Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Rebecca Marks, a Senior Finance Manager at Grainger headquartered in Chicago. Becca has been at Grainger for nearly ten years in a variety of positions in Finance, currently, as a Senior Finance Manager supporting Sales Operations. Her team’s responsibilities are to provide strategic financial decision support, insights, and key deliverables relating to pricing strategy, sales coverage, sales compensation, seller effectiveness, sourcing, and contract realization. In her tenure at Grainger, she has consistently found ways to increase her responsibility and support impactful projects that drive positive business results. She has had the opportunity to work on several large-scale initiatives including reevaluating Grainger’s pricing strategy to increase relevancy in the market and rightsizing the brick and mortar segment of the business to align to changing customer demands. She is actively involved in recruiting and development. Becca leads the Finance campus recruiting efforts at Indiana University and recently worked with Finance leadership to develop bench planning processes and finding ways to improve development conversations with team members. She has a BS in Finance, Accounting, and International Business and a minor in French from the Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. You can follow Becca Marks on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Do not be distracted. Maritza Diaz wants her kids to be proud of Mommy. She is busy creating jobs and doesn’t have time for doubters. Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Maritza Diaz. Maritza Diaz, Chief Executive Officer of ITJuana Maritza Diaz is a talented and seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience in IT and Software Engineering. She brings a wealth of expertise with particular strengths in areas such as engineering excellence, digital transformation, agile/scrum adoption, software engineering best practices, and building high-performing teams. With an abundance of international experience through her Big 4 exposure, Maritza has a strong understanding of various markets throughout North America, India, China and Latin America, including Mexico. Currently, Maritza operates a private firm, ITJuana, where she serves as the Chief Executive Officer. She has worked with multiple companies in California of different sizes and industries, offering consultancy and management services to create software centers of excellence in Tijuana Mexico. Maritza possesses the working experience and know-how and leverages the amazing talent available in Tijuana to serve and fulfill the digital talent needs of companies in California. Prior to becoming the Chief Executive Officer of ITJuana, Maritza served as Sr. Director at Thermo Fisher Scientific where she was responsible for growing the company’s digital capabilities in North America, India, and Mexico. In this role, she successfully managed the digital and agile transformation of an organization composed of 800 software professionals; today this organization is considered one of the finest software organizations in the industry. Over the past seven years, Maritza has established herself as a thought leader in the field of cross-border collaboration in the software industry between San Diego and Baja California. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco where she represents San Diego—a recent member of the Forbes Technology Council—and a thought leader in the field of cross-border collaboration in the software industry between San Diego and Baja California. She is an advocate of leveraging the strength of this region to build a thriving innovation economy that leads the digital transformation for companies in California. You can follow Maritza Diaz on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Suzet McKinney, who shares her best advice for how to handle and break through roadblocks. Dr. Suzet McKinney, a nationally recognized public health expert, serves as Principal and Director of Life Sciences. In her role, Dr. McKinney leads the strategy to expand Sterling Bay’s footprint in life sciences nationwide, pursue grant programs for laboratory incubation and graduation space and advance the work of various Sterling Bay life sciences initiatives including Prysm Institute. Prior to joining Sterling Bay, Dr. McKinney was CEO and Executive Director of the Illinois Medical District (IMD) where she managed medical research facilities, labs, a biotech business incubator, universities, four hospitals, and more than 40 healthcare-related facilities. Before IMD, Dr. McKinney served as Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Chicago Department of Health. You can follow Dr. Suzet McKinney on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Susan Gross Sholinsky, an expert on those workforce issues that still exist and really matter. Susan Gross Sholinsky gives employers the tools they need to make smart decisions about their workforce challenges. She is a sharp, versatile partner to executives, human resources, and in-house legal teams who seek her out for her straight-forward advice and access to boots-on-the-ground resources, regardless of location. Susan also helps employers ensure compliance with the latest local, state, and federal laws, from sexual harassment, to discrimination, restrictive covenants, paid family leave, and accommodations. When a company makes an acquisition, she literally writes the legal and compliance script for ensuring a smooth transition and integrating employees into the new organization. Her succinct talking points help deliver key updates and tough decisions to affected team members. Whether she’s conducting training on anti-harassment (similar to Epstein Becker Green’s “Halting Harassment” online training tool) or leading training on diversity, internal investigations, or performance documentation best practices, Susan’s effective training style helps managers spot problems early and boost productivity through safe, compliant practices. Susan helps employers respond rapidly to social issues, like the #MeToo or racial justice movements. She spearheaded the firm’s COVID-19 taskforce that provides employers with practical advice supported by training programs compliant in all 50 states, and dozens of pandemic-related policies and forms, as well as client advisories, blog posts, and articles. Susan holds several leadership positions within the firm, including as Vice Chair of both the Employment Labor & Workforce Management Steering Committee and the Diversity and Professional Development Committee and as a member of the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee of the Women’s Initiative. Among her many professional and community volunteer initiatives, she has served multiple years as New York Co-Chair of 2020 Women on Boards: Global Conversation on Board Diversity. She was also recognized as one of 2020’s Responsible 100 by City & State New York, an award bestowed upon private-sector leaders whose work makes life better in communities in New York City and across the state. Experience Managed a software company’s absorption of two companies. Susan reviewed existing employment agreements and offer letters to make sure the company understood its obligations, and drafted scripts to communicate with employees. She facilitated the auditing of 401(k), pension, severance, and stock benefits, and helped ensure a seamless transition of benefits by merging company handbook and other policies of the various entities involved. Susan also reviewed the wage and hour exemption status of incoming employees to confirm compliance with federal and local laws. Created a global sexual harassment policy for a major international private equity firm. This substantial undertaking required Susan to coordinate with local counsel in multiple countries to make sure the company’s uniform policy could be enacted to the extent practicable in all locations. Conducted sexual harassment and manager training for a major hospital’s administrators, supervisors, and chiefs. Susan trained thousands of employees in several locations. Designed and led a four-day intensive internal investigation training program for the U.S. HR, Compliance, and in-house legal teams of one of Japan’s largest banks, which gave the company a cost-effective means to conduct their own investigations. Counseled numerous clients on updating their paid time off (PTO) policies to incorporate nationwide sick time requirements and, where desired, provide unlimited PTO. Susan frequently advises clients in creating a “leave suite” to avoid overlapping policies for Family and Medical Leave Act, paid family leave, short-term disability, workers’ compensation, and salary continuation. Advised clients on all aspects of COVID-19 workforce management. Susan helped clients assess their workforce needs and prepare for layoffs and furloughs. She provided due diligence of their selection process, and drafted furlough notices, employee FAQs, and separation agreements. She prepares leave of absence and remote work policies for during- and post-COVID-19 workforces and continues to provide return-to-work safety training and facilitates the creation and enforcement of protocols to address actual and suspected positive COVID-19 cases in the workplace. Trained numerous HR and legal teams for compliance in response to the #MeToo movement. Through a series of in-person and virtual programs, includingHalting Harassment, Susan gave clients a roadmap for dealing with harassment claims with the right procedures. She also helps ensure that systems are in place to avoid future allegations. Spearheaded initiatives for major global financial services co

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Nancy Gunzenhauser Popper, attorney and new mother who talks about the importance of her network and a supportive work environment. NANCY GUNZENHAUSER POPPER is a Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the New York office of Epstein Becker Green. Ms. Popper: Counsels clients on compliance with EEO laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, worker classification issues, and other federal, state, and local statutes governing the workplace Advises employers in all facets of the employment relationship, from pre-employment considerations and hiring to terminations and post-employment restrictions Prepares employment, consulting, and separation agreements Audits employers’ employment policies, procedures, and handbooks to ensure compliance with applicable laws and best practices Conducts workplace training seminars for employees, managers, and human resources personnel Assists in defending clients in labor and employment-related litigation in a broad array of matters, such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and wage and hour disputes Ms. Popper has been chosen by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©: “Ones to Watch” (2021) in the field of Litigation – Labor and Employment. Prior to joining Epstein Becker Green, Ms. Popper worked as an intern in the Law Department of the Kings County Supreme Court; the Employment Law Department of one the world’s largest professional services, risk management, and insurance brokerage firms; and the Social Security Administration, among other positions. While at law school, Ms. Popper received the CALI “Excellence for the Future Award” in Privacy in the Workplace. You can follow Nancy on LinkedIn.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Gavriella Schuster, a veteran executive with ideas and a plan to solve gender equity. Gavriella describes her BeCOME framework and urges all of us to take action now. Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner As a C-level Microsoft executive and thought leader, Gavriella leads a global portfolio of channel partners that has influenced over $1 trillion in ecosystem revenues. She brings over 20 years of leadership in digital and cloud transformation roles, driving strategy and execution spanning all aspects of business model and product development, launch, marketing, sales and partner development. Gavriella currently leads global recruitment, enablement and engagement of Microsoft’s fast-growing partner ecosystem. As a builder and change agent, she has built and turned around businesses by inspiring a vision for future customer relevance and engaging teams in developing the roadmap. You can follow Gavriella on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Amy Christensen, one of private equity’s Most Influential Women of Today and Tomorrow. Amy Christensen is a Partner and founding member of The Vistria Group, a Chicago-based, middle-market private equity firm that invests in healthcare, education, and financial services companies. She is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, execution and portfolio management of Vistria’s healthcare investments. Ms. Christensen is also a board member of Behavioral Health Group, Supplemental Health Care, and Chiro One Wellness Centers. Ms. Christensen previously served on the boards of Angel MedFlight, St. Croix Hospice, and Alacura. She has executed numerous private equity transactions across a variety of industries including healthcare, business services, financial services, and technology. Prior to joining Vistria, she was an investor with NewSpring Capital, The Gores Group, and CCP Private Equity Partners. Ms. Christensen has also spent time advising health systems as a healthcare consultant with The Huron Consulting Group. She received her MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and her B.S. from Northwestern University. You can follow Amy on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Katie Melbourne, systems engineer and astrophysicist, ultra-marathoner, and PhD to be. Katie Melbourne is a Systems Engineer at Ball Aerospace working on the James Webb Space Telescope commissioning team. Developing an interest in science and space at a young age, Katie graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics in 2019. Her undergraduate thesis and main astronomy research focus was on M dwarf stars – small, dim stars making up about 75% of all the stars surrounding Earth – and the planets that orbit them. After internships at NASA Headquarters and Ball Aerospace’s Strategic Operations Office in DC, Katie became committed to pursuing a career that would help advance the future of space exploration through diplomacy and the development of space sustainability norms. This summer, she will be starting a part-time Ph.D. studying Space Domain Awareness through the University of Colorado Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences department. Outside of STEM, Katie served as president of her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma in undergrad, and now enjoys training for ultra-marathons and summit hikes, rock climbing, and learning guitar. You can follow Katie on Twitter @katiemel25 or Website: katiemelbourne.me. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Sumi Pitroda, an attorney with the AMA with a clear vision that supporting women is key to growing her own career while building her network for success. Sumi Pitroda, JD “Convene, understand, amplify, elevate.” Professional Bio: Sumi Pitroda is Senior Assistant General Counsel at the American Medical Association. She practices within the area of corporate transactions, specializing in data privacy matters. Sumi completed her B.S. degree at the University of Illinois in 2004 and her Juris Doctor certificate at the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2008. During law school, she worked full-time as an IT consultant for Deloitte, leveraging the technology aspects of her background and training. After graduation from law school, Sumi joined the top-ranked law firm of Sidley Austin, where she practiced corporate transactional law with a focus in technology transactions. Her work on the Aon-Hewitt merger led to her role as in-house counsel for Aon Corporation in 2011. At Aon, she built a secondary focus in data privacy prior to joining the American Medical Association (AMA) in 2016. Her aim was to apply her growing portfolio of experience to the healthcare industry, which appealed to her core areas of interest (education and health). Sumi co-founded and leads the Women Inspired Now (WIN) employee resource network at the AMA. She is also a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200) and teaches yoga/meditation at the AMA. Outside of work, Sumi volunteers and supports Namaste Charter School, a charter school located in the west side of Chicago focused on promoting equity by addressing the health and wellness needs of its student population that struggles with poor health and childhood obesity. Sumi enjoys translating detailed and complex legal analyses into macro summaries for broader understanding and consumption. Macro-level thinking driven by micro-level knowledge. You can follow Sumi on LinkedIn and Instagram @Sumi_pit Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. CV Harquail, author of Feminism: A Key Idea in Business and a lifelong advocate for feminism. CV Harquail, PhD, Author, Feminism: A Key Idea in Business, Co-Founder, Feminists At Work CV Harquail, PhD, is an author, management scholar, consultant, writer, and tool maker. Her new book, Feminism: A Key Idea in Business and Society (Routledge, 2020), is the first to analyze business from a feminist perspective and to propose a feminist business praxis. CV is the co-founder of FeministsAtWork.com (a feminist business practice consultancy) and co-founder/producer of the Entrepreneurial FeministForums.com, a conference and community for feminist entrepreneurs. She is the designer of the Feminist Business Model Canvas and Feminist Business Toolkit. She serves as a mentor and design team member in the Fifth Wave Feminist Business Accelerator, an initiative of the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab. CV advocates that we craft our work, design our products, set our ambitions, run our companies, and partner with our stakeholders in ways that lead us and our businesses to advance social justice and promote flourishing for everyone. CV holds a PhD in Management and Organizations from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. She taught Leadership and Organizational Change at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia for nine years before moving to Stevens Institute of Technology, where she taught the capstone undergraduate management practicum in Entrepreneurship. She has published her award-winning research in journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Organization Studies. To learn more about feminist business practice, generativity as a business strategy, and business as social change, sign up for her newsletter and check out her work at cvharquail.com. Follow @cvharquail on twitter and Instagram. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. YiDing Yu, practicing physician, executive, serial entrepreneur, YiDing Yu, MD, Chief Medical Officer Dr. YiDing Yu, MD, is a practicing physician and serial entrepreneur passionate about transforming the way we imagine and deliver healthcare. Named woman entrepreneur of the year in 2018 by the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, YiDing is a skilled business operator and passionate public speaker who has launched and scaled innovations across the healthcare ecosystem. Prior to Olive, YiDing was Chief Medical Officer at Verata Health, a top venture-backed AI company, where she led marketing, customer success, and payer partnerships, and pioneered Frictionless Prior Authorization® for payers and providers. She also founded and served as CEO of Twiage, an award-winning healthcare tech platform for emergency responders. YiDing began her career at Mass General Brigham, where she received the President’s Prize of Value-Based Healthcare Delivery. She’s also served as Chief Innovation Engineer of Atrius Health, a $2B health system in Boston, MA. Recognized throughout her career for her groundbreaking work, YiDing has won top innovation prizes from the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, and the Cleveland Clinic. You can follow Dr. YiDing Yu on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Donna Thompson, RN, MS, CEO of Access Community Health Network, one of the largest FQHC networks in the country serving 180,000 patients across its 35 health centers in Chicago. Donna Thompson, R.N., M.S., Chief Executive Officer For more than 30 years, Donna Thompson has been on the front lines of patient care delivery. When Donna first joined Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) as Chief Operating Officer in 1995, she was very familiar with the difficulties that patients faced due to their lack of access to primary and preventive care. Now as ACCESS’ CEO since 2004, Donna demonstrates daily how a focused commitment to high quality community health care can save lives, revitalize communities, and preserve the possibility of a healthy life for hundreds of thousands of patients across the Chicagoland area. Spearheading growth and quality at ACCESS Through its mission, ACCESS provides high quality, comprehensive community-based health care in the area’s most underserved communities. In her years as CEO, Donna has led ACCESS to become one of the largest federally qualified health center (FQHC) organizations in the country. ACCESS provides an integrative health home for patients in each of its 35 health center locations across the greater Chicago area, including suburban Cook and DuPage counties. Under Donna’s leadership, ACCESS has developed a model of health care that helps patients navigate the gap between community-based care and other critical resources from vital hospital services to community support services. ACCESS has been continuously accredited by the Joint Commission since 2000 and received National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation for each of its eligible health centers since 2015. Believing in the value of strong community partnerships, four ACCESS centers are co-located with other organizations, such as the Gary Comer Youth Center and the DuPage County Health Department, to better address resident needs comprehensively. Strongly believing in an integrative health model that decreases the barriers to optimal health and wellness, Donna has successfully led ACCESS in redesigning its care delivery system with enhanced focus on care coordination that goes ‘beyond the walls’ while embedding resources that address food, transportation and housing. Understanding the complexities of the opioid crisis, ACCESS is also licensed in the State of Illinois for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) allowing for a more extensive integration of primary care with addiction disorder support and treatment. Keeping the focus on providing solutions to health inequities, ACCESS has invested in long-term partnerships for teaching and research. ACCESS’ broad partnerships enable community-based research to address health disparities and to share those best practices within the community. In 2015, ACCESS opened its NIH-funded ACCESS Center for Discovery and Learning in Chicago’s Englewood community alongside a community health center and an integrative resource center. Championing early cancer detection As a community organizer concerned with effecting change beyond the health center walls, Donna organized the Stand Against Cancer program in 2002, bringing together more than 1,400 women, elected officials and faith leaders representing every religious denomination, race, ethnicity and age group to advocate for increased funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings. As a result of this advocacy effort, the State of Illinois allocated nearly $4 million annually to the Stand Against Cancer program, to reach women in faith communities to promote early detection and offer screenings and follow-up care for those who are underinsured and uninsured. While the State of Illinois terminated the program in 2015 due to the state budget crisis, ACCESS continues to advocate for reinstating the program. On Mother’s Day in 2007, Donna launched Pin-A-Sister/Examinate Comadre, bringing together members of predominantly African-American and Hispanic congregations to recognize breast cancer survivors and provide education around the importance of breast health and regular preventive screenings. To date, this faith-based breast cancer awareness campaign has reached more than one million people in churches, community organizations and correctional centers during its signature events surrounding Mother’s Day and has touched more than four million individuals through media outreach efforts locally, nationally and, even internationally. Other appointments and acknowledgments Donna received her bachelor of science degree from DePaul University in 1986, as well as her master’s degree of science in nursing administration in 1989. Donna was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow in 2003. She received the 2007 Chicago Athena Award for her leadership in developing community health and was recognized as one of Chicago

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Caitlin Fleming, Chief of Staff at Transcarent. Caitlin Fleming is Chief of Staff at Transcarent where she leads strategic initiatives and advises on growth and operations. Prior to joining Transcarent, she built and managed value-based health and social services at Haven, Optum, Social Finance, and the White House. While at Haven, she developed and launched innovative care models that spanned navigation, primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care. As a product and strategy leader at Optum, she managed tech-enabled population and behavioral health services. Through her work at the White House and Social Finance, she led the development of some of the country’s first social impact bonds – a public-private impact investment in which payment is based on measurable improvements in clients’ lives, including health, education, employment, and housing stability. She holds an MBA and MPP from Harvard University and a BA from Carleton College. When Caitlin isn’t fixing healthcare, you can find her exploring the trails of Maine, working on DIY house projects, or (attempting to) recreate the latest treat from the Great British Baking Show. She lives in Portland, ME with her partner, Scott. You can follow Caitlin on LinkedIn and @caitlinfleming on Twitter. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Barbara Levy, a lifelong advocate for women’s health. Barbara Levy, M.D., FACOG, FACS, is a lifelong advocate for advancing the quality of women’s health. Dr. Levy has co-founded Prenome and is president of UroShape, LLC, medical device companies that focus on women’s health issues and alleviating pelvic pain. She was elected as the first female president of AAGL in 1994-1995. Dr. Levy was in private practice in comprehensive holistic women’s health for over 30 years, and served as a Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Services for the Franciscan Health System in Washington State. Dr. Levy served two terms as chair of the American Medical Association Resource Based Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) advocating for fair payment for physicians, and she is currently an editorial panel member for CPT. She has served as a reviewer and editor for several medical journals, including Obstetrics & Gynecology, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, JAMA, JMIG, Fertility and Sterility. In 2012 Dr. Levy joined the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as the first full-time woman physician leader. Serving as Vice President of Health Policy at ACOG Dr. Levy directed the expansion of the Advocacy Division to support the Office of Global Women’s Health reducing maternal mortality and building sustainable capabilities in several countries. She built a quality, safety and informatics team dedicated to supporting improvement in health care for women and launched the Birth Registry to improve inequities in maternity care. In addition, Dr. Levy supported and grew ACOG’s commitment to contraceptive access, post-partum contraception and menopause management. Dr. Levy graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University. She obtained her medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, followed by an internship and residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Levy has been a vocal advocate for women’s health with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and multiple other media outlets. Her research interests span from outcomes research in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery to optimizing care for women with chronic pelvic pain. Her clinical work focused on evidence-based, equitable, comprehensive care for women throughout their life course. She has published and co-authored over 85 studies. **Post recording Inspiring Women, Dr. Barbara Levy announced that she has co-founded Prenome and has taken the role of President of UroShape, LLC, medical device companies that focus on women’s health issues and alleviating pelvic pain. You can follow Dr. Barbara Levy on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Kelsey Prestesater who discusses how she forces herself to pursue new opportunities even when that means facing the uncomfortable. Kelsey Prestesater is a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young where she provides strategic guidance to organizations seeking to modernize their finance operations, with a focus on automation and costing. Kelsey has an MBA with concentrations in Business Analytics and Consulting from the University of Notre Dame, where she graduated with honors, and an undergraduate degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University majoring in Finance, Operations Management and International Business. While at Notre Dame, Kelsey was selected to participate in the Meyer Business on the Front Lines Program, where she partnered with non-profit organizations in Colombia supporting farmers transitioning out of illicit economies by finding new and innovative ways to earn sustainable incomes. Prior to attending Notre Dame, Kelsey worked as a Product Manager at Grainger, managing their $75M public and traffic safety portfolio of products. She was responsible for creating the company’s 5-year product strategy, managing profitability, and negotiating with suppliers. Kelsey was a member of the emergency response team, coordinating product procurement and delivery for natural disasters and providing front-line support; receiving recognition for her outstanding contributions during Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. While at Grainger, Kelsey also worked in inventory planning where she was responsible for forecasting volume, ensuring product availability, and adjusting product mix for changing customer and market needs. During college, Kelsey worked at McKesson as a Strategy and Operations Intern, volunteered as a Team Lead at 180 Degrees Consulting, the world’s largest consultancy for nonprofits and socially focused organizations, and was an active member of Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity. You can follow Kelsey Prestesater on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Ning Mosberger-Tang, an activist and community organizer. Ning has a background in computer science and has worked for a number of years in the tech industry, including a few years as a technical lead in Google during its early years. Since 2006, she has focused on conservation and environmental education, climate change mitigation, community organizing, and policy advocacy. She does her work through a private foundation, a social welfare non-profit, and as a private investor in cleantech startups. She also serves on multiple environmental boards including the board of League of Conservation Voters. Ning received her B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Arizona. Ning’s current focus is on H.R.1/S.1 — the For the People Act — currently before the House and Senate, is the boldest democracy reform since Watergate. It’s a massive overhaul of money-in-politics, voting, and ethics laws — all to make our democracy more inclusive. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass the reform with a Democratic trifecta. However, it won’t happen unless we all advocate for it. Please take one or more of the following actions and take advantage of this historical opportunity to bring about fundamental changes we need in this country. http://hr1.bluewavepostcards.org Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Amy Boerger who is learning the ropes of sales having started off in communications. Amy is a 2014 SUNY Oswego graduate, earning her degree in Communication and Social Interaction. Following graduation, Amy moved to Boston to pursue a career in sales and currently works as an Inside Account Executive at Toast, a restaurant technology company. A passionate volunteer and outdoor enthusiast, she spends most mornings volunteering with the nonprofit Back on My Feet, an organization providing community and career development resources to Boston’s homeless population. When she’s not at these events you can often find Amy skiing, hiking, or simply walking her pup, Ragnar. Looking ahead, Amy hopes to someday build a sales organization from the ground up at a local start-up. Until then, she’ll learn all she can and try to make the world a more positive, exciting place! You can follow Amy Boerger on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Joanne Burns an accomplished C suite executive and board member. She didn’t get where she is today by being silent, and when she talks, she has something she wants to say. Joanne Burns is a Board and C-suite healthcare, business, and technology leader with strategic, operational and governance experience at companies ranging from Fortune 500 to early-stage start-ups. Joanne’s leadership roles include Corporate Director, Committee Chair, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Information Officer. Director experience includes Chair of Compensation Committee and Member of Audit and Finance Committees. Operational experience includes launching start-up businesses, building executive and operational teams, turning around struggling business lines, defining and executing processes for market entry and exit, and reviewing/approving acquisition and divestiture targets. A seasoned operator with unique ability to define strategy, linking mission to outcomes through clearly defined plan and execution. An experienced board professional, Joanne currently serves as a Corporate Director of ATI Physical Therapy (Audit, Compensation), a $600M PE-backed Physical Therapy Services company going public in June 2021; Corporate Director of Availity (Compensation [Chair], Finance), a $300M, PE-backed healthcare technology company; Chair of the Board for SNOMED, an international, not-for-profit healthcare standards organization; Corporate Director of Innara Health, a Series A funded health care device start-up; and Advisory Board member for the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering at Purdue University. Former Chief Strategy Officer for Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq: CERN). Worked with Cerner’s CEO, defining corporate strategy and plans. Served as internal consultant to operations and business units to bring operational, technical and industry expertise improving execution, delivery and growth plans. Assumed operational responsibility to turnaround struggling $200M P&L securing additional $500M bookings, while reducing expense resulting in 52% operating margin in 18 months. Led a public/private joint venture between Cerner and the University of Missouri. As Chief Information Officer of MU Health Care had responsibility for strategic direction and operational execution for information technology including cybersecurity. As Executive Director of the Tiger Institute responsible for joint venture startup focused on new product development. Brought several new products to market, managing through the product lifecycle resulting in divestiture, ongoing ownership or market exit. As a Corporate Director, provide guidance and governance to the executive team. Serve as a mentor to CEOs; recognized for approachability and ability to navigate challenges and propose innovative solutions. Lend expertise where needed outside of standing Board meetings. Joanne is recognized as a leader in the healthcare IT industry through authorship, lectures, presentations, and awards including Women to Watch in Health IT 2020, American College of Healthcare Executives Fellowship, HIMSS Fellowship, Most Powerful Women in Health IT, and The Wharton School and Purdue University guest lectures. Community involvement includes President of the Board of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. You can follow Joanne Burns on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Meg Barron Vice President of Digital Health Strategy at the AMA. Meg is passionate about driving change by collaborating with physicians, technology leaders, and solution innovators to improve health care. She has served in product development and business development leadership roles at the AMA and most recently is responsible for driving the roadmap of initiatives that support the AMA’s digital health and medicine strategy. In addition, she has led partnerships and innovation related initiatives, such as the inaugural AMA Healthier Nation Innovation Challenge, the establishment of the AMA Interaction Studio at MATTER, the AMA Physician Innovation Network that enables entrepreneurs and physicians to collaborate on the development of new solutions, the AMA Digital Health & Telehealth Implementation Playbook series, AMA Digital Health research and The Telehealth Initiative with collaborators. She participates on the Advisory Board for MATTER, MassChallenge HealthTech, HealthTech Arkansas, Together. Health and as a TEDMed Research Scholar. She also participates on the Editorial Review Board of The Telehealth and Medicine Today Journal. Meg has spoken at national conferences such as Health 2.0, Connected Health, HLTH, American Telemedicine Association National Conference, AMA State Advocacy Conference and contributes as speaking faculty for Columbia Business School’s Digital Health program curriculum. She has articles published in Health Affairs, Harvard Business Review and Nature Digital Medicine. Prior to AMA, Meg worked in the Consumer Product & Retail vertical at Capgemini and at SmithBucklin Corporation for various business and health care clients. She has experience creating a company through support at Built in Chicago and 1871 in Chicago; her company received acknowledgment by Crain’s Chicago, Chicago Ideas Week and was listed as one of the 24 Coolest New Businesses in Chicago by Business Insider. When not focused on improving healthcare, she can usually be found home remodeling, at a concert, or spending time with family. She is also an Auxiliary Board Member of Rebuilding Exchange Chicago – a non-profit focused on eliminating waste from landfills, repurposing salvaged materials, and providing education and training programs for job creation. You can follow Meg Barron on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Emily Blair a fifth-year Molecular Biology Ph.D. candidate. Emily Blair graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.S. in Biology. As an undergraduate, she volunteered in Dr. Jay Brewster’s Cell Biology lab at Pepperdine and interned in various research positions at E&J Gallo winery. These early research experiences inspired her to pursue her Ph.D. in Plant Biology at UC Riverside. She is currently a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Dawn Nagel’s plant molecular biology lab at UCR. Emily studies how plants protect themselves from temperature extremes at a genetic and molecular level. This work will ultimately inform crop improvement so that plants are more likely to survive despite extreme weather events due to climate change. Long-term, Emily wants to pursue a career where she can translate her knowledge of plant molecular biology between her fellow scientists and executive decision-makers. You can follow Emily on LinkedIn and Instagram and read her publications on Google scholar. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer & Group Vice President at the American Medical Association. Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH currently serves as the Chief Health Equity Officer and Group Vice President for the American Medical Association (AMA) where she focuses on embedding health equity across all the work of the AMA and leading the Center for HealthEquity. She joined the AMA in April 2019, to launch AMA’s Center for Health Equity as their inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer. Prior to joining the AMA, Dr. Maybank served as the Founding Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (2014). Aimed at strengthening equity efforts and transforming organizational culture, the Center became a model of success recognized by NYC leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. She was instrumental in infusing equity at the neighborhood level and advancing the Department’s place-based approach to addressing health inequities. She also set precedence with groundbreaking work at the Office of Minority Health in the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (2006) while serving as the Founding Director. Dr. Maybank has taught medical and public health students on topics related to health inequities, public health leadership and management, physician advocacy, and community organizing in health. In 2012, along with a group of Black woman physician leaders, Dr. Maybank co-founded “We Are Doc McStuffins”, a movement inspired by the Disney Junior character Doc McStuffins serving to shine a light on the critical importance of diversity in medicine. She is a highly sought-after health expert in media appearing on national and influential media outlets such as NPR, MSNBC, NewsOne, Roland Martin, the Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association to name a few. More recently, due to her leadership in the COVID response efforts, she has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and authored the New York Times Op-ed, “The Pandemic’s Missing Data” to bring more awareness to the structural inequities in the United States. She moderates the AMA bi-weekly web series, “Prioritizing Equity” that elevates the voices and stories of physicians centering equity in COVID-19 response efforts. Dr. Maybank holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University, an MD from Temple University School of Medicine, and an MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She is a pediatrician and preventive medicine/public health physician. You can follow Dr. Aletha Maybank on Twitter @DrAlethaMaybank and LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Lynn Shapiro Snyder, Board Member and Senior Member of Epstein Becker Green Lynn Shapiro Snyder is a Board Member and Senior Member of Epstein Becker Green in Washington, D.C., a law firm with one of the largest health care and life sciences practices in the country. There, she advises all types of health care companies and companies such as private equity firms that work with health care. She is well- known for her expertise in FDA, Medicare, Medicaid and managed care issues whether it is in connection with the launch of a new product or defending a company under a fraud investigation. She has been at Epstein Becker Green for over 35 years. Additionally, Lynn is the Founder, Chairperson and President of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (“WBL”), a non-profit that connects and convenes senior executive women from all across the health care industry. WBL’s focus is on helping these women expand their leadership, such as by serving on a board of directors, and the organization has helped to propel hundreds of women to board directorships. Named a “Director to Watch,” Lynn is a leader in the governance arena and is the co-author of Answering the Call: Understanding the Duties, Risks & Rewards of Corporate Governance – a book to educate busy executives about board service. She also is the author of Advancing Women in Business – 10 Best Practices. Her current board memberships include Trustmark Companies, Epstein Becker Green, Savor Health and the Maryland/Israel Development Center. You can follow Lynn Shapiro Snyder on LinkedIn. You can find Lynn’s book Advancing Women in Business – 10 Best Practices here. Read the transcript here.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Chelsea Pauga, a Master’s student at the University of Chicago. Chelsea Pauga is an early career professional currently studying for her Master’s in Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She graduated in 2016 with an environmental studies degree from the University of California: Santa Barbara with a focus on political science. Chelsea has spent the past four years conducting environmental assessments to facilitate real estate transactions nationwide. Chelsea believes the world can be a more equitable place by focusing on social justice through the lens of environmental policy. Chelsea and her husband live in Chicago with their dog Jazz. You can follow Chelsea on LinkedIn and Instagram. Read the transcript here.