying mentors and role models for wom-en so they may excel in their careers and personal lives. Klotz identi� es and invites young women en-tering the postdoctoral professional development/academic services career path to present workshops

at SBMRI to gain visibility for their research and to build their professional portfolio. She provides mentoring to multiple women to support their ca-reer paths in life sciences.

Olivia Montaño

Sr. Director, Clinical Data ManagementSynteractHCR

Olivia Montaño is a leader for other women (and men) in her � eld. She is known for her signif-icant role in develop-ing high standards of quality for both SynteractHCR and the clinical tri-al industry as a whole. She is a member of the Drug Information Association (DIA) and was involved in drafting a Data Management Plan Standard Operating Procedure and a listing of related tem-plates that was accepted in the journal Therapeutic Innovations & Regulatory Science. She also has written seven chapters for the Society for Clinical Data Management’s manual, Good Clinical Data Management Practices, which is used as a refer-ence tool for education of clinical data managers



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industry-wide. Montaño’s biggest accomplishment is mentoring others to achieve their own potential. She has trained more than 75 people to become great data managers. She has formed a women’s empowerment group in her department to provide a forum for women to speak with executive wom-en in the company and develop strong mentoring relationships.

Diane Retallack, Ph.D.

Director of Molecular BiologyPfenex Inc.

Dr. Diane Retallack’s leadership and con-tributing hard work have enabled Pfenex’s patented technology to produce complex, di� cult to manufac-ture proteins. This technology is leveraged across Pfenex’s product pipeline, strain engineering ser-vices, and has advanced Pfenex as a clinical-stage biotechnology company. She leads with strong character, compassion, great communication style, and has a genuine desire to help others. In her role as director of molecular biology, Retallack has hired, empowered and mentored other women at Pfenex. Although her group size has � uctuated over the years to meet the ebb and � ow of busi-

ness needs (ranging from four to 12), her sta� is consistently comprised of 75 to 85 percent wom-en. She is a strong advocate for other women and does not hesitate to remind executive management on hiring talented, skilled women and to promote diversity at Pfenex. To date, the company has 45 percent of its positions held by women.

Melinda Richter

HeadJohnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS

Melinda Richter has successfully navigat-ed the traditional-ly male-dominated life science industry. Under her leader-ship, JLABS has expanded from an experimental site in San Diego to four active locations around the country. Recognizing the need for more wom-en in leadership roles, she has helped other women achieve the same level of success. Richter strives to use her power at JLABS to advocate for women, including increasing their participation and vis-ibility. This has made an impact. Fifteen percent of JLABS resident companies have women CEOs, which is notable as only four percent of CEOs at

health care companies are women. Richter’s sup-port of the advancement of women is also re� ect-ed in hiring practices. Nine of the 15 (60 percent) JLABS team members are women. Richter encour-ages women to remain strong in their convictions and not let their ideas be sidelined. She believes that women can and should retain their individual-ity and personality in the workplace, rejecting the idea of needing to act or dress “like a man” in order to succeed.

Sarka Southern, Ph.D.

CEOGaia Medical Institute

Dr. Sarka Southern has hired, mentored and advanced wom-en in her company and provided con-tinued professional education and training. She encourages and men-tors women in her company to go back to school and obtain advanced professional. In 2014-2015, Southern has mentored 27 UC San Diego senior electrical engineering students during � ve quar-ters, with particular support for women. She was





elected by peers as the Outstanding Woman in Optics in 2008 for her inspirational role in the sci-ence and technology community. She provides con-tinued inspiration, mentoring and opportunities to women through SPIE as the conference chair and session chair along with overseeing Student Lunch with Experts, and Early Career Networking. Southern also serves women through community volunteer work in the middle and high schools in Carmel Valley during science fairs and job fairs, in-spiring young women to choose a career in science and engineering.

Jennifer Strickland

General Manager, Pharmacogenetic TestingMillennium Health

Jennifer Strickland is troubled by the unique challenges women face in pro-fessional settings. Although she has seen the number of women in leadership positions grow over the last two decades, she also is aware that mentorship is sorely lacking. Strickland has taken it upon herself to make mentoring women in the workplace an everyday practice — helping pro-

vide education, con� dence and encouragement. She is surrounded by a mostly female sta� , which she meets with regularly to provide coaching. She helps them look for opportunities to further their career and trains them to create opportunities on their own. A great example of her dedication to men-torship is her one-on-one consulting with a female lab technician at Millennium, who was considering pharmacy school. Strickland helped prepare her for applications and interviews. She also started a lead-ership book club, providing informal and interactive leadership training to the women in her company.

Susan Tousi

VP, EngineeringIllumina, Inc.

For Susan Tousi, the realization that being a female en-gineer would be challenging start-ed early. Often the only woman in her engineering courses at Penn State, male colleagues did not always welcome a woman team-mate on school projects. Sometimes she complet-ed team assignments by herself. Tousi rose to the challenge and was the � rst woman valedictorian of

the college of engineering. She realized that many of the same challenges that led women to leave engineering programs exist in the workplace — lack of con� dence in their skills and limited sup-port structure in a male-dominated � eld. Tousi has hired women engineers to her teams, helping them overcome these challenges by playing an active role in ensuring they have the support and work-place opportunities needed to demonstrate both technical competence and soft skills needed for success. She has intentionally helped women lead the types of visible projects that help create pos-itive perceptions by colleagues. In recognition of this work, Diversity Journal named her to its 2010 list of “Women Worth Watching.”


2015 Individual in Technology Nominations continued from page A27

2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - TECHNOLOGY


Amy Bernal

Project ManagerIntuit

Amy Bernal started shaking things up at Intuit as soon as she joined in 2013 as a project manager in the corporate tech-nology department. She resurrected the dormant San Diego chapter of Intuit Women’s Network (IWN) by tak-ing over its leadership. She has breathed new life into the group, which is once again active with 135 members. Some of the programs that are active thanks to Bernal’s leadership are: Feed Your Career – an opportunity for women to network in small groups with senior female leaders at Intuit; Intuit Circles – modeled after Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Circles, participants discuss issues they face as women in the workplace and opportunities to de-velop their leadership skills; the Women in Tech Speaker Series, in partnership with EvoNexus, brings San Diego female thought leaders to Intuit; and a celebration of International Women’s Day across the company using video profiles to high-light women at Intuit making a difference.

Jennifer Brooks

PrincipalBooz Allen Hamilton

As a member of Booz Allen’s local leadership, Jennifer Brooks has built a diverse team. She leads a team of more than 200 employees, which includes more than 100 women performing in technical and analytical fields. A staunch advo-cate of diversity, Brooks employs women in key, managerial positions across projects in engineer-ing, satellite communications, data centers, and ad-vanced analytics. She oversaw the promotions of several women to leadership positions and directly mentors eight women holding executive positions in San Diego. Additionally, Brooks has helped build a robust pipeline of women, overseeing talent re-views and authoring development plans aimed at ensuring women continue to ascend into the lead-ership ranks at Booz Allen. She is a founder of the Booz Allen San Diego Women’s Forum, devoted to the hiring, professional development and advance-ment of women employees. Brooks has been recog-nized for her efforts with the Booz Allen “Values in Practice” and “Woman of Distinction” awards.

Erica Burles

PresidentEquation Technologies, Inc.

Sales and implemen-tation of accounting and ERP software systems, in many ways, is still a male dominated profes-sion. Erica Burles has led a successful company for more than10 years, which is a testa-ment to her leadership skills and acumen. Women outnumber men in the company. Her company has been recognized as a “President’s Circle” award winner as the top performing business partner for Sage software products.

Lorie Steele Contorer

Founder/CEOEveryone Counts

Around the world, women are especial-ly disenfranchised by existing voting methods. Lori Steele Contorer’s vision of elections includes using state-of-the-art technologies, which can right that wrong. Including Contorer, half of the key U.S. commer-cial positions in the company are held by wom-en. She has advanced the cause of women in the workplace through leading by example. She has set incredibly high standards for the company, partly because she believes that is vital in any business, but also because the cause of democracy demands it. Her spirit, energy, innovation, and drive to grow the business and dramatically improve de-mocracy are recognized throughout the San Diego community, and nationally, leading to her being named to Fortune Magazine’s 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs List, a winner of San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award, a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and her induction into the Bowling Green State University Dallas Hamilton Entrepreneur’s Hall of Fame.

Kelly Crothers

VP, Global Marketing & Product ManagementMaintenanceNet, Inc.

According to the Women in Tech-nology Foundation, of more than 459 private ventures re-cently surveyed in the life sciences and technology sectors, women in IT represent only 10.7 percent of the work-force. MaintenanceNet’s workforce is comprised of 42 percent women, and a big reason for that is the influence of Kelly Crothers. As their most senior female executive, Crothers has created ca-reer growth for women at all levels of the organi-zation and has been the catalyst behind bringing more women into the business. She leads by ex-ample having forged her own path to success in a predominantly male business by mentoring her female colleagues. Crothers has worked with HR to recruit more women into the business. She has paved the way for others and empowered the com-pany’s women to reach for the stars. Crothers has spearheaded company involvement in blood drives, backpack donations for underprivileged children, among other community focused efforts.

Kelly Davis

VP, Sales & MarketingSony Electronics

Throughout her time in key manage-ment roles at Sony Electronics, Kelly Davis has been a role model for wom-en focused on career advancement within the company. Her work ethic and values have been the fuel for her advancement through the company’s ranks. As one of the few female leaders at Sony, she is an inspiration and model for women who seek a similar path. She mentors, coaches, advises and in-spires women on how to navigate their careers and position themselves for leadership. A good portion of Davis’ role requires that she be a credible part-ner for retailers that purchase and resell the product lines for which she is responsible. Forging relation-ships based on trust and integrity, she excels in creating great working relationships with custom-ers that drive Sony’s business in the U.S. and on a worldwide scale. These key traits have earned her the highest recognition that Sony bestows on its employees — induction into the “Samurai Society.”


continued from page A282015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - TECHNOLOGY


Leslie Fishlock

CEOGeek Girl Camp

Leslie Fishlock start-ed her organization in 2006 to empower women in the tech industry in all areas and interests. Since its inception, she now has a following of more than 4,500 men, women and children internationally. Through her kind heart, her innovation and passion to help others, and her expertise in the industry, Fishlock has touched and enriched the lives of thousands as well as educated and empowered the lives of anyone lucky enough to get to know her. She achieves all of this by following her heart and having compassion for helping others. Fishlock has developed many opportunities for individuals to be mentored by her or by others in line with their passions and talents. She has a passion for fostering success in every in-dividual she meets. From tech conferences to being an active member in local or international organiza-tions, Fishlock touches many lives in a tremendous-ly magnificent and terrific way.

Stephanie Kroon, J.D.

SVP, General Counsel and SecretaryMitchell International, Inc.

As a female general counsel, Stephanie Kroon is in a gen-der minority — as the general counsel of a software com-pany, even more so. Minority Corporate Counsel Association reported that in 2014, 113 women served as general coun-sels at Fortune 500 companies. Corporate Counsel Magazine said that’s 21 percent of the top lawyers at those Fortune 500s. Kroon is bucking the trend. In her role as general counsel, Kroon directly interfaces with the CEO and top executives at her company, its customers and its board — a powerful position for a woman to hold. She is paving the way for future fe-male general counsels both within her company and her industry. Kroon is paying her success forward. After Mitchell’s acquisition of FairPay Solutions, Kroon appointed its female general counsel to be her “director, assistant general counsel,” assigning her four additional people to manage, giving this wom-an the experience of managing a larger team. The

grooming, mentoring and empowering from Kroon enabled this woman to leverage her experiences as a general counsel at another company. Kroon also is on the executive steering committee of Mitchell’s in-ternal Women’s Network, promoting and fostering professional growth for women at all levels.

Wendy Lanahan

Director of Real EstateQualcomm

Wendy Lanahan was selected to leadQual-comm’s real estate and facilities opera-tions 11 years ago — a move that catapulted her into the spotlight. After municipalities and universities, Qualcomm is the largest real estate holder in San Diego, with five million square feet of building space. Lanahan also oversees Qualcomm’s additional two million square feet of real estate in other parts of the country. She routinely shares career tips and guidance with many female professionals in technology and real estate who are inspired by her success. One of the ques-tions that Lanahan is most frequently asked is how she navigates the still-male-dominated industries of



MORRISON & FOERSTER IS PROUD TO SUPPORT ATHENA AND THE 2015 PINNACLE AWARDS.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

©2015 Morrison & Foerster LLP



technology and real estate. With a strong presence in two industries more populated by men than wom-en, she has been generous with her time, under-standing that female career role models may not be as easy to find for some of the women who approach her. She has mentored women one-on-one through scheduled appointments and lunches, in her capacity as a supervisor and informally at events and work-place gathering spots.

Madeline Schmidt

Director of Talent/Leadership DevelopmentFTD Companies, Inc.

Madeline Schmidt has had a positive impact on the level of support offered to women at Provide Commerce. She worked to obtain the backing and support from the senior executive team to start a Women’s Leadership Network for female employees — the first time ever in the company’s history. The program is designed to change cultural beliefs and enhance women’s professional growth by providing networking opportunities, support, information and role models. The ultimate goal is to change senior level demographics and have more women hired and promoted into senior level roles within three years. Schmidt developed a business case and plan for the

Women’s Leadership Network, presented it to the senior leadership team, gathered a board of employ-ees and kick-started the initiative in March 2014. Since then, she has created peer mentoring circles, a leadership development program and monthly ed-ucational sessions for women, helping them to de-velop the business acumen needed to reach the next level in their career.

Navrina Singh

Director, Product ManagementQualcomm Labs, Inc.

Navrina Singh is the founder of Qualcomm Women in Science and Engineering (QWISE) focused on the personal growth and professional de-velopment of women. QWISE has 1600 members and 12 chapters worldwide, and has become a model for corporate employee-driven diversity programs. Since 2006, Singh has actively worked to empower, develop, connect and elevate women in Qualcomm and San Diego. She is currently a strategic advisor on the QWISE board, helping to build initiatives to place women in leadership positions in Qualcomm and is actively involved with QC intern mentor-ing (Qbuds), speaking at the QC diversity confer-ence, DECA, and the Qualcomm Women Collegiate

Conference (QWCC). She inspires girls into STEM by mentoring and shadowing them, and encourag-ing them to join FIRST robotics teams. As the lead for Qualcomm’s FIRST partnership for eight years, Singh was able to influence the allocation of funds to sponsor more all-girl teams. She is a thought leader, inspiring young girls to be excited about technology. She actively speaks at various schools, participates as a judge for the Reuben H. Fleet Science Fair for girls, and supports groups like Girls Develop It, to empow-er women to learn coding.

Maria Stipp

PresidentecoATM

Maria Stipp has al-ways focused on di-versity and inclusion during her leadership tenure at Outerwall. She started by in-fluencing Business Resource Groups, Outerwall groups that are dedicated to fostering a diverse and in-clusive work environment within the context of Outerwall’s business practices and business objec-tives. She formed and chaired InCrowd, support of LGBT & Allies, and is fully involved in WIN, the Women’s Insight Network. Her support and mentorship of WIN ensures women at ecoATM




2015 Pinnacle Awards Nominee Recognized Leader in t he Life Sciences Industry

Congratulations to

Mary Glanville


speci� cally can gain actionable insights to advance careers and face workplace challenges with an in-creased knowledge set. Since working at ecoATM, she took an executive team with 100 percent male leadership and moved it closer to 50 percent. Prior to 2014, new hire gender roles skewed predomi-nantly male. Today, 35 percent of new hires are fe-male. This shift is vital to ensuring that ecoATM, and ultimately Outerwall, focuses on diversity and inclusion that bring about positive change.

Tammi Terrell

VP and General Manager, AT&T Southwest & HawaiiAT&T

Tammi Terrell is vice president and gener-al manager oversee-ing operations for AT&T Southwest and Hawaii, directing sales and operations for more than 1,500 employees, 90 AT&T-owned retail lo-cations and more than 600 national retail partners and authorized resellers across the region. Terrell is based in San Diego and brings tremendous tal-ent and leadership to her position and the telecom-munications industry as a whole. AT&T employees describe her as an intelligent, strategic thinker who always keeps in mind what’s best for her market and the greater business as a whole. Terrell is a strong

leader, coach and an example who motivates, chal-lenges and empowers her employees. She asks a lot of questions with a dual purpose — to collaborate with her team and also lead them through a process of self-discovery so together they come up with the best solution every time, always keeping in mind the bene� t to the front-line and customer.

Lee Wills-Irvine

Sr. Manager HR/Diversity Program DirectorQualcomm

Lee Wills-Irvine leads Global Di-versity & Inclusion at Qualcomm with the mission to best lever-age employee talents and capabilities for innovation and productivity in a manner that supports organizational values. She over-sees training to ensure Diversity is woven through-out Qualcomm to provide a competitive advantage. She enables women to do things that align their pas-sions. Q� nity is one of the newest diversity groups within Qualcomm focused on developing women in IT-related positions and helping them to in� u-ence internally and externally in this � eld. Q� nity is chartered to attract and retain women to join the IT organization. Wills-Irvine has supported STEM re-lated activities hosted by Qualcomm that Q� nity has participated in and she has helped the initiative gain

visibility through her e� orts. Wills-Irvine also sup-ports Qwise, the grassroots women’s a� nity group at Qualcomm and has connected this group with other women’s organizations in San Diego. She also helped design and manage Qualcomm’s Women’s Mentoring Program and leveraged that model to assist in the de-velopment of the Athena Mentoring Program.

Martha Wyrsch, J.D.

General CounselSempra

Martha Wyrsch re-cently assumed the position of general counsel at Sempra, having enjoyed a long esteemed history in the energy � eld (most recently the CEO of Vestas in Portland). While only in San Diego a short while, she has al-ready become a mentor and role model to numerous women both at Sempra and in the San Diego commu-nity. She has made a major impact within Sempra’s legal department where she mentors and promotes women within the company and its subsidiaries, SDG&E and SoCalGas. She is a much needed female community leader both in the energy industry and in the San Diego business community as a whole.

subscribe: 858-634-4234

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tedcontinued on page A33

2015 Individual in Services Nominations continued from page A31

2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - SERVICES

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Brett Beightol

PartnerGrant Thornton LLP

In his early years at Grant Thornton, Brett Beightol no-ticed that the firm provided a work en-vironment that em-phasized personal development, in both men and women, and em-powered women to take on leadership roles. As Partner-in-Charge of the San Diego office, he has become an advocate for the advancement of wom-en and the promotion of diversity initiatives. He has fostered the development of women by mento-ring them from the start of their careers through promotions to partner. Currently, half of the em-ployees in the San Diego office are women, a much higher ratio than the industry average. Women in the San Diego office are encouraged to participate in Women at Grant Thornton, an initiative that brings women together through a variety of activi-ties. Beightol believes providing ongoing guidance

about leadership and the pursuit of excellence. He is passionate about enhancing opportunities for young women in professional services fields and advocating for a higher proportion of women in top management, particularly at the partner level.

Erin Bosman, J.D.

PartnerMorrison & Foerster LLP

Erin Bosman has proven herself a leader on multiple fronts. As chair of the Product Liability Practice Group, she not only has the op-portunity to determine strategy, but also to serve as an example and mentor for both male and female as-sociates. She takes a personal interest in their devel-opment, encouraging them to write, to be engaged and to take a proactive approach to planning their careers. Her guidance goes beyond just her prac-tice. Bosman is the co-chair of the women’s affini-ty group in San Diego, aiding the office in ongoing

efforts to stay abreast of issues relevant to its fe-male attorneys. She counsels clients as well, having served as a speaker for the past two years at MoFo’s Women’s Summit for In-House Counsel, an annual event that addresses professional development for women general counsel and in-house counsel. The Daily Journal has recognized her as one of its “Top Women Lawyers” two years in a row.

Carin Canale-Theakston

Founder & PresidentCanale Communications

Car in Cana le -Theakston directly supports the devel-opment of female professionals — 70 percent of the full-time employees at Canale Communications are women. Three cur-rent senior staffers have each worked with her for eight to14 years, one starting as entry-level associate and achieving promotions to senior vice


continued from page A322015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - SERVICES


president. Canale-Theakston provides her col-leagues with wise one-on-one counsel, indepen-dence to pursue business-growing initiatives, and professional growth opportunities via events and workshops o� ered by Athena, SD Venture Group, BIOCOM, Public Relations Society of America and National Investor Relations Institute. As a parent, she also models and encourages work-fam-ily balance. She has supported the careers of many men and women who have advanced to leadership positions at international PR � rms including Porter Novelli; joined top companies including Johnson & Johnson; started their own businesses as independent consultants; and founded nonprof-its. Canale-Theakston also mentors her clients in their communications and marketing roles. Her philosophy is that CanaleComm’s goals are the client’s goals and the individual’s professional success is critical as well.

Jo Dale Carothers, Ph.D., J.D.

ShareholderWeintraub Tobin

Jo Dale Carothers was a founding part-ner of Covington & Burling’s San Diego practice. Given that the type of law prac-ticed is typically dominated by males (intellectual property), her focus leaned towards attracting and retaining women talent. Of the � rm’s 12 attorneys in San Diego, approximately 40 percent were women, and overall, more than 50 percent of the o� ce population was female. Carothers consistently served as the � rms’ tal-ent pool manager helping develop associates and working to equalize the playing � eld as much as possible. Carothers has served as an informal mentor to female associates and strives to con-nect “like-minded” women professionally. She recently moved to Weintraub Tobin to establish the � rm’s San Diego practice. For more than 20 years, Carothers has been active in the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a professional organization dedicated to the ad-vancement of technology. Chairing upwards of 15 program committees over the years, she has focused on bringing relevant women leaders and

speci� cally seeks women that have experience in very specialized industry segments to help rein-force strong women in leadership roles.

Valerie Chereskin

President & FounderChereskin Communications

Valerie Chereskin has mentored and empowered count-less women in San Diego. For more than 24 years she has been principal and founder of Chereskin Communications, a pub-lic relations � rm that represents emerging high tech companies. She takes the time to share her breadth of technology communications experi-ence with women in San Diego, both through her � rm, her friendships and her volunteer e� orts. Her mentoring has helped many women achieve successful careers and some have gone on to start their own businesses. Through her wide-ranging volunteer e� orts in business, the arts and commu-nications, Chereskin has made giving back to the San Diego community one of her top priorities. As a previous committee chair and volunteer with MIT Enterprise Forum, a global organization

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that inspires technology entrepreneurs, Valerie has assisted driving the organization’s mission to create world-class technology companies.

Shannon Conway

Sr. Business ConsultantTriNet

Shannon Conway has taken many col-leagues under her wing — both men and women. She helps them recog-nize their strengths and what they are capable of accomplishing. She consistently brings real value to all of her rela-tionships and consequently also is consistently the highest performer at TriNet. Conway has inspired many to believe in themselves and has helped nurture those around her to realize the potential. She leads by example and participates in the San Diego Venture Group and Cyberhive. She also is active in several business networking groups throughout San Diego.

John Frager

Executive Managing DirectorCBRE

John Frager is a true pioneer in the com-mercial brokerage industry. He has lit-erally placed himself on the front lines of his male counter-parts in standing up for women. In this tradition-ally male-dominated industry, women are few and far between, especially at the leadership level. But Frager has singlehandedly campaigned to change that environment by recruiting women sales pro-fessionals and giving them the tools they need to succeed. He has the unique ability to see talent and has identi� ed women with leadership poten-

tial both within and outside the industry, helping them succeed within his companies and within the broader community. Frager has recruited and built successful all-female sales teams, included women in the leadership development programs he founded, and hired female instructors and con-sultants to lead the programs. His goal has been to socialize the idea of equality of women among the men in his companies. Outside of his � rm, Frager empowers and inspires female sales professionals from other companies by acting as a mentor and role model. He has helped mold numerous women to become leaders within the commercial real es-tate industry — completely changing the course of what success looks like for women in his in-dustry.

Terri Graham

ChairmanWomen Evolution

Terri Graham’s mis-sion is to empow-er, inspire, mentor and advance wom-en at every possi-ble moment. She spent more than 20 years at Jack in the Box with 10 of those as the CMO. She had � ve departments that directly reported to her and there were female directors or VPs in each one and that was no accident. After Jack in the Box, she moved on to become the CMO of Provide-Commerce where she realized they did not have a women’s network, so she directly in� uenced the creation and implementation of The Provide Women’s Leadership Network. Prior to her leav-ing Provide-Commerce, she made it her goal to promote as many women as she could and was able to secure one more spot for a woman on the executive team. She currently sits on the board of Sprouts Farmers Market and is the board chair for Women Evolution, which is a women’s lead-ership development organization with a vision to rebalance the executive gender equation.

Bridget Grimes

Director of Business Development, Wealth AdvisorHoyleCohen

Bridget Grimes be-lieves that for women to achieve personal happiness, they must achieve personal and professional success. She is committed to helping executive women take control of their future and lead better lives by con-necting them to the people and resources they need to gain con� dence and success. Many of the women Grimes empowers are those in the STEM � eld. She is passionate about helping to increase awareness of the brilliant work San Diego’s female scientists are doing through mentoring, speaking engagements and community events. She and her team have held focus groups, provided intimate roundtables, and encouraged idea sharing and support. She has en-gaged industry experts to speak on topics critical to the well being of women in STEM. As a result, the women engage with each other and participate in a community of like-minded individuals who support one another and champion their colleagues.

Silvia Mah, Ph.D.

CEO/Co-FounderHera Labs

As CEO of Hera Labs, a unique busi for aspiring entre-preneurial women, Silvia Mah provides female start-ups in all industries a safe place to test ideas, grow their businesses, and inspire female entre-preneurs to GO BIG in their business. Hera Labs provides a one-stop resource for women to work, connect and � ourish. Under Mah’s direction over the past two years, the accelerator has helped 350 women launch, grow, or sustain their local busi-

Gold Sponsors Bronze SponsorPresented by Title Sponsor

Nomination Deadline Extended

The 3rd annual celebration of General Counsel is designed exclusively to recognize

excellence in the In-House Counsel community. This special evening honoring the best counsel in San Diego County brings together the

members of the local bar and the leading In-House Counsel in a celebration of the accomplishments over the past year. General Counsel Awards showcases legal heroes in our community who exemplify traits

that all In-House Counsel strive to attain and hone — measured and trusted judgment, legal and business acumen, vision, and leadership.

Awards will be presented in four categories:• Public Company • Privately-held Company • Nonprofit Company • Rising Star

Event Information: Contact the Events Department at 858.277.6359Ticket price includes a 26-week subscription to the San Diego Business Journal ($15.00 allocated to the subscription).

Current subscribers may gift their 26-week subscription to a colleague.

Nomination Deadline Extended: May 15, 2015

You may nominate or order tickets online at: http://www.sdbj.com/bizevents/

2015 General Counsel Awards Thursday, June 18, 2015 • 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.


6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Networking

Special Awards Reception with hosted hors d’oeuvres and no host bar




ness; helped 50 female founders launch their pas-sion-� lled startups; facilitated 57 women owners to take their businesses to the “next level”; and helped create 40.5 new jobs. Mah is an angel investor em-ploying a gender lens in her investments, only in-vesting in female-centric ventures: Hera Hub, The Sash Bag, Women Investing in Women Digital, and Hera Therapeutics. To increase the aware-ness of women investing in women, Mah and her team of female dedicated volunteers, launched the inaugural Women Investing In Women Summit. Garnering a 4.3 million twitter reach, more than 300 women obtained important and vital funding tips, lessons learned and practice. Riding on this genesis of a movement, Mah launched Hera Fund in July 2014, where angel investing is done for women by women.

LuAnn McSwiggen

Director of Client ServicesBarney & Barney Insurance Services, LLC, A Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC

LuAnn McSwiggen is a highly regarded leader at Barney & Barney. As director of client services she formally supervises a minimum of six women and advocates for more than 100 cli-ent service professionals, 81 percent of whom are women. In 2010, McSwiggen was instrumental in the creation of the company’s women’s initiative called B&B GROW — Growth in Relationships & Opportunities for Women. As a member of GROW’s inaugural board, she helped shape the mission of the program of attracting, retaining, educating and supporting women within the � rm. She conceived of Inspire in which small groups of women meet from throughout the � rm to support and learn from each other in a con� dential environ-ment. She participated in the launch of GROW’s formal mentoring program. Eighty-four percent of survey respondents reported meeting the follow-ing program goals: development of skills and abil-ities in current role/team; self-awareness; career

development — identifying future opportunities and developing skills needed for advancement; and sounding board for advice.

Rosibel Ochoa, Ph.D.

Sr. Executive DirectorUC San Diego Jacobs School of EngineeringEntrepreneurism and Leadership Programs

Dr. Rosibel Ochoa serves as a role model to aspiring female en-gineers and entrepreneurs and encourages women to participate in all the programs she manages. She developed and led eight technology commercializa-tion challenges, securing more than $4 million to provide commercialization assistance in Southern California universities. She is the project director of the NSF-funded I-Corps site and was instrumental in the creation and launch of the Triton Technology Fund, an early stage seed fund to support a UC San Diego-a� liated startup where she currently sits on the investment committee. This is a remarkable ac-complishment as women are signi� cantly underrep-resented in the venture capital industry. Ochoa

Wednesday, November 4, 2015 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Special Awards Reception and Luncheon

Each year, the San Diego Business Journal recognizes dynamic women business leaders who have contributed significantly to San Diego’s businesses. Now in the 22nd year, the San Diego

Business Journal applauds these women by hosting our biggest and most anticipated reception and awards program to honor the winners and guests. Celebrity emcees, a keynote speaker and the awards program are staples of this landmark event.

Honor your company’s women by submitting nominations for the 2015 Women Who Mean Business Awards.

Nomination Deadline: September 20, 2015You may nominate or order tickets online at:

www.sdbj.com/bizevents/Ticket price includes a 26-week subscription to the San Diego Business Journal ($15.00 allocated to the subscription).

Current subscribers may gift their 26-week subscription to a colleague.

For additional nominations or event information: Contact the Events Department at 858.277.6359

22ND ANNUAL

WOMEN WHO MEAN BUSINESS AWARDS

Presented by Title Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Nominations Now Open!




Nominations Now Open!

Presented by

Gold Sponsors

Healthcare ChampionsSeptember 3, 2015 • 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.Paradise Point Resort & Spa1404 Vacation Road, San Diego 921094:00 - 5:00 p.m. Networking • 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Awards Program • 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Networking

Special Networking Reception and Awards Program with hosted hors d’oeuvres and no host bar

Every day heroic acts, steadfast dedication, extraordinary service and professionalism are seen frequently in our community. The San Diego Business Journal 2015 Healthcare Champions Awards honors individuals within the San Diego community who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in the rapidly changing health care industry.

Categories:• Community Leader • Company CEO or President - Medical • Company CEO or President - Service Provider • Company Executive • Emergency Medicine • Health Care Educator• Health Care Entrepreneur • Health Care Innovation • Health Care IT • Nurse • Physician • Wellness - Medical • Wellness - Service Provider

Nomination Deadline: July 20, 2015

Order tickets online at: http://www.sdbj.com/bizevents/

Ticket price includes a 26-week subscription to the San Diego Business Journal ($15.00 allocated to the subscription). Current subscribers may gift their 26-week subscription to a colleague.

Event Information: Contact the Events Department at 858.277.6395


also co-founded “mystartupXX” — an accelera-tor program for female entrepreneurs nationally recognized by the SBA. Ochoa actively works to develop a diverse pool of mentors emphasizing recruitment female entrepreneurs to provide bal-anced and broader perspective to the program’s advisory services. She increased the number of female mentors from one to six.

Tyler Orion

Retired COO, Interim President, Board MemberCONNECT San Diego

Tyler Orion has worked in technol-ogy business de-velopment, defense conversion, business incubation, and has operated several successful service � rms, with an emphasis on emerging and early-stage technology and workforce develop-ment. She was instrumental in establishing the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance (RTA) in 1993 and served as its president and CEO from 2001 until its merger with CONNECT in 2005. Orion served as both COO and Interim CEO of CONNECT. She has hired, mentored, and empowered women at all of her workplaces.

Approximately 60 percent of the employees she has hired have been women. At the RTA, Orion provided opportunities for young women to grow into positions of increasing responsibility, and under her tutelage several became directors of their areas. They gained valuable experience as the RTA facilitated the awarding of more than $8 million in California state matching grants for start-up companies. Since her retirement from CONNECT, Orion has continued to advise indi-viduals and women-owned businesses including her “signature” informal advisory role of assist-ing young women entrepreneurs via meetings, calls, and introductions.

Jennifer Rubin, J.D.

PartnerMintz Levin

Jennifer Rubin has devoted herself not just to her legal practice and to make the � rm a better business, but also to the legal communi-ty to make it a more inclusive environment where everyone is given an equal opportunity to thrive and succeed. In a profession that is still — at the top — very male,

she has inspired women attorneys by her suc-cess in raising two children and still, in addition to performing at the very top of her profession, making it a priority to show that the path (career & motherhood) is one that may be travelled suc-cessfully. Throughout her career, Rubin has act-ed as a mentor to female attorneys. She served as the national chair of the � rm’s diversity com-mittee and developed programs for Mintz Levin’s women’s initiative. Under her leadership Mintz Levin was recognized multiple times by Yale Law Women as a Top-Ten Family Friendly Firm for being a leader in developing and practicing family friendly policies. The � rm also earned two Gold Standard Certi� cations from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum during Rubin’s tenure, a designation based on how � rms compensate women and integrate them in top leadership.

2015 ATHENA SAN DIEGO PINNACLE AWARDS - SERVICEScontinued from page A37

2015 Athena Pinnacle Awards NOMINEESCONGRATULATIONSYour dedication and leadership within the life science INDUSTRY has helped create our strong and vibrant community.

A Special Congratulations to Carin Canale-Theakston of Canale Communications and Biocom’s Board of Directors Vice Chair for being honored as a pinnacle Nominee.

You inspire us.

The biocom team

SDFEI Doesn’t Cost - It Pays!For more information about the San Diego chapter of FEI, contact Paul Pierpoint at 619.871.4335 or [email protected]

An Invitation ToSenior Level Financial Executives:

Mark EmchVice President,

Finance & CFO of San Diego Convention

Center Corporation

“I joined FEI four years ago, but in hindsight wish I had joined many years earlier.”

“The San Diego chapter of FEI has far exceeded expectations, with great senior level financial management and key sponsor networking opportunities. Speakers at the monthly meetings are heavy hitters from diverse industry backgrounds whose presentations always seem to stimulate thought and discussion. And last but not least, the San Diego chapter’s support of local area students and charitable educational causes is very commendable and important to me.”

Financial Executives International (FEI) connects senior-level financial executives. Its mission: To be the leading organization of senior-level financial executives in the greater San Diego region by promoting fellowship, interaction, professional knowledge and qualifications of our members.

Please be our guest at our next meeting!


Nadia Sager, J.D.

PartnerLatham & Watkins LLP

Nadia Sager began her legal career at Latham & Watkins in 1996, where she was mentored by a senior partner in the finance practice. Mindful of the positive, powerful impact of this relationship on her own career, Sager has dedicated thousands of hours to inspiring, training, mentoring and improv-ing career prospects for women — a cornerstone of her professional life. As previous chair of Latham’s Global Mentoring Committee, she spearheaded a series of mentoring videoconferences, which con-nected female associates and partners around the world. Later, as chair of the firm’s Global Training & Career Enhancement Committee, Sager led the launch of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Academy for senior associates, providing focused training in the areas of leadership, communication, self-promo-tion and business development to approximately 70 women each year. In 2014, she was selected to lead Latham’s global diversity strategy as global chair of the firm’s new Diversity Leadership Committee. Sager takes time to make herself available to associ-ates, and, over the years, she has formally and infor-mally mentored dozens of women lawyers.

Killu Sanborn, Ph.D.

Director of Business DevelopmentOxford Finance LLC

Dr. Killu Sanborn has spent much of her ca-reer in the male dom-inated world of life science venture equity and venture debt fi-nance. She has more than 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry as a venture debt lender and equi-ty investor, banker, executive and entrepreneur, having provided tens of companies in California with more than $300 million in venture debt and equity. Sanborn remembers every female CEO she has met as there are few. She assists, engages, connects and supports wom-en entrepreneurs, even when she is not able to finance them directly, maintaining an active connection with many women entrepreneurs and executives. While she has not had a chance to mentor junior women directly at Oxford, she has maintained an active mentoring and communication relationship with numerous younger women who have sought out her counsel and experi-ence locally, in northern California and in Europe. As a woman in the finance industry, she has been a role model and mentor also to men with whom she has worked, illustrating for them the contributions that smart, capable women can make in leadership roles.

Stephanie Seidman, Ph.D., J.D.

PartnerMcKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Stephanie Seidman has transitioned from scientist to patent law technol-ogy specialist, to practicing patent attorney and team leader in a national law firm. She is an example for other women and a catalyst for increasing women’s presence and influence in areas where they once were rare. Seidman hires, promotes and mentors talented women, empowering them in a practice area dominated by men. At any giv-en time, at least half of her technology special-ists are women. Currently, all of her technology specialists are women and half of her associates are women. Seidman recruits promising women scientists as specialists to her patent law practice, encouraging them to become registered before the U.S. Patent Office and to attend law school. She oversees and supports their transition from scientists to practicing attorneys. Many of the region’s most skilled women patent profession-als and attorneys can attribute their success to Seidman’s mentoring and training.

Fee: $100 per person • $115 after May 8, 2015

Three hours of CE credits will be offered for attorneys, CPAs, CFPs, insurance professionals, CTFAs and advanced CLE certification.

Fee: $100 per person • $115 after May 8, 2015

To learn more about this event or register online please visit:

ymca.org/seminar

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines • 2:00pm - 5:30pm

Hosted Reception Immediately Following • Hosted Self-Parking • Free Wi-Fi

Venn DiagraMs: The inTersecTion of esTaTe & incoMe Tax (Planning in The aTra-MaTh)

esTaTe & BUsiness Planning seminar for Professional advisors

Shelly McTighe Rippengale at (858) 292-9622 or Email [email protected]

contact information

speaker: Paul lee, J.D., ll.M.Senior Vice President, Managing Director & Senior Regional Wealth Advisor The Northern Trust Company, New York, NY

ToPics: • Measuring the transfer tax costs against the income tax savings from the “step-up” on different types of assets

• Recapturing assets that have already been transferred

• Multiplying the applicable exclusion amount

• Using trust and partnership elections, distributions and reorganizations to maximize the “step-up” and “split” income across taxpayers

• Using debt to reduce estate tax exposure but maximize the “step-up”

• Planning around the net investment income tax

Sponsor Listing without use of logo

Morgan Stanley Gerald D. Ramirez, CRPC®

Vice President | Financial Advisor

Sponsor Listing with use of logo

Gerald D. Ramirez, CRPC® Vice President | Financial Advisor

Manufacturing is critical to the San Diego region because it represents jobs and accounts for tens of billions of dollars in annual sales in the county.

The manufacturing industry has a strong presence in our local economy and has continuously shown its dedication to our communities. This inaugural event will honor the San Diego County’s best leaders and companies with a prestigious awards event and special supplement to showcase the winners and finalists.

The awards program will showcase the manufacturers that have demonstrated excellence in manufacturing and in business. The primary focus of the award is to acknowledge continuous improvement, best practices, creativity, and innovation.

Event Information: Contact the Events Department at 858.277.6359

Thursday September 17, 2015

4:00 - 7:00 p.m.La Jolla Marriott

4240 La Jolla Village Dr. La Jolla, 92037


6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Networking

Special Awards Reception with hosted hors d’oeuvres and no host bar

Presented by Gold Sponsors

SAVE THE DATE!

Presented bySan Diego Business Journal and McGladrey

&



Documents

17th Annual Pinnacle Awards MAKE A SPLASH! pinnacle award program sdbj 15.pdf · 17th Annual Pinnacle Awards MAKE A SPLASH! TITLE SPONSOR ... CBRE Cooley LLP ... Patrick Henry High