Contents:
April Luncheon
"Puttin on the Ritz"
The Executive Grapevine
Upcoming Luncheons and Board Meetings
2004 WEC Retreat
Membership Attendance
Membership Categories
Cannon Circle Schedule
WEC Mission Statement
Book Club
Women Empowering Women
Mentorship Program
Greet Eat Meet

WEC Board of Directors
2003-2004

President -
Leigh Nickel

President Elect -
Dee Moustakas

VP Corporate Records -
Emily Rushin

VP Community Involvement -
Ronnie Karlin

VP Finance -
Jacqueline Powell

VP Internal Involvement Toby Manke

VP Membership -
Carolyn Ernest-Jones

Past President -
Joyce Shore

All contact information is available for WEC members on our Members Only website. If you are a member and you don't have a name and password, you can contact Chris Guld for more information.

Upcoming Luncheons

April 16, 2004
May 14, 2004
June 15, 2004

Upcoming Board Meetings

12 noon
Riverside Hotel

May 7, 2004
June 4, 2004

April Luncheon

Date: Friday April 16, 2004
Time: 11:30 Networking
12:00 Luncheon

The Riverside Hotel
620 East Las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale

Guest Cost: $20.00 Members are responsible for all guest lunches

Program: “All That Jazz!”

Speaker: Pam Dearden, Executive Director, Gold Coast Jazz Society

Mrs. Dearden brings more that 20 years in arts management and administration experience to the Gold Coast Jazz Society. She spent over six years with the Florida Philharmonic in management in the areas of education, outreach, grants management and chorus administrator, twelve years as administrative director and business manager of Florida’s Singing Sons Boychoir and two years as the assistant manager for The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale.

Ms. Dearden holds a bachelor of arts in Music from Florida Atlantic University and is the recipient of the 1997 ArtServe Encore Award for Individual Leadership in the Arts, the Cultural Foundation of Broward’s Star Award for volunteerism, and a March of Dimes’ Women of Distinction Award nominee. She has been affiliated with many professional and local civic organizations including American Symphony Orchestra League; Broward Cultural Council’s Arts in Education Committee; Broward County Music Teachers Association; Broward Woman’s Alliance; past chair of the Cultural Executive Committee for the Broward Cultural Council; Cultural Foundation of Broward; National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE); National Association of the Teachers of Singing; past member of the Philharmonic Society and Opera Society.

Professional development workshops and seminars attended by Mrs. Dearden include the American Symphony Orchestra League - Orchestra Management Course; American Council for the Arts - United Arts Funds - Workplace Giving Conference; Broward Cultural Affairs Council - Arts administration seminars; Florida Atlantic University - Florida Institute for Career and Employment Training Developing Effective Program Outcomes and Measurements; Grantsmanship Center - Grantwriting course; Kennedy Center – Giving Clues – seminar for developing educational materials for students; National Opera Association - Conference for opera education; National Opera Association - Annual convention; National Society of Fund Raising Executives - Regional and local conferencesand University of Mass. Amherst – 2003 Winter Institute for Arts Management.

“ Her experience in grantwriting, fundraising, music education, arts marketing/public relations and production activities makes her an excellent successor in the tradition of Jody Mackie, Cindy Garren,” says Ron Murfin, chairman, Gold Coast Jazz Society. “Dearden and her husband Ralph have lived in Fort Lauderdale since the early 70s and her contacts with the arts community and fundraising activities in this area will serve us well.”

Menu: Fresh Fruit Cup
Rolls & butter
Garden greens and oriental noodles tossed in sesame seed dressing
Garnished with grilled Skirt Steak and Chicken

Alternate: Grilled Vegetables over Pasta in Basil Sauce

Dessert: Rice Pudding

RSVP to: Toby Manke by April 13th at 954-522-2200
or tsm@brinkleymcnerney.com

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2004-2005 Slate of Officers

WEC's new year begins in June. Welcome the following new slate of Officers:

• President: Dee Moustakas
• Past President: Leigh Nickel
• President Elect: Ronnie Karlin
• VP Finance: Jacqueline Powell
• VP Corporate Records: Emily Rushin
• VP Internal Involvement: Vivien Godfrey
• VP Community Involvement: Joni Rosenthal
• VP Membership: Marilyn Obrig

Congratulations! And THANK YOU! to those members who serve on our Board.

FROM THE BOARD

When Marshia requested that I write this article, I had to laugh. After all, for the past two years, it was my job to elbow someone (figuratively only) each month to write something entertaining and/or meaningful for each month’s newsletter. So, understanding how thankless a task THAT is, how could I refuse?!

This will be my last year as a WEC Board member (that I know of!). Joining the Board a few years ago turned out to be a true turning point in my relationship with all of you. Up until then, I enjoyed the monthly luncheons, but that was about it. When Bobbie asked me to take charge of the newsletter a few years ago I was somewhat (ok – totally) panicked! How could I do this? When would I do this? Could I do this at all???? At my first Board meeting, my panic only worsened as I realized not only the enormity of the task I had accepted, but the enormity of how little I knew about WEC, even after being a member for a year or two. As time went on, I began to see how things worked, and learned a tremendous amount about what goes into running this organization. I’d had no idea! More importantly, in my dealings with the other Board members, and in my monthly cajoling you all for info to go into the newsletter, I found myself becoming much more attached to the members, more committed to the organization, and more anxious to become friends with all of you. I attended the retreat, and when we each said something about ourselves, I learned much more about everyone than I ever could have at the monthly meetings. Even now, I find that I still learn something new about WEC or about a particular member at every meeting, and, having served on the Board and watched the evolution of various programs such as the GEM Lunches, the Book Club and the Mentor Program, I can honestly say that this is an exciting, dynamic and constantly evolving club.

For you new members, I urge you to get involved, both for the Club’s benefit and for your own. For us to continue to be dynamic and evolving, we always need new people with new ideas. For you “old” members, (who also have new ideas!) I urge you too to get involved! Not only will you give more than you ever thought you had time for, but you will reap countless benefits that you can hardly imagine right now. Toby Manke, VP of Internal Involvement

Gala “Roaring” Success

As you can tell from the pictures, we really did “Put On The Ritz” at our March Gala. Everyone had a sensational time. The music was wonderful, the food absolutely delicious and the costumes sensational! Thanks to everyone for getting into the spirit of the evening. A special thanks to the “Showoffs” dance troupe for setting the tone for the entire evening.

We haven’t tallied all the figures just yet, but I do know we raised enough money to fund our FX and WEW programs for at least one year, if not two. As soon as we have a grand total, I’ll let you know.

Thank you to my dedicated and hard-working committee: Carolyn Ernest-Jones, Vivien Godfrey, Donna Goldstein, Cynthia Hardy, Carol Jones, Korie Kapal, Deb McLaughlin, Barbara Moorman, Barbara Riley, Joni Rosenthal, Emily Rushin, Bobbie Stanley and Gloria Williams. You made my vision come to life –– and so effortlessly.

Thank you to the Board for your support and faith that we could pull off such an ambitious undertaking. Also, thank you Theora Braccialarghe, Linda Chapman, Nancy Fischer, Ronnie Karlin, Ann Meacham and Marilyn Van Valkenburg for your extra help the night of the event. And a special thanks to Betsy Grant whose table decorations provided a finishing touch and whose basket-making skills gave our silent auction items a truly professional look.

Dee

Lots more photos on the WEC website photo album

A BIG THANK YOU!

Because of an oversight, Maya White, a friend of Dr. Donna’s and a contributor to the Gala’s Silent Auction, was inadvertently left out of the program. Since she recently relocated here from Maine and was generous enough to support our Gala by her presence and her donation, we thought it only fitting to introduce you to her.

Maya is a professional astrologer and writer recently moved to South Florida. She is a long time Astrological columnist for Maine’s Holistic Journal Inner Tapestry, and is a contributing writer to various publications in Florida. Maya specializes in astrological counseling for individuals as well as businesses, and brings 25 years of experience to every consultation. She is one of only 84 people in the world certified in Astro*Carto*Graphy, a specialized branch of astrology which addresses issues relating to location and travel.

Maya is a member of Development Associates International Public Speakers Bureau and has conducted classes in Denver, Chicago, and Boston, as well as several locations in Maine. She is also an experienced musician and performer with a degree in Jazz and Music Studies from the University of Maine.

Her monthly horoscope is read all around the world, and is currently published in an English language newspaper based in Thailand. You can read her educational articles and monthly forecast on-line at her web site: www.WhiteStarAstrology.com. Her local telephone number is 954-920- 2373

Girls Just Wanna Have FUN!

Mark you calendar now!

2004 WEC Retreat
Saturday, June 26
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Westin/Fort Lauderdale

A little business, a healthy portion of camaraderie and a whole lotta FUN! Don’t miss it!

Membership Attendance:

The membership requirement is to attend a minimum of five (5) meetings every year in order to maintain regular membership. This is calculated on a fiscal year basis (i.e. August-June, not calendar year). Below are the names of all WEC members and the number of luncheons attended for the current fiscal year.

Membership Categories and By-laws

Click here to see the categories that we have for all member's businesses and also the categories that we have listed you under. Please check to see if you are listed in the right category. If you would prefer to change or to add a more suitable category for your business listing please let me know.

Please note that in Section 5 of Women's Executive Club by-laws it is stated that:
" Limitation on Member of Same or Similar Business. There shall be no more than ten percent of the members in the same or similar business at any time. However, if a current member with active standing changes her status and there are already ten percent of the members in the same or similar business, such limitations shall not apply to her".
Thank you,
Carolyn Ernest-Jones
VP Membership

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Cannon Circle

Members get together in a more informal atmosphere during the year. These evening socials are called "Cannon Circles" and are hosted at members' homes. The Cannon Circle is named for Past President Shirley Cannon who was known for her gracious and uplifting spirit.

Upcoming WEC Cannon Circles

April 28, 2004 Debbie Rugg
May 26, 2004 Dr. Dora Vilk-Shapiro’s Office

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The Executive Grapevine

Jan Herard was awarded the distinction of International President's Elite for Coldwell Banker. It is an award based on production. Coldwell Banker agents with this designation are in the top 1/4% of all Coldwell Banker Realtors worldwide.

Virginia Forster and her husband Paul will be leaving on April 17th for a 17 day cruise through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles, during which they will visit places like San Blas Island (Panama), several ports in Columbia, Acapulco and Manzanillo Mexico, and Aruba.

Ronnie Karlin wishes to thank Ann Meacham for nominating her as a Broward Woman of Distinction.

Barbara Ryan is at last realizing her dream to buy a bed and breakfast (B&B). The B&B is located in the quaint little waterfront town of St. Mary’s, Georgia. This second oldest town in America is just two blocks from the waterfront; the gateway to Cumberland Island; and the Queen of the Red Hat Society has a shop across the street. Barbara is excited about organizing a WEC weekend at her B&B.

In the mean time, Barbara would like to sell her home located in desirable Yellowstone in River Oaks. This area is becoming known as "the next Rio Vista" and is located just minutes from Las Olas and Riverwalk. This beautiful ItalianVilla lifestyle has captured the attention of the area's most sophisticated real estate visionaries. Her home is located on fifty feet of a deep-water canal; has a pool and many extras. For more information or a private showing call 954-523-1112

Patty Camp has a Cinderella Story. Patty’s life has totally changed in a matter of 8 or 9 weeks.
She reconnected with an old boyfriend who she felt was the love of her life. She spent the month of March with him in Phoenix and then came home to pack. She loved it there and “he” came to South Florida the first week of April to drive her and her possessions back to Phoenix. They will probably marry in the next few months.

Chris Guld invites all WEC members to follow her along as she and her husband travel the country in their motorhome. She will be keeping a travelog and posting photos to their weblog. If you don't have this link, just remember www.jimandchris.com and you can then click on the link to their weblog.

Barbara Riley's brother passed away on Tuesday, March 30. Barbara, please accept our sincerest sympathy.

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WEC BOOK CLUB:

In 2002, members of WEC who had a common desire for reading and discussions formed the WEC Book Club. The book for discussion is select by the majority and the gathering is held in a member’s home (munchies are always welcome). The meeting schedule varies according to the book and other circumstances. All members are welcome to participate.

The next Book Club will be on Wednesday May 5, at Geri Trodick's home. The book will be SEA BISCUIT by Laura Hillenbrand. It is a biography of the horse whose career culminated in a 1938 match race with War Admiral. Directions to Geri’s home will be posted later.

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Women Empowering Women Program

The "Women Empowering Women" (WEW) program, started in 1996, provides financial assistance and member services support to females in the workplace who need help to further their education.

Do You Know ... someone who is re-entering the workforce? . . . trying to advance in her career? . . . could use a “leg up”?

Please help us identify someone. It can be a family member, co-worker, friend, or friend of a friend. Call (954-344-9892) or email Ann Meacham with ideas or questions.

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Special FX Mentor Program

NEW PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN JANUARY

Read January’s newsletter or contact Ronnie Karlin for more information or to volunteer for this exciting new adventure.

GEM “Greet Eat Meet” Program

Formed in November 2002, members of WEC who choose to get together for an informal meeting are selected at random in small groups to greet, eat and meet. A Lead person is selected to set a time and place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or what ever. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level. It is great fun!

WEC MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of Women's Executive Club is to give executives the opportunity of fellowship with their peers in diverse fields; to promote the image of the woman executive; to further the interrelationships of such executives and to promote the general welfare of their businesses and community.

*Photos in this issue thanx to Joni Rosenthal and Chris Guld!

April Luncheon
Friday, April 16
RSVP to: Toby Manke

Words of Wisdom: “A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it..as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky” Chief Crazy Horse

© 2004 Women's Executive Club

Chris Guld, Webmaster