IWD 2025Featured Speakers/Performers |
Saleemah is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in global policy, advocacy, and communications. She was most recently the Director and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief Communications Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She also recently served as the founding director of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA – one of our key advocacy partners), which comprises every sitting African head of state and government. ALMA developed a diplomatic apparatus based on accountability to generate African-owned and African-led ways to accelerate malaria elimination and improve health outcomes for women and children. In this role, Saleemah functioned as a combined chief of staff and chief communications officer. Additionally, Saleemah played a key role as director for the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria.
Saleemah has also been advising African heads of state on the End Malaria Council (EMC) which is co-chaired by Bill and Ray Chambers. This includes briefing leaders on key trends and new data and policy related to the global malaria burden and presenting strategic opportunities to expand access to lifesaving commodities.
Liz Blake served as Habitat for Humanity’s senior vice president, Advocacy, Government Affairs and General Counsel for nine years. Since retiring in late 2014, Liz has continued as a volunteer with a focus on secure tenure, land rights and gender issues impacting development in developing nations. Liz serves as an advisor to C432 on job creation projects in the apparel, social services and tourism sectors in Haiti. In Atlanta, her work is focused on the revitalization of five Westside neighborhoods through her work on the board of the Westside Future Fund. Prior to 2006, Liz was executive vice president and general counsel of US Airways, Trizec Properties and GE Power Systems. She was also vice president and chief of staff of Cinergy Corp., now part of Duke Energy. Prior to that she was a partner with the Frost and Jacobs law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, and associated with Davis Polk and Wardell in New York. Additionally, Liz is a director of Green Brick Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ), is chair of Emory & Children’s Pediatric Institute and vice chair of the board of the Westminster Schools, Inc. Liz serves on the boards of the International Women's Forum, Atlanta chapter, and the Marcus Autism Center. She also served ten years on the board of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is a past chair of the Ohio Board of Regents. In December 2016, Liz concluded her term as chair of the Carter Center's Board of Councilors. Liz is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia University School of Law.
Virginia A. Hepner is active in various corporate and community activities, following five years as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She currently serves as a Director of Cadence Bank (Audit Chair, Compensation), National Vision Holdings, Inc. (Nominating & Governance Chair, Audit) and Oxford Industries, Inc. (Chair of Nominating, Governance and Compensation). Virginia continues to serve on several non-profit boards with her main focus being revitalization of the historic Westside Atlanta neighborhood through the Westside Future Fund board and executive committee. Other current civic advisory board service includes the Housing and GoAtl Investment Committees of the Community Foundation, the Penn Institute for Urban Research, and IWF Georgia. In 2005 she retired from Wachovia Bank as an Executive Vice President after a 25-year career in corporate finance with the firm. Leadership roles included Managing Director of US Corporate Finance, head of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Trading and Atlanta Commercial Banking Director. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and attended the J.L. Kellogg Graduate Business School of Management at Northwestern University. Virginia is honored to be a Life Trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center, and Is grateful to be a recipient of the City of Atlanta Phoenix Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Governor's Award for arts leadership in Georgia, and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award honoring exemplary corporate board service by a female director. Virginia is married to Malcolm Barnes and they have two children.
| QUICK CLICKS: IWD 2025 Agenda LOCATION: Parking entrance address: 60 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 Building Address: Georgia-Pacific, 133 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30303 IWD Program will take place in the lobby level auditorium PowerTalk Mentorship Program from 1:30 pm - 3 pm, Invitation only and requires valid ID to enter
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