The Sixth Annual Elly Awards Luncheon, Hosted by The Women’s Forum of New York, Benefiting Their Education Fund Will Take Place at The Plaza Hotel in New York on Monday, June 20, 2016

Kay Koplovitz, Founder of USA Networks,
Rosie Rios, Treasurer of the United States &
Phillipa Soo, Star of Broadway's “Hamilton” to Be Honored


Christie Hefner, Chairman of Hatch Beauty,
Cathy Baron Tamraz, CEO Of Business Wire,
2016 Tony Award Winner Renee Elise Goldsberry &
Jasmine Cephas Jones, Co-Stars of Broadway's “Hamilton”
To Present the Key Awards

Paula Zahn, Nine-Time Emmy-Winning Anchor of "On the Case with Paula Zahn", to Moderate a Conversation on Leadership with Honorees Kay Koplovitz, Rosie Rios & Phillipa Soo

NEW YORK--()--The Women’s Forum of New York will present The 6th Annual Elly Awards Luncheon benefiting The Education Fund of the Women’s Forum on Monday, June 20th at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The awards, named for the Women’s Forum founder Elinor Guggenheimer, will honor outstanding women leaders.

The Elly Award Recipients (all in attendance) will be:

  • Kay Koplovitz, Founder and former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks, author, and Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Springboard Fund.
  • Rosie Rios, 43rd Treasurer of the United States and past Managing Director of Investments at MacFarlane Partners.
  • Phillipa Soo, stars as Eliza Hamilton in Broadway’s Hamilton, nominated for a 2016 Tony Award and winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Lead Actress in a Musical, and co-founder of The Eliza Project.

The Elly Award Celebrity Presenters (all in attendance) will be:

  • Christie Hefner, Chairman of Hatch Beauty and former Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises.
  • Cathy Baron Tamraz, Chairman and CEO of Business Wire.
  • Renee Elise Goldsberry & Jasmine Cephas Jones, co-stars of Broadway's Hamilton.

Paula Zahn, nine-time Emmy-winning anchor of "On The Case With Paula Zahn," will moderate a conversation on leadership with the honorees following the presentation of the awards.

“The Women’s Forum is a leadership organization of New York’s preeminent female leaders in every professional sector, from finance to fine arts. Appreciating that education is the key to success in every industry, we pride ourselves in helping high potential women over the age of 35 return to college after their education has been disrupted by life’s adversities. Giving these women a second chance to realize their potential is our way of giving back and building new leaders.”

- Carolyn Carter, President of the Women’s Forum of New York.

“Twenty-nine years ago, the Education Fund embarked on a mission to help women, who had overcome serious hardships in their lives, to realize their dream of an education. We started out slowly, but have been able to achieve real momentum in helping these women through the Elly Awards. Education Fund grants have made a significant impact on the lives of the women who receive them, on their families, and on their communities as grant recipients earn a degree and take their place in the work world.”
- Linda A. Willett, President, The Education Fund of the Women’s Forum.

The Elly Awards will begin at 11:30 a.m. at The Plaza Hotel with a reception and VIP arrivals. The Luncheon and Presentation will be from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

The 2016 Elly Awards:
Legendary Chair: Lucy Jarvis.
Honorary Chairs: Tina Brown and Emily Rafferty.
Chairs: Daisey Holmes, Barbara Marcus.
Committee: Beverly Beaudoin, Carolyn Carter, Jane Chesnutt, Emita B. Hill, Suzanne Jaffe, Liz Neumark, Ilene Wachs, Linda A. Willett.

GOLD SPONSOR
BNY Mellon


SILVER SPONSORS
Accenture, Dede Thompson Bartlett, CA Technologies, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Deloitte, FIS, Macy's Inc., MetLife, Maria R. Morris, Norton Rose Fulbright, Sy Syms Foundation, Time Inc., Time Warner Inc., Lulu C. Wang, Linda A. Willett.


BRONZE SPONSORS
AXA, Sarah Beatty Buller, Annabelle Bexiga and Chris McConnell, Carolyn Carter, Chadick Ellig, Commonfund, Con Edison, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., EY, Fiduciary Trust Company International, General Electric, Great Performances and CPS Events at The Plaza, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Lucy Jarvis, Ann F. Kaplan, KPMG LLP, Monika Machon and Richard Bram, Barbara Marcus, Donna Milrod and Peter Feeney, Pearson, Muriel F. Siebert Foundation, U.S. Bank.


BENEFACTOR SUPPORTERS:
Subha V. Barry, Pamela Baxter, Beverly Beaudoin, Myra J. Biblowit, Anne Donovan Bodnar, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, Maura Carley, Vita Cassese, Change Create Transform Foundation, Jane Chesnutt, The Children’s Place, Irene Cohen, Linda Cohen, Pamela Craig, Lisa Dennison, Gail D. Fosler, Nieca Goldberg MD, Jill Granoff, Elizabeth Grayer, Annette Green, Julie Greiner, Karen Grinthal, Veronica W. Hackett, Suzanne D. Jaffe, Anuradha T. Jayanti, Rikki Klieman, Gail S. Landis, Laurie Ledford, Marcella Maxwell, Nina McLemore, Marianne Parrs, Deborah A. Peacock, Jonelle Procope, Abbe Raven, Marcella Rosen, Dr. Karen Scappaticci, Denise V. Seegal, Esther Silver-Parker, Sheryl Sleeva, Marcy Syms, Barbara Tober, Eugenia Ulasewicz, Ilene Wachs, Marcia S. Wilson.

PATRON SUPPORTERS:
Lauren C. Anderson, Ellen Archer, Linda Basch, Ann E. Bergin, Kimberly Bishop, Bloomberg, The Broadway Association, Janet Corcoran, Rita B. Crotty, Diane D'Erasmo, Kathleen Dore, Marsha Dubrow PhD, Gail M. Dudack, Traci Entel, Susan Falk, Mary C. Farrell, Deborah Farrington, Gloria Feldt, Bilha Chesner Fish MD, Carolee Friedlander, Barbara J. Friedman, Fredrica S. Friedman, Ileen Sheppard Gallagher, Liliana Gil Valletta, Deborah Gillis, Dr. Ludy Green, Barbara Dwyer Gunn, Lou Hammond, Carol Hochman, Julia Kahr, Nancy J Kelley, Amy Dorn Kopelan, Ilene H. Lang, Hillie Mahoney, Gail O. Mellow, Wendy Mendenhall, Sally Minard, Carol Nelson, Nicholas & Lence Communications, Janet Rollé, Laura Sachar, Eunice I. Salton, Ann Misiaszek Sarnoff, Rosita Sarnoff, Ellen Sills-Levy, Kathryn B. Swintek, Laura Walker, Edie Weiner, Anita Volz Wien, Amy Rosen Wildstein, Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Helena Wong, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.

The Women’s Forum of New York:
The Women’s Forum of New York is the city’s premier organization of women leaders. The invitation only membership of more than 500 women represents the highest levels of achievement across all professional sectors from finance to fine arts. Started in 1974, the Women’s Forum of New York is the founding flagship of the International Women’s Forum, a global organization of nearly 6,000 outstanding women leaders in over 74 Forums around the world.

The Women’s Forum of New York is dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership through programs which enrich members lives personally and professionally, through the Education Fund which enables talented women whose potential has been derailed by extreme adversity to resume their education and through the Corporate Board Initiative which extends and expands the contribution of women leaders through board participation.

The Education Fund is an educational and charitable arm of The Women’s Forum of New York, established under a separate corporate governance as a 501(c)3 tax deductible organization. Since 1987, the Fund has provided grants to women over 35 who have both demonstrated high potential and faced extreme adversity, which has disrupted their education and derailed their futures. These women fall outside the scope of most traditional scholarship programs and our grants help them complete their education and get their careers and lives back on track. Funding is provided by member donation and an annual fundraising event, The Elly Awards, which honors outstanding women leaders. Over the past 29 years, grants totaling over $1 million have helped nearly 200 women overcome adversity and lift themselves and their children up the economic ladder.

WOMEN’S FORUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Carolyn Carter, President; Ann Misiaszek Sarnoff, Vice President; Anuradha T. Jayanti, Treasurer; Catherine Keating, Secretary; Linda L. Addison, Susan Davenport Austin, Pamela Baxter, Sarah Beatty, Anne Donovan Bodnar, Kay Ellen Consolver, Julia Kahr, Rikki Klieman, Ilene H. Lang, Monika M. Machon, Barbara Marcus, Jonelle Procope, Janet Rollé, Charlotte St. Martin, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Ami Kaplan, Ex-Officio, Doris P. Meister, Ex-Officio.

THE EDUCATION FUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Linda A. Willett, President; Ann Misiaszek Sarnoff, Vice President; Anuradha T. Jayanti, Treasurer; Catherine Keating, Secretary; Carolyn Carter, Mary Ann Casati, Jane Chesnutt, Monika M. Machon, Ilene Wachs, Beverly Beaudoin, Ex-Officio, Irene Cohen, Ex-Officio.
Rita B. Crotty, Executive Director.

About The 2016 Elly Honorees:

Kay Koplovitz is founder and former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks and co-founder and Chairman of Springboard Enterprises, a non-profit accelerator that has fostered the investment of more than $7 billion in women-led firms. In 2016, she co-founded the Springboard Fund. Nominated by President Clinton as Chairman of the National Women’s Business Council, Kay is the author of Bold Women, Big Ideas and Been There, Run That, an anthology of best practices from Springboard Enterprises’ expert network of thought leaders. Kay serves on corporate boards, including CA Technologies, Time Inc., and ION Media Networks, and serves as a trustee for The Paley Center for Media, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin.

Rosie Rios serves as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States. She has direct oversight over the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Fort Knox, and is a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. She is especially passionate about supporting women in finance and community development. Prior to her confirmation, Rosie was Managing Director of Investments at MacFarlane Partners. In November 2008, Treasurer Rios started her service in the federal government as part of the Treasury/Federal Reserve Transition Team during the height of the financial crisis. It was during her time on the Transition Team that Treasurer Rios started the initiative to place a woman on our U.S. currency for the first time in over a century.

Phillipa Soo, star of Broadway’s critically acclaimed show Hamilton, is a 2016 Tony Award nominee in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and winner of the Lucille Lortel Award in 2015 for Lead Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Eliza Hamilton. After graduating from Juilliard in 2012, Soo was cast as ‘Natasha Rostova’ in the Ars Nova production of Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and appeared on the NBC television series “Smash” in the role of Lexi. Along with the cast of Hamilton, Phillipa founded The Eliza Project to help young teens at Graham Windham, the nation’s oldest child welfare agency, founded in NYC in 1806 by Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and others.

About The Presenters:

Renée Elise Goldsberry can currently be seen starring as her Tony nominated role as Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway hit Hamilton, for which she has also earned Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for Featured Actress in a Musical. Renée is a two-time Daytime Emmy nominee and a two-time NAACP nominee for her role as 'Evangeline Williamson' on ABC's “One Life to Live.” She has been a guest-host multiple times on ABC’s “The View.” She has also starred in New York City theater productions of Good People, The Two Gentleman of Verona, The Color Purple, Rent: Live on Broadway, in addition to numerous film & television roles.

Christie Hefner, Chairman of Hatch Beauty, serves on the advisory board of the RDO Companies, and the board of Luminary Digital. She previously was Executive Chairman of Canyon Ranch Enterprises and Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., making her the longest serving female CEO of a U.S. public company. Christie serves on the board of Springboard, the Center for American Progress Action and Rush University Medical Center, and is a member of The Chicago Network, The Committee of 200, Women Corporate Directors, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. For three years, Christie was named to FORTUNE’s list of 100 Most Powerful Women.

Jasmine Cephas Jones currently stars on Broadway in the smash hit, Hamilton, in the roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds. She attended Berklee College of Music for vocal performance and The Neighborhood Playhouse for theater. She is a member of the Labyrinth Theater Company. Her theater credits include The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Atlantic Theater); while in film and TV, Jasmine has starred in Mistress America, Titus (Dakus Films UK), "Blue Bloods" (CBS), "Unforgettable” (CBS) and "The Blacklist" (NBC).

Cathy Baron Tamraz, Chairman and CEO of Business Wire, oversees the company's long-term strategic planning, Internet strategy and global branding, and serves as chair of Business Wire's executive committee. Under her stewardship, the company has grown to be the leading global commercial news wire, significantly expanding into new markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Japan, among others. With a pioneering background in corporate news disclosure, Cathy led the newswire industry into providing equal access to material news for all market participants in 2000 as the Internet gained commercial traction, and was the main architect in selling Business Wire to Berkshire Hathaway in March 2006.

About The Moderator:

Paula Zahn is the nine-time Emmy Award winning host and executive producer of “On the Case with Paula Zahn,” Discovery ID’s investigative crime series. Known nationally for anchoring the news segments on “Good Morning America,” Zahn has anchored "CBS This Morning” and CNN’s “Paula Zahn Now” and contributed to ABC’s “World News This Morning” and “The CBS Evening News." Honors include six Gracie Awards, two National Headliner Awards, and recognition from the Museum of Television and Radio. She serves on the boards of WNET-TV and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and has been honored for her work in raising awareness of breast cancer. An accomplished cellist, Paula is the host of “NYC-ARTS.”

For press information on The Elly Awards or The Women’s Forum of New York, contact Anna Nugent at JGPR: anna@jamesgrantpr.com or (917) 626-1300.

Contacts

JGPR
Anna Nugent, 917-626-1300
anna@jamesgrantpr.com

Release Summary

The Women’s Forum of New York will present The 6th Annual Elly Awards Luncheon benefiting The Education Fund of the Women’s Forum on Monday, June 20th at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Contacts

JGPR
Anna Nugent, 917-626-1300
anna@jamesgrantpr.com