November 2017 Newsletter

NOTE FROM SSS

Good Day,

As you know, I am stepping down as CEO of WomenCorporateDirectors. Thrilled that Susan Keating, President and CEO of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and both a Grove and WCD member, will be taking over as the new CEO of WCD, effective December 1st. Susan Keating is not just a dreamer- she is a doer. As President Lincoln said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” I look forward to working with Susan, who will bring a new vision to WCD. I will continue in my role as CEO of the Belizean Grove and am excited to be able to focus more time and energy on the Grove, our events, and our members.

To quote the rockstar philanthropist Bono “It has been said that after meeting with the great British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, you left feeling he was the smartest person in the world, but after meeting with his rival Benjamin Disraeli, you left thinking you were the smartest person.” That’s just the way Susan Keating makes you think and feel. She’s a fantastic leader.

Ben Franklin famously quipped that if you didn’t want to be forgotten, you needed to either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about. So, in addition to consulting with WCD for 6 months on institutes and working with Susan, I’m co-authoring a book on Betrayal. How to Cope with, Handle, Renew, and Thrive after setbacks in Love, Business, Marriage, Addiction, etc. I want to help and support Susan with the transition but do not want to be a Ghost of Christmas Past.

If you have any updates you would like to share for future newsletters, please email me or Leslie Dube (leslie@belizeangrove.org).

Cheers,

Susan

2017 FACE BOOK

2018 Face Book

It’s time for us to put together the 2018 Face Book! To view your 2017 profile, click here

If you are a new member or if you need to update your bio, please fill out this template and email it to facebook@belizeangrove.org

The deadline to submit an updated bio is December 15.

AFM AUCTION

2018 Adventures for the Mind Auction in Mexico

Thanks to amazing efforts of many Grove members, the Adventures for the Mind Foundation was able to donate over $70,000 in 2016 to various organizations that support disadvantaged women and girls.

Click HERE to view the list of these organizations

Auction Chair, Rebecca Boenigk, is now accepting auction donations for the 2018 Annual Retreat Auction to benefit the Adventures for the Mind Foundation.

Please email Rebecca at becca@np-us.com if you have anything to donate for the 2018 Auction. Donations can include items, home stays or even unique special services. For example, Cathy Allen donated her entire Santa Fe estate for the lucky bidder. Thank you for your continued support of the Adventures for the Mind Foundation!

MEXICO 2018 RETREAT

2018 Annual Retreat: Mayakoba, Mexico
January 18–22, 2018 

If you have not registered yet,
Click here to register!

The deadline to register is December 15.

We are less than two months out from our exciting Annual Retreat in Mexico and our room block is now full! If you have not booked your room yet and have not registered for the event, it is not too late! We are working to secure more rooms at the Andaz and if needed, will secure a second room block at a close by hotel within the gated Mayakoba Resort Complex. If you have not booked your room yet, and are planning on coming to the Retreat, we need to know as soon as possible so we can secure these extra rooms.

Please note that Room Registration is different than the Grove Program Registration, as usual, you will be required to register for both.

If you are currently holding a room and are no longer planning on attending the 2018 Annual Retreat, please get in touch with Deb Carr right away. Please do not contact the hotel directly to release your room, instead contact Deb so we are able to give your room to another member. If you already cancelled you room on your own, please let Deb know ASAP.

As a part of your registration fee included, in addition to all meals, is 12 hours of call bar brands from 11am to 11pm at the resort. Also included in your registration fee is your: Retreat bag, BG notebook, program and all program materials, transportation to/from the airport.

Transportation from the Airport to the Resort
BG will arrange and provide your transport from the Cancun airport to the Andaz Mayakoba Resort. However, we need your flight information to do so. If you do not provide us with your flight information, you will not have a seat in one of the transport vehicles. The transport with bring you directly from the Cancun airport to the hotel, they will not be authorized to make any additional stops. Please be sure to send Deb Carr or Leslie Dube your flight information as soon as possible!

Afternoon Activities
We have several exciting afternoon activities planned, and a few optional non-Belizean Grove activities available through 4Worlds Expeditions Travel Company. Some of the optional onsite and Belizean Grove activities are:

• Margarita making class
• BG “Fun Run”/”Fun Triathlon”
• Afternoon Breakout Sessions to take a deeper dive with our speakers; such as a self-defense session with former FBI Executive Lauren Anderson, a session on “Reputation Repair” with Davia Temin, and an afternoon by the beach to discuss overcoming Betrayal (drinks included!).
• Golf at the El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba, an 18-hole, par-72 golf course winding through preserved mangroves, designed by PGA legend Greg Norman (additional fee applies)
• Guided kayak tours perfect for exploring the lagoons and canals. A one-hour tour is $90 (USD) for a double kayak and $70 (USD) for a single kayak.

• Sea Snorkeling & Cave Swimming Expedition
• Visit and Tour of the Mayan ruins of Tulum
• Swimming with the Dolphins Experience

Read more about these activities here. If you are interested in going on any of these afternoon excursions, please contact Sylvie Phelis at Sales1@4worldsexpeditions.com with your first, second, and third preferences right away. We can’t wait until the last minute to get these trips up. If have enough people who want to go offsite will do them. If not, we won’t.

The Final Night Dinner, hosted by Pamela O’Rourke and ICON Consultants will be a Tropical Luau theme, so wear your best tropical clothing and we will provide the leis! Remember, this event will held be around the beach area, so do not wear heels. This is a one suitcase trip—the weather will be warm and you do not need to pack a lot, so leave your heels, nice jewelry, and blazers at home!

Event Program
Our program committee is hard at work securing speakers and Global Guests and is planning some exciting panels. We have several stimulating speakers and panels already lined up, including a fascinating Conversation With Lauren Anderson and Donna Hrinak on Diplomacy and Law Enforcement; an update on Puerto Rico from Mari Carmen Aponte; a panel on Betrayal featuring Angela Moore, Elisa Speranza, Ceree Eberly, moderated by Elaine Eisenman; a Conversation with Peggy Crow—Physician-in-Chief; Chair, Department of Medicine; Benjamin M. Rosen Chair in Immunology and Inflammation Research Hospital for Special Surgery; Chief, Division of Rheumatology Joseph P. Routh Professor of Rheumatic Diseases in Medicine Weill Cornell Medical College, and Valerie Montgomery Rice—the sixth president of the Morehouse School of Medicine and the first women to lead the free-standing medical institute; and we will be kicking off this fabulous event with a Keynote address from our own Edie Weiner. More great speakers are being confirmed each day.

While we do not have a finalized official program of activities yet, here is an outline of activities each day. Please note, some times and locations may change. As soon as we have all details confirmed we will share the official program with everyone!

The Program Committee is securing speakers and has some fantastic sessions planned. We will have four exciting dinners at different places in our resort and throughout the gated and secure resort complex, ranging from dinner by pool, a special dinner at one of the other resorts within the complex, a final night party hosted by Pamela O’Rourke—a luau by the beach, and more details to come!
Click here to read more about our exciting Retreat in Mexico.

WCD
The WCD event in Mexico City will be a cocktail 7-9 on Thursday, at the country’s premiere business club Club de Industriales, at the JW Marriot. We’re working on discounted room rates. The panel will feature leading Mexican directors and WCD’s new CEO, Susan Keating. The topic will be How Women Add Value to Boards.
More info to come.

SEATTLE MINI RETREAT

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
September 13-15, 2018

The 2018 Mini Retreat will be in Seattle, September 13-15 with the opportunity for both pre and post trips. Our Seattle Mini Retreat committee is already hard at work planning the event securing high level speakers and exciting places to explore!

We will be staying at the beautiful Edgewater
Hotel, The “Best Hotel in Seattle” (as reported by CNBC).

With amazing views of the Olympic Mountains, the sparkling waters of Elliott Bay and breathtaking sunset views from your room while still staying at one of the best downtown Seattle hotels. You’ll be within walking distance to the city’s favorite sites.

Click here to book your room in our room block! Or call: 1-800-624-0670

After you have selected the dates you are planning on staying, click on the Belizean Grove room option which will show you a few different room choices. We were able to negotiate great rates on both City View rooms and Water View rooms. We recommend the Water View rooms, which are updated and provide a breathtaking view of the Seattle waterfront and a spectacular “Seattle experience”. If you are looking to travel on a budget, however, the City View rooms provide a great budget friendly option and a wonderful view of the Seattle skyline.

As always, members are not permitted to attend any official Belizean Grove events if you have not paid your dues. If you do not think you have paid your dues, please contact Leslie Dube (leslie@belizeangrove.org)

SURVEY

2017 Belizean Grove Member Survey

Please click here to take the survey!
This survey will take only 5-10 minutes to fill out and will provide us with valuable feedback on how we can make the Grove, Retreats, and Mini Retreats the best experience for our members. We value and appreciate your feedback and opinions.

COMMITTEES

Sign Up for a Committee!

The Executive Committee of the Grove met recently to review our current committee structure. As part of Sisterhood’s our growth and evolution, we recognize the need for, and benefits of, creating a more inclusive Committee framework to provide expanded opportunities for broader and greater member participation. Diversity of ideas and thinking within our sisterhood is, in large part, what makes The Grove, “The Grove” and we want to ensure that this unique, yet essential contribution, is more fully represented within and across our leadership committees.

We strongly encourage both Grovers and Taras interested in serving on a committee, as places become available, to let us know via the committee volunteer page on the website (Click here to visit the website). Members of our newly-formed Nyomi class will be eligible to serve on all committees as of 2019. Going forward, there will be term limits on each of the general committees.

What follows is an overview of our new committee structure, which we encourage everyone to read. We will update you as committee roles are confirmed and new opportunities open up.

Newly appointed committee members will serve a three-year term starting September ‘17 thru June ‘20.

Our new structure includes 5 formal committees: an Executive Committee, plus 4 other standing committees covering: Finance, Membership (Grovers/Taras); Membership (Nyomis) and Adventures of the Mind (BG Foundation). The BG Advisory Board will remain in place with a more streamlined structure and the Tara Ambassador role will end. Grovers and Taras will be equally represented on each of the five committees, as well as the Advisory Board.

• The Executive Committee will comprise 6 members, plus Susan Stautberg who serves as Committee Chair, made up of Grovers and Taras. Members are appointed by Susan Stautberg, with consultation, and will be “refreshed” as appropriate.
• Each of the remaining 4 committees will seat 6 members each (3 Grovers and 3 Taras), plus Susan Stautberg to serve a three-year rolling term with the option of serving an additional three years on the same, or a different committee, at the request of the Executive Committee.
• Committee members will be appointed annually by the Executive Committee to fill the vacated seats. Each committee will be co-chaired by a member of the Executive Committee, along with a non-executive committee member. Every effort will be made to couple a Grover with a Tara in this shared leadership position.
• The Advisory Board will have 12 members, plus Susan Stautberg, who serves as Chair. It will comprise the 8 serving co-chairs of the 4 standing committees, plus 4 at-large members. At large members will be appointed by the Executive Committee to a three-year term
• Ex-Officios: Consistent with our goal of enriching the Grove with the broadest experiences and expertise, other Grovers may be invited to participate as ex-officio (non-voting) committee participants, with the approval of the Chairs, to provide input, share pertinent information and generally stay informed on the particular committee’s business.
• Special Project Teams or Committees will be assembled in addition to our standing committees to take on specific tasks, assignments or activities such as the annual and mini retreats. Special project teams will typically comprise 2 to 6 members preferably comprising Grovers, Taras and Nyomis. Information will be circulated to members as these special projects come on line. For instance, we are forming a planning committee for the Grove’s 20th Anniversary in 2020.

We very much hope you will consider signing up for committee or special project consideration. Each and every one within our sisterhood has her own unique contribution to make and we want to be as inclusive as possible while continuing to nourish and develop our Belizean Grove community.

2018 DUES

If you haven’t yet… Pay your 2018 Dues NOW! LAST DAY is DEC 1!

Please click the link below that corresponds with your category to pay your 2018 dues. There is a $200 late fee.

GROVERS
Click here to pay dues

NEW GROVERS
Click here to pay dues

TARAS
Click here to pay dues

NEW TARAS Click here to pay dues

NYOMIS
Click here to pay dues

NEW NYOMIS
Click here to pay dues

MEMBER NEWS

What the Grovers and Taras Have been Up to Lately…

–Diane Danielson had a profile written on her and her career on Forbes’ website title Navigating a Discovery-Driven Career. Read the article here.

-Helen Fisher was featured in a Wall Street Journal Article titled Are You a ‘Testosterone’ or a ‘Dopamine?’. Click hereto read the article.

-Hala Moddelmog joined the FLEETCOR Board of Directors.

-Annette Taddeo mention in AP article In Florida, all eyes on Puerto Rican voters after Maria. Click here to read the article.

-The communications consulting firm Susan Davis chairs, Susan Davis International, won the Gold Stevie Award for Communications Campaign of the Year for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes Campaign and a Silver Stevie Award for a Women-Run Workplace of the Year – More Than 10 Employees – Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations and Business Services.

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE

Haven’t updated your profile on the website yet? Not sure what to do?

Watch this short video for step-by-step instructions. (NOTE:  To make the video larger – click the small “4 arrows” icon at the bottom right of the video – to the right of the HD.)

HOW TO EDIT YOUR PROFILE

This has become a credo of mine: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.”

-Bette Davis