MARCH 2008

2008 Women in Business Trade Show & Luncheon: Thursday, March 13th at the Arizona Biltmore Resort

**Space is limited... reserve TODAY!**

When: March 13, 2008, 11:00am - 6:00pm
Location: Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa - 2400 E. Missouri, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Cost: $99-$1,000

Sharon Lechter

Arizona woman named to

President’s Council

on Financial Literacy

Sharon Lechter joins in first ever

council to educate the nation

during unpredictable economy

PHOENIX (February 6, 2008) – Paradise Valley, Arizona, resident Sharon L. Lechter was appointed to the President’s Council on Financial Literacy in a ceremony held in the Roosevelt room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008.
 
Lechter and the council, comprised of 19 members from the business, faith and non-profit communities will help shape the course for a financially literate nation. The council is charged to gather information about financial literacy and its condition in the U.S., recommend improvements to national policies to the President and the Treasury secretary and “assist the American people in understanding and addressing financial matters.”
 
“I am thrilled to be a part of such a prestigious council,” said Lechter after her appointment Tuesday afternoon. “Together, this council can make an impact on the financial education of our country during these troubling economic times.”
 
President Bush announced the advisory council Tuesday morning. A ceremony inducting the 19 members of the council was held later in the day from the Roosevelt room at the White House where the President made remarks.
 
“We want people to own assets; we want people to be able to manage their assets,” said President Bush in his remarks. “We want people to understand basic financial concepts, and how credit cards work and how credit scores affect you, how you can benefit from a savings account or a bank account. That's what we want. And this group of citizens has taken the lead, and I really thank them.”
 
Press releases directly from the White House:
Executive Order: Establishing the President's Council on Financial Literacy President Bush Announces President's Council on Financial Literacy Personnel Announcement: President's Council on Financial Literacy at bottom.

 
 Click here to see more photos from Feb. meeting

VALLEY LEADERSHIP SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR
PREMIER LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PHOENIX – Valley Leadership is currently seeking a diverse group of applicants for the next Leadership Institute class. We take pride in being an inclusive organization that fosters dialogue and brings together people of varying ages, genders, economic status and professional backgrounds.

The Institute offers:

• Increased awareness and understanding of our community and the issues affecting its growth and prosperity;

• Leadership skills development, cultivation and opportunities for engagement;

• A broader network of personal and professional relationships.

The time commitment for the Leadership Institute is considerable from September through the following June. In order to graduate, attendance is mandatory at a two-day overnight retreat in September and is expected at monthly all-day program days the first Friday of every month, October through June. Additional requirements include five behind-the-scenes tours which are meant to enhance the information that is gleaned from the monthly program days with behind-the-scenes, no-holds-barred glimpses of how those issues affect the Valley and its citizens.

Leadership Institute is Valley Leadership’s legacy program, launched 30 years ago. Each year, 50 individuals are selected through a competitive process to participate in the nine month Institute beginning in September and ending in June. Many Valley corporations and organizations view Leadership Institute as an affordable and highly effective leadership development program for their best and brightest employees – those who they see as the future leaders within their organizations.
 

Imagine rubbing elbows with a future mayor or governor, or picture yourself as the future CEO of one of Arizona’s top public or private companies. Valley Leadership has demonstrated that it can help you get there. Many graduates have gone on to take many top leadership roles in the community; leaders such as Betsey Bayless, Joe Garagiola, Jr., Councilman Greg Stanton, Councilwoman Peggy Neely, Councilman Tom Simplot, Sam Campana, Senator Ken Cheuvront, Marty Shultz, Barry Wong, Luis Ibarra, Marchelle Franklin, Gerald Richard II, Grady Gammage Jr., Thomas Browning, Diane Ryan, Richard de Uriarte, Luz Sarmina and Paul Luna just to name a few.
 

Applications for the Leadership Institute may be obtained by calling the Valley Leadership office at
(602) 952-6760, via e-mail at vl@valleyleadership.org or downloaded from the Valley Leadership website at www.valleyleadership.org. Application deadline is April 25, 2008.

Valley Leadership is a nonprofit, leadership development organization with the mission to enhance the abilities of individuals to serve and strengthen our communities. Established in 1978, Valley Leadership has been cultivating passionate and engaged leaders in our community for 30 years. Valley Leadership: Connecting…Learning…Leading.

For more information, visit www.valleyleadership.org.

Gabriel’s Angels, an organization whose mission is to deliver healing pet therapy to abused, neglected and at-risk children, nurturing their ability to love and trust; thereby freeing them from the cycle of violence, is excited to announce this year’s Pets Helping Kids fundraising and awareness event will be a breakfast held on Fri. May 16, 2008 at the Westin Kierland Resort, Trailblazers Terrace.

Gabriel’s Angels hosts the annual event as a means to generate awareness about the organization and its mission as well as generate capital to facilitate its programs and show appreciation for those committed to helping our community. Through testimonials, stories and a vivid video presentation, attendees will get a clear picture of the work Gabriel’s Angels does in the community. Community leaders and Gabriel’s Angels volunteers will educate and inspire guests to get involved.

“Through this event we hope to build lifelong relationships with active and community oriented individuals interested in helping Gabriel’s Angels with its mission to help abused and neglected children,” says Pam Gaber, president and founder. “There are so many generous people in our community and this is a time for us to cultivate new relationships, by creating awareness about our organization.”

The breakfast is FREE to those that wish to attend, and the program is structured to last exactly one hour. The breakfast is open to anyone that would like to learn more about Gabriel’s Angels, friends of the organization or those that want to support the organization financially or through volunteering. The breakfast will be held Fri., May 16, 2008 at 7:30 am at the Westin Kierland Resort, Trailblazers Terrace.
 

For more information about Gabriel’s Angels, the “Pets Helping Kids Fundraising Breakfast,” becoming a volunteer or pet therapy team please call 480.460.5333 or visit www.gabrielsangels.org.
 

Marketing and Services Leadership
Innovating the Customer Experience
Success in business is all about creating an exceptional customer experience, and then enhancing it. But how do we innovate the customer experience to make it exceptional? Larry Crosby, "chief loyalty architect" at Synovate, a global research and consulting firm thinks the answers are in the concept of customer experience itself, and how it evolved. Crosby posed these questions in early February to experts at a panel hosted by the Center for Services Leadership, a think tank at the W. P. Carey School of Business.
http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article/1557