NewsonWomen: Women in Business, Women Entrepreneurs, Women in the News

Julia A. Pierson Made Director of the United States Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security.

President Obama appointed Julia A. Pierson Director of the United States Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security. Julia, who has over 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, is the first woman to hold that job. Read more in the White House press release.

Deborah K. Jones Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Libya.

President Obama nominated Deborah K. Jones to be U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Deborah had previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait. Read more in the White House press release.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell Named White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Gina McCarthy to become Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of the Walmart Foundation, was named the White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Gina McCarthy, an "environmental health and air quality expert", was named Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Watch the video.

Sally Jewell to be Nominated by President Obama to be Secretary of the Interior.

President Obama is expected to nominate Sally Jewell Secretary of the Interior. Sally is President and CEO of REI, an outdoor recreational retailer. Before joining REI, Jewell had been in the banking industry in leadership roles. Earlier she had worked as an engineer for Mobil Oil Corporation. Read more about her appointment on abcnews.com.

Will the "Old Boys" be joined by "Next Generation Women" in the New Obama Cabinet? We deserve more Diversity!

Where are the next generation of women in the new Obama Administration? President Obama has appointed several "old boys" to his new cabinet but we have yet to see any women newly appointed to important cabinet positions. Business Insider reports that there are some rumored women candidates for various jobs in the new government. These include Sylvia Mathews Burwell (pictured) who is reportedly being considered to head up the Office of Management and Budget. Sylvia is President of the WalMart Foundation, and before that had been President of the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Sylvia had previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Penny Pritzker is reportedly being considered for Secretary of Commerce. Read more on businessinsider.com.

Question to new officials - are jokes about "heels" supposed to be just another subtle reminder of who wears the "shoes" of power?

Mary Jo White to be the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

President Obama nominated Mary Jo White to be the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mary Jo, who hold a JD from Columbia Law School, had been a Partner at Debevoise Plimpton and was previously the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Read more on usatoday.com.

NewsonWomen Says Mr. President - Appoint a Woman as Sec of Treasury! Some Suggestions.

President Obama should appoint a woman as Secretary of Treasury! But who you ask? Well let's take a quick look at Treasury Secretaries on Wikipedia (if you find errors, please correct them!) to come up with qualifications. Our present Secretary, Tim Geithner, who is the 75th Secretary of the Treasury, has a B.A. from Dartmouth in Government and Asian Studies and an MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He worked as Undersecretary of International Affairs in Treasury under Rober Rubin and Larry Summers. He also served as CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The 74th Secretary, Henry Paulson, who was CEO of Goldman Sachs, holds a B.A. in English from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard. He joined Goldman in 1974, was Co-Head of Investment Banking, then Chief Operating Officer, and then succeeding Jon Corzine as CEO. The 73rd Sec was John W. Snow, CEO of CSX Corporation (railroads), who holds a PhD in Economics from University of Virginia, and a JD from George Washington Law School. John had held various government positons in his career including Deputy Undersec of Transportation. The 72nd Sec was Paul O'Neill, who had been CEO of Alcoa and Chariman of the Rand Corp. Paul has a B.A. in Economics from California State Unioveraity and a graduate degree in Economics from Claremont, and a Masters in Public Administration from Indiana University. Paul had servd as Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Managment and Budget in 1967. The 71st Sec was Larry Summers, Economist (MIT and Harvard) and President of Harvard University. He served as Deputy Sec of Treasury under Robert Rubin, and succeeded him as Sec. The 70th Sec was Robert Rubin, B.A. Economics - Harvard and an LLB from Yale Law School. Robert spent his career at Goldman Sachs, becoming Co-Chairman. The 69th Sec was Lloyd Bentsen, the four term U.S. Senator from Texas.

So what do these Secretaries have in common other than all being men? Executive experience, financial experience, and some time in government jobs seems to cover it. And there are plenty of women who fill these qualifications. What about a woman in the Treasury Dept like Lael Brainard (pictured), who serves as the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for International Affairs, and who was an Associate Professor of Applied Economics at MIT and worked at McKinsey & Co? Or Mary John Miller, who serves as the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Domestic Finance? Or maybe you want to look at corporate America for a candidate as has been done in the past. NewsonWomen has more than five years of ceo appointments featured for you to check out. Women like Ellen Kullman, CEO of Dupont, Beth Mooney, CEO of KeyCorp, Ellen Alemany, CEO of RBS Citizens Financial Group, or Karen Peetz, currently Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Markets & Treasury Services to become President of BNY Mellon. These capable women are only a few of the many who would be up to the job. All those "presidents' men" didn't keep us from falling into a financial crisis again. Maybe it's a woman's turn to try.

Gwen Ifill asks what's important, "Inclusion" or "Diversity"?

Gwen Ifill, Moderator and Managing Editor of "Washington Week" and Senior Correspondent for the "PBS NewsHour", writes today about what the impact will be having 20 women in the senate, the largest number of women ever elected to the senate, and about the impact of women overall. Gwen attended a women's conference and found that women wanted more "inclusion" rather than "diversity". Read about why that's important in Gwen's article on pbs.com.

Michelle Obama to Lead Presidential Delegation to 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

Michelle Obama will lead the Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Mrs. Obama hopes that the Olympic Games will inspire more young people to get active and healthy, the goal of her Let’s Move! initiative. “In the months ahead, I’ll be talking to Americans all across the country to encourage even more young people to tap into that Olympic spirit and turn their inspiration into action,” said Mrs. Obama. Read more in the White House press release. In photo above, Michelle Obama joins North Carolina school children at a “Let’s Move!” pre-game event - Official White House Photo By Chuck Kennedy.

Senator Olympia Snowe not Seeking re-election. But "The 2012 Project" Keeps Rolling with its new "Women's Election Tracker"!

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine announced she will not seek re-election. Olympia has been a member of the United States Senate since 1994. (Read more about her story on cnn.com.) It's sad to see a woman leaving office just when we were hoping to get more women elected in 2012. March begins tomorrow and with it comes not only great basketball but the filing deadlines in a number of states for anyone seeking election. The 2012 Project, a non-partisan effort to get more women elected in 2012, calls the rush to file caused by the deadlines the "March Madness of Politics". And in honor of the "Big Dance", they created the 2012 Women's Election Tracker, so anyone can see the players.  Using the election tracker, you can check the filing deadline in your state, find statistics on women running, and learn about any open seats. This a great tool to help women discover what they need to know about running, or getting their friends to run. Check out the election tracker and find out what's going on in your state! Olympia was never meant to do it alone. 

 

Women's History Month A Good Time to Think About Getting Women Elected!

With March upon us, I am thinking about Women's History Month in a new way. Many great women have come before us, and all of them would probably like to know who are the women making history today. Government and politics are key, so naturally we turn to The 2012 Project to find women making history now. The 2012 Project is a national, non-partisan campaign of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University which aims to increase the number of women in Congress and state legislatures. The Project hopes to reach executive-level women in the private and public sectors and encourage them to run for office. It will concentrate its efforts specifically in areas where the opportunities for women to run are the greatest. The Project also includes a public education campaign to raise awareness about the lack of women in elected office. Mary Hughes is the Founder and Director of The 2012 Project, and we hope she will be making history this year by helping more women than ever get elected across the nation. 

Tell us about the women you know who are making history as we speak so we can feature them!

Former U.S. Congresswoman Susan Molinari is Hired by Google

Google appointed Susan Molinari Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Americas. Susan is a former United States Congresswoman. Read more on cnn.com.

Paula Boggs Retires as General Counsel of Starbucks and Joins Obama Reelection Campaign

Paula Boggs, General Counsel of Starbucks, is retiring in April, 2012. But Paula will remain committed to helping others and will join President Obama’s reelection campaign. Based in Seattle and Santa Fe, she will be volunteering for the campaign in communities across the country. Paula was appointed by President Obama in 2010 to the White House Council for Community Solutions whose work is focused on identifying and enabling innovative community solutions to youth unemployment. More in the company press release.

Six Women Veterans Appointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans

Six new members have been appointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans;

Sherri Brown, (pictured), A Veteran of the Coast Guard Reserves; currently serves as Senior Vice President for Service to the Armed Forces for the American Red Cross.

Latoya Lucas, A retired Army specialist, with combat service in Iraq; currently works as a motivational speaker.

Sara J. McVicker, A former Army Corps nurse, with service in Vietnam; currently serves as a member of Vietnam Veterans of America’s National Women Veterans Committee.

Delphine Metcalf-Foster, A retired Army first sergeant, with service in Desert Storm/Desert Shield; currently serves as a member of Disabled American Veterans’ Department of California Women’s Committee.

Robin Patrick, A Veteran of the U.S. Navy and Army National Guard; currently serves as a Veterans’ advocate for women Veterans, homeless Veterans, disabled adults, and families.

Felipe Torres, A retired Marine Corps colonel, with service in Vietnam; currently serves as a women Veterans advocate.

Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Anne Richard and Kristine Gerhard Baker Nominated by President Obama

President Obama nominated Anne C. Richard (pictured) to be Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration, Department of State. Anne, who holds a  B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago, is the Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy for the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Read more in the White House press release.

President Obama nominated Kristine Gerhard Baker to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Kristine is a Partner at the law firm Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow PLLC. Read more in the White House press release.

Judge Patty Shwartz Nominated for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

President Obama nominated Judge Patty Shwartz for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Schwartz, who holds a JD from University of Pennsylvania, has been a Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey since 2003.  She also teaches as an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University School of Law, where she has taught since 2009. Read more in the White House press release.

Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen Nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

President Obama nominated Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Nguyen, who holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, has served as a United States District Judge in the Central District of California in Los Angeles since 2009. Read more in the White House press release.

Elizabeth Warren Announces her Run for the United States Senate from Massachusetts. Linda McMahon Announces Her Run to be U.S. Senator from Connecticut

Elizabeth Warren (pictured left), the Harvard Law School Professor and former Special Advisor to the President to create the Conumer Financial Protection Agency, announced she is running for the United States Senate from Massachusetts against incumbent Senator Scott Brown. Read more about her senate race on thecrimson.com.

Also announcing a race for the senate is Linda McMahon (pictured right), the former Chief Executive Officer of WWE, who will be running to fill the seat in Connecticut left open because Senator Lieberman is not seeking reelection. Read more on marketwatch.com

Judith Palfrey Made Executive Director of the "Let's Move!" Initiative

Michelle Obama appointed Judith S. Palfrey, M.D., (pcitured), the Executive Director of the Let’s Move! childhood obesity initiative. Dr. Palfrey, who holds an A.B. from Harvard and an M.D. from Columbia University, most recently directed the global health efforts of the Department of Medicine at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. Read more about her career as a Pediatrician in the White House press release.

Miranda Du and Catherine Friend Easterly Nominated by Obama

President Obama nominated Miranda Du (pictured) to serve on the United States District Court bench for the District of Nevada. Miranda, who holds a JD from the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law,  is a partner in the law firm of McDonald Carano Wilson LLP. See White House press release.

President Obama nominated Catherine Friend Easterly for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Catherine, who holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, is an attorney in the Special Litigation Division of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. See the White House press release.