OUR BOARD
Ana Chadwick, President and Chief Executive Officer, Insulet Corporation
Ana Chadwick is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Pitney Bowes, responsible for the financial operations of the company on a global basis, which includes the treasury, audit, investor relations, and tax functions.Ana has more than 20 years of global experience as a finance and operational executive at GE Capital. Her responsibilities included both operational and financial positions, along with strong transformational and financial services experience. Most recently, Ana was President and CEO of GE Capital Global Legacy Solutions. Previously, she was Controller of GE Capital Americas and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at GE Capital Energy Financial Services. Ana has held several leadership positions of increasing responsibilities within General Electric Company, including five years as CFO and later Chief Operating Officer of Consumer Finance and Banking in Latin America. She also served as CFO of GE Consumer Finance Switzerland and Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at GE Consumer Finance, Americas.Ana received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The American University in Washington, DC in 1993. She is a former member of both GE’s Hispanic Forum and Women’s Network. She serves on the board of the Norwalk Community College (NCC) Foundation where she also mentors and dedicates time to strengthen NCC’s Career Services.
Jennifer B. Ezring, Bank Finance Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Ms. Ezring’s practice focuses primarily on advising investment banks and other lending institutions in leveraged finance and asset-based lending transactions, including acquisition financings, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and other secured lending matters. Ms. Ezring practices across a variety of industries, including communications, gaming, retail, energy, manufacturing, media, publishing and internet technology. Ms. Ezring has been recommended as a leading finance lawyer by Chambers USA, IFLR1000 and The Legal 500. She was honored as one of the 2019 Notable Women In Law by Crain’s New York Business, and was honored as one of The Secured Lender’s 50 Women in Commercial Finance. She was previously a partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, where she served on the Executive Committee, among other roles. Ms. Ezring has served on the Leadership Advisory Committee for the National Women's Law Center, which champions policies and laws that help protect women and girls. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Jefferson Awards Foundation, a national organization dedicated to empowering and supporting public service efforts. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the New York University School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review.
Shaz Kahng, Former CEO, Author, and Board Member at GoPro
Shaz Kahng is a visionary leader and inventive thinker who is passionate about consumer-focused businesses. A serial board director and CEO, Shaz is adept at turning around and scaling businesses in retail, apparel, footwear, consumer goods, and consumer tech and generating business and brand value. Shaz brings a wealth of experience running business and companies such as Gymboree, Lucy Activewear, and Nike and working with brands like Staples, Carters, Sephora, Tiffany, Levi Strauss, Macy's, Quaker Oats, Kraft, and P&G. As the first female to hold a global business P&L at Nike, Shaz led a turnaround of the Nike Cycling business making it profitable for the first time and accomplished this in record time. As CEO of Lucy Activewear, Shaz and her team reinvented the company and achieved profitability in 13 months, nearly two years ahead of corporate expectations. She has served on the boards of children’s apparel retailer Gymboree and OMSignal, a biometric apparel company. She currently serves on the public corporate board for GoPro. Shaz is also an advisor to PE and VC backed businesses and is on the Investor Advisory Council of AVG Funds, a venture capital firm. Shaz is also the writer of two novels, The Closer and Smashers Synched, about the first female CEO of a sports company and the secret society of professional women, called the Ceiling Smashers, who help her succeed. An experienced public speaker, she recently gave a Talks At Google speech entitled "The Superpowers of Ceiling Smashers." Driven by a lifelong desire to learn, Shaz has been a scientist, a consulting partner, an e-commerce expert, and a brand and marketing strategist. She is fueled by her desire to make a positive impact, lead with honor, work collaboratively, and have some fun. One of the most rewarding aspects of her career has been coaching and mentoring others. Shaz is married and the mother of twin girls. She is also a SCUBA diver and a golfer who dreams of having a single digit handicap and she practices Tae Kwon Do.
Gay Kimball, CFO Synchrony Financial | Corporate finance, development (fundraising) & mentorship expertise
Gay Kimball is the SVP & Chief Financial Officer of Home & Auto at Synchrony. In this role, Gay partners with leaders throughout the business to drive business strategy and optimize growth profitably, while also having financial responsibility for operating plans, quarterly operating results, and financial management of business partnerships. Gay has over 30 years of Finance experience, with 26 years in Financial Services. Gay joined Synchrony in 1996 (formerly a division of GE Capital). Other roles at Synchrony included: SVP Capital Management & Stress Testing, where she led the team in developing comprehensive Capital, Recovery and Resolution strategies to ensure that capital levels, actions and contingency plans met business, regulatory and market expectations; Pricing Leader for the Retail Card platform, where she supported business development by leading portfolio pricing and assisting with negotiating terms for new and existing deals; Financial Planning & Analysis Leader for Retail Card, where she led planning sessions and quarterly reporting processes and helped drive strategic initiatives to completion; and, Internal Audit Leader, where she led the audit team in various operational, compliance and financial reviews. She began her career with Arthur Andersen & Co. where she earned her license to become a Certified Public Accountant. She earned her Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Emory University. Throughout her career, Gay has been committed to employee development and promoting diversity and inclusion. She actively supports the two employee resource groups at Sychonry focused on advancing Asian professionals and women, as well as initiatives to help engage and develop finance employees. Gay resides in Milton, Georgia with her husband, Chris, and two children, Joshua (22) and Abby (19).
Nicole Lindsay, Senior Vice President, People and Capability, Products & Technology, Mastercard
Nicole began her career in corporate and community development finance. For more than a decade, she has been an executive leading social impact, including as the Deputy Director of The ZOOM Foundation and as the founding Executive Director of New York Needs You, a nonprofit that helps first-generation college students realize their career ambitions. Nicole is the author of The MBA Slingshot for Women: Using Business School to Catapult Your Career. She has spoken extensively about increasing diversity in graduate management programs and has supported more than 1,000 students in navigating their educational and career pursuits. She holds both a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Virginia, where she serves as a Trustee of the Darden School Foundation and Vice Chair of Dean’s Diversity Advisory Council. She earned a B.S. from the University of Connecticut, where she has served as an adjunct professor of leadership in the graduate business school.
Laura Magnotta, Director of Safety & Leadership Development, Wakeman Boys & Girls Club
Ms. Magnotta has experience within the youth development field for the last eighteen years. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Women Studies. Post-degree she has worked for a variety of organizations in the non-profit sector within the greater Bridgeport area. Most recently her work experience includes Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, serving as Program Director of the Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse followed by her appointment as Associate Director of Development. Within Fairfield County, she has been a part of many leadership programs including Leadership Greater Bridgeport and Leadership Development Roundtable. She also sits on the founding Board of Directors for the young professionals initiative, Thrive Bridgeport, is the Advisory Board Chair of Kappa Alpha Theta's Eta Xi Chapter at Quinnipiac University, and Curriculum Group Chair for USAU Girls' Ultimate Movement national program. In 2016, she was awarded the University of Phoenix - Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Emerging Leader Scholarship and is pursuing her Master of Management degree.
Amy Rochlin, Owner of Rochlin Leadership Consulting (RLC)
Amy has worked as a strategic advisor and senior officer in the non-profit, financial services and public sectors for three decades. She brings expertise in strategic and operational planning, fundraising, board governance and development, impact investment, relationship management and PR/branding to non-profit leaders, their teams and their organizations. RLC also advises philanthropic investors on how best to identify and support top- performing non-profit organizations that align with their personal impact goals. In the non-profit space, Amy worked as Senior Advisor to Kathy Giusti, Founder and Chief Mission Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), a leading cancer research foundation recognized for its remarkable success in advancing data-driven research and developing new treatments for cancer patients. Additionally, Amy served as a Senior Advisor to Harvard Business School Faculty leaders of the HBS Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator, a $20M initiative funded by the Kraft Family Foundation to speed precision medicine across diseases. Amy began her career in the Retirement Services Division of Bankers Trust Company, managing Fortune 500 client relationships in their 401K division. Following her tenure at Bankers Trust, she served as a consultant in the retirement services field. A dedicated public servant and advocate, Amy has also served on the Boards of New Canaan Public Schools, New Canaan Cares and the New Canaan Outback Teen Center. Amy holds a B.S.in International Relations from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Dr. Vida Samuel, Assistant Professor in Residence at University of Connecticut - Stamford
Dr. Samuel is a scholar in women’s studies and intercultural communication and teaches undergraduate courses in sexuality, relationships across the lifespan and gender and communication at The University of Connecticut at Stamford. She is a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD). Her secondary area of interest and service is in post-secondary education access for first generation students and removed students. She is also a contributor to CUNY’s College Now Program curricula – a program that allows qualified New York City public high school students to enroll in courses that earn college credit and provides academic enrichment programs as a foundation for academic success. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes students’ unique experiences as a significant contribution to the classroom environment. She wrote about the “War on Women” for Higher Heights for America, which reported on how voting laws and healthcare legislation impacted girls and women of color. She was the copy editor for the 2015 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s exhibit program Unveiling Visions and co-editor of the companion book, Cosmic Underground: A Grimoire of Black Speculative Discontent. Prior to joining LiveGirl, Dr. Samuel served on the board of Thrust Fencing Academy, served on the scholarship evaluation committee for the Mandela-Washington Fellows program, as an academic mentor for the annual Jackie Robinson Foundation Mentoring and Leadership Conference and the National Black MBA Association of Westchester-Greater Connecticut Leaders of Tomorrow Program. She earned a BSW from Wheelock College at Boston University, a Masters of Arts in interpersonal communication from New York University and a PhD with a focus in intercultural communication and women’s studies at Howard University.
Brian West, Executive Vice President And Chief Financial Officer, Boeing
Mr. West is a global business executive with expertise in finance and operations in the healthcare, media and entertainment industries. Currently he serves as Executive Vice President And Chief Financial Officer of Boeing. Previously he served as Chief Financial Officer of Refinitiv, with responsibility for financial strategy and capital structure, resource investment & optimization and ensuring transparency to shareholders and investors. He led commercial strategy and policy, sourcing and real estate management, and oversaw the ongoing process improvements across the business. Before his role in Refinitiv, Brian was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations at Oscar Health and prior to that was hief Financial Officer and then Chief Operating Officer of Nielsen. Previously, Brian spent 16 years at General Electric in senior finance roles at Aircraft Engines, Plastics, and NBCUniversal. Mr. West is currently on the advisory board and former director and treasurer of Future 5, a Stamford, CT based not for profit supporting low income high school students.
Sheri West, Founder, CEO & Chairperson, LiveGirl
Sheri West is a Founder & CEO, podcast host, speaker, and champion for equity and inclusion. She is a former Fortune 500 management executive turned social entrepreneur with over 25 years of corporate and leadership development experience. In 2014, she founded LiveGirl, dedicated to equipping the next generation of diverse female leaders, serving over 17,500 girls since.
Sheri regularly speaks on a wide range of topics relating to women’s leadership and career readiness, co-hosts the award-winning Confident Podcast with her college daughter, and authors the LinkedIn newsletter, If Only.
Sheri was recently featured in The New York Times and at the Yale Women’s Leadership Launch. Her honors include being named “Best Friend to Girls” by Moffly Media and a Community Champion by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Her education includes BA Finance and Masters of Leadership Development from Michigan State University and Executive Women’s Leadership Certificate from the Yale School of Management. Originally from Michigan, she is married with three children and now lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, where she is actively involved in the community and served nine years on the Board of Education. Committed to progress, she serves on various boards and advocates loudly for policies that advance opportunities for women and girls.
Email her at Sheri@goLiveGirl.org.
Asija Qyteza, (Student Advocate) Wesleyan University ‘24
Asija (ah-si-yah) is a senior at Wesleyan University majoring in Government, International Relations, and Arabic. Passionate about advocacy work concerning women's issues, she previously served as LiveGirl's Advocacy Intern for two years, where she worked on setting LiveGirl's advocacy agenda and developing the "Advocacy" section of the LiveGirl website. During her term, she worked closely with CT State Legislators and organized the LiveGirl Day at the Capitol with the CT Women's Bipartisan Caucus. Notably, she helped advocate for the passing of HB5272: An Act Concerning Menstrual Products, which secured access to free menstrual products in public institutions in CT. She was also a SHE WORKS Summer Intern for two cycles: matched with an internship with LiveGirl in 2022 and a Government Operations intern at Boeing in 2023.
Additionally, Asija is on the leadership board of the Wesleyan Student Assembly where she chairs the Community Committee (CoCo) and serves as a representative to the Wesleyan Board of Trustees. As Chair of CoCo, she is working on initiatives to expand access to free menstrual products on campus and on increasing political enthusiasm amongst the student body.
