Announcements and Opportunities

Newsletter Reaches 200th Edition! You may not read the date and issue line at the top of every NAFE News & Notes – but editors do. And this editor is happy to welcome you to Issue Number 200. It’s an ongoing pleasure to keep in touch with the NAFE membership through our biweekly publication. Please keep in touch with me, too, by clicking on Paula Damiano to let me know what you want, what you like, and especially what you’re doing.
A note from the newsletter’s first editor Lindsey Pollak: “Hello to the NAFE team and members! I'm so proud to know that the NAFE e-newsletter we started several years ago is still going strong at 200 issues. Keep up the great work!” If you'd like to know what Lindsey is doing these days, you can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lindseypollak.

Report from West Coast Event. NAFE Regional Coordinator Robbie Motter tells us that the just-completed Western Regional Conference in Irvine, CA was a huge success. Conference attendees laughed with author and motivational speaker Colette Carlson [photo: left], and were inspired by the messages of women's solidarity from speakers Dr. Sally Andriamairisosa of Gaia Global Elite, Dr. Paula Fellingham, CEO of the Women's Information Network, and NAFE President Dr. Betty Spence [photo: right]. Lucky conference participants also got to meet – and play – with Kelly Breaux, the Hoopitup Gal, who brought lots of hula hoops and created big-time fun as she instructed the audience on their use. Virgil Gibson, formerly of The Platters, and NAFE member Cristina Fontanelli, among other singers, performed. You can view event photos here.

Washington DC Career Event. The Greater Washington Women’s Network (GWWN), the NAFE local affiliate in our nation’s capital, recently hosted its first Career Expo and Resume Critique. Mary Greene, Executive Director of GWWN, says the event was “phenomenal” and reports that attendees received three dynamic seminars, personalized resume critiques, and access to a number of companies to discuss job vacancies. Mary adds, “We are very excited that our experts agreed to provide additional resume critique consulting pro bono beyond the event.”

Unique Online MBA Program at UNC. The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School (ranked 16th in the U.S. according to Business Week) will now offer an online MBA program, described as “completely different from what you may think about online programs… a truly first of its kind learning environment (imagine a Brady bunch- type screen).” Application deadline is in August. Click here to learn more.

NAFE Authors

Janus Moncur: Rusty ’n Nikki: Doggie Lessons in Life and Love (Mon Coeur Publishing, 2007). A great novel for young readers that teaches lessons of friendship and caring through an exciting and suspenseful plot – told in a puppy’s voice.

List your book in the NAFE News & Notes newsletter and on nafe.com. Send information to editor Paula Damiano. You can read about your fellow NAFE authors and their books here.

Member News

Professional soprano Cristina Fontanelli has been honored by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was named one of the Academy’s Most Notable Alumni – joining a list of 100 or so others that includes Cecil B. DeMille, Robert Redford, Danny DeVito, and Anne Hathaway. Cristina says, “I loved attending the Academy… So many of you know me as a singer, but my first love is acting and I am currently pursuing more acting roles… in addition to my busy singing career.”

5 Tips for Career Success
(Hint: You Can’t Do It Alone)

By Paula Damiano, Editor - NAFE News & Notes

To paraphrase John Donne: No woman is an island. This is especially true when it comes to success in your career – it can’t be achieved without help. You have to reach out to others.

Corporate representatives at this year’s NAFE Top Companies event emphasized this theme in their acceptance remarks. From mentors and coworkers to an external network, you can benefit immensely from outside support and advice. Here are some thoughts from the 2011 best companies for female executives.

1. Accept assistance when you need it. You don’t have to be a one-woman show. “Be willing to ask for help, but be able to take charge! It’s better to admit you need help than to fumble. But once you’ve been pointed in the right direction, take charge.” Denise Sena, Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Merck

2. Work at it. Treat your career like the investment it is. “Build your own board of directors, to include sponsors, mentors and role models.” Monica Boyles, VP, General Manager, Greater Chicago Region, McDonald's Corporation

3. Outside resources. “Keep your external network alive through women's networks, university connections, technical societies or external functional groups. Don't fall into the trap of focusing all your energy and time only within your company.” Diane Wolf, Vice President Global Safety & Environment in Operations & Business Services, Kraft Foods, Inc.

4. Extend your horizons. “Periodically seek out opportunities to expand your network and acquire new skills and perspectives, even if this means getting out of your comfort zone.” Carolyn Kelley, HR Business Manager, Intel Corporation

5. Remember to give back. “The roots of any organization are the people who make up the company, so always try to ‘pay it forward’ both as a personal obligation to the people and as a current or future stockholder of the company. You can’t develop your career single handedly, so don’t expect others can either.” Linda Palczuk, VP, Sales & Marketing, AstraZeneca

Meet Your Fellow NAFE Members

Listen to interviews with the 2010 NAFE Women of Excellence by logging into our Members Only area and following the link. You can also read about outstanding NAFE women in our Member Profiles section. Have a suggestion for a new profile? Send it to NAFE News & Notes editor Paula Damiano.

NAFE Online Connections

New NAFE blogger Cathy Rosenbaum writes about alternative medicine; Pat Carr Calabrese tempts us with upcoming events in beautiful Nantucket; and Leah Bourne discusses President Obama’s ideas on workplace equality. Post your comments on these – and other – blogs at the NAFE Cafe blog.

For Your Benefit

Take a minute today to log onto the NAFE Benefits page to explore all the valuable opportunities that come with your NAFE membership.

Upcoming Events

For a complete list of events, see our online Calendar!

Melville, NY
June 14, 2011
Join the Shakers and Stirrers of Long Island for a business networking mixer. Make quality connections and mingle with top professionals while enjoying half-price drink specials and complimentary hors d'oeuvres. After the event, they’ll email you the list of confirmed attendees to help you follow up with your new contacts. Go here for more information.

Irvine, CA
June 21, 2011
This For You local NAFE network invites you to join dynamic women for their monthly luncheon meeting starting at 11:30 AM. The event includes networking, self promotion, speaker, light lunch and door prizes. Bring a friend! Details can be found here.

Virtual Event/Anywhere
June 27, 2011
It’s Integrity Day - Do it, Dump it, Delegate it! Having important tasks left undone costs you and your business plenty. Presented in webinar and teleseminar format, this free event will reveal how to get things done with the support of your peers. Read the complete calendar listing here.

• Go to nafe.com to view our ever-expanding Calendar of Events for opportunities around the country. The new Search function makes the Calendar even more useful and accessible.
• Use the Event Submission Form online to let us know about events in your area. Events submitted for the website will also be considered for the NAFE News & Notes– twice the exposure for one listing!

Newsletter Sponsor

Check the NAFE Calendar of Events for network meetings, workshops and other happenings around the country.