THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS (NAWBO-LA) ANNOUNCES ITS 16TH ANNUAL HALL OF FAME LUNCHEON AWARDEES

NAWBO-LA will host its 16th Annual "Hall of Fame" luncheon on Friday, March 8, 2002 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. The theme for this year's luncheon is "Spirit of Success: Celebrating Entrepreneurship". Our luncheon recognizes top achievers representing women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. We are proud to announce 6 incredible award honorees as well as the induction of 18 prestigious women into our 2002 Hall of Fame.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Phone: 213.622.3200
23 January, 2002                        Facsimile: 213.622.6659
                           eMail: info@nawbo.org

CONTACT:    Julie Williams
Chair, Media Relations
   

THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER OF THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS (NAWBO-LA) ANNOUNCES ITS
16TH ANNUAL HALL OF FAME LUNCHEON AWARDEES

Los Angeles - On March 8, 2002, NAWBO-LA will host its 16th Annual Hall of Fame Luncheon. One of the largest, most anticipated events in Los Angeles, the Hall of Fame Luncheon recognizes top achievers representing women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. These distinguished women have established a reputation for entrepreneurial excellence and contributed significantly to the community. This year's event theme is "Spirit of Success: Celebrating Entrepreneurship!"

The lunch will be held (11:30 AM - 2:00 PM) at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. A total of six (6) women will receive the Awards of the Year while an additional 19 will be inducted into the NAWBO-LA Hall of Fame. Honorees represent diverse fields of business including such fields as broadcast news, medicine, advertising, engineering, magazine publication, aerospace and more. Following are the 25 extraordinary women who will be recognized for their successful business enterprises:

Advocate of the Year - Aileen Adams, Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency.
Responsible for State of California contracting, Adams has revolutionized the State's approach to small business certification. Governor Gray Davis appointed Secretary Adams on January 5, 1999. She manages one of the broadest portfolios in state government, with 12 departments, an operating budget of $1.3 billion, and more than 15,000 employees. As head of the State and Consumer Services Agency, Secretary Adams is responsible for consumer protection, school construction, and civil rights law enforcement, as well as government procurement and real estate development. She also oversees collection of state income taxes, services for victims of crime, preparation of state building codes, and operation of the state museums in Los Angeles.
In addition, the Governor has asked her to chair the Red Team, which is a coordinated effort by state agencies to assist in building UC Merced, the tenth University of California campus. From 1994 to 1997, Secretary Adams was a presidential appointee in the Justice Department, where she reported to Attorney General Janet Reno as Director of the Office for Victims of Crime. In that role, Secretary Adams was the top federal advocate for crime victims. Previously, Secretary Adams worked in many different phases of the criminal justice system - serving as a prosecutor, a police reserve officer, a probation officer, a legal advocate for sexual assault victims, and the director of a facility for sexually abused children. She also co-authored "Sexual Assault on Campus: What Colleges Can Do."
more -

Rising Stars of the Year - Dr. Jennifer Berman & Dr. Laura Berman, Female Sexual Medicine Center in the Department of Urology at UCLA.
Acclaimed co-authors of the NY Times best-selling book "For Women Only: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming Your Sex Life," sisters Jennifer and Laura Berman are nationally & internationally acclaimed experts in female sexual medicine. Dr. Jennifer Berman is an urologist with specialized fellowship training in Female Urology and Sexual Medicine. She is Assistant Professor of Urology in the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Laura Berman is a sex therapist and educator. She is Assistant Professor of Urology and Psychology, also at the UCLA School of Medicine. They are Co-Directors (and founders) of the Female Sexual Medicine Center in the Department of Urology at UCLA. The Drs. Berman have authored many scientific papers and chapters on female sexual dysfunction in addition to their recent book.

Woman Business Owner of the Year - Peggy Tsiang Cherng, Panda Restaurant Group.
From a single Pasadena location to the nation's largest Chinese foodservice provider, Cherng's company has grown to 5,000 employees, $300 million in annual sales and 420 locations throughout 34 states, Puerto Rico and Japan. The Panda family of restaurants -- including Panda Express, Panda Inn, and Hibachi-San -- are owned and operated by Andrew and Peggy Cherng, a husband and wife team. As president and chief executive officer, Peggy Cherng oversees the business and nurtures its growth. She also extends those qualities to people outside the company by creating and directing community-based programs such as Panda Cares, which provides food and volunteer services to local public schools and nonprofit children's organizations. Cherng was born in Burma and raised in Hong Kong. She came to the United States to pursue higher education, eventually earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri. Personally active in the community, Peggy Cherng sits on the board of the National Restaurant Association, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, and Methodist Hospital.

Member of the Year - Sheila Hartman, Financial Independence Company.
A former Spanish teacher turned bi-lingual insurance benefits expert, Hartman owns the largest woman-owned business in the San Fernando Valley with $65 million in annual sales. After thirteen years of teaching Spanish and interpreting insurance sales with her husband in Mexico, Hartman has been in the insurance industry since 1984. She has dedicated a tremendous amount of time to her profession and helping others to better understand the insurance business. Sheila has shown through her hard work and devotion to her clients that success is achieved by individual strength, dedication, and leadership. Many people have awarded Sheila for her dedication over the years.

Media Leader of the Year - Paula Madison, NBC-4.
The first African American woman general manager at a network-owned station in a top five market, Madison led NBC-4 to finish first in all local newscasts for the first time in 16 years. Paula Madison was names as the President and General Manager of NBC-4 (KNBC), NBC's owned and operated station in Los Angeles, in November 2000. She is the first African American woman to become general manager at a network-owned station in a top five market. Madison is responsible for the overall management of NBC4, including the areas of news, programming sales, marketing, promotion and strategic planning. In addition to her General Manager duties, Madison also serves as the Senior Vice President of Diversity for NBC, reporting directly to NBC President Bob Wright. She served as NBC's Vice President of Diversity from February 2000 until June, 2001 when she was promoted to Senior Vice President. In this capacity, Madison is charged with leading the network's efforts to ensure the full inclusion of people of color in its staffing. She also chairs the NBC Diversity Council, which was established to ensure that initiatives are implemented and understood throughout the entire company. Madison joined NBC4 from WNBC, NBC's flagship station in New York, where she was the station's Vice President and News Director since March 1996. Under her direction, WNBC became the number one television station in New York in May 1999.
more -

Advocate of the Year - Adrienne Medawar, Town Hall Los Angeles.
From Sumner Redstone and Madeleine Albright to Margaret Thatcher, Medawar brings world leaders in business and politics to enlighten Los Angeles. Adrienne Medawar appointed as president of Town Hall Los Angeles in September 1988. Today, Town Hall Los Angeles is ranked among the top three public speaking forums in the nation and is the only forum in the nation to have hosted former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin and President of Mexico Vicente Fox. Medawar's other activities have included president of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council: 23 years experience as a film and television correspondent for foreign publications; officer and director on the national and local boards of the International Visitors Program of the United States Information Agency; high school teaching experience, accredited with a California General Secondary Teacher's Credential, and local management in private business. She is a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University, chairs the Consumer Relations Committee of Blue Cross of California and sits on the boards of PUENTE Learning Center and the Fulbright Scholars program at the University of California Los Angeles.

Additionally, the following women entrepreneurs and corporate business leaders have established a legacy of excellence and collaboration and will be inducted into the NAWBO-LA Hall of Fame for 2002:

Kelli Amundson - RE/MAX Beach Cities
Diane Creel - EarthTech
Patty DeDominic - PDQ Personnel Services, Inc.
Diane Dixon - Avery Dennison Corporation
Tracey Doi - Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
Ivelisse Estrada - Univision
Deborah Sanchez Fair - Nissan Motor Company
Sonja Hagel - Brotman Medical Center
Adrienne Hall - The Hall Group
Linda LoRe - Frederick's of Hollywood
Andrea Michaels - Extraordinary Events
Kimberly Michel - MassMutual
Lois Miller - Hearst Publications
Anne-Merelie Murrell - Giroux Glass Company Inc.
Katherine Preisler - State Farm Insurance Companies
Anita Santiago - Anita Santiago Advertising
Linda Reyes Stone - APR Consulting, Inc.
Barbara Taylor - The Boeing Company
Angela Walton - Melador Technologies

The Hall of Fame Luncheon is open to the public. Participants can register by phone at (213) 622-3200 or online via our web site www.nawbola.org. Tickets are $75. Table packages range from $1,000 to $5,000. Exhibit tables, to support women-owned businesses, are available. Program advertisements are also available for all inquiries received through the first week of February 2002.

Founded in 1979, NAWBO-LA leads the nation as one of the largest and most dynamic NAWBO chapters promoting business growth for members and representing the 200,000 women business owners in Los Angeles County.
- END -

###