Valarie Gelb Elected President of the Connecticut Chapter of the International Women's Forum

STAMFORD, CT, September 10, 2012 (Press-News.org) Valarie Gelb of Rowayton, CT has been elected President of the Connecticut Women's Forum (CWF), an affiliate of the International Women's Forum (IWF) a global organization comprising more than 5000 members in 26 countries. As a successful woman in the corporate world, Ms. Gelb has worked to bridge the gap between the corporate and philanthropic sectors and now will focus that passion in her leadership of the Connecticut Chapter of IWF. Membership in IWF is by invitation only and its members represent women of distinction and achievement from diverse professional sectors around the world. Ms. Gelb will be joined on the Board by Vice President Mary Barneby of Madison, CT, Secretary Debra Hertz of Darien, CT, and Treasurer Ann Maynard Gray of Stamford, CT. Ms. Gelb succeeds Virginia Giuffre of Fairfield, CT, who will continue on the Board as President Emeritus.

Founded in 1982 in the United States, the IWF now has 66 affiliated chapters across 5 continents, with women leaders participating in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. IWF provides one-of-a-kind programming for present and future world leaders. Each fall, the IWF's World Leadership Conference culminates in the induction of exceptional women into the International Hall of Fame. Honorees in the Hall of Fame include Madeleine Albright, Maya Anjelou, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sandra Day O'Connor and Condoleeza Rice.

In addition to her responsibilities as CWF President, Ms. Gelb recently assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of TheBarnYard Group, an emerging, cutting-edge media and communications collaborative, which is committed to bringing innovative solutions to branding and marketing campaigns for its clients. She also served as Interim CEO of the Global Fund for Women, an international grant-making NGO supporting women's economic empowerment.

Ms. Gelb continues to serve on the Corporate Leadership Council of the Global Fund for Women (as co-chair), is a member of the board of Cimbal, Inc., and a Senior Women's Advisor to VisionSpring, a social enterprise dedicated to reducing poverty and generating opportunity in the developing world through the sale of affordable eyeglasses. A former Senior Advisor to MasterCard Worldwide, Ms. Gelb served as Chief Sales Development Officer and Executive Vice President, was a member of the Management Council, and was one of the 18 most senior executive MasterCard leaders worldwide. Ms. Gelb was recently profiled by the Women Donor's Network, highlighting her career bridging the corporate and philanthropic worlds and her role in the creation of MasterCard's Women's Leadership Network.

Commenting on the announcement, Maureen Gorman, chair of the nominating committee, said: "We are pleased Valarie will lead our organization for the next two years. In her role as president, Valarie brings the best combination of proven leadership, executive skill and commitment to women and their advancement through her corporate and philanthropic experience and we are very fortunate to have her lead our group. "

CWF represents high-achieving, diverse women from throughout Connecticut who benefit from its provocative programs, high-level networking and participation in IWF Global Conferences, such as the recent global conference in Morocco and the upcoming conference in San Francisco, Ideas Remaking the World. Ms. Gelb looks forward to the upcoming term, noting, "our members play an integral role in the success of the Connecticut Women's Forum. The focus for 2012-2014 will be to increase new membership and current member participation at all levels, through our shared vision of our role as women in the national and international arena."

To learn more about the CWF, go to www.connecticutwomensforum.org.

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