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Tamsen Fadal, 11-time Emmy-winning PIX 11 News Anchor, to
Host the
19th Annual Women’s eNews ‘ 21
Leaders for the 21st Century’
Awards Gala
on May 6th in New York City with
Loreen Arbus (Honorary
Gala Chair)
Abigail Disney, Lauren Embrey and Suzanne
Lerner
(Honorary Gala Co-Chairs)
(New York, New York, February 5th,
2019) Lori Sokol, Executive
Director ofWomen’s eNews, today announced the Host,
Honorary Gala Chair, and Honorary Gala Co-Chairs for the 19th annual ‘21
Leaders for the 21st Century’ Awardsgala, which
will take place on May 6th at Club 101 in New York City.
Tamsen Fadal,
PIX 11 News Anchor, author and producer, will host the gala
for the first time. Loreen Arbus, president of The
Loreen Arbus Foundation, The Goldenson-Arbus Foundation, and
Loreen Arbus Productions,
Inc., is Honorary Gala Chair. Honorary Gala Co-Chairs
include Abigail Disney, documentary filmmaker
and co-founder, Level Forward; Lauren Embrey,
president, Embrey Family Foundation; and Suzanne Lerner, co-founder
and president, Michael Stars.
“All of these outstanding women have worked
tirelessly for many years to make a difference in the lives
of women and girls. Essentially, they have committedtheir
work, and their lives, to advancing gender equality
throughout the world,” says Lori
Sokol, Ph.D.
“They truly speak truth to power.”
Tamsen Fadal is
an eleven-time Emmy award-winning journalist and anchor ofPIX
11 News in New York at 5pm, 6pm and
10 pm. She is the executive producer and host of Broadway
Profiles for The
Broadway Channel.
With more than two decades of experience, she
has covered local, national, and international stories
including Hurricane Sandy, the Metro North train derailment,
the Columbia Shuttle crash, the London bombings, and the war
on terror. In 2002, she traveled to Afghanistan and was
embedded with the American troops during the war.
Additionally, Tamsen reported during Operation Enduring
Freedom from Air Force bases in London and Germany.
A longtime theater fan, Fadal made her
Broadway debut in Chicago in January 2010, followed
by In the Heights and Rock of Ages.
In 2017, Tamsen received an Emmy Award for
Best On-Camera Achievement and Best Host for Broadway
Profiles.
In 2014, Tamsen was honored with an Emmy Award for Best
On-Camera Achievement as a News Anchor/Host and, in 2016,
received the Emmy Award a second time. She has also
garnered Emmy Awards for her Political News Special Remembering Ed Koch and
Arts Programming for her Backstage on Broadway theater
series. In 2005 she was honored with an Emmy Award for her
work as an investigative reporter.
In 2016, Tamsen received the Ellis Island
Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of
Organizations (NECO).
In 2015, she was named a “Power Woman” by Moves Magazine for
her work on-air and in the community. In 2014, she was
selected to receive the Soldiers’,
Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard, and Airmen’s Club Media
Award for her work overseas with
our troops.
Tamsen, a Lebanese-American, is passionate
about empowering women and has appeared on The Talk, The
Today Show, Good Morning America, Lifetime, A&E, and The
CBS Early Show in support of this mission. She has
co-authored three self-help books; her latest, The
New Single: Finding, Fixing, and Falling Back In Love With
Yourself (St. Martin’s
Press), seeks to help women emerge from a big life change
with confidence, grace, and a recipe for self-care.
She is the Honorary Vice Chair of the ADAPT
Community Network Board of
Directors, Board member of Best
Buddies New York, and spokesperson
for SHARE Cancer
Support and North
Shore Animal League. Tamsen lost
her mother to breast cancer in 1990 and has been a long-time
advocate of educating women and their families about this
devastating disease and the necessity for early detection.
In 2011, she co-founded Shansen Jewelry, alongside her
cousin, actress Shannon
Elizabeth, with a portion of all
proceeds going to animal rescue and breast cancer charities.
Loreen Arbus is
currently the President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation, The
Goldenson-Arbus Foundation and Loreen Arbus Productions,
Inc. Through these organizations and in her personal
endeavors, Ms. Arbus is a tireless advocate for women and
girls; a champion for one of the world’s largest minorities
- people with disabilities; and is passionate about
encouraging equal opportunities in television, film,
communications, and the arts.
She
holds the trailblazing distinction of being the first woman
to head programming for a U.S. network, a feat accomplished
twice (both at Showtime and Cable Health
Network/Lifetime). In addition to helping establish these
two cornerstones of cable television, she launched Loreen
Arbus Productions, Inc., an independent television
production company with an emphasis on non-fiction
programming. Ms. Arbus has extensive experience in the
entertainment industry as a writer and producer, a
consultant to various networks, and an executive in network
television, cable, syndication and print media.
The
author of six non-fiction books, she has also written
countless articles for many national publications, and was
twice nominated for an Emmy® Award. She co-wrote the first
book on AIDs, Everything You Need to Know About AIDs, with
Dr. Mathilde Krim.
Through
her philanthropic activities, particularly the Loreen Arbus
Foundation, Ms. Arbus supports a broad scope of interests
including advocacy for women and girls, scientific and
medical research, minorities, people with disabilities,
gender and racial equality in media, the arts, animal
rights, and global peace. The Foundation has established and
funds many scholarships that both enhance and elevate social
consciousness around key societal issues.
As a
disability rights activist, she is committed to the work
initiated by her parents (Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson,
Founder and Chairman of ABC) who co-founded what is today
the fifth largest health agency in America, United Cerebral
Palsy (UCP), which serves people with a wide range of
disabilities. Ms. Arbus served as the Founder and Chair of
the annual Women Who Care Awards Luncheon, a
high-profile New York tradition which for fifteen years
generated global media attention and raised over eight
million dollars for people with disabilities. Ms. Arbus also
co-founded the Media Access Office to increase employment,
improve depiction, and raise consciousness regarding
disability.
Ms.
Arbus has been recognized by numerous organizations for her
humanitarian and professional accomplishments. A partial
list of awards and achievements include: The Heart of
Giving Award presented by President Bill Clinton in
2001;Genii Award for Lifetime Achievement presented
by American Women in Radio & Television and the Ms.
Foundation for Women 2011 Woman of Vision and Action Award
presented by Gloria Steinem. In December 2006, she was
inducted as an honoree into the She Made It: Women
Creating Television and Radiocollection at the Paley
Center for Media. In 2014, she was honored with the UN’s Woman
Pioneer Award. Her speech, focusing on disability
rights, was seen in over 120 countries on the occasion of
Women’s Entrepreneur Day. Last spring, she was honored at
the SHARE Inc. Gala in Los Angeles.
Lori
Sokol, Ph. D., is
the Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Women's eNews.
She is also the host of the weekly radio show, Women's
eNews Live, on 1490 AM WGCH, where she invites experts
to discuss the most crucial issues affecting women and girls
around the world.
Dr.
Sokol was previously the Founder and President of Sokol
Media, Inc., publisher of business magazines that advocate
for diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the
workplace. Passionately committed to addressing these and
related topics, Dr. Sokol strives to empower individuals to
triumph over gender-related societal limits so they can
reach their full potential unhindered. She has done so as a
published writer on issues relating to gender equality in
such major market publications as the Baltimore Sun, The
NY Times, Slate.com, and The Huffington Post. She
has also been interviewed on a variety of television news
programs including MSNBC, CNBC, WPIX, and Fox Five Live, and
was the subject of a Cablevision series, People in New
Jersey Who Are Making a Difference.
As a
doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology, Dr. Sokol’s
research specifically focused on the media’s influence in
crafting gender roles, further seeking to expose how
stereotypes are created and maintained. She has also
published academic articles on psychology and the media,
taught a seminar on Media Psychology through the University
of Beijing, China, and served as an Adjunct Professor in the
Psychology Department at Montclair State University, where
she taught a course entitled Psychology of Women.
In 2009,
Dr. Sokol was elected to the Asian Women Business Council’s
Executive Committee as its U.S. representative to help Asian
female business owners expand their reach into the United
States. She has also served as a keynote speaker for the
Society of Marketing Professionals, the International
Telework Association Council, and internationally at the
Asian Women Entrepreneur Conference in Seoul, and the
International Women in Commerce Summit in Kuala Lumpur in
2017. Dr. Sokol has served as the Board Chair of Women's
eNews and on the Advisory Councils of the Beverly Willis
Architecture Foundation, and Have Art Will Travel. Her
book, The Agile Workforce and Workplace: The New Future
of Work, was published by Working Mother Media/Bonnier
Corporation in 2011.
Abigail E. Disney is
a filmmaker, philanthropist, activist, and the Emmy-winning
director of The Armor of Light. As CEO and president
of Fork Films, the documentary production company behind the
groundbreaking Pray the Devil Back to Hell and the
PBS series Women, War & Peace, Abigail is committed
to stories that create dialogue across divides and move the
needle on social change. She has executive produced and
supported over 90 projects through Fork Films’ funding
program.
Additionally, Abigail is the founder and president of Peace
is Loud, a nonprofit that uses media and live events to
highlight stories of women stepping up for peace. Recently,
Abigail co-founded Level Forward, a new entertainment model
and enterprise in which profit and principle go hand in
hand. The company, formed in partnership with Killer
Content, builds on the legacy of making stories that matter,
with a commitment to innovation, inclusion, and impact.
Having
grown up in a family of filmmakers, Disney turned to
documentaries in 2008, inspired to tell the story of a brave
group of women who used nonviolent protests and sex strikes
to bring an end to Liberia’s long civil war. That film, Pray
the Devil Back to Hell, which was broadly
credited with highlighting the bravery and sacrifice of its
lead figure, Leymah Gbowee, won best documentary at the
Tribeca Film Festival in 2008, and screened in 60 countries
around the world on all seven continents.
Among
the many films Disney’s production company, Fork Films, has
supported promoting peacebuilding, human rights, and social
justice, include: 1971, Alias
Ruby Blade, Citizen Koch, Family Affair, Hot Girls Wanted,
The Mask You Live In, Out In the Night, Playground, Seeds of
Time, Sexy Baby, The Only Real Game, This is How I Roll,
Cameraperson, and the Academy Award-nominated
films Sun
Come Up (2011, Best Documentary Short) and The
Invisible War (2012, Best Documentary Feature).
Lauren Embrey is
President and the Philanthropic Visionary of The Embrey
Family Foundation and CEO of Embrey Interests, Ltd. located
in Dallas, TX. She also serves as a Board Member of The AT&T
Performing Arts Center (Vice Chair), The Dallas Theater
Center, TACA and The Letot Center Foundation Board in
Dallas, Texas Futures Project in Austin, The Women’s Media
Center, Former Board Chair, ERA Coalition and PEN America in
New York City.
Lauren
serves on the Advisory Board for Human Rights Initiative in
Dallas, Nomi Network in NYC, The National Observer in
Vancouver BC, the Honorary Board for Have Art Will Travel in
New York City and Titas in Dallas.
Lauren’s
passion is theater, dance, film and human rights work. She
produced the U.S. Premiere of Truth in Translation in 2007
at Southern Methodist University. She is Executive Producer
for the documentary Playground, a film on the commercial
sexual exploitation of children in America, and a
documentary on The Apollo Theater. She is involved in
Chicken n Egg Pictures, Impact Partners and The Sundance
Institute.
Lauren
is currently aiding in the development of The Global Arts
Corps next theatrical production, and in the development and
production of a film on the life of Bert Williams.
Lauren
is a member of Women Moving Millions, The Threshold
Foundation, The Democracy Alliance, and Synergos Institute’s
Global Philanthropy Circle.
Lauren
received the Women That Soar Award for Philanthropy in
Dallas, TX in 2009. The Embrey Family Foundation received
the Award for Outstanding Foundation by the Greater Dallas
Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and
the Angel of Freedom Award from Human Rights Initiative in
2009. In 2015, the Foundation received The Destiny Award
from St. Phillips School in Dallas for their Dallas Faces
Race Initiative. Lauren received the Champion of Human
Rights Award given by Mosaic Services, the Peacemaker Award
from Peacemakers International, and the Women Who Give Hope
Award given by The Chiapas Project in 2010 and The MS
Foundation for Women’s Women of Vision Philanthropy Award in
2013. She received Ignite’s Trailblazer Award, Chicken and
Egg Pictures’ Good Egg Award, The Pachamama Alliance’s
Philanthropy Award, Dallas Women’s Foundation’s Maura Award,
and She Should Run’s Wendy Award in 2014. She was awarded
the Force for Change Award by the Texas Equal Access Fund in
2015 and The Abolitionist Award from Nomi Network in 2016
and The Dallas Holocaust Museum’s Hope for Humanity Award in
2017.
The
Embrey Foundation is a member of the 100% network, aligning
100% of their assets with their values. The Embrey Family
Foundation has supported and invested in many community and
national efforts that further the business and leadership of
women and communities of color.
The
Embrey Family Foundation founded an initiative in 2013
called Dallas Faces Race. This initiative grew and
culminated into a partnership with the W K Kellogg
Foundation’s Truth Racial Healing and Transformation work in
2017.
Lauren
received her Bachelor’s in Business Administrations and her
Masters in Liberal Studies from Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, TX.
Lauren
is currently working on her first fiction novel scheduled to
be completed in 2019.
Suzanne Lerner,
co-founder, CEO, and president of lifestyle and clothing
brand Michael Stars, is an activist entrepreneur and
philanthropist. Her primary focus is on creating economic
empowerment for women and girls and supporting organizations
that promote gender and racial equality – giving back to
communities both domestically and internationally through
personal grants, impact investments, and the Michael Stars
Foundation.
She
co-founded Michael Stars in Los Angeles with husband Michael
Cohen, focused on one fordimable goal: to create the perfect
tee. Under Suzanne’s leadership, Michael Stars has evolved
into an inimitable collection of high quality, beautifully
designed and constructed wardrobe essentials, made with
sustainable materials.
Born and
raised in Chicago, IL, Ms. Lerner’s commitment to social and
racial equality began at a young age, becoming part of the
city’s dynamic movements for gender and racial equality. She
and her husband Michael Cohen co-founded and built Michael
Stars with opportunity, equality, and diversity as core
values.
Today
Ms. Lerner inspires new generations of social impact
entrepreneurs and is a frequent contributor and speaker on
investing, founding, and running socially conscious
businesses. She serves as a director on several non-profit
boards including the ACLU of Southern California, the ERA
Coalition, and the Ms. Foundation, an organization dedicated
to building women’s collective power for social, economic,
and reproductive justice. She has been honored as a “Woman
of Vision” by the Ms. Foundation and was recognized as one
of “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews in
2018. She is also an active member of both Women Moving
Millions and Women’s Donor Network.
Suzanne
also serves as an advisory board member of Prosperity
Catalyst, Children Mending Hearts, and A Call to Men. She
resides in Los Angeles, CA with her #feministpup @ms_simba.
The 2019 Women’s eNews’ ‘21 Leaders for the
21st Century’ honorees will be announced over the
next two months leading up to the awards gala.
Two key awards will be presented:
· The
Loreen Arbus Champion for Disabilities Award – This
award pays tribute to a true pioneer in the disabilities
community, in honor of humanitarian and activist Loreen
Arbus.
· The
Rita Henley Jensen Investigative Journalism Award –This
award pays tribute to an outstanding female journalist in
honor to Women’s eNews founder, Rita Henley Jensen. A
portion of the event’s proceeds will go to funding the
Women’s eNews Rita Henley Jensen Internship Programto
train the next generation of female journalists.
About Women’s eNews:
Past Honorees: Other
past honorees for the ‘21 Leaders for the 21st Century’
Awards Gala include: Loreen Arbus, Abigail Disney,
Lauren Embrey, Suzanne Lerner, Carol Jenkins, Eve Ensler,
Pat Mitchell, NYS Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul,Nobel
Prize Recipient Leymah Gbowee, former President of
Ireland Mary Robinson, and many other prominent women
leaders.
Our Mission: Women’s
eNews reports the stories of women and girls to create a
more equitable world.
Our Vision: A
world that honors, respects, and supports the lives of women
and girls.
Our Values: To
uphold the values of journalism by seeking the truth and
reporting it, acting independently, and minimizing harm with
accountability and transparency.
What We Do: Women’s
eNews is an award-winning nonprofit news service covering
issues of particular concern to women and providing women’s
perspectives on public policy. With writers and readers
around the globe, Women’s eNews’ audience stretches from New
York City to New Delhi and all points between, reaching an
estimated 2.5 million readers each year.
Women’s eNews editors
seek out freelance writers from around the world to write on
every topic from politics, religion, economics, health, and
science, to sustainability, education, sports, and
legislation. Women’s eNews relies on the best practices of
journalism and has gained enormous credibility by providing
factual journalism every day.
For tickets or more information about the
2019 Women's eNews ‘21 Leaders for the 21st Century’
Gala contact: angie@womensenews.org.
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