Press Release – JANUARY 24, 2017, WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Women’s Media Foundation is thrilled to welcome to its Board of Directors four highly accomplished leaders in business and the media. New Board members include Stephanie Kauffman, Chief Strategic Alliances Officer, Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF); Jennifer Reingold, Global Head of Content, Egon Zehnder, and former Editor-at-Large, Fortune; Andrea B. Smith, Chief Administrative Officer, Bank of America; and Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be adding these seasoned women leaders to the Board of the IWMF. Our organization is at a pivotal moment, where issues of press freedom and gender equality are increasingly important and our organization is poised for continued exponential growth,” said Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director of the IWMF, adding, “I’m confident these new additions to our Board will play a vital role in enabling us to achieve our goals.”
The IWMF’s new Board members will fill spots recently vacated by noted First Amendment Attorney Theodore J. Boutrous of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher; Nadia Bilbassy-Charters of Al-Arabiya; Barbara Cochran of the Missouri School of Journalism; Katty Kay of BBC America; Sharon Waxman of TheWrap; and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, whose terms on the Board expired. These Board alumni will join the IWMF’s renowned Advisory Council. The IWMF anticipates adding additional Board members later this year.
Stephanie Kauffman is Chief Strategic Alliances Officer of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, where she has led the transformation of the BCRF brand, content strategy, storytelling and digital engagement. She assumed her current role after 16 years as a senior marketing executive with Universal Studios in Los Angeles, where she led filmed entertainment and theme park global alliances. Stephanie has been philanthropically active on a personal level in such areas as cancer research, legal aid for the working poor, and mentoring young women in the areas of business, management, marketing and communications.
Jennifer Reingold recently became the Global Head of Content for Egon Zehnder International, following a 10-year tenure at Fortune Magazine. Reingold was an Editor-at-Large at Fortune, where she was the recipient of several major journalism awards, including the Gerald Loeb award, the Henry Luce award, the Deadline Club award, and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers award for investigative reporting. She was also co-chair of Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” project, which names the 50 most powerful women in business each year, and runs a very successful and highly acclaimed convention of the same name. Prior to that, Reingold worked at Fast Company and Businessweek.
Andrea B. Smith, Bank of America’s Chief Administrative Officer, is a key member of the company’s executive management team. For the past 11 years, Bank of America has been the lead supporter of IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Awards, serving as its National Presenting Sponsor. Smith joined Bank of America in 1988 and has held a range of leadership positions in Global Human Resources, transforming many of the bank’s human resources efforts, including hiring, benefits, diversity, and inclusion. Smith is very active in the Charlotte, NC community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Ballet and the Charlotte Sports Foundation. She also began serving as the Chair of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in 2017.
Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell, has significant expertise in branding and marketing, and was an early leader in digital and social media. In addition, she founded the blog Executive Moms in 2002 (www.executivemoms.com), which has become a leading social network and content provider for this demographic. She has appeared in numerous TV and print media outlets nationwide and was selected by UNICEF as their iconic representative of U.S. working mothers for their State of the World’s Children report. She has also been named a “Brand Genius” in Adweek; “One of the top five social business leaders in the nation” by The Economist; and “A Woman to Watch” by Advertising Age.
ABOUT THE IWMF
Since 1990, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has worked to unleash the potential of women journalists as champions of press freedom to transform the global news media. We seek to ensure that women journalists worldwide are fully supported, protected, recognized and rewarded for their vital contributions at all levels of the news media. As a result, consumers will increase their demand for news with a diversity of voices, stories and perspectives as a cornerstone of democracy and free expression.
