In this issue...

Towards Ethical Leadership
A Message from the MHI President, Teresa Carale   
 
Feature Article
Mentoring with Murray Hill Institute
By Alice Trimmer
 
Women Transforming Culture: How They Do It
A Smile Can Make a Difference!
By Susan Reyes
 
Cultural Corner
Of Gods and Men, a Film Critique  
By Martha Swanzey

News and Upcoming Events

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Fall 2011 Newsletter

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Murray Hill Institute Newsletter
Fall 2011
Vol. 9 No. 1

News and Upcoming Events

News from the Board
We are sorry to say good-bye to Karen Wagner, MHI Board member, who re-located to Florida last spring.  Karen has worked tirelessly to develop leadership programs for young professionals, including the Evenings of Conversation, the newly re-vamped MHI Mentoring Program, and past MHI conferences.  We will miss her energy and commitment as well as her enthusiastic flute performances at the annual Christmas Musicale. 

Last summer the MHI Board appointed Teresita Kruger as Social Media Director and Annette Babione as Program Director.  We welcome these two new members to our team as we seek ways to advance our outreach to women in the New York area and beyond. 

In September, 2011, Murray Hill Institute launched its new mentoring program.  The Board of Directors extends its thanks to the architects of this program, Grace Perry, Corito Sevilla, and Karen Wagner.  The feature article of the current Newsletter gives more on the background, content, and goals of the program.

Fall Fundraiser
The annual Murray Hill Institute fundraiser will be an afternoon seminar on Personal Elegance and Style. Two sessions, “What are your clothes saying about you?” and “10 tips to look 10 years younger, 10 pounds lighter and 10 times better!” will be directed by Claudia Fonseca, Fashion Consultant, Elegance in Style, and Lula Kiah, personal branding strategist with The Image Consulting Company.  The event will be held at the Fonseca home in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey on Saturday, November 12, 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm.  Join us for an enjoyable afternoon of conversation, learning, and fellowship.  The fee for the event is $40 for on-line registration, $50 at the door.  To register, click here.

Leadership Seminars
Last fall Murray Hill Institute launched Bring Out the Leader in You, a series of seminars for current and aspiring women leaders.  The final session of the spring semester, held on April 2, 2011, featured Karen Wagner, Director, Client Credit Group, Corporate and Investment Banking Division at Societe Generale.  In Karen’s workshop on “Communicating with Confidence: Negotiating Based on Strengths,” participants explored the steps to successful negotiations and learned tips to bring affirmation and creativity to the negotiations process.  Karen also discussed cultural and emotional factors that can play into negotiations.

On September 24, Virginia Hughes led a seminar on “You Can Achieve Work-Life Balance.”  Virginia spoke about how to unify all parts of our life into a functioning whole. She presented a three-step cycle to achieve work-life balance: 1. Determine your mission, 2. Prioritize based on mission, and 3. Live in the moment. She stressed the need for frequent evaluation to stay on course for one’s mission. She developed her theme in the context of her own experiences as a wife and mother, a practicing lawyer and member of a professional team, and as a daughter and sister in a family.  Through sharing her own life lessons, she brought home the point that we can all achieve work-life balance if we plan and put our heart and effort into it.

The two remaining seminars in the series will take place in early 2012: “Winning Workplace Dress and Style,” conducted by Paloma Diaz Soloaga, Ph.D. Program Director, Fashion Communication & Management, Villanueva University (Spain), to be held on February 18, and “Strategic Approach to Time Management,” conducted by Teresa Carale, Ph.D., President, Murray Hill Institute, to be held on March 31.  For further details, and to register for these seminars, click here. 

The Women’s Business Ethics Forum
This fall Murray Hill Institute began a new study group for women executives and entrepreneurs who are interested in promoting ethical and effective business management, based on the dignity of the human person and the values of truth, freedom, and justice.  Each meeting will focus on a case study that presents a specific ethical dilemma and the underlying philosophical points that should be considered in deciding on a correct course of action.
Quarterly meetings are held on Friday evenings.  At the first session, held on October 14, 2012, the group discussed the case study: “Advertising and the Consumer.”  Future discussions, to be held in the first half of 2012, will cover “Company Culture,” “Scarce Commodities and the Environment,’ and “Personal Development of Employees.”  To register for any of these events, click here.

Culture and Core Beliefs Series
Jennifer Bryson, Director of the Islam and Civil Society Program at the Witherspoon Institute, Princeton, NJ, spoke last spring on “Islam: Basics and Beyond.”  In this talk, Jennifer gave a basic introduction to Islam, including highlights of history and core values.  Interest in the topic was so great that MHI sponsored a follow-up session with Jennifer on October 5th, 2011.  The evening focused on a discussion of the film “Of Gods and Men.”   After a brief talk on the background of the film, Jennifer opened the floor to questions and discussion.  She pointed out that Muslim culture is far more diverse than commonly perceived, and gave valuable insights into reasons why Western culture is often seen as threatening to Islam.  For a review of the film, click here.

On April 11, 2012 author Maggie Jackson returns to speak on “From Daydreaming to Contemplation: Rediscovering Reflection in a Hurried, Overloaded Age.” Two years ago, Maggie gave a thought-provoking talk based on her book Distracted: the Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age, and we look forward to hearing her again.

Evenings of Conversation
Two evenings of conversation are planned for the current season.  On November 2, 2011, Arielsyda C. Mandonado,CRPC, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Group, will speak on “It’s Your Future: What Young Americans Need to Know about Retirement.” On April 18, 2012, Malena Roqueni will speak on “Create a Welcoming Apartment Look.”  For further details, and to register, click here.

Christmas Musicale
The fourth annual Christmas Musicale is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011, at Alderton House, 117 East 70 Street, New York City.  Professional and amateur musicians will present a brief program, followed by caroling and refreshments.  Join us for this celebration of music and Christmas cheer.