2019 Women’s Leadership Breakfast Program
Westin Waterfront
425 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
7:00 a.m. Registration and Networking
8:00 a.m. Program and Keynote
9:00 a.m. VIP Reception (by invite only)
Welcome to United Way’s 24th Annual Women United Leadership Breakfast. We’re looking forward to sharing an engaging and inspiring morning with you!
Breakfast Program
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Penni McLean-Conner, United Way Board Chair, Chief Customer Officer and SVP Eversource
United Way’s Impact
Mike Durkin
President, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
Issues on our Minds
Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor
Tammi Wortham, Vice President Human Resources, Sun Life
Community Baby Shower – History and Call to Action
Carolyn Murphy, United Way Board Member, Vice Chair Women United Executive Committee, Group HR Manager, Enterprise Holdings
Fireside Chat with Keynote
Sarah Hurwitz, Author and Former Chief Speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama
Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor
Tammi Wortham, Vice President Human Resources, Sun Life
Co-Chair and Keynote Bios
Michelle Wu
Michelle is the daughter of immigrants from Taiwan. She is Boston’s first female Asian American City Councilor, and was the first woman of color to serve as Boston City Council President. At 34 years old, Michelle is currently the youngest member of the council. She’s been named in ELLE magazine’s “#THISIS30” feature, and Marie Claire’s New Guard list of the 50 most influential women in America. Michelle is a 2017 recipient of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the highest honor presented by the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Tammi Wortham
Tammi is Vice President of Human Resources for Sun Life U.S. She has extensive experience in building client-focused culture and talent development. Named one of The Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work in Massachusetts and Best Place to Work for LGBTQ equality for 11 consecutive years, Sun Life supports a number of employee inclusion networks and public initiatives that Tammi oversees, such as closing the gender pay gap and LGBTQ workplace equality. Tammi is a sponsor of Sun Life’s Black Excellence Alliance Inclusion Network, and was named one of the Most Influential Women in Corporate America in 2019 by Savoy magazine.
Sarah Hurwitz
Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, serving as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. She also worked on policy issues affecting young women and girls as a senior advisor to the White House Council on Women and Girls. Before
working at the White House, Ms. Hurwitz was chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential primary campaign. Ms. Hurwitz recently published her debut book, Here All Along and has been profiled in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Guardian.
Sarah Hurwitz’s signed book will be available for purchase at Registration tables.
Women United Executive Committee, Boston and surrounding communities
Vice Chair
Carolyn Murphy, Enterprise Holdings
Women United Global Leadership Council Member
Kim Reinert, EY
Committee Members
Suzan Barron, Brown Brothers Harriman
Theresa Brockelman, Deloitte
Soojin Chung, Kyruus
Kristen Drobnis, Commonwealth Financial Network
Ellie Harrison, John Hancock
Krista Huebner, EY
Stephanie Mansfield, State Street Corporation
Charu Narain, Bank of America Corporation
Lisa Pirozzolo, WilmerHale
Nancy Stokes, State Street Corporation
Teri Trautwein, EF Education First
Tammi Wortham, Sun Life
Women United Community Baby Shower Committee Volunteers
Kelli Antes, Finra
Suzan Barron, Brown Brothers Harriman
Heather Donoghue, EF Education First
Kristen Drobnis, Commonwealth Financial Network
Marisa Dunn, EF Education First
Ranada Fergerson, Brown Brothers Harriman
Alicine Francois, Eversource
Kristin Gordon, State Street
Christine Harmon, ChrisFete Events
Morgan Hayward, UPS
Sherrie Holder-Watts, Putnam
Karen Krichmar, Tocqueville Society Member
Michele Lemieux, Community Volunteer
Daniella Lepore, State Street
Amy Lynch, Fidelity
Karen Mosman, DTS
Karen Shapiro Oppenheim, GE Aviation
Carol Palmer Winig, EY
Tiziana Polizio, Brown Brothers Harriman
Lynda Shuman, Tocqueville Society Member
Katie Morgan Travers, Falcon Investments
Safiya Vasilyev, Falcon Investment
Gina Goldych Walters, John Hancock
Blake Young, EF Education First
Heather Caplan, GE Aviation
Women United Executive Committee – Seacoast, New Hampshire
Co-Chairs
Kelly Boston, Lonza
Cathy Nickerson, Private Client Underwriters
Committee Members
Gina Adamo, TJX
Denise Block, Community Volunteer
Stephanie Bolduc, Community Volunteer
Valerie Boyle, Community Volunteer
Diane Charney, Community Volunteer
Carrie DiGeorge, Envoy Mortgage
Ramona Dow, Community Volunteer
Sharen Gibadlo, University of New Hampshire
Irene Hall, Eccovia Solutions
Ellen Lavin, Weidema, Lavin & Grott, PC
Melissa Lesniak, Keller Williams Coastal Realty
Diane Lewis, TD Bank
Monica McNally, Community Volunteer
Tara Meulenbroek, Lonza
Reyleigh McKay, Allstate Insurance
Brenda Schwechheimer, Cambridge Trust
Debbie Stanley, Wills Tower Watson
Sara Tufo, Community Volunteer
Karene Wallis, Community Volunteer
Karen Wright, Allstate Insurance
Shari Young, Riverwoods Durham
About Women United
Women United is the standard bearer of women’s philanthropy throughout our community. We recruit women leaders who contribute their personal passions, best ideas, and unique strengths to our mission of building stronger communities by supporting individuals and families on their journey to achieve financial stability and educational success.
Women know how to work together to make things happen. Extraordinary Together, Women United members create positive, lasting change for people in need by raising funds to support programs that work, advocating for systems-level change, and mobilizing volunteers. Women United Members work tirelessly to support individuals and families in need throughout our community; strengthening the very communities where we live and work.
For more information about Women United, contact Janet Collins at jcollins@supportunitedway.org.