Pre-Dinner Reception

WCF Wendy Mackenzie Lifetime Achievement Award:

We are honored to present the WCF Wendy Mackenzie Lifetime Achievement Award to U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

Senator Snowe has not only broken through the glass ceiling, but she has fundamentally changed the place of women in office. Snowe’s political career is one of firsts. Before her election to the Senate, Snowe represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen years. Senator Snowe is the fourth woman in history to be elected to both houses of Congress and the first woman in American history to serve in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of Congress. When first elected to Congress in 1978, at the age of 31, Olympia Snowe was the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress. Snowe’s long and accomplished career has paved the way for countless women to pursue their political ambitions and has served as a strong role model for other Republican women nationwide who support reproductive options for all.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will present the award to Senator Snowe at the reception.

Name It. Change It. Champion Award:

We are honored to present the first ever Name It. Change It. Champion Award to Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke.

Sandra Fluke first gained national attention when she was barred from testifying in the now infamous all-male Congressional panel on birth control. Before a House Democrat committee discussing the same issue, Fluke delivered a well-reasoned, articulate, and compelling testimony that underscored the critical need for insurance companies to provide this life-saving coverage. Fluke was then the victim of sexist attacks from Rush Limbaugh who took to calling Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute.” Fluke responded to the attacks by pointing out that though Limbaugh’s statements were hurtful, this kind of language was actually a common tool used by the media to undercut women and delegitimize their beliefs. In her response, Fluke embodied the spirit of Name It. Change It. which urges women everywhere to stand up to sexism. Because when you attack one woman, you attack all women.

"Vote With Your Purse" Gaveled Auction:

The reception will also feature a live auction at the world-renowned Christie’s Auction House. WCF will be auctioning off a designer purse customized by renowned artist Peter Max. One of the most famous living artists, Peter Max is also a pop culture icon. His bold colors, uplifting images, and uncommon artistic diversity have touched almost every phase of American culture and have inspired many generations.  Peter Max has painted for 6 U.S. Presidents. His art is on display in Presidential Libraries and U.S. Embassies.  His art has flown the skies on a Continental Airlines 777 Super Jet. His installations include a 600-ft stage for the Woodstock Music Festival, a giant mural for the Winter  Olympics, and 10-ft guitars for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Voices from the Ladder  Performance Piece:

WCF's signature performance piece, "Voices from the Ladder," is a powerful performance piece incorporating unique personal perspectives and insights about why we need more women in government. This year's Voices from the Ladder performance will highlight the importance of women supporting women candidates through political donation.

Voices from the Ladder’s inaugural performance in 2010 was directed by Jack Cummings, Artistic Director of Transport Group, and featured 17 of America’s women leaders, including HEC, LLC CEO Christie Hefner, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Barbara Lee Family Foundation President Barbara Lee, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, Research and Policy Center Director for African American Women.

Featuring:

WCF-endorsed candidate Val Demings is challenging Representative Dan Webster for Florida’s 8th District. She served twenty-seven years at the Orlando Police Department, including three and a half years as the Chief of Police. Demings was the first woman to hold that position. Her tenure was marked by a dramatic forty percent reduction in violent crime, including robberies, shootings, and murders. She spent her early career as a social worker focused on foster care, and then joined the police force in Orlando. Demings received a B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Webster University.
Lauren Embrey is the President and CEO of the Embrey Family Foundation and CEO of Embrey Interests, Ltd. She also serves as a Board Member of The Dallas Film Society, The Dallas Women's Foundation, Planned Parenthood of North Texas and TACA in Dallas, The Ms. Foundation for Women and The Women’s Media Center in New York City and The Women’s Campaign Fund.  Lauren received the Women That Soar 2009 Award for Philanthropy in Dallas, TX. Lauren received the Champion of Human Rights Award given by Mosaic Family Services and the Women Who Give Hope Award given by the Chiapas Project, both in 2010. Lauren received the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award in 2011 given by Women’s eNews.
Lilly Ledbetter is best known for being the plaintiff in the groundbreaking Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and an icon of the movement for fair pay for women.  Ledbetter worked at the Alabama Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for nearly two decades beginning in 1979.  During her career, she suffered sexual harassment and discrimination on a daily basis along with receiving a monthly salary thousands of dollars less than her male co-workers at the same level.  In 2007, Ledbetter sued Goodyear for employment discrimination and quickly became household name of the women’s movement.  In 2009, President Barack Obama signed her namesake legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Carla Reed works in the human resources and programs departments at America’s Promise Alliance. Acknowledging the importance of continuous professional development as a young professional, Carla is also a graduate of WeLEAD, a bi-partisan leadership training program run by the Women & Politics Institute at American University. Prior to her role as Chair, Carla was WIN’s membership director, where she executed a variety of membership and recruitment initiatives. She also served as co-chair of the nonprofit network, where she oversaw planning and implementation of programs related to service and women’s advocacy.
Annette Taddeo-Goldstein is Founder and CEO of LanguageSpeak, a comprehensive language services company offering over 250 languages to a blue chip roster of clients.  LanguageSpeak is ranked #106 on the 2011 Top-500 Hispanic businesses in the US by DiversityBusiness.com.  Annette is past Chair of the Women’s Enterprise National Council’s Leadership Forum and is also a national founding partner of WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy).  Taddeo was honored with the “Latina Excellence Award” from Hispanic Magazine, which also named her as one of the “Top 50 Latina Entrepreneurs in the US.” During the 2008 election cycle, Ms. Taddeo was the Democratic nominee for Congress in FL 18th District and the nation’s only Latina challenger to run for Congress, where she set a record by receiving more than 100,000 votes and raised more than $1.3 million dollars in eight months.