President:
Kate Spates
president@wlfdesert.org

Kate Spates is community-minded and has always taken an interest in the growth and development of the desert. She recently graduated from the prestigious Leadership Coachella Valley program.

Kate is a graduate of California State University, San Bernardino. Her career has included positions in hospitality, accounting, administration, and retail sales.

In 1996, Kate formed WebSites 2000. After 10 years and more than 200 clients, WebSites 2000 became Image Marketing Concepts, a full-service website development and marketing firm.

Kate has assisted local charities such as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, United Way of the Desert, and Habitat for Humanity Coachella Valley by creating a Web presence for them. She and her husband, Brent, have twin daughters, Abby and Cassidy.

Secretary:
Margo Nelligan
secretary@wlfdesert.org

Margot spent 28 years in the corporate world, working for Xerox Corporation in various positions, including training, marketing, and strategic alliance management.  She retired from Xerox in 2002, and moved to the desert in 2003, where she started a retail clothing business.

Margot has been a member of WLF since 2006, and participated in organizing WLF’s Nite Out with the Girlz and the TIAW Conference co-hosted by WLF in 2007. Margot currently chairs the WLF/TIAW Microbank Program, which raises funds to provide small – or “micro” loans to working women in underdeveloped countries.

Her previous volunteer leadership roles include:

• Secretary and Chair, Tree Musketeers, El Segundo, CA, a non-profit run by kids using environmental programs to teach them leadership and social skills
• President and Board Member, Lake Mirage Homeowners Association, Rancho Mirage, CA
• President, Surfside Homeowner’s Association, Redondo Beach, CA
• President, Xerox Women’s Information Network
• Member, Redondo Beach Environmental and Public Utilities Commission, Redondo Beach, CA
• Founder and member representative, South Bay Business Environmental Coalition, El Segundo, CA
• Advisor to the El Segundo Citizen’s Committee on Environmental Programs

Margot lives in Rancho Mirage and enjoys travel, hiking and reading.

Treasurer:
Rebecca Kenary
& Wall Street Teens Chairperson
wallstreetteens@wlfdesert.org

Rebecca Kenary retired from a 20-year career in investment banking in 1999.  Born and raised in Worcester, Massachussetts, Kenary earned a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business.

Rebecca began her career in foreign exchange sales and trading at First National Bank of Chicago.  She subsequently worked for institutions including Citibank, Salomon Brothers, AIG and UBS in New York, Paris, London and Singapore. Rebecca's responsibilities as a currency trader included managing the British Pound trading desk for Citibank NY and an Emerging Markets currency desk for AIG.  As a foreign exchange sales advisor, her clients included Central Banks and Investment Authorities, hedge funds, mutual funds and large corporations in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. 
 

Since retiring and moving to Palm Desert, Rebecca has worked with local artists, authors and not-for-profit organizations to help promote their work and organize the financial side of their creative businesses. She has edited and created book proposals for two books. In addition, she continues her lifelong commitment to charitable activities. Rebecca serves as the treasurer of Women Leaders Forum and chairs its Wall Street Teens program.  She is thrilled to be able to use her career experience to help young women discover the thrill of "Financial Independence!"

Immediate Past President:
Cathy O'Connell

Dr. Rev. Cathy O'Connell has a passion for guiding people to celebrate their lives to the fullest. She is the president and co-founder of Celebrations of Joy, a destination wedding and special event design and planning company that helps discerning clients worldwide create memorable celebrations. She is also the managing director of Dorry Wynham Fine Art, and an ordained interfaith minister.

Prior to relocating to the desert with her partner Dorry in 2000, O'Connell had a 15 year career as a senior corporate executive, directing sales and operations for several Silicon Valley organizations. While successfully building companies, she has also served her community extensively. She was vice president and president-elect of IFMA, a 1000-member industry association, the founder and director of The Professional Women's Network in the Bay Area, the president of the Coachella Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners ,and has served on the board of Literacy Volunteers of America.

O'Connell loves helping people become the best they can be while celebrating lives filled with joy and she spends her free time coaching women to become empowered to create their dreams. She and her partner Dorry live in La Quinta, where they are avid hikers and love to celebrate life with their canine and feline children.

Board Member:
Renell E. Burch, Esq.

As a Coachella Valley resident since 2000 and having practiced law at one of the valley’s top litigation firms, Renell recently decided to take on the exciting challenge of opening her own law practice.  Located in Indian Wells, the Law Offices of Renell E. Burch, a Professional Corporation offers legal services in the areas of civil litigation, real estate and corporate law.  The firm engages in all aspects of business related matters from preventive and pre-litigation counseling through trial and post trial proceedings.

Renell is a graduate of the University of California at Irvine and the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. She is an active member of the local American Inns of Court, Warren Slaughter-Richard Roemer Chapter, the American Bar Association, the Desert Bar Association and the State Bar of California.  Renell has been listed on the Who’s Who in the legal profession and has been awarded the top rating for her years in practice among her colleagues for her legal ability and ethical standards. An advocate of early resolution, Renell sits on the civil bench panel of mediators with the Riverside Superior Court offering mediation services to the community.

Active in her community, Renell has served on the Board of Directors for the Family YMCA of the Desert and as a member of the Junior League of the Palm Springs Desert Communities. She is also a volunteer at many of local nonprofit organizations throughout the valley.  

Renell is a firm believer that the Coachella Valley offers tremendous opportunities not only in the business arena, but for our youth in the desert.  As the valley grows Renell is excited to play an integral part of what our valley has to offer.  

Board Member:
Ellen Grosser

fundraiser@wlfdesert.org

Ellen Grosser, Senior Real Estate Specialist, has served buyers and sellers in real estate for more than a decade. After traveling throughout the world and living in Los Angeles, on the East Coast, and Spain, Ellen chose the Southern California desertfor her home.

When Ellen is not working, you might find her organizing a Women Leaders Forum event, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, or at a meeting of the Palm Desert or La Quinta Chambers of Commerce. You might also find her tending to her garden, entertaining, reading a book, or playing with her six grandchildren.

Ellen offers a variety of real estate services to a diverse clientele. She specializes in finding dream homes for her clients and going the extra mile. She listens and makes the home buying and selling process simple for her clients.

Board Member:
Diane Lucas
historian@wlfdesert.org

Diane Lucas is a veteran in the field of private education: a teacher of grades K-12, an administrator as temporary head of a lower school in St. Thomas, a reading specialist, and a professional tutor.  She is co-chair of Hospitality for WLF, a Leadership Conference committee member, and co-chair of Wall Street Teens.

Diane has also served Desert Samaritans for The Elderly as an auction committee volunteer for six years, and, in 2002, was named their Volunteer of the Year. Her charity work has included the USO, the St. Thomas Navy League, The Thalians, and the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center.

Board Member:
Jan Silver Maguire
communications@wlfdesert.org 

Jan Silver Maguire, principal of Silver Ink Communications, is an award-winning freelance marketing communications copywriter specializing in long format B2B and B2C projects. Her expertise derives from a combined 25 years of experience in the television industry and, more recently, in healthcare.

Prior to launching her company in 2001, Maguire served as an outreach coordinator and clinician for the nonprofit Cancer Wellness Center in metropolitan Chicago. For two decades, Maguire worked in the television industry in diverse freelance positions - production manager, associate producer, and talent coordinator, among them - for several major television production companies in Los Angeles and Chicago, and on location in Europe.

Jan is an emeritus member of the Writers Guild of America West, holds an undergraduate degree in communications from University of Texas, Austin, and a master's degree in social work from Loyola University, Chicago. Jan served on the Leadership Conference committee in 2007, and as a Conference co-chair in 2008 and 2009.

Board Member:
Reesa Manning
dwe@wlfdesert.org

Board Member:
Judith A. Mathes
programs@wlfdesert.org

Board Member:
Rev. Dr. Audrey Reed
fundraiser@wlfdesert.org

Rev. Dr. Audrey Reed serves as Apple Computers' logistical director for domestic and international special events. She also produces otherl arge industrial events for such clients as CBS Television Distribution, The International Alliance for Women, and Fashion Week ElPaseo. She is currently producing WLF's "Nite Out with the Girlz"scheduled to take place on April 22, 2010 at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.  

Audrey's career has spanned moret han 30 years. She has served as the senior vice president of The ClarkGroup, Inc., which owned four North American Van Line agencies. She has also authored two books, Money Toolbox for Women and Verbal Magik. She is now a partner in Old Town Coffee Company located in La Quinta, California's Old Town shopping district. The Desert Sun newspaper recently named Old Town Coffee Company its "Best of the Best" Coffee Place.

Board Member:
Jasenka Sabanovic
dwe@wlfdesert.org

A Bosnian native, Jasenka Sabanovic moved to the United States in 1998 after spending four years experiencing the horrors of civil war. Prior to coming to the U.S. Jasenka escaped to Germany, only to be denied asylum. Feeling rejected, confused and alone, she applied to come to the U.S. to find her peace. After going through a deep depression, she enrolled in college, and supported herself and her family by working full time. Four years later, Jasenka graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics.

Jasenka returned to the desert and started her own company, Coaching to Vision. As a life coach, she feels that she is paving a road for humanity to get to a better place - a place of peave.Her knowledge in helping people learn how to overcome obstacles, create vision, and find fulfillment comes from her amazing life experience, as well as the coaching skills that she learned working for a company that coached CEOs and corporate executives.

In addition to serving as a co-chair of WLF's Desert Women Entrepreneurs program, Jasenka has has worked with children at the YMCA in Oakland, California ,teaching them to take charge of and create the lives that they dream about outside the boundaries of race, gender and religion. She also serves as a committee chair for the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade, and is on the board of the Desert Coaches Network.

Jasenka was featured in Palm Spring Life magazine's "40 under 40" story, as well as other publications and media. She speaks several languages.

"My vision is to translate learning into purposeful action and to create quantum shifts one person at the time."

Board Member:
Rev. Patty Spicer
membership@wlfdesert.org

Patty is a Stanford University graduate, an ordained Religious Science minister, and a former California elementary school teacher. She is recognized for her professional excellence and community leadership.

Patty has a proven track record of assisting women to reach their full potential. She presents "Self-Esteem/Self-Image" and Life Management seminars throughout California, and teaces self-esteem,speaking and success skills to teens during WLF's annual Wall Street Teens seminar.  As curator of education, Patty designed the training curriculum for the 40-woman Docent Council at the Palm Springs Desert Museum (now Palm Springs Art Museum). She also created and facilitated a Coachella Valley-wide interfaithwomen's spirituality group to help bring balance,wellness, and renewal into women's busy lives.

Patty has woven community service throughout her professional and personal life. She has served as the director for The La Quinta Arts Foundation and Arts Festival.She chaired the Religious Science International Ministers' leadership conference and the national conference of Women's National Farm & Garden Association while serving as its California president. She chaired the Family YMCA Sustaining Membership Campaign for Riverside County, and originated and chaired the annual "Hoedown Sundown" YMCA fundraiser for after-school childcare facilities and programs. Patty has also served on the Coachella Valley Association of Government's Coachella Valley Children & Youth Commission, Mid-Valley Interfaith Council, Indian Wells Garden & Community Club, Assistance League, FamilyYMCA, the Bob Hope Classic Ball committee, and as a keynote motivational speaker for organizations.

Patty has been married for 42 years to Larry Spicer, a member of the Indian Wells, California City Council. She and Larry have three children, five grandchildren, and have lived in Indian Wells for more than three decades. She enjoys designing and painting children's murals, floral design, gardening, and acting as co-pilot for Larry in their plane.

Board Member:
Jane Treacy
Co-Chair, Young Women Ambassadors
ywa@wlfdesert.org

A former Broadway theatrical producer, Jane Treacy has more than 40 productions to her credit, including The Odd Couple, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, and Can Can, starring Leslie Caron. Jane has also served as a special events consultant to numerous not-for-profit groups in New York and Indianapolis.

In the Coachella Valley, Jane was program director for The Valley’s Promise and interim executive director for WLF. She has served as a board member for COD Auxiliary, Indian Wells Desert Symphony Orchestra, Rancho Mirage Public Library, and Northwestern University Alumni of the Coachella Valley. She currently produces Cabaret Theatre West at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas and Spa in Indian Wells, California. Treacy is listed in Who’s Who Worldwide.

Board Member/Founding President:
Mary T. Roche
scholarships@wlfdesert.org

Former Indian Wells Mayor and City Council Member Mary T. Roche was elected to the council in 2000, named mayor in 2003, and reelected in 2004. She currently serves as Indian Wells’ representative to the Riverside County Transportation Commission, Coachella Valley Transportation Commission, Coachella Valley Conservation Commission, Coachella Valley Energy & Environment Committee, and Santa Rosa & San Jacinto National Monument Advisory Board.

Roche has extensive community involvement with an impressive list of leadership positions. She founded the Homeowners/Residents Association of Indian Wells, and Indian Wells Historic Preservation Foundation. She is founding president of Desert Horizons Women’s Club, as well as past president of Desert Horizons Homeowners Association. Roche is active in many other community organizations.

An educator and businesswoman, Roche retired from Los Angeles Community College District after 25 years as an administrator and professor. She founded and served as CEO/ president of Linens Unlimited II, a retail bed and bath chain.

Roche earned her master of arts in educational administration from California State University, Long Beach, and her bachelor of arts from California State University, Los Angeles.

President's Circle Chair:
Patti Gribow

Patti Gribow is CEO of Gribow Entertainment Inc. a production company dedicated to producing programs that inspire and empower viewers with insightful issues. For the past three years Patti has co-produced and hosted Southern California talk shows The Patti Gribow Show & Patti Gribow’s RoundTable providing viewers with in-depth conversations with people who are making an impact on the global community.

Over the past 25 years, Patti has served on philanthropic boards and/or volunteered for numerous non-profits in Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. In 1998 Patti was co-founder of The Ophelia Project, a program in support of young women in their quest for self-realization. Then in 2001 she was invited to the board of Womens Leaders Forum of the Coachella Valley where she served as president for 3½ years.   Currently she is vice president of Palm Springs Women in Film, and chair of WLF's President’s Circle.

Most recently Steven B. Sample, president of the University of Southern California, under the recommendation of Dean Madeline Puzo, appointed Patti to a three-year term on the Board of Councilors of USC School of Theater. Her advocacy for women has earned her several awards including the 2008 Women Leaders Forum Lifetime Achievement Award, a City of Palm Desert Athena Award, the George Berkey Palm Desert Citizen of the Year, and the “2009 Making a Difference Award” from Soroptimist International of Palm Desert-Sunrise.  

Gribow has lived in the Palm Springs region for 15 years with her husband, attorney Dale Gribow. Their daughter Gina is currently working as a staff assistant/legislative correspondent for Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California.