NYC Commission on Women’s Issues
Director, McKinsey & Company

In addition to her day job at McKinsey & Company where she is chief innovation officer, Ms. Barsh is a strong advocate for women. In 2002, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Joanna as Commissioner on Women’s Issues. She leads The McKinsey Leadership Project, a program to develop women leaders. Joanna has been awarded the 2003 Girl Scouts Council ‘Woman of Distinction Award’, the 2005 National Council for Research on Women ‘Achievement Award’, and the 2007 New York Women’s Agenda ‘STAR’ award. Joanna has been a trustee of Sesame Workshop since 1994. 

Emmy Nominated Filmmaker, HBO

Ms. Pelosi is a television producer, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and author. In 2000, she worked as a network television producer for NBC covering George Bush’s presidential campaign.  From this, she produced Journeys with George, a video diary of her year and a half-long roadtrip on the campaign trail with George Bush, which earned her six Emmy nominations. After her return to the campaign trail in 2004, this time following Democratic candidates, she created a documentary for HBO, Diary of a Political Tourist, which aired just before the 2004 election. Her most recent documentary, Friends of God, about evangelical Christianity, aired in January 2007.  In 2005, she published Sneaking into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows.

President & CEO, Travelocity

Ms. Peluso is the president and chief executive officer of Travelocity, the sixth largest travel agency in the world. Under her leadership, the company has seen a significant turnaround in growth of revenue and profitability.  Ms. Peluso joined Travelocity in 2002 after it acquired Site59, a travel site that she launched in 2000. Prior to leading Site59, Ms. Peluso served as a White House Fellow and Senior Advisor to Labor Secretary Alexis Herman.

Author, The She Spot

Ms. Witter has more than a decade of experience in politics, policy, organizational development, marketing and media relations. As Chief Operating Officer of Fenton Communications, she oversees the largest public interest communications strategy firm in the country. Her clients have ranged from the Harvard School of Public Health, American Lung Association, Air America Radio, MoveOn.org, the Joyce Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In addition, Ms. Witter is a seasoned public speaker on the political, nonprofit and philanthropic circuits on politics, social change and communications.

NYC

In the late 1970s, Ms. Gotbaum was recruited to run the New York Police Foundation. In 1990, newly-elected Mayor David Dinkins appointed Ms. Gotbaum the first female New York City Commissioner of Parks & Recreation. In June 1994, she became president of The New-York Historical Society, New York’s oldest museum, and one of the country’s most extensive research libraries. She was elected Public Advocate in November 2001; in this capacity, she next in line to the Mayor and the ombudswoman charged with reducing bureaucracy in the provision of city services.

Candidate, U.S. House (VA-11)

Ms. Byrne (D) is running in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Ms. Byrne held this seat in 1992 when she was elected as the first Congresswoman from Virginia. Ms. Byrne is “meeting the challenge” on children’s health; two of her measures on childhood immunization passed into law early in the first session of the 103rd Congress.