Most recently, Valerie is cashing in by releasing a new memoir, despite the White Houses policy that Bidens name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities to suggest or in any way imply his endorsement or support.. Valerie Biden Owensand John Owens have three children Valerie James Owens, Cuffe Biden Owens and Catherine Eugenia Owens, according to a statementfrom Joe Biden's office when he was vice president. It is unclear if AnyHealth Shanghai is the same company referenced in the emails. You may not recognize her name or know much about her, but Owens has an equally noteworthy life story, both personal and professional. Click here to Start FameChaining. After graduating from the University of Delaware, Valerie married a man named Bruce Saunders. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. "Joe had just come . Meanwhile, King was previously married to former MLB player Jim Edmonds, with whom she shares three kids. This is the first time I havent managed the campaign, and I want to tell you, its damn frustrating! Valerie said at a campaign stop in 2020, per BuzzFeed News. Valerie Biden Owens is the first woman in U.S. history to have run a presidential campaignthat of her brother, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. She also led his seven straight U.S. Senate victories and has been his principal surrogate on the campaign trail. In 2016, president Barack Obama nominated her Alternate Representative of the United States to the 71st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. "Joe . Noting that she's "very certain that his stuttering really chiseled who he is," Owens argued that "because of it, he developed a backbone of steel and became a little boy of courage, and a little boy with a great deal of empathy.". Valerie's husband, John Owens or "Jack," who has been friends with Biden since their law school days at Syracuse, has also benefited from Biden and Hunter. There is no . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Valerie and her husband were looking to expand his telemedicine company into China, but he needed a Chinese business license secured very quickly.. Market data provided by Factset. About Valerie. "Valerie had been a top student at the University of Delaware. Based on our research, claims thatJoe Biden's brother-in-law owns Dominion Voting Systems are FALSE. The New York Times reported that Valerie Biden married John Owens in 1975 and they have three . Biden's first wife and oldest daughter died in a car accident in Hockessin on Dec. 18, 1972. A little over a year later, Owens was appointed to a four-month ceremonial position serving as "an Alternate Representative of the United States to the 71st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations," which paid approximately $26,000. The car was struck by a truck. Biden was "a man with a broken heart," but that changed when Jill Jacobs came along. She is married to Jack Owens. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Naomi Biden Valerie Biden Owens's niece is Ashley Biden Valerie Biden Owens's nephew is Nicholas Biden Valerie Biden Owens's nephew is James Biden Jr. Valerie Biden Owens's niece is Caroline Biden Valerie Biden Owens's niece is Alana Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's great niece is Natalie Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great nephew is Hunter Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great niece is Naomi Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great niece is Finnegan Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great niece is Maisy Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great niece is Daughter-of-Hunter Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great nephew is Son-of-Hunter-&-Melissa Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's grandfather was Ambrose Finnegan Sr. Valerie Biden Owens's grandmother was Geraldine Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's grandfather was Joseph Biden Valerie Biden Owens's grandmother was Mary Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's great grandfather was Edward Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great grandmother is Mary Ellen Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great grandfather was James Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great grandmother was Catherine Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great grandfather was George Robinette Valerie Biden Owens's great grandmother was Mary A. Robinette Valerie Biden Owens's great grandfather was George Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great grandmother was Mary Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandfather was Patrick Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandmother was Catherine Scanlon Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandfather was Owen Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandmother was Jane Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandfather was Robert Liddell Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandmother was Susan E. Liddell Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandfather was Joseph H. Biden Valerie Biden Owens's great great grandmother was Lydia Biden Valerie Biden Owens's 3x great grandfather is Edward Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's 3x great grandfather was William Biden Valerie Biden Owens's 3x great grandmother was Mary Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's aunt is Mary A Biden Valerie Biden Owens's uncle was Frank H. Biden Valerie Biden Owens's uncle was Ambrose Finnegan Jr. Valerie Biden Owens's uncle is Gerald J. Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's uncle is Edward Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's uncle is John A. Finnegan, Valerie Biden Owens's great aunt is Eugenia King Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle was Eugene Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great aunt was Jennie Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle was Stephen Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle was John Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle was Louis Finnegan Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle is Patrick Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle was Arthur Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great uncle is Edward Blewitt Valerie Biden Owens's great aunt was Gertrude M. Blewitt, Valerie Biden Owens's father in law is John A. Owens Valerie Biden Owens's brother in law is Kevin Owens, Valerie Biden Owens's former father in law is Sam Saunders. This is the first time I haven't managed the campaign, and I want to tell you, it's damn frustrating!". She is the younger sister of Joe Biden, the 46th and current President of the United States. It is not true that Stephen Owens is their son, as someclaimed. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden went to a family wedding in Pennsylvania on Monday. Valerie has an average height and moderate weight. The fact that Owens was introduced to her husband by her brother comes as no surprise since Biden has always been involved in his sister's love life. Owens is the son of Valerie Biden Owens, the President's sister. [18], Owens has played a substantial role in all of her brother's political campaigns dating back to his first campaign, for the New Castle County, Delaware council in 1970. Staple Street Capital and Dominion's management team acquired Dominion in2018, according to a newsrelease. . Examples of the content can be seen here and here . Valerie Biden Owens Moved In & Helped to Raise Her Nephews, Beau & Hunter, After Her Brother's First Wife Died In a Car Crash In 1972. And while Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen did add that "Valerie is the President's oldest and closest political advisor [and] that will never change," she conceded that Owens "is the first to know that his role is different now and so is hers.". She has been my best friend my entire life," Biden wrote of Owens in his memoir. Valerie Biden Owens has been at his side for 76 years but has deliberately stayed in the background. Per The New York Times, they didn't move out on their own until two years later when Biden married Jill Jacobs. The claim: Joe Biden's brother-in-law owns Dominion Voting Systems, between Joe Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owensand a co-owner of Dominion. Valeries husband, John Owens or "Jack," who has been friends with Biden since their law school days at Syracuse, has also benefited from Biden and Hunter. Valerie was won over by watching Jack be "such a good friend to her brother. This all translates into a need for a Business License, and one secured very quickly," Owens wrote. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The outlet also points out that Owens has a minimum speaking fee of $40,000 and cites how she was paid $51,286 in salary for Biden's 2002 campaign alone. Sleepy_Bob_Ross 2 yr. ago. As deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told BuzzFeed News in 2020, Owens "is kind of the connective tissue throughout the course of the campaigns from '72 to today. Owens is marrying Meghan King, who was a cast member of "Real Housewives of Orange County." . But Jill filled them with grace, without skipping a beat. Her LinkedIn says she "managed a range of workstreams essential to the execution of the US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue one of the largest bilateral foreign economic policy initiatives of the Obama Administration." Cameron Cawthorne is a politics editor for Fox News Digital. The White House, Owens, and Owens' book publisher, Celadon Books, did not respond to requests for comment. [11][12] In 2013, Owens traveled with her brother Joe Biden to the Vatican City as an official U.S. delegate for the inauguration of Pope Francis. The small wedding took place at the groom's childhood home in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the home of the president's sister, Valerie, and her husband Jack Owens. Owens was King's third husband. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. . "From the time I can remember, I opened my eyes, and he was there. Valerie Biden Owens is married to John Owens, the owner of a telemedicine company in Delaware, according to The Washington Post. ", Although Valerie Biden Owens told PBS' Frontline that she "wasn't building a rsum for a political future," but merely "building the campaign for Joe" when she put her job on hold to help Joe Biden run for the US Senate in 1972, she's managed to do just that. On behalf of the Biden family, Valerie Biden Owens has requested that, in . [17] Owens currently sits on the advisory board for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public Policy Institute. It appears that Owens business expanded into China and receive sufficient legal coverage. "Valerie was absolutely incredible in running his campaign. President-elect Joe Biden began his victory speech by thanking the Delawareans who have supported him throughout his careerincluding his sister, Valerie Biden Owens. Owens also shared how Neilia's "were tough shoes to fill. "While this might seem to be a mundane task, I have come to understand that matters such as a Business License can end up taking an inordinate amount of time time we just do not have. ', Ted Cruz says 2024 Senate re-election will be 'firefight as Democrats come at him with everything they have, Maryland mayor facing child pornography charges was frequent donor to Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, How Section 230 set the standard for free speech online. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. BIDEN NIECE WORKED IN COCA-COLA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AS COMPANY LOBBIED AGAINST UYGHUR FORCED LABOR BILL. The Bidens left their home in Delaware to attend the nuptials of nephew Cuffe Owens to Meghan O'Toole King. A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's younger sister, trusted confidante and lifelong campaign manager. Valerie Biden Owens Physical Status. Though she shares the same surname as Stephen Owens,she is not married to him. ", "Meghan King Says She 'Learned Some Big Lessons' as Marriage to Cuffe Owens Is Officially Annulled", "Meghan King and Cuffe Owens' marriage to be annulled", White House Archives for President Barack Obama, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valerie_Biden_Owens&oldid=1134792178, This page was last edited on 20 January 2023, at 17:53. She then served a year as the chief of staff to the deputy Commerce secretary for a year. Biden's only sister is married to John (Jack) Owens, who owns a Delaware-based telemedicine company, according to The Washington Post. She was previously married to Edmonds, 51, from 2014 until their separation in 2019 after he was allegedly unfaithful . They married shortly after she divorced her first husband, . [32]Ursuline Academy inducted her to their Distinguished Alumnae Hall of Fame in 2018. Thank you for supporting our journalism. White House Archives for President Barack Obama 09/13/2016, "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts", "The Frontline Interview: Valerie Biden Owens", "University of Delaware Statement accessed 11/7/2020", "Joe Biden's Sister Isn't Running The Campaign This Time And It's "Damn Frustrating", "Politics, Money, Siblings: The Ties Between Joe Biden and Valerie Biden Owens", "Biden Relies on His Closest Adviser, His Sister (Published 2008)", "The Contribution Code: Three B's That Make All the Difference", "Q&A: Valerie Biden Owens, from Joe's manager to proud sister", "Advisory Board Members | MGM Resorts Public Policy Institute at UNLV | University of Nevada, Las Vegas", "Biden's sister, Valerie, at his side for 74 years and for one final goal", "Analysis | Joe Biden's victory speech, annotated", "Statement from Vice President Joe Biden", Valerie Biden New York Times Wedding Announcement, "Biden family does not own Dominion Voting Systems", "Cuffe Biden Owens, President Biden's nephew, marries former 'Real Housewives' star Meghan O'Toole King", "Inside Meghan King's Split From Husband Cuffe Owens: What Went Wrong? In 2014, Owens requested help from Hunter in an email saying he needed a Chinese business license "secured very quickly" so he could expand his telemedicine company into China. Because you cant fire your sister.. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. Legal Statement. As Owens told PBS' Frontline, it was Dec. 18 when she "got a call from Jimmy Biden, and he said, 'Come home, now. Perched on a chair pulled before a crackling fireplace in Joe Biden's office at the . For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter! Valerie, 75, has long supported her brother Joe Biden's political career. The UK's supply crisis puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Boris. This is the untold truth of Valerie Biden Owens. [7], Owens graduated from Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware in 1963, and went on to study at the University of Delaware, where she was on the dean's list and was homecoming queen, graduating in 1967. Valerie and Jack had actually met on a blind date before her first marriage, facilitated by Biden and his then-girlfriend, Neilia. She has essentially mentored a whole generation or two of aspiring political leaders in our state, former Delaware governor Jack Markell (D) told The Washington Post. Now a viral Facebook post attempts to connect President-elect Joe Biden to the company by claiming his sister is married to Stephen Owens, who, the post alleges, owns Dominion Voting Systems. ", The 2020 election marked the first time that Owens had no official role, and it took some adjusting. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. She was an absolutely incredible person," he gushed. From Biden's relationship with Kamala Harris to his tragic life story, his happy marriage, and beyond, no stone has been left unturned when it comes to the father of four. That Owens is the owner of Dominion Voting Systems, which sells "end-to-end election solutions," including voting hardware and software. By. Valerie Biden Owens served as co-chair of the Biden campaign during . In 2019, for example, he tweeted how "growing up with a stutter, my parents taught me from a young age that being different is no barrier to success." Valerie Biden Owens served as co-chair of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election and led all seven of his U.S. Senate campaigns. The bride, Meghan O'Toole King, is a former "Real Housewife of Orange County" star, who is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Two months ago, General Motors hired her to a senior position in the company's regulatory affairs department. Neilia and the kids were driving home from buying a Christmas tree when their car "was hit broadside by a tractor-trailer." According to the company website, MediGuide is legally represented in China by AnyHealth Shanghai. Valerie Biden Owens Age. The original photograph can be seen on Bidens campaign website joebiden.com/endorsements/ . She's been right by her big brother's side for decades (you may have even spotted her on the campaign trail without realizing it!) Virginia Chamlee. No matter what political prize Joe Biden sought, Valerie Biden Owens maintains he remained rooted in his sense of family. Owens' husband is actually John T. Owens, "an attorney and businessman," as stated on her website. Owens is the son of the president's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and her husband, Jack. Valerie Biden Owens wanted to remove everything Trump "touched" from the Oval Office after he left. Owens, the family's second child and only female, has been an instrumental part of Biden's political career. We have learned that Joe's brother, James, and his younger sister Valerie have also been cashing in. Speaking to Insider in 2020, Owens said that her older brother was a big dreamerand that he always took her along for the ride. This claim is false. In his memoir Promises to Keep, Biden elaborates on the instrumental role Owens played in holding the family together. Valerie Biden Owens (November 5, 1945) is an American political strategist, campaign manager and former educator.She is the younger sister of Joe Biden, the 46th and current President of the United States.In 2016, president Barack Obama nominated her Alternate Representative of the United States to the 71st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Cawthorne@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cam_cawthorne. President-elect Joe Biden officially secured the presidency after the Electoral College met to give him and Vice President-elect Harris 306 votes. Jim Edmonds shaded Meghan King and Cuffe Owens before their wedding by wearing a T-shirt that dissed his ex-wife's new husband's uncle, President Joe Biden. 1. Shes a very, very clear communicator. The one-sentence post said: 6. . From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. "As our mom said, family is the beginning, the middle and the end," Biden Owens said. Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was the first in which Valerie Biden Owens . Valerie sits on the . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. ", Valerie Biden Owens has been an integral part of Joe Biden's political career. This fact check is available at IFCNs 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. As Biden took office, she wrote, she took comfort in the fact JFK and Obama used . Valerie is Chair of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware and a partner at Owens Patrick Leadership Seminars. Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us." . Cuffe is the son of Valerie Biden Owens, . King, 37, revealed she was dating Cuffe Owens, 42, in an Instagram post last month, KTVI . Stephen Owens is a co-founder and a managing director at the private equity firm Staple Street Capital, according to PitchBook. The New York Times reported that Valerie Biden married John Owens in 1975 (here) and they have three children, Valerie James Owens, Cuffe Biden Owens and Catherine Eugenia Owens (here). By then, they had already had a daughter and now have three kids: Valerie James Owens, Cuffe Biden Owens, and Catherine Eugenia Owens. Joe Biden's brother-in-law, Jack Owens, emailed Hunter Biden in 2014 to help him obtain a Chinese business license, so he could expand his telemedicine company into China. The pair divorced and Owens soon found love again with Biden's best friend from law school: John T. Owens. Joe Biden was three years old when he got a little sister and his life changed forever. There is no evidence to show that Bidens sister, Valerie Biden Owens, is married to Stephen Owens. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday traveled to Pennsylvania to attend the wedding of their nephew, Cuffe Owens, and Meghan King, a former cast member on the "Real Housewives of . "In a strange way Neilia's death brought Jack and Val together," Biden wrote in his book. [4][5], She was born the daughter of Catherine Eugenia "Jean" (ne Finnegan; 19172010) and Joseph Robinette Biden Sr. She is married to John (Jack) Owens, as noted here , here , here , and www.valeriebidenowens.com/bio/ . Our editors handpick the products that we feature. Valerie Biden Owens may not be in the spotlight as much as her brother, but that hasn't made her immune from becoming the subject of fake news stories. He did not let somebody else's opinion of him and description of him as a lesser person define him," she elaborated. By Matt Viser. SWANSEA, S.C. Valerie Biden Owens traveled past swamps, harvested fields and parked tractors to a small church, where she stepped off a bus to . Joseph Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Biden", "gender": "Male" }, Mary Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Biden", "gender": "Female" }, Ambrose Finnegan Sr.{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Ambrose Finnegan Sr.", "gender": "Male" }, Geraldine Finnegan{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Geraldine Finnegan", "gender": "Female" }, John A. Owens{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "John A. Owens", "gender": "Male" }, Joseph Biden Sr.{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Biden Sr.", "gender": "Male" }, Jean Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Biden", "gender": "Female" }, United Nations Chapel, New York City, New York, USA, Kevin Owens{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Owens", "gender": "Male" }, married 26 Dec 1969divorce before 11 Oct 1975, Joe Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Biden", "gender": "Male" }, James Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "James Biden", "gender": "Male" }, Frank Biden{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Biden", "gender": "Male" }, Jade Owens{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jade Owens", "gender": "Male" }, born 1971, age 49 (approx.) Getty Joe Biden, his wife Jill Biden (L) and sister . She managed his seven straight senatorial campaigns in Delaware (all victorious), and two of his presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008, per Frontline. First published on October 11, 2021 / 1:51 PM. As Owens toldAPin 2020, their "family code" has always dictated that "it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get up." A spokesperson for Dominion Voting Systems confirmed to Reuters via email that the Stephen Owens has no family ties or business affiliations with Valerie Biden Owens. Missy asked, prompting Hunter to confirm that it was. At one event, Owens received an invitation to attend the State Department luncheon honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, which was hosted by Biden. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Is there a way we can help him expedite this? Valerie Biden Owens in August at the Pepsi Center in Denver, on the day her brother, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., addressed the Democratic National Convention. "She was there beginning, middle and end; morning, noon and night, Sen. Christopher A. Coons, who knows the Biden family, told The Washington Post. 28 Jan 2020 0. By caring for his sons, Owens allowed Biden to begin his Senate career. Published Feb. 25, 2020 Updated Feb. 28, 2020. According to The New York Times, Owens quit her job teaching social studies at Wilmington Friends School and moved in with Biden for four years to help raise Beau and Hunter. The small wedding took place at the home of the president's sister Valerie and her husband Jack Owens, the parents of the groom. (Finished 1963), View Valerie Biden Owens's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Valerie Biden Owens's father was Joseph Biden Sr. Valerie Biden Owens's mother was Jean Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's daughter is Missy Owens Valerie Biden Owens's son is Cuffe Owens Valerie Biden Owens's daughter is Casey Owens Valerie Biden Owens's step-son is Jade Owens, Valerie Biden Owens's husband is Jack Owens, Valerie Biden Owens's former husband is Bruce Saunders, Valerie Biden Owens's brother is Joe Biden Valerie Biden Owens's brother is James Biden Valerie Biden Owens's brother is Frank Biden, Valerie Biden Owens's nephew was Beau Biden Valerie Biden Owens's nephew is Hunter Biden Valerie Biden Owens's niece was Amy Biden Near the end of the Obama-Biden administration, Missy reached out to her first cousin and then-Vice President Bidens son, Hunter Biden, about helping her mother get a position in the administration, saying it would be "good for her" and that she "needs it more than I do right now," according to emails reviewed by Fox News Digital. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [33], In 2021, Forbes listed Owens on their Impact List of 50 Women over 50 who are inspiring change in their communities through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education. The corrupt Biden family is accused of abusing their power and influence to amass a fortune for themselves. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. [9][10], She has worked extensively with Women's Campaign International to help teach women how to develop and grow their political skills. Time is of the essence here, Hunter wrote in an email. "That was nothing heroic," she said humbly, adding, "It was exactly what my brother would have done for me. Valerie Biden Owens (November 5, 1945) is an American political strategist, campaign manager and former educator. I did know. People Editorial Guidelines. [23], Owens is married to attorney John T. Owens, with whom she has three children: son Cuffe Owens, also an attorney, and two daughters, Missy Owens and Casey Owens Castello. They finalized their divorce in May. (Finished 1967), Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Delaware, United States She has been my best friend my entire life," Biden wrote of Owens, 74, in his memoir Promises to Keep. John T. Owens, the husband of Biden's sister, Valerie, and a former college classmate of the president-elect, owns a Delaware-based telemedicine company that markets itself as a solution amid . October 12, 2021 / 8:01 AM [6] Her brothers are Joe, Francis "Frank" Biden, and James "Jim" Biden. Owens then worked at Coca-Cola in its government relations department for a decade, including while the company was reportedly lobbying against a bill cracking down on the use of Uyghur forced labor in China. You dont have to spend a lot of time guessing.. Do you have my info to respond with picture, etc, or do you want me to do that.". King, who was known on the show as Meghan King Edmonds, has three children from her previous marriage to MLB star and sports broadcaster Jim Edmonds. Cuffe Owens is the son of President Joe Biden's sister. Fall 2014. Shes also been a leader within the Democratic National Committee, serving on the National Board of the Womens Leadership Forum.