Cindy Seip, Director of Book Design
Born with a crayon in one hand and a camera in the other, Cindy Seip has never ventured far from her creative instincts. Through the years, her creative side took hairpin turns but always finished with a checkered flag.
As an “A+” student in art, it was her 12th-grade art teacher, Mr. Popovitch, that set her on a professional course in design, introducing her to the Ft. Lauderdale Art Institute. There, she would earn her degree in Advertising Design.
She began her career at the Miami Herald Tropic Magazine and later started her own design + underwater portrait photography business.
Over the years, Seip has amassed an impressive client list with some high-profile names like Sony, Nasdaq, Ericsson, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AvMed, Miami International Book Fair, Breakthrough Miami, and many more. Her accolades reflect her keen eye for design.
Seip resides in sunny Miami with her husband, Miami Herald Photojournalist, Al Diaz, two great kids, and a cute Wheaten Terrier named Amanda Bubbles.
Hello, and welcome to our December news blast. We’re very pleased to announce that this month our own Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen, was named one of SmartCEO Magazine’s 2010 Smart100 CEOs.
“After another competitive year of nominations, the selection committee has chosen Stephanie Cohen to join an elite group of 100 of Greater Washington’s leading CEOs and their organizations,” announced SmartCEO magazine’s Makenna Coyne. “Combined, this group employs more than 150,000 people, boasts revenues in excess of $9 billion, and has won almost 1,500 business awards. In addition, the group shares a philanthropic spirit by donating time, energy and money to local Washington area charities.”
Each winning company reported revenue in excess of $5 million annually and was selected based on the CEO’s leadership, strategic vision and character, said Coyne noting that Cohen was an obvious choice to be part of the 2010 list due to her initiative to organize and host last year’s DC Health Summit (www.dchealthsummit.com), her charitable work with the ALS Association’s DC/MD/VA Chapter (which helps empower people with Lou Gehrig’s disease), and other nonprofit organizations, and her sheer determination to fight for her client’s rights.
“I am incredibly excited to be acknowledged for the work that I do on behalf of my clients,” says Cohen, who with her husband and business partner Scott Golden has run her firm since 1992. “I have a passion for this work, and truly want to make a difference. I know I can’t change the world, but I can do my part in improving things by helping one person at a time.”
TUNE IN DEC. 19 to hear Stephanie Cohen on Executive Leadership Radio
Stephanie Cohen has been invited to talk about her leadership style and how she and her husband / business partner Scott Golden have built their company into one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the DC Metro region. Tune in on Saturday, Dec. 19 to WHFS 1580 AM. The show will air from 10-11 a.m. Or, log onto www.bigtalker1580.com.
IN THIS ISSUE
Click below to read about our thoughts on healthcare reform and what it’ll mean to our clients. You’ll also find useful advice from DC attorney Brian Leventhal about the importance of writing good contracts. And new this month we’ll be featuring entries from Stephanie’s new book, “You Gotta Laugh: My life in the trenches of the health insurance business.”
From everyone at Golden & Cohen, we wish you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday season!
Read more...
RESTON VA, December 4, 2009 — More than 6500 girls in grades 3 to 8 are scheduled to turn out for this Saturday’s 5K Reindeer Romp Fun Run, hosted by Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia. Be there to cheer the kids on at the Reston Town Center on Saturday, December 5, starting at 8:30 a.m.
“We were blown away by the response and support we have gotten for this event and sold out so fast that we actually had to turn some runners away,” explains executive director Catherine Keightley. “I believe that is simply a testimony to the power of this program.”
In fact, more than 3000 girls in nearly 180 schools from all over Northern Virginia have participated for the last 10 weeks in our Girls on the Run program to empower girls with a greater sense of self-awareness, self esteem and healthy living through the power of running.
“This run is the culmination and celebration of their efforts, and pairs the girls with a buddy runner to help them achieve their goals,” Keightley adds.
Read More
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Rokas Beresniovas is a DC business leader who serves as the vice president of Eagle Bank, and vice president of the Georgetown Business Association.
Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, he immigrated to the U.S. after graduating with a marketing degree from Kaunas College in 1999. He began his career in the retail food industry, working as southwest regional distribution manager with Whole Foods Market — in Dallas before being promoted to specialty operations manager in the Washington, DC, where he won two Regional Vice Presidential Award for Excellent — and at the largest DC stores in the CVS Caremark Corporation chain from 2004 to 2006.
Read More
Gaithersburg MD, December 2, 2009 — Stephanie Cohen, CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, found out this week that she was named one of SmartCEO Magazine’s 2010 Smart100 CEOs.
“After another competitive year of nominations, the selection committee has chosen Stephanie Cohen to join an elite group of 100 of Greater Washington’s leading CEOs and their organizations,” announced SmartCEO magazine’s Makenna Coyne on December 1. “Combined, this group employs more than 150,000 people, boasts revenues in excess of $9 billion, and has won almost 1,500 business awards. In addition, the group shares a philanthropic spirit by donating time, energy and money to local Washington area charities.”
Read More
Washington DC, December 1, 2009 — The Nov. 30 news website FierceHealthcare.com featured Robin Strongin’s popular health care blog, Disruptive Women in Health Care (www.disruptivewomen.net), noting it was featured as one of “Five Fierce Female Healthcare Bloggers to Watch.”
FierceHealthcare.com reporter Anne Zieger wrote: “This blog is written by dozens of senior female health care professionals, including clinicians, academic researchers, health advocates, management consultants and political insiders.”
Disruptive Women in Health Care should be required reading, Zieger said.
“This blog lives up to its name, offering challenging ideas—and a strong dose of much-needed attitude—on critical topics like medication adherence and health plan design,” the reporter explained.
“There’s also a lot of play given to women’s topics, such as the new breast cancer screening recommendations, which sadly don’t get as much attention in other publications. While nobody’s suggesting that women’s takes on health issues are better than men’s, these contributors are exceptionally passionate in what they have to say, and it’s a pleasure to hear women roar. There’s much to learn here.”
Read More
WASHINGTON DC, December 1, 2009 — Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell, co-authors of the popular human resources book, The Essential HR Handbook (www.theessentialhrhandbook.com), got word today that their 2008 book is so successful that it will go into its second printing later this month.
Nearly 6000 copies have been sold to date, an impressive amount for a business book, explains the publisher, Career Press. It plans to print 2000 more copies just in time for the holiday rush.
While many of the books are sold at national retail bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble, the majority of books are sold through Amazon.com. In addition to being available in paperback, the 224-page book is one of fewer than 300,000 titles that were selected to be compatible with Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader.
“We couldn’t be more excited that the book is doing so well,” says Armstrong, who is also the author of Stress-free Performance Appraisals, which is also in its second printing. Her next book, The Essential Performance Review Handbook will be published in the spring of 2010.
Read More
WEBSITE — Avenida Restaurant
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Avenida Restaurant
Located just outside of Philadelphia in Chestnut Hill, Chefs Kim & Edgar Alvarez invite diners to indulge their taste buds in the oasis of bold flavors and sparkling concoctions.
Set in a historic Chestnut Hill home built in the 1700s, patrons will sit by the stone fireplace or on the romantic outdoor porch sipping margaritas and sampling Chef Edgar’s signature guacamole.
Make a reservation for dinner tonight: 267-385-6857.
WEBSITE — City of Fairfax Schools
Click image for larger view In November 2009, Inkandescent PR was proud to launch a new website for the City of Fairfax Schools, www.cityoffairfaxschools.org.
In the letter posted by School Board Chairman Janice Miller, she explained: “We’ll be using this powerful online tool to post current information about the four City Schools with the goal of doing an even better job of communicating with our parents, residents and business owners about the good work being done by the students, teachers, and the City of Fairfax School Board.”
The School Board also had Inkandescent PR revamped its award-winning newsletter, City School Close-Up Online. Click here to view the inaugural issue.
Hello, and welcome to the new City of Fairfax Schools website, www.cityoffairfaxschools.org.
We’ll be using this powerful online tool to post current information about the four City Schools with the goal of doing an even better job of communicating with our parents, residents and business owners about the good work being done by the students, teachers, and the City of Fairfax School Board.
We’ve also revamped our award-winning newsletter, City School Close-Up. Click here to view the November 2009 issue We hope you find the new layout easy to scan, and as equally informative and useful as our traditional 8-page printed newsletter has been since we created it in 2001. Be sure to sign up here to receive future issues in your email inbox.
In this, our inaugural issue of Close-Up Online, we have very good academic news! The Standards of Learning (SOL) scores for the City of Fairfax Schools are on the rise (see graphs and stories below).
“The City Schools are making good progress academically,” says Fairfax County Public Schools Cluster VII Superintendent Linda Burke, who presented the scores to the City of Fairfax School Board at its October work session. “While test scores do not tell the whole story about the quality of a school, they do reflect how well students are learning the core curriculum.”
Superintendent Ann Monday also explains what those SOL scores mean. You’ll also find graphs of the stellar scores for the City Schools, and an analysis of what they mean for our schools and our students from each of our four City School principals.
We’ll look forward to reaching out to you each month through “Close-Up Online“http://cityoffairfaxschools.org/closeup/, and encourage you to click the “Tell A Friend” tab at the top of this newsletter so all of your friends, neighbors, relatives, and fellow city residents can learn about what is going on in their local schools.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, and continued school success.
Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
Click here to read the November issue of Close-Up
Read more...
I’m sending you this special newsletter this month from my colleagues, Scott Golden and Stephanie Cohen, owners of the Gaithersburg, MD health benefits firm Golden & Cohen.
They invited me to write an article about the importance of stress-free performance appraisals for this, their November newsletter. Since a revised edition of my 2003 book is currently at the printer (The Essential Performance Review Handbook will be out in the Spring), I was happy to participate.
I think you’ll enjoy the following articles that focus on the current health care reform bill before Congress and the impact it will have on all of our insurance rates. Also below is an interesting Q&A between Stephanie Cohen and therapist Susan Richman about how to manage stress during the holidays. Since staying stress-free is so important – in every area from holiday madness to performance appraisals – I think you’ll find Susan’s advice useful and informative.
I thank you in advance for welcoming this special news blast into your inbox, and look forward to sending you the December newsletter from Sharon Armstrong & Associates in a few weeks.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Sharon Armstrong, president and founder, Sharon Armstrong & Associates
Author, Stress-free Performance Appraisals (second edition coming in 2010)
The Essential HR Handbook (www.theessentialhrhandbook.com)
Read more...
Hello, and welcome to the November issue of our e-news blast. What a month it has been in terms of health care reform. As you know, the House of Representatives on Saturday, November 7 passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215.
The passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, gave proponents of health care reform a step forward. But whether the bill will become law remains uncertain because it’s not yet clear when the Senate will vote on its bill – and if it passes, the House and Senate bills would have to be reconciled into one document and voted on again.
Soon after the House bill was passed, Scott Golden, CFO and co-founder of Golden & Cohen, was interviewed by Sheryl Nance-Nash of Insight magazine on the impact of proposed healthcare reform on the economy. Read that below.
This month, we’d also like to share some expert advice from two professionals that we work closely with.
First, HR expert Sharon Armstrong, owner of the human resourses brokerage firm Sharon Armstrong & Associates and author of Stress-free Performance Appraisals, gives insight into how bosses can better evaluate their employees.
In another stress-free story, therapist Susan Richman answers Stephanie Cohen’s questions about how we can all stay calm during the stressful holiday seasons.
We hope you enjoy their advice as much as we did. Here’s to keeping your life stress-free and healthy!
Regards,
Stephanie Cohen, CEO, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, CFO, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, COO, jack@golden-cohen.com
Visit us online: Golden & Cohen, www.golden-cohen.com
Read more...
By Scott Golden, CFO
Golden & Cohen
November 2009
View the entire article here
Why should individuals rely on a professional to assemble comparisons of various plans only after a fact-finding conversation with the agent? That’s a question that has been raised regularly in my office, especially since the discussion has heated up on health care reform. The reality is that agents like yourself — good ones, at least — are essential and continue to be relevant, for you can bring viable options to the table that the individual may not have otherwise considered.
Why do people need an agent to help find the right policy?
Truth be told, there are some sophisticated, high-tech services out there, and more effective online tools seem to pop up regularly.
However, I have found that using the Web alone usually does not give the individual all the information needed to select the best plan. There is more to the issue than which plan is cheapest. And sometimes, you have to not just read the fine print, but also read between the lines to determine what the plan truly offers.
Read More
By Hope Katz Gibbs
The National Press Club
The Wire
Photo by Terry Hill
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman criticized the way some members of the press cover the aviation and transportation accidents at a Luncheon Nov. 16.
“We understand the need to solve the puzzle in the early hours of an accident, and we know your editors and producers want you to be the first to get the ‘cause’ of the accident, but what is the cost to your credibility if you are the first to get the cause wrong? We have learned from experience that first impressions can be wrong,” she said.
Read More
By Scott Golden, CFO
Golden & Cohen
November 2009
“View the entire article here”: http://www.agentssalesjournal.com/content/view/1523/?asj1
Why should individuals rely on a professional to assemble comparisons of various plans only after a fact-finding conversation with the agent? That’s a question that has been raised regularly in my office, especially since the discussion has heated up on health care reform. The reality is that agents like yourself — good ones, at least — are essential and continue to be relevant, for you can bring viable options to the table that the individual may not have otherwise considered.
Why do people need an agent to help find the right policy?
Truth be told, there are some sophisticated, high-tech services out there, and more effective online tools seem to pop up regularly.
However, I have found that using the Web alone usually does not give the individual all the information needed to select the best plan. There is more to the issue than which plan is cheapest. And sometimes, you have to not just read the fine print, but also read between the lines to determine what the plan truly offers.
Read More
Trust. How important is that idea in your organization? Do your followers trust you? How about your customers or clients?
I’ve been thinking about how vital trust is to organizations ever since I saw the findings of the 2009 Trust Barometer, which showed that trust in business is currently at a 10-year low in the US. Interestingly, 4,475 opinion leaders in 20 countries in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) were sampled.
The survey found that only 17% (that’s one in five respondents) said they trust what they hear from business leaders. What kind of business results are you going to get with a 17% “trust rate”? So, you ask, how can we increase trust in today’s business environment? I would suggest that we heed LLI’s faculty member General Jim Anderson’s advice about being a “vivid, living personal example” to both our followers and those who lead us.
By “being the change we want to see” I’m confident that we can boost the “trust factor” in all of our organizations and that the results will show both at the bottom line and with improved engagement. In this issue, you’ll find a follow up to the article by Lincoln Leadership Institute faculty member Bob Prosperi that we ran in last month’s newsletter. His photos are featured in the local press celebrating the important November 19 Remembrance Day.
Regards to you and yours and wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Steven B. Wiley, president and founder
Lincoln Leadership Institute
Read more...
Robin Strongin, publisher of Disruptive Women in Health Care Blog, proudly invites you to a free event on Dec. 2 with Dr. Maureen Lewis, Advisor to the Chief Economist, The World Bank
SAVE THE DATE
When: Wednesday, December 2
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: National Museum of Women in the Arts, 3rd Floor Gallery, 1250 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Register: Send an email to rstrongin@amplifypublicaffairs.net.
Washington DC, November 19, 2009 — How do we improve health care in the developing world? We start by improving the economic opportunities for women, says advisor to the chief economist of the World Bank, Dr. Maureen Lewis.
Lewis will speak at a special networking event on Dec. 2 from 6-8 p.m. in Washington, DC, hosted by Robin Strongin, creator of the popular health care blog Disruptive Women in Health Care (www.disruptivewomen.net).
Read More
NOVEMBER 2009 — An article entitled, “Building Leaders,” featuring Steve Wiley, Keynote Speaker for Frederick Leadership Speaker Series, posted today on Smart Company magazine.
Reporter Jennifer Mellace, explains that today’s economy is tough and the anxiety it fosters can be even worse. We worry about job stability. We worry about paying our bills.
“We worry about what lies ahead for not only us, but those we care about. For many, the odds seem insurmountable,” she writes. “So how, in fact, can anyone be expected to lead or forge ahead in conditions like these?”
Not only can you lead — but you can inspire those around you to be the best they can be, says Steve Wiley, president of The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg and featured speaker in January for the City of Frederick Economic Development Office’s Leadership Series.
Read More
NOVEMBER 9, 2009 — In this month’s issue of 270 Inc. Business Magazine, Lincoln Leadership Institute president Steven B. Wiley explains that the secret to succeeding under challenging conditions is to get your team engaged in their efforts.
“Few people know that during the battle of Gettysburg in 1863 there were over 51,000 casualties and 10,000 dead horses within 3 days,” Wiley says. “Even fewer people realize the second day of the battle is remembered primarily for the achievement of Lt. Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain.”
In fact, Chamberlain, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery, had no special education in military strategies. What he did have was the ability to engage those around him. What he did have was a capacity for leadership, explains Wiley.
“The battle at Gettysburg is an incredible learning tool for businesses and organizations today. With many of the country’s largest companies and organizations awash against the tide of an uncertain economy, the lessons we learn from Gettysburg have a profound impact on the success of these companies.”
Read More
October 2009 — Here’s a reality check from Scott, Stephanie and Jack, Golden & Cohen. The impact of rising health insurance rates isn’t lost on us. Like most every company in the U.S., this year we experienced a significant increase in the rates for our own staff.
We knew we had three real choices: reduce benefits, increase cost to employees or have the company absorb the increase and keep the employees whole. We selected the last option because we are in the best position to “eat” the cost.
The reason is simple. We want to keep morale high and ensure our employees are focusing on their jobs — not worrying about their health insurance. Like most small firms, employee retention and the well being of our employees is one of our top priorities.
If you are in a similar boat, but made a different choice, we’d love to talk to you because we are hoping to understand what employers are thinking in these tough economic times.
In fact, we are always asking the people we meet about why — and why not — they have health insurance. Read on to find information on the “Top 8 Reasons Individuals Don’t Buy Health Insurance,” and our thoughts on why single people might be making a bad choice. You’ll also learn about an incredibly affordable Rx program we’ll be offering in the next few months, Rx ‘n Go. And, you’ll find “7 Strategies to help working parents stay connected to their kids,” by our new psychology partners, Jessica Kramer, a counselor and therapist Bethesda Counseling Associates.
Until next month, here’s to your good health!
Stephanie Cohen, CEO, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, CFO, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, COO, jack@golden-cohen.com
Read more...
Alice’s Challenge of the Month: What to do now if the recession may, indeed, be at its end? — Economists and media pundits are suggesting that the recession is nearing its end — and I am finally seeing signs in the metro DC area that indeed they may be right. My buddies at search firms and recruiting agencies are getting requests every day to fill more jobs, and prospective clients are looking to me to help them in their management challenges. I’m thrilled to no longer be hearing the words: “yes, we want you — but not now,” but rather, “yes, can you conduct a training session next week?”
It’s a relief to be back in the saddle, but I’m also pondering the lessons learned from this challenge. This is something that I regularly ask my clients to consider, for the exercise of reflecting on the actions that led to a success or failure can contribute to deep learning that will guide you through future peaks and valleys.
So, what lessons have you learned in the last 12 to 18 months of economic misery? How can you use this learning to shape your future? Make a list and ruminate on it, for I am confident that the things you come up with will be enlightening and useful not just today, but in the future.
I’m also in the process of thinking about the road ahead, so read on for some forecasts. You’ll also find my bi-monthly interview with an expert and this month’s profile is John White, president of JD White & Associates, Inc. He is a man I have known for decades and deeply respect for he has more than 25 years experience in Human Resource management and in his answers offers keen insights into the recovery at hand. And finally, you’ll find three of my top picks for this month’s Workforce Learning Book Club.
Wishing you a lift in your business, and a lift in your day.
Dr. Alice Waagen, President & Founder
www.workforcelearning.com
Read more...
President’s Message, October 2009 — Fall has arrived in Gettysburg, bringing with it the beautiful colors of the season.These crisp cool days are a wonderful time to walk the battlefields and contemplate the leadership lessons that abound here in Gettysburg.
A quote from October 3, 1889 by Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain comes to mind:
In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by who great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.
His profound words are that much more impressive when you consider that more than a century later, Budget Travel magazine has listed Gettysburg one of “8 Places Every American Should See.” Look for more information on that honor below.
In fact, we are excited to show off our fair town this month to representatives from Intervet / Schering-Plough’s animal health division, and a large group of Superintendents from our amazing national parks across the country. Their leadership teams will be joining us for our Transformational Journey from Gettysburg program.
And that’s not all that’s happening in Gettysburg.
Read on to learn more about the Pennsylvania Civil War (PACW 150), the Commonwealth’s official planning committee for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War over the next five years. The organization has a fantastic website that is packed with information, including interesting details about the lesser-known leaders of that conflict: http://pacivilwar150.com.
Additionally, below is information about The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which Gettysburg College hosted this month. I was especially struck by the fact that we talk about how in the three days of fighting here in Gettysburg there were 51,000 casualties and the wall holds the names of a similar number — 58,000 killed or missing from a much more recent conflict.
These are both wonderful illustrations of how our nation’s history influences us today and can be a useful tool in identifying and refining our own leadership practices.
With my managing director Angela Sontheimer, I wish you a wonderful month filled with strong leadership and courage. We’ll look forward to talking to you again in November.
Steven B. Wiley
President & Founder, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg
Read more...
Promotional pens come in many colors and styles. Potomac Basin chose personalized pens in their corporate colors: blue and green. The neon sheen added dash of extra style. Call for options.
Read More
Promote a healthy planet with these globe-inspired stress balls. A great giveaway at any function or event. Price includes 1 color imprint. Multi-color imprints available. Please call for more details.
Read More
What office is complete without a set of clips that keep all your important papers organized? This alligator clip has a strong magnet capable of holding up to 60 pages and a squared tip for better grip. It features black rubber grips and a variety of colors to choose from. Use it for home or office. Price includes 1 color imprint, but multi-color imprints are available. Please call for more details.
Read More
Save the date: Thursday, October 15, 2009
Time: Noon to 1:30 pm
Location: The Vantage Point Rooftop Restaurant
1900 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703-807-2000
Topic: 12 Tips for Effective PR
Journalist Hope Katz Gibbs, owner of the PR / publications / media relations / marketing & design firm Inkandescent PR, will talk to the businesswomen of WBIS — Women Building & Investing in Success — about how they can get more attention for their firms by using 12 simple strategies. She breaks her approach down into three bite-sized concepts that are fun to consider and easy to execute.
Read More
by Hope Katz Gibbs, communications specialist
and Peter Noonan, FCPS Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services
Creating a set of clear and consistent best practices for student learning has long been a priority for Fairfax County Public Schools. Last fall, the Instructional Services team accomplished that goal by identifying a set of research- based Best Practices for Teaching and Learning that have been proven to increase student achievement and help every FCPS child reach their academic potential.
“We knew that each best practice would need to be applicable from PreK to 12th grade,” explains Diane Kerr, the Fairfax County Public School ESOL coordinator who helped spearhead the initiative.
“We also wanted to concretely define the concepts and terms, so that every teacher, principal, staff member and administrator throughout the entire county has a common understanding.”
Click here to read the Fall 2009 issue of INSIDE.
Read more...
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, October 8, 2009 — On today’s National Press Club Wire, Inkandesent PR founder and president Hope Gibbs wrote the featured story about a speech given yesterday at the Club by John Potter, Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service.
She wrote: The 234-year-old U.S. Postal Service is in acute financial crisis, John Potter, the 72nd Postmaster General said Thursday during a National Press Club luncheon. After losing a projected $7 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Potter said he is working to help the USPS reinvent itself. It won’t be an easy task, as 28 billion fewer pieces of mail were sent last year compared to fiscal year 2008, he said. Potter said that holiday mail, one of the traditionally highest volume periods of the year, was flat last year — and he expects it to be flat this December, as well. In addition to more people using email rather than snail mail, and the lagging economy that is causing fewer people to mail printed ads pieces and other promotional materials, Potter believes the USPS’ deficit also grew out of a three-year-old law that added more than $5 billion to annual costs for prefunding retiree health benefits.
Read More
By Scott Golden, CFO and co-founder, Golden & Cohen
Photo: Max Baucus, maxbaucus.info
It would have been tough not to see the headlines this month in the Washington Post and New York Times announcing the big news from Senator Max Baucus, the Democrat from Montana who chairs the Finance Committee.
His slimmed-down price tag of $856 billion over 10 years for health-care reform is a cut from the $1 trillion once proposed. Baucus’ plan also has middle-class American families paying 13 percent of their family income in health-insurance premiums before co-payments, deductibles and other cost sharing. Here’s a look into what we think and why.
Read more...
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, September 2009
September has always seemed to me to be a time of new beginnings the start of cooler fall weather, the start of a new school year. This month, we were thrilled to be part of a new start for the Lincoln Leadership Academy in Allentown, Pa., where I spoke as part of the grand opening ceremony on September 8.
Joining me on stage for the inaugural day of this wonderful new charter school were Rep. Charles Dent (R-Pa.), Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Eastern University President David Black, and our very own Jim Getty, who as always did a great job portraying Abraham Lincoln.
The Lincoln Leadership Academy will provide a holistic education to 250 students in grades 6 to 9 coming from high-risk environments. We are thrilled to be one of their strategic partners. Scroll down to see some photos of the opening.
In this months e-news blast, youll also hear from faculty member Bob Prosperi, who recounts his experience leading President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978 when they were working toward the agreement that the following year, was signed as the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty at Camp David.
The dignitaries stopped in Gettysburg for a tour and history lessonand some say that their walk through the battlefield led the three men to make the new start toward finding a peaceful solution to their conflict. As we say during our Transformational Journey from Gettysburg program, you never know when a small pebble can turn into a powerful avalanche for leaders.
Read on to learn more and as always, please send your comments and questions to our managing director, Angela Sontheimer, at angela@lincolnleadershipinstitute.com.
Read more...
Disruptive Women in Health Care, Sept. 2, 2008 — On today’s popular health care blog, Disruptive Women in Health Care www.disruptivewomen.net, insurance broker Stephanie Cohen wrote a provocative article about the future of the brokerage business.
“As an insurance broker in the metro Washington DC area, I have been in the trenches of selling, and advocating for our customers for their small group health insurance, disability programs and life insurance plans for over 17 years,” she said. “Needless to say, it has been maddening in the last five years to watch rates rise and our customers get increasingly frustrated with the system. I spend my days arguing with insurance companies about what they will cover and what they won’t — and I’m consistently amazed that these large firms often don’t have a handle on the benefits they provide in their policies. To say the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing is a dramatic understatement.”
Read More
August 2009 — The future of health reform is making headlines, seemingly daily, so of course it was one of the main topics for our August e-blast. From our perspective as insurance brokers, the health insurance industry was never broken, just sprained. We definitely think the system needs a tune-up, with much less waste and fraud, but there are many ways that this can play out — and everyone involved needs to be responsible for a more positive outcome. Unfortunately, we don’t believe the proposed public plan will work, for a few basic reasons. Read on to learn more.
We also are proud to announce some new partnerships — with ADP and Goodman & Company. And we’re excited to invite all of our clients and friends to an Oct. 22 event featuring author/journalist KATI MARTON and health care publisher ROBIN STRONGIN, who will talk about the future of health care, the Holocaust, and Kati’s life in spotlight. Lastly, don’t miss our tips on protecting yourself from Swine Flu.
We’ll talk to you next month! — Stephanie, Scott & Jack
Read more...
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, Aug. 31, 2009 — In an article published today in Publisher’s Weekly, reporter Judith Rosen profiled Hooks Book Events.
She writes: A new breed of booksellers, many of whom got their start in the B2B world, are finding success by altering the traditional independent bookselling model. They retain a commitment to independent bookselling and frequently belong to both their regional booksellers’ association and ABA—and they influence the bestsellers by reporting their sales to the New York Times.
Perry Pidgeon Hooks of Hooks Book Events in Bethesda, Md., has a bookstore affiliation, with sales going through the registers of nearby Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. A former marketing director at Davis-Kidd in Nashville, Hooks was hired to work on corporate sales at Politics and Prose more than a decade ago. Soon she found that she was spending so much time organizing events for government agencies like the Department of the Interior that she flopped her work and became an independent contractor, taking a commission from the store.
Read More
Welcome to the dog days of summer! August is proving to be as hot and steamy as it was back during the Civil War. Fortunately, we have the luxury of taking some time off and escaping to a relaxing retreat for some downtime. My special place is Nantucket. The sea, the surf and island life combine to provide a unique and wonderful place to do some of the critical and proactive reflection that we talk about in our leadership program.
Did you realize that Abraham Lincoln himself had a special summer place where he retreated for reflection, peace and solace during the heat of Washington summers? Beginning in 1862, when the pressures of the war and the summer heat got to be too much, Lincoln would escape to a hilltop cottage on the grounds of the Soldier’s Home, just four miles from the White House.
There he would walk the grounds, read, and visit with soldiers. Some historians believe that he spent one-quarter of his presidency there. Now you too can visit Lincoln’s summer retreat, which was restored and opened to the public just last year. For more information visit www.lincolncottage.org. Read on to learn more from LLI faculty member Matt Pinsker, Lincoln historian and author of a book about Lincoln’s bond with the Soldier’s Home.
I encourage you to take some time to find your own retreat for personal reflection. Maybe it is an island, or maybe like Lincoln’s it’s a grassy hill a few miles from home. Wherever your special place is, take the time to consider where your leadership practice is headed. I guarantee it will be time well spent!
Don’t forget to visit our blog at http://blog.lincolnleadershipinstitute.com/. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
Best regards, Steven B. Wiley
Read more...
HEALTH REFORM WATCH, Aug. 28, 2009 — In today’s issue of the Health Reform Watch, published by Seton Hall University, editors wrote about Peter Rodino, who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1989 — at which time he retired to a Professorship at Seton Hall Law until his death in 2005.
Senator Kennedy worked often with Peter Rodino. In her book “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me,” Joy Rodino recounts that “Upon Peter’s passing , Ted Kennedy said that during the Watergate inquiry, ‘Many of us felt that we were seeing a Founding Father in action, living the highest ideals of the Constitution. I’m sure my brother would have called him a profile in courage. I feel the same way.’”
Read More
ROLL CALL, Aug. 26, 2009 — In today’s issue of Roll Call, the influential publication that covers the people, politics, process and policy on Capitol Hill, reporter Tricia Miller wrote about Joy Rodino’s new book, “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me.”
Miller noted: “Rodino said her husband would have approved of the election of President Barack Obama and the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. In addition, he “always really looked up to Sen. [Edward] Kennedy,” she said, and the Massachusetts Democrat contributed the quote on the book’s cover.
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON DC, AUGUST 21, 2009 — Mark your calendar for September 8 at 8 p.m. when the DC-based author events company Hooks Book Events will host an intriguing conversation at DC’s Avalon Theater between New York Times bestselling writer Dan Pink and award-winning science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.
The topic of discussion will be Bronson and Merryman’s hot new book NURTURESHOCK, which argues that when it comes to children, we’ve mistaken good intentions for good ideas. “Many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring because key twists in the science have been overlooked,” the authors explain.
Read More
Systems Contractor News, Aug. 17, 2009 — In today’s Systems Contractor News, HR expert Sharon Armstrong was featured in an article entitled, “Fair Appraisals.” Reporter Carolyn Heinze wrote: “For many, the phrase “evaluation time” conjures up images of classrooms, report cards, parent-teacher meetings and, for those that didn’t do their homework all semester, the prospect of being grounded. It may be years, decades even, since any of us have been in school, but once the announcement is made that our work will be formally appraised, it’s difficult not to slip back into the mindset of a school kid.”
When done right, said Sharon Armstrong, evaluations are ongoing. “That means that you are keeping this conversation going when people are doing the right thing, and nudging them gently when something needs to happen,” she said. “The performance evaluation is a culmination of all of those conversations.”
The key factor, she added, is to train managers that the evaluation is not an annual event; it’s an ongoing conversation, one that should take into account how the business changes throughout the year.
Read More
Date: September 8, 2009
Time: 8 pm
Location: The Avalon Theater
5612 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015
New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink will interview Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman about their new book, NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children.
NURTURESHOCK is one of the most important books you will read this year,” says Pink, noting Bronson and his co-author Ashley Merryman move parenting out of the realm of folklore and into the realm of science and reveal what decades of studies teach us about the complexities of raising, happy, healthy, self-motivated kids. “As a writer, I was impressed by the prodigious research and keen analysis. As a father, I was consumed with taking notes and exhilarated by all I learned.”
Read More
In this month’s newsletter, Bernard Wolfe, CFP ®, founder of Bernard Wolfe & Associates helps readers understand Roth IRA conversations and the new rules, which go into effect on January 1, 2010. “We wanted to provide a little background, the pros and cons, and help you understand how this may impact your financial management,” he says.
In a second article entitled, “5 Statistics Women Need to Know About Managing their Money — and 5 tips on how to take control,” Samantha Fraelich, a financial representative Bernard R. Wolfe & Associates, Inc., offers insights for women on how to best manage their money. “Whether you’re a women who is single, divorced, or widowed, it’s more likely than ever that at some point in your life you will need to fend financially for yourself,” Fraelich advises.
Read more...
OURBLOOK.com, August 6, 2009 — A website that offers innovative solutions to todays problems, OurBlook, today posted an interview with Scott Golden, chief financial officer of Golden & Cohen, a health benefits consulting company in the Washington, D.C. area. Read on to learn more.
Question: President Obama has made it clear he isn’t working to set up a precursor to a single-payer health care system. Meanwhile, the insurance industry says that any version of a public plan will kill private industry. Is there any precedent for a public/private partnership in health insurance?
Scott Golden: The way the proposal is being described, there are no partnerships, so the public plan would compete against private plans. There is nothing on point with this scenario to date, which is why there is great speculation as to what might happen.
Read More
AUGUST 2009 — Just as the London Symphony Orchestra works in harmony to play a beautiful concerto, any successful collaboration can be one of the most satisfying experiences we have as professionals, explains Dr. Alice Waagen in her July-August e-newsletter.
“That’s because when collaborative efforts click, everyone understands and values each other’s role on the project and the unique contribution each person is making,” she says. “In fact, successful collaborative efforts can often be the height of a person’s professional career.”
So, why is it often so hard to collaborate? That’s a great question, especially given the fact that nearly every project in today’s workforce requires an element of collaboration. First, I’ll assess the problem, then I’ll offer some suggestions for how you can be more effective in your collaborative efforts.
The problem with collaboration In my experience, the biggest obstacle to successful collaboration is that egos are often vying for dominance. It’s natural, given the competitive environment of the workplace. The challenge, then, is to understand it and find ways to tackle the problem from the start.
Read more...
The summer is off to a great start here at LLI. We have enjoyed hosting several more Ohio-based teams from Pfizer and welcomed Benco Dental, members of the Inspector General community, and a team from the Office of Personal Management in our leadership program this month.
This month also marks the graduation of our Managing Director, Angela Sontheimer, from Duquesne University. Angela now holds a Masters of Leadership and Liberal Studies. Her thesis focused on viewing the Gettysburg Address through a modern coaching model to show how it functioned as a problem solving document for Lincoln and how it continues to serve as a seminal document that our nation calls upon in times of crisis or stress. We’ve incorporated some of her research into our program and have been having great success with participants using this simple yet effective coaching model in their own leadership practice.
Don’t forget to log our blog at http://blog.lincolnleadershipinstitute.com/. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
Best regards, Steven B. Wiley
Read more...
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to review our July newsletter. We are very excited to announce that this year, once again we have made the list of the Top 10 largest health insurance firms in Washington Business Journal’s Book of Lists.
We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, as we have built our business brick by brick. We want to thank all our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us since our inception. We will continue to work hard everyday to make sure each and every client is receiving world-class service and the best possible insurance strategy for their needs and budget. In fact, making Washington Business Journal’s prestigious list just spurs us on to rank even higher — because making this list, or any list, merely reflects the real driver of our growth and success: whether our clients are satisfied and are referring us to their clients and friends.
So a warm welcome to all of our clients, — and potential new clients — with this, our monthly e-news blast. Our goal is to help you get the most out of your health insurance — and to that end, below you’ll find need-to-know information about timely changes in term life insurance, a new health-insurance subsidy for small businesses in Maryland, and the work we are doing with the Greater Washington Association of Health Underwriters. You’ll also find quick summaries of two recent healthcare articles we think you should know about, along with our reactions to them. And finally, we leave you with some parting thoughts on what we consider to be the meaning of success.
If you enjoy reading our monthly newsletter, we’d be thrilled if you would tell a friend. Simply click the button at the top of this page, or send us the emails of anyone you’d like us to reach out to and we’ll extend a personal invitation.
Here’s to your health!
Stephanie Cohen, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, jack@golden-cohen.com
Read more...
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER / JOBS.COM, July 28, 2009 — In an article published today on the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jobs.com website, reporter Dawn Klingensmith interviewed Workforce Learning president Alice Waagen for an article entitled, “Are you coming on too strong?”
Alice said, yes, you might be seen as overly aggressive if:
• You send more than a succinct thank-you note after an interview. “Some applicants send flowers or candy,” Alice explained. “This is not a date — it’s a job.”
• You can’t take the hint. “If you’ve left messages and e-mails and don’t get a response, that’s either a strong indication you’ve been rejected or that the hiring manager is “a poor manager lacking basic skills,” Waagen said.
Read More
BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL, July 24, 2009 — In an article entitled, Complexity, cost concern local insurers, featured in this week’s Baltimore Business Journal, reporter Elizabeth Heubeck writes:
If Scott Golden were a gambling man, he wouldn’t bet on the U.S. government creating a federally-run universal health care system. “I think Obama is using that as a threat so that the insurance carriers will step up and put in their own price controls,” said Golden, co-founder of the Gaithersburg-based health benefits consulting firm Golden & Cohen. Given this scenario, Golden envisions insurance carriers saving money by “spending less, giving less to brokers, or requiring that subscribers pay more.” Ultimately, Golden believes, brokers like him will make less money.
Read More
Newark, NJ / Washington DC, July 2009 — In her new book, “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me: Love, Inspiration and the Constitution,” author and attorney Joy Rodino offers insights into the question, “Why is the Preamble to the Constitution relevant today?”
She accomplishes the task by discussing the life history and lessons learned by her late husband, Congressman Peter Rodino, a 40-year legislator and defender of the Constitution and the Chairman of the House Committee that in July 1974 voted to impeach President Richard Nixon.
“Peter believed the Preamble is our country’s soul, not only projecting a vision of who we are as a people, but also expressing the limitless possibilities of all we can be,” says Joy. “In these troubled times, when nothing is certain, people are searching for meaning in their lives. These 52 words of the Preamble remind us of the importance of upholding our highest ideals, and that there is security in the values and principles inherent in the foundation of our nation.”
Read More
GAITHERSBURG MD, June 2009 — The owners of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen are pleased to announce that this year, once again, they have made the list of the Top 10 largest health insurance firms in Washington Business Journal’s Book of Lists.
“We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, as we have built our business brick by brick,” says Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen. “We want to thank all our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us since our inception. We will continue to work hard everyday to make sure each and every client is receiving world-class service and the best possible insurance strategy for their needs and budget.”
Read More
MOTLEY FOOL.COM, July 17, 2009 — In an article entitled A New Business Model for the Digital Age, posted today on the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, reporter Jennifer Schonberger writes:
Since 2002, David and Tom Gardner have returned 32.89% while the S&P 500 returned -8.78%. There is no question that traditional media is in disarray right now. Major news outlets from CBS (NYSE: CBS) to Gannett (NYSE: GCI) to The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) are being forced to transition to a different model because of the underlying economics of their mediums (in most cases, a digital model).
But transitions to digital by media and other types of companies have left many questioning what the magic formula for profits is. At a recent event sponsored by Hooks Books and The Motley Fool, Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine and author of the new book Free: The Future of a Radical Price, offered a solution to the conundrum.
Read More
PHYSICIAN’S MONEY DIGEST, July 14, 2009 — From real estate to the job market, the current recession has impacted just about everyone and every segment of the economy,” writes reporter Ed Rabinowitz in a July 14 article published in Physician’s Money Digest. “However, according to an article in the New York Times, concierge medical practices, while certainly not recession proof, do not appear to have been impacted as severely as might have been expected. Consumers/patients are still forking over $1,500 per year and up for what is promised to be personalized care and around-the-clock access.”
He says: According to Scott Golden, chief financial officer of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, for physicians with a loyal following, the opportunity exists through the concierge model to make equal or more money than before, see fewer patients, and practice medicine the way they want. And he expects that trend to continue. “One of the goals of the Obama Administration is to get the uninsured in the system,” Golden says. “That means more people and probably the same amount of doctors, so you’re going to see the same [access] problem getting worse. But only the practices that can deliver on their promises will be able to survive.”
Read More
SELLING ESSENTIALS MAGAZINE, July 3, 2009 — In an article entitled, “When the CEO called, I had to say no,” Steven B. Wiley, founder of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, writes in a first person article:
I received a call out of the blue from a meeting planner for a very large and well-known company. “We’re looking for a keynote speaker for our annual meeting,” she said. “Could you send me some background information?”
“My company conducts leadership training, and I knew that a speaking engagement could open the door to many more opportunities. I had plenty of testimonials. But I knew from experience that they were just the beginning. This sale – like every sale – was all about trust. Selecting a speaker is a high-risk proposition. If you choose well, everybody remembers the speaker, not the person who hired him. But if the speaker misses the mark, everybody asks, “Who picked that guy?”
Read More
YouTube video, June 2009 — To promote his June 20 event at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, New York Times reporter Warren St. John — author of the new book, “Outcasts United,” hired Inkandescent Public Relations to create a YouTube video. Our videographer Zach Starr shot the film on the roof of Warren’s NYC apartment building, and spliced in interesting clips. Watch the video here.
Read More
NJ STAR-LEDGER, June 27, 2009 — “It took a committee of five Founding Fathers six days to perfect the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution,” writes New Jersey Star-Ledger reporter Mark DiIonno in a feature article published today. “It took Peter Rodino a lifetime to dissect it, study it, relish it, and uphold the tenets of it.” The story is told in a new book by the late Congressman’s wife, Fifty-two words My Husband Taught Me.“
Independence Day should be a time of reflection on what America should stand for, and the long taken-for-granted answers are in our first documents: The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution and its subsequent Bill of Rights.
“Given the troubled times we’re living in, with all the stories of greed and corruption and the problems with the economy, I think people are searching for more meaning,” Joy Rodino said. “It’s perfect time for us to remember the ideals of our founding fathers and the foundation of this country.”
Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) July 2, 2009 — In an Associated Press wire article posted today in several U.S. newspapers, Sharon Armstrong — author of The Essential HR Handbook and owner of Sharon Armstrong and Associates — talked about ways older job seekers can overcome age barriers.
To avoid appearing out of touch, she explains, they can use their time between jobs to become familiar with the latest technologies and social networking sites.
AP economics writer Christopher Rugaber wrote: Sharon Armstrong, a career consultant in Washington, D.C., urged one client fearful of seeming too old to discuss her use of Twitter and Facebook during job interviews. “I don’t think anyone needs to know when you graduated from college,” she said. “Don’t give people reasons to discriminate against you.”
Read More
WEBSITE — Congressman Peter Rodino
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Joy Rodino’s “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me”
“I was so inspired by Peter’s commitment to the principles of the Preamble that before his passing in 2005 I decided that I wanted to memorialize his passion for those principles that are so relevant to our lives today,” says Joy Rodino, author of Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me, a book about love, inspiration, and the Constitution. “I hope that my tribute to his legacy will inspire within you a commitment to share those blessings and “live a life that matters.”
Her uplifting memoir pays tribute to the inspiring legacy of Congressman Peter Rodino, and illuminates his passion for the brilliant vision of our Founding Fathers and the fifty-two words of the Preamble to the Constitution. For Peter Rodino, “We the People” was more than just the first few words of the Constitution, it was a way of life and a sacred duty.
Newark, NJ / Washington DC, July 2, 2009 — As we celebrate the July 4th holiday, it is the perfect time to ask, “Why is the Preamble to the Constitution relevant today?” For the answer, pick up a copy of “Fifty-Two Words My Husband Taught Me,” by attorney Joy Rodino.
She offers insights through the eyes of her late husband, Congressman Peter Rodino, a 40-year legislator and defender of the Constitution who believed the Preamble is our country’s soul, “not only projecting a vision of who we are as a people, but also expressing the limitless possibilities of all we can be.”
“In these troubled times, when nothing is certain, people are searching for meaning in their lives,” Joy says. “These 52 words of the Preamble remind us of the importance of upholding our highest ideals, and that there is security in the values and principles inherent in the foundation of our nation.”
Read More
Hello and welcome to the inaugural issue of Golden & Cohen’s monthly e-newsletter. We’re also proud to announce that we have a new website, www.golden-cohen.com. It’s chock full of information that you and your employees need to stay fully informed about your benefits.
You’ll also find contact information and details about our team, our press mentions, articles, and excerpts from the book we’re writing, “You gotta laugh: Life and the death-defying reality of the health insurance debacle.”
The newsletters will also be filled with short but interesting details we think you need to know each month.
We look forward to staying in contact with you, and always know you can reach us 24-7 to help you with your health insurance needs. Talk to you soon!
Stephanie Cohen, stephanie@golden-cohen.com
Scott Golden, scott@golden-cohen.com
Jack Cohen, jack@golden-cohen.com
Read more...
AAPA Annual Conference, June 2009 — At this year’s annual American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) conference, organizers launched a new logo and wanted a little something special to show it off. They hired Inkandescent Public Relations to create an animation of the logo, which appeared behind the president of AAPA as she made her welcome speech.
“The animation was a hit,” organizers said. “The audience wasn’t anticipating that the clip would be so spectacular, or have music, and when the logo presentation was unfurled it exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
To view, right click on Open Link in New Window: APA Flash Animation
Tto hire Inkandescent PR to create a special animation project for your organization, contact Hope Katz Gibbs, founder.
Read More
June Newsletter: Lincoln Leadership Institute — Hello from Gettysburg! A recent article in The Washington Post caught my eye. It turns out that in a survey of federal workplaces, strong managers rank high.
Entitled Money’s Nice, but a Good Boss Is Better, Post staff writer Steve Vogel wrote in the May 20 article: “When it comes to sizing up the quality of their workplaces, federal workers value strong leadership and straight answers from their bosses more than even pay and benefits, according to a new comprehensive study of the federal workforce.”
The study, based on the Office of Personnel Management’s biennial federal human capital survey taken last year, highlights the importance of having good, strong leadership skills and clear lines of communication. In fact the top-ranking agency in the study (the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) earned good marks “because senior management takes the time to listen to the staff.”
This is something we consistently talk about in our Transformational Journey from Gettysburg program because it seems so easy to just listen — but too often it doesn’t happen in the workplace. As you’ve probably heard me say “listen ‘til it hurts.” I guarantee that it will help you be a better leader, colleague and family member.
Give it a try this month and let me know what happens! Talk to you in July.
Best regards, Steven B. Wiley
As always, send your comments and ideas to our managing director, Angela Sontheimer, at angela@lincolnleadershipinstitute.com.
Read more...
The Kojo Nnamdi Show, NPR, June 16, 2009 — On today’s NPR broadcast of the Kojo Nnamdi Show, New York Times reporter Warren St. John was interviewed by the popular radio host about his new book, Outcasts United.
“In the 1990s, the town of Clarkston, Georgia became an unlikely refugee resettlement center,” explained Kojo. “As scores of families from the world’s war zones descended on the town, one new arrival decided to create a youth soccer team to unite refugee children. Today we will hear the story of that team — dubbed the “Fugees” by its members — and how its members adapted to life in the U.S.”
Listen to the entire broadcast here: WAMU 88.5 FM, The Kojo Nnamdi Show.
Read More
The Times London, June 11, 2009 — How football helped refugees in a US town is the focus of a June 11 article in The Times London.
Reporter Mike Atherton explains: “Shamsoun Dikori remembered the first time that he saw aircraft high above the Nuba Mountains in central Sudan. He thought that they were birds – until the bombs came raining down. Jihad followed the bombings; within two years about 200,000 people (20 per cent of the local population) had been killed and the survivors of the 50 or so ethnic groups that inhabited this fertile region had been displaced.”
“The remarkable story of this football family has now been told by Warren St John, a reporter from The New York Times who immersed himself in the immigrant footballing community of Clarkston. Like all good books about sport, this is about much more than sport. It is about how the inhabitants of Clarkston came to terms, or did not come to terms, with a decade during which their town changed beyond recognition; about how immigrants coped with the kind of upheaval most people cannot imagine, and about how sport helped, to a small extent, to ameliorate the process for both.”
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs, Director of Communications
Tigerlily Foundation, www.tigerlilyfoundation.org
703 346-6975 / hope@inkandescentpr.com
RESTON VA — Mark your calendar for the evening of June 25 when the Tigerlily Foundation, a non-profit breast foundation dedicated to educating, empowering and lending financial and emotional support to young women with breast cancer, hosts it first annual DIVA Night Out.
“To us, a DIVA is Divine, Inspired, Vivacious, and Aware,” explains Tigerlily’s President and Founder Maimah Karmo, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 32 and has been cancer-free since founding the organization in 2006. “We at Tigerlily are excited about this event, which will of course be a great party, but also will be inspiring as we bring together survivors and women who are struggling with breast cancer.”
Read More
GAITHERSBURG MD, June 2009 — The owners of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen are pleased to announce that this year, once again, they have made the list of the Top 10 largest health insurance firms in Washington Business Journal’s Book of Lists”:http://www.bizjournals.com/.
“We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, as we have built our business brick by brick,” says Stephanie Cohen, CEO of Golden & Cohen. “We want to thank all our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us since our inception. We will continue to work hard everyday to make sure each and every client is receiving world-class service and the best possible insurance strategy for their needs and budget.”
Read more...
Washington DC, June 8, 2009 — If you love soccer, a great story, and believe in supporting kids with big dreams, mark your calendar for Saturday, June 20 from 1-3pm when New York Times reporter Warren St. John, author of “Outcasts United” (www.OutcastsUnited.com)— a book that is sure to be an educational and soccer classic — hosts a remarkable event at DC’s famous 9:30 Club (www.930.com).
In collaboration with the DC-based book event company, Hooks Book Events (www.hooksbookevents.com), the afternoon will be action-packed with great activities for kids including a juggling clinic with the Los Angeles-based soccer freestyle troupe, the Futboleros (www.fultboleros.us), a brief introduction by Warren St. John about “Outcasts United” (www.OutcastsUnited.com), followed by a performance by the wildly popular Afrofunk big band Chopteeth (www.Chopteeth.com).
Tickets are $10, and the proceeds benefit the Fugees soccer team (www.FugeesFamily.org), which the book features, explains St. John, who decided to set the event in DC because he wanted to celebrate with kids and adults are some of the biggest soccer fans in the country. “I love DC, and since Chopteeth is based here, it was an obvious selection.”
Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 7, 2009 — Reporter Len Boselovic wrote in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
As the recession rages outside, about 20 CEOs of Western Pennsylvania companies are comfortably ensconced in a meeting room at St. Clair Country Club, sipping bottled water or coffee and watching clips from ‘The Killer Angels.’ When the carnage in the movie about the battle of Gettysburg comes to an end, speaker Steven B. Wiley comes to life, telling the attentive executives that learning from Gettysburg’s heroes — including a willingness to listen — can make them better leaders.
“If you think about listening until it hurts, it could change your life,” Mr. Wiley exhorts them.
Read More
Washington Business Journal, June 4, 2009 — “It’s one of those favorite half-full observations for a human resources department: A down economy is a great opportunity to pick up top talent that might not otherwise be on the market or in your price range,” writes Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner. “That, of course, is easier said than done. But it’s a key move right now.”
Nycz-Conner interviewed several local firms, including HR expert Sharon Armstrong, co-author of The Essential HR Handbook and owner of Sharon Armstrong and Associates.
Read More
A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg is the title of the most recent YouTube video release that Inkandescent Public Relations helped create for Steve Wiley’s Lincoln Leadership Institute.
Based on the intensive three-day leadership training program that well-known speaker Wiley has been hosting for years, this video by Inkandescent’s videographer Zach Starr, features insights and lessons from generals, ambassadors, and the other LLI faculty members who each year teach hundreds of managers and executives from top U.S. firms how to be more effective and efficient.
“We use the battle of Gettysburg as a metaphor, but our program is not a just a history lesson,” says Wiley. “We focus on the key things that helped the North secure the win on those critical July days in 1863.”
Watch it now on YouTube.
Read More
YouTube video, June 2009 — To promote his June 20 event at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, New York Times reporter Warren St. John — author of the new book, “Outcasts United,” hired Inkandescent Public Relations to create a YouTube video. Our videographer Zach Starr shot the film on the roof of Warren’s NYC apartment building, and spliced in interesting clips. Watch the video by clicking here..
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YouTube, June 1, 2009 — A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg is the title of the most recent YouTube video release that Inkandescent Public Relations helped create for Steve Wiley’s Lincoln Leadership Institute.
Based on the intensive three-day leadership training program that well-known speaker Wiley has been hosting for years, this video by Inkandescent’s videographer Zach Starr, features insights and lessons from generals, ambassadors, and the other LLI faculty members who each year teach hundreds of managers and executives from top U.S. firms how to be more effective and efficient.
“We use the battle of Gettysburg as a metaphor, but our program is not a just a history lesson,” says Wiley. “We focus on the key things that helped the North secure the win on those critical July days in 1863.”
This is the third video Zach Starr has created for The Lincoln Leadership Institute.
Watch it now on YouTube.
Read More
Join Bernard Wolfe & Associates June 2, 6-8 pm, when the financial planning firm hosts an educational session on income-generating strategies for 2009 and beyond
Chevy Chase, MD, May 26, 2009 — As most people continue to navigate the volatile economic climate, the top-rated financial planning firm Bernard Wolfe & Associates (http://www.bernardwolfe.com) is taking the initiative to educate all investors by hosting informative seminars every other month to teach investors about the new landscape of financial planning.
“I have been in finance business for nearly 30 years, and am committed now more than ever to being a trusted advisor to all of our current and potential clients who might need to rethink their current financial strategies,” says Bernard Wolfe, a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), and one of the first members of the Registry of Financial Planners in the Washington DC area.
What makes Wolfe’s firm stand out from the rest, he believes, is that he operates from a strategy he learned when he played for the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals for nearly five seasons.
“As Wayne Gretzky used to say, ‘a good hockey player plays where the puck is, a great hockey player plays to where the puck is going to be,’” says Wolfe, who was named the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Athlete of the Year, and All Canadian by his alma mater, Sir George Williams University in Montreal. “That metaphor couldn’t be more appropriate than it is in this current economic crisis. What we try to do in our business is exactly what Gretzky spoke about in hockey. We try to anticipate how best to situate our clients and not rely on what worked over the last 20-30 years, but what will work today and tomorrow.”
Read More
RESTON VA, MAY 25, 2009 — Tune in to the Oprah Winfrey Show today at 4pm (Monday, May 25) when Maimah Karmo, the founder of the Tigerlily Foundation, appears on the top-rated daytime talk show. This is a repeat of a show that originally aired last year. View that here].
Following is an excerpt from the broadcast, entitled “Breast Cancer Battles,” which also features actress Christina Applegate, who had a double mastectomy soon after she landed the starring role in the ABC comedy series, Samantha Who?
Oprah then interviewed Tigerlily’s founder about her work to help women 40 and under who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Following is an excerpt from the interview.
“Millions of women around the globe struggle with the day-to-day reality of living with breast cancer,” Oprah told the audience. “Maimah never believed she would be one of them. Since a young age, Maimah was taught to always do self-examinations—even though there was no history of the disease in her family. At age 32, she discovered her biggest fear, a lump.”
Read More
Leesburg Today, Thursday, May 15, 2009 — In an article featured in the May 15 issue of the Leesburg Times, reporter Kara Clark wrote about HR expert Barbara Mitchell, co-author of The Essential HR Handbook who spoke at the May 14 Sterling Women luncheon about her experience as a business owner.
“Human resources expert Barbara Mitchell takes exception to the term “bucket list”. Instead, she refers to her list as things to do while I’m still living,” Clark wrote. “She encouraged the 100-plus women in attendance to make such a list. She said she got the idea for her list after reading a newspaper article and immediately sprang to action. She happily reported that she has been able to accomplish the top two priorities on her list: starting a business and writing a book.
Read More
WEBSITE — Golden & Cohen
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Golden & Cohen
Top-rated specialists on group and individual insurance benefits and retirement planning, Golden & Cohen launched a new website on May 1, 2009 to provide their current and potential clients with more detailed information on the best insurance options: http://golden-cohen.com.
“The new website outlines all of the products we offer—from group and individual dental, disability, and life insurance, to group vision insurance and individual pension plans,” explains Stephanie Cohen, co-founder and the company’s chief operating officer. “Beyond that, we offer benefits management services such as benchmarking, cafeteria plans, COBRA, and wellness programs. We also provide our clients with access to human resources management, including employee benefits plans and performance reviews.”
Providing first-class customer service is the priority at Golden & Cohen, she says.
“We pride ourselves on providing the best customer service possible, and are here to assist 24 hours a day with any insurance issues that may arise,” Cohen affirms. She points to the firm’s offerings of claims assistance as well as its insights into the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and legal and compliance information. “From billing to claims resolutions and appeals, our experienced team understands how the system and processes work, and goes the extra mile for all of our clients.”
FEDERAL NEWS RADIO, APRIL 24, 2009 — Hooks Book Events co-founder Perry Pidgeon Hooks was featured on today’s 10 a.m. radio broadcast of “Inside Government,” during a recap of this week’s Government Executive’s 2009 Excellence in Government Conference on www.federalnewsradio.com, 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.
Hooks discussed her company’s role in connecting big thinkers with the federal government to tackle the most pressing issues. Case in point was the keynote speaker she brought to the April 20 Government Executive’s 2009 Excellence in Government Conference — the award-winning broadcaster Cokie Roberts, who discussed her latest book, “Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation,” as well as President Obama’s initiative to increase public service.
Read More
What will make your meeting or conference stand out? The speakers you hire! We know the goal of every meeting planner is put together an event that gets people thinking and brainstorming unique solutions that will take your company, organization, or industry to new heights. Our outstanding speakers have been chosen because they have the ability to connect with an audience and deliver a powerful message that moves, intrigues, and inspires the crowd.
Our menu of services includes:
Meeting design and coordination
• Setting the agenda, and designing meeting activities and breakout sessions
• Arranging pre-meeting dinners and tours
Logistics and administration
• Selecting and booking meeting venues
• Handling meeting registration, and creation and distribution of meeting materials
Graphic design and illustration
• Designing meeting logos, posters, flyers, and other artistic components
Audiovisual needs
• Professional photography
• Video, CDs, podcasts
Meeting promotion: PR and marketing
• Press releases
• Placed articles
• Blogs
• Advertisements
• Media outreach to journalists: print, television, and radio
Read More
If you are an experienced speaker and a thought leader who is respected in your industry, we want to hear from you.
Quality is key. Therefore a speaker evaluation is required. Send a sample video, audio, and digital copy of any presentations that you have made to speakers@inkandescentpr.com.
Don’t have a press kit, audio, or video? You aren’t alone. We know that sometimes great speakers may lack all of the pieces necessary to market themselves successfully—and we can help.
Click below for our tier of services that will help us market your talent.
Read More
HEALTH NEWS DIGEST, April 2009 — “The economic downturn is taking its toll on employees in all industries — but health insurance companies will increasingly be a good place to look for work,” writes Scott Golden, chief financial officer of the Maryland-based health benefits brokerage firm Golden & Cohen, in this week’s issue of HealthNewsDigest.com.
Read More
E-COMMERCE TIMES, MARCH 26, 2009 — “Apple wants a bigger chunk of the desktop computer market, but it’s unlikely to head downstream with stripped-down consumer offerings,” writes reporter Erika Morphy in a March 26 article for the E-Commerce Times and MacNewsWorld entitled Will Artists Still Love Macs Tomorrow?
“Artists and designers are loyal customers, but Apple already owns that segment. The enterprise is likely the most fertile ground for expansion,” she said. “Can Apple deliver a high-end product that meets both corporate and creative needs?” To find out, she interviewed illustrator Michael Gibbs, owner of Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design and art director of Inkandescent Public Relations.
Read More
In the News: Maimah Karmo Speaks at Press Conference Along with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Support of EARLY Act
March 23, 2009, Washington, DC — At a press conference in the Capitol building today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) was joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), to announce legislation they will introduce to highlight the breast cancer risks facing young women under the age of 40 to empower these women with the tools they need to prevent and fight this deadly disease.
They were joined by Rep. Melissa Bean (IL-8) as well as local cancer survivor Maimah Karmo, Executive Director of the Tigerlily Foundation, and Dr. Sandra
Swain the medical director of the Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center.
“I found my cancer early because of knowledge and awareness,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “I knew that I should perform breast self-exams, and I was aware of what my body was supposed to feel like. We need to ensure that every young woman in America can rely on more than luck because their survival depends on it.”
“It is critical that we support the EARLY Act and get this legislation passed,” said Ms. Karmo. “There are over a quarter million women living in the United States today who are diagnosed with breast cancer under 40. These women are not just statistics, they’re heart beats. They need education, they need to be aware, and they need hands on support.”
Read More
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, MARCH 20, 2009 — We are incredibly sad to report that one of our favorite clients, The Delaware Market House in Gladwyne PA, is going out of business tomorrow.
“People are watching their finances, and when they’re looking to make cuts, gourmet food is the first to go,” owner and chef Kim Alvarez told Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Kathy Boccella. “They think, Do I really need that rotisserie chicken for $7.99 or can I pick one up at Costco?”
Read the entire article on Philly.com, or click inside to read more. Recipes are available on Chefs Kim & Edgar’s website: www.delawaremarkethouse.com.
Read More
GLADWYNE PA, March 17, 2009 — The downturn in the economy has taken its toll on The Delaware Market House, say owners Kim and Edgar Alvarez, who will be closing their Gladwyne gourmet store on Saturday, March 21. “With the increase of food costs and the decline in revenue, the market has been unable to keep up with the drastic changes in this tumultuous economic time,” says Chef Kim. “We will officially close our doors at 5pm.” The couple admits closing the store is like losing a dear friend. “We thank all of our customers for the support they have showered on us since we bought the store in 2004,” Kim says. “We’ve had a wonderful time cooking for you, talking with you, and having you as a part of our Delaware Market House family. Please stay in touch.”
Read More
WASHINGtON BUSINESS JOURNAL, March 13, 2009 — Layoffs are never pleasant and often scary, but if you stay upbeat, make a plan and get busy, this seismic shift could help push your career in a better direction, human resources training and consulting expert Sharon Armstrong explained to Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner in a feature that appeared today on pages 26-27. Following are tips that Armstrong offered to help you bounce back.
Read More
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: Vint Hill Craft Winery
Assignment: Create flyer to announce grand opening of Vint Hill Craft Winery
Opening for Harvest 2009
Orders taken beginning in March craft winery
Vint Hill Craft Winery will deliver a unique experience that focuses on winemaking; the skill, art and passion that surround it. Veteran Virginia winemaker Chris Pearmund is spearheading this new concept in personalized winemaking; ensuring quality, success and sustainability.
Read More
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: Vint Hill Craft Winery
Assignment: Create business card to promote Vint Hill Craft Winery
Client: Ray Summerell, CEO, and Chris Pearmund, winemaker
This business card by Northern Virginia illustrator / designer Michael Gibbs was created for Vint Hill craft winery’s grand opening in the spring of 2009.
Read More
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: Vint Hill Craft Winery
Assignment: Create rack card to promote Vint Hill Craft Winery
Client: Ray Summerell, CEO, and Chris Pearmund, winemaker
This rack card by Northern Virginia illustrator / designer Michael Gibbs was created for Vint Hill craft winery’s grand opening in the spring of 2009.
Clients: Ray Summerell, CEO, and Chris Pearmund, winemaker, approved the design and are distributing the rack cards at their other two wineries: Pearmund Cellars and The Winery La Grange.
Read More
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: Vint Hill Craft Winery
Assignment: Create flyer to announce grand opening of Vint Hill Craft Winery
Opening for Harvest 2009
Orders taken beginning in March craft winery
Vint Hill Craft Winery will deliver a unique experience that focuses on winemaking; the skill, art and passion that surround it. Veteran Virginia winemaker Chris Pearmund is spearheading this new concept in personalized winemaking; ensuring quality, success and sustainability.
Read More
Gettysburg PA, March 16, 2009 — Why is having an executive presence so important? Today Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, released a YouTube video about why, and how, to achieve the highest standard of leadership. In this video by Inkandescent Public Relations videographer Zach Starr of Starr Media, Wiley interviews Lincoln about what it takes to be as effective as the 16th president.
View the video on YouTube and read the entire transcript below.
Read More
Gettysburg PA, March 16, 2009 — Why is having an executive presence so important? Today Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, released a YouTube video about why, and how, to achieve the highest standard of leadership. In this video by Inkandescent Public Relations videographer Zach Starr of Starr Media, Wiley interviews Lincoln about what it takes to be as effective as the 16th president.
View the video on YouTube and read the entire transcript below.
Read More
WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL, March 13, 2009 — Layoffs are never pleasant and often scary. Stay upbeat, make a plan and get busy. This seismic shift could help push your career in a better direction, human resources training and consulting expert Sharon Armstrong told Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner in a March 13 feature on pages 26-27. If you become one of the unfortunate ones, read the following are tips to help you bounce back: washington.bizjournals.com.
Read More
At the start of 2008, investors believed they were getting true diversification on their stock portfolios by investing in a variety of asset classes such as commodities, bonds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The prevailing thought was that these other asset classes would provide some hedge against pure stock portfolios.
Then the bottom dropped out. Last year’s global financial margin call, including a general collapse in the housing market and mass deleveraging of the financial system, caused many investors to liquidate everything and anything that had a market value. The spreads of many underlying securities widened, and prices dropped across the board. Keep in mind, certain bond positions dropped significantly, even in cases where there was no exposure to troubled assets.
So we began rethinking our strategy. Traditionally, many financial planners bought in to one philosophy: Buy and hold. This strategy has typically worked for the last 80 years. Indeed, studies have shown* that if you held a fully invested stock portfolio over that time period, your returns far exceeded those of bonds, treasuries, and cash. However, there aren’t many people who have 80 years to wait for their investments to increase. And we believe our retired clients, and those nearing retirement, cannot afford to go through another 2008. Our new motto: Row, don’t sail.
Read more...
WEBSITE — Habitat Women Who Build
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Habitat Women Who Build
Formed in the fall of 2008 by Dr. Alice Waagen, a longtime board member of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia and president of the management training firm Workforce Learning, Habitat Women Who Build is a grassroots effort that brings together women from all walks of life to help build the newest Habitat for Humanity of Northern VA project at Maple Ridge in Fairfax, VA.
“To build a house for a family-in-need is a tall order,” Alice admits. “We need to raise $180,000 in total. But like the good builders we are, our first ambition is to raise enough to sponsor one work day: $5000.”
Designing and posting this website, which was donated by Inkandescent Public Relations, was the first step toward accomplishing that goal. Make a donation here.
WEBSITE — Habitat Women Who Build
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Habitat Women Who Build
Formed in the fall of 2008 by Dr. Alice Waagen, a longtime board member of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia and president of the management training firm Workforce Learning, Habitat Women Who Build is a grassroots effort that brings together women from all walks of life to help build the newest Habitat for Humanity of Northern VA project at Maple Ridge in Fairfax, VA.
“To build a house for a family-in-need is a tall order,” Alice admits. “We need to raise $180,000 in total. But like the good builders we are, our first ambition is to raise enough to sponsor one work day: $5000.”
Designing and posting this website, which was donated by Inkandescent Public Relations, was the first step toward accomplishing that goal. Make a donation here.
Habitat Women Who Build Fashion Show, March 18, 2009 — At Inkandescent Public Relations, we’re often asked to contribute to and participate in raising funds for worthwhile causes. We couldn’t say no when our prez Hope Katz Gibbs was invited by our client Dr. Alice Waagen, owner of Workforce Learning to be one of the founding mothers of Habitat Women Who Build, a fundraising group dedicated to raising at least $5000 to sponsor a build day later this year.
As of today, are 1/5th of the way there! And in the spirit of bringing in the bucks — and bringing together a lot of other women who are inspired to help this cause — on March 18, Habitat Women Who Build will be the beneficiaries of funds raised at a wonderful “Night of Fashion,” hosted by Your Own Entourage and Moore Cadillac Chantilly. Sponsorships are also available. REGISTER HERE!
Read More
Scholastic Administrator Magazine, February 2009 — Educator Peter Noonan, Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services, was named a one of the “Top Educators Under 40” this month by Scholastic Administrator magazine.
In the article, reporter Caralee Adam discussed how a younger generation is changing the face of education. Among other things, Noonan shared his education policy wish: “We need to take a hard look at NCLB. The intent and spirit was good. But we have some outstanding educators and schools that have been labeled as failing, and that has a devastating effect on the community.”
Read the entire article here.
Read More
WUSA: DC Channel 9 News NOW — HR expert Sharon Armstrong was invited with her colleague Marshall Brown on December 30 to talk about the best approach to find a new job in the current economic downturn. A human resources consultant, trainer and career counselor, Armstrong has interviewed and helped hundreds of job candidates land the perfect job. Brown, a certified career, executive coach, and author of “High-End Resumes,” focuses on strategies for succeeding in interviews and making it to the final candidate list in this tough market.
“Don’t panic,” Armstrong told WUSA reporter Mike Walter. “Just start working right away on a new plan.” Watch the clip on YouTube
Read More
Gettysburg PA, February 24, 2009 — The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg launched a special YouTube video this week to celebrate the move into its new offices in the historic David Wills House — the location where the 16th president spent the night before reciting the historic Gettysburg Address. “We are thrilled to have our headquarters in this beautifully restored historic landmark,” says Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, who spoke at the opening luncheon prior official ribbon cutting for the museum.
Read More
Gettysburg PA, February 24, 2009 — The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg launched a special YouTube video this week to celebrate the move into its new offices in the historic David Wills House — the location where the 16th president spent the night before reciting the historic Gettysburg Address. “We are thrilled to have our headquarters in this beautifully restored historic landmark,” says Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, who spoke at the opening luncheon prior official ribbon cutting for the museum.
Read More
Gettysburg PA, February 24, 2009 — The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg launched a special YouTube video this week to celebrate the move into its new offices in the historic David Wills House — the location where the 16th president spent the night before reciting the historic Gettysburg Address. “We are thrilled to have our headquarters in this beautifully restored historic landmark,” says Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, who spoke at the opening luncheon prior official ribbon cutting for the museum.
Read More
Washington DC, February 24, 2009 — Laura Lee Williams, owner of the Washington DC-based luxury handbag company Laura Lee Designs, got word this week that she was named a Top Women Entrepreneur in North America by Enterprising Women magazine.
“These awards recognize some of our nation’s most talented women business owners,” says Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women magazine, which is based in Cary, NC. “Our mission with this award celebration is to showcase the outstanding accomplishments of this remarkable group of women entrepreneurs, both in their industries and local communities.”
Read More
Babylune blog, February 20, 2009 — Writer and PR specialist Hope Katz Gibbs was featured today on Babylune, a blog for moms about moms. In this Q&A, Hope talked about a business she launched in 2001, Great Handmade Gifts, which showcases the work of dozens of artists, artisans, authors and crafters on an e-commerce website that also sells their beautiful work.
Read More
C-SPAN BOOK, February 15, 2009 — At 3pm today, C-SPAN BOOKS aired the speech that microfinance expert Dr. Muhammad Yunus gave on Feb. 4 at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University. WATCH DR. YUNUS’ SPEECH HERE
“Our thanks go out to the 1400 people who packed the Lisner Auditorium to hear the the wonderful 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner speak to us about ways we can create a world without poverty,” says Perry Pidgeon Hooks, co-owner of Hooks Book Events, who with her partner Loretta Yenson brought Dr. Yunus to D.C. to share his wit and wisdom. “Dr. Yunus inspired everyone with his impressive thoughts on the importance of microfinance and social business from his important book.”
Read More
Friend us on Facebook
Connect on Google+
