Daily Archives: May 10, 2018

sheCenterfold Gina Diez Barroso

Posted on by Desiree Patno
shecenterfold1
10 May

NAWRB:What obstacles did you face while developing Centro, the first university in Mexico City that specializes in creative studies? How did you overcome them?

Gina Diez Barroso: The first obstacle was they didn’t believe that we needed a new university, and they didn’t believe creativity was important. We spoke from authorities and business people, to everybody involved in this. I had to get together a diverse group of people— creative thinkers, business people, academics—who were working not for me but for my vision and my passion. They were working with me. We also hired market analysts to do a study, and the study predicted that it wasn’t going to work and that I shouldn’t do it. When I was young, I never took no for an answer. I used to think this was a bad thing, but now I take it as a compliment.

Continue reading →

DC Finance Family Office & Wealth Management Conference, Art Basel – Florida

Posted on by NAWRB
Screen Shot 2018-05-10 at 4.14.02 PM
10 May

Last year, NAWRB had the honor of representing women in the real estate and housing ecosystem at one of the largest events for ultra high net worth individuals and family offices. The events were hosted by one of the world’s leading conference organizers, DC Finance. This organization has built an international network of high net worth individuals, family offices and investors—spanning over 1,000 families that represent $300 billion collectively— that support one another and collaborate towards mutual success.

Continue reading →

Cybersecurity Q&A with Crowell & Moring’s Paul Rosen

Posted on by Paul Rosen
cybersecrity
10 May

For many of us, hacking and cybersecurity concerns are the last thing we want to worry about as we advance our real estate business and work with clients. But, as cybersecurity and government investigations lawyer Paul Rosen shares with us, now is the time to start thinking through your company’s protocols and preparedness. He would know. While chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Paul helped navigate the government’s response to major hacking and security attacks, including attacks on critical infrastructure and personnel data.

Continue reading →

Natural Disasters: Know the Resources

Posted on by Desiree Patno

From the hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, to the wildfires that consumed parts of California’s Wine Country, this year has been fraught with catastrophic natural disasters which have uprooted countless Americans from their stable lives. These disasters, also including tornadoes, hail storms, droughts, cyclones and floods, destroyed properties, businesses, communities, cities and United States territories;  left families and their pets without shelter, food, utilities and vulnerable to disease; and caused hundreds of deaths and casualties.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that 15 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. have each caused over $1 billion in damages in 2017 alone. These events have resulted in the death of 282 people and have had consequential economic effects in the locations affected. As of October, the costs for the major hurricanes—Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria—are still being calculated.  An article from USA Today, however, estimates that Hurricane Harvey will reach at least $190 billion in damages.

Continue reading →

“We Are the Answer”: Michelle Obama Speaks at the 2018 United State of Women Summit

Posted on by NAWRB

Last weekend, over 6,000 women, from international leaders and executive women, to celebrities and politicians, gathered at the 2018 United State of Women Summit in Los Angeles, California, to discuss women’s issues and gender equality. Following the inaugural, day-long event in 2016, this year’s multi-industry event was extended to two days chalk full of main stage and breakout sessions, networking opportunities, skills-based trainings and an interactive center with women-owned businesses and organizations.

Continue reading →

Women Veterans: The Challenges They Face & a Way Forward

Posted on by Erica Courtney
Screen Shot 2018-05-10 at 2.30.22 PM
10 May

Although not officially recognized as members of the armed forces until 1901, the involvement of women in the military dates back to the Revolutionary War.

Each year, the population of women veterans grows steadily due, in part, to the increasing number and proportion of women entering and leaving military service. Most women veterans possess those traits that are valued in military service and beyond: steady nerves, sound judgment, courage, tenacity, patriotism, and sacrifice. The question is, how much should we as a nation allow them to sacrifice once they leave the military? Do we adhere to what President Lincoln said so many years ago? With the words, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” President Lincoln affirmed the government’s obligation to care for those who serve. Clearly he wasn’t expecting to add women to his speech but here we are, serving right beside our male brethren as a force multiplier adding value in ways never expected.

Continue reading →

On the Margin of the 72nd U.N. General Assembly

Posted on by Desiree Patno
Screen Shot 2018-05-10 at 1.50.30 PM
10 May

On the Margin of the 72nd U.N. General Assembly
Women’s Global Leadership Advancing Economic and Innovative Growth for Women in Emerging Countries

Imagine the synergy of having a female President and five First Ladies across two continents come together with the mission to help women and girls. On the morning of September 21, 2017, New York City’s hustle and bustle perfectly matched the excitement at the 2017 International Conference on Gender and Sustainability (ICOGAS).On the margins of the 72nd U.N. General Assembly, and in this incredible setting, the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan witnessed the collaboration and camaraderie of leading global strategists, academics, CEOs and international leaders to generate actionable gender equality and women’s economic sustainability solutions.

Among leaders were Ameenah Gurib, President of Mauritius, and First Ladies Reema Carmona of Trinidad and Tobago, Sandra Granger of Guyana, Lorena Castillo de Varela of Panama, Roman Tesfaye of Ethiopia and Dominique Ouattara of the Ivory Coast. To have these leaders united at one event under a common goal ensured through power and dedication that the issues and questions raised during the conference did not fall on deaf ears.

Continue reading →

Current Corporate Management Diversity

Posted on by Betty T. Yee
corporate
10 May

The diversity of business owners strengthens our nation as their unique perspectives are woven into their businesses, communities, and local and regional economies. However, our nation’s rich diversity still is not reflected in the leadership of companies that sell us products and services and ask us to invest. What a loss.

The Status Quo
Today in the United States, women make up 51 percent of the population. We are 13 percent African American, 18 percent Latino, and six percent Asian Pacific Islander. Yet, here it is 2018, and I am only the 10th woman ever elected to statewide office in California – the most ethnically diverse and most progressive state in the nation. The lack of diversity among our elected officials is woefully apparent. However, behind the doors of board rooms and C-suites across the country, corporations are failing to integrate diversity, and decisions are made without the range of perspectives that differing backgrounds bring.

According to McKinsey & Company, a staggering 45 percent of executive teams in the U.S. do not include one non-white member. Only about three percent of senior executive teams actually reflect the diverse make-up of our population. Fewer than one percent of Fortune 500 board directors are openly LGBT.

Equally disturbing is the divide between the way male and female directors view diversity. A PricewaterhouseCoopers report found that 80 percent of women agreed “very much” that diversity leads to more effective boards, compared to just 40 percent of men.

Continue reading →