Advisory Board Members, Founders and Mentors of EWA

THE LARRAINE SEGIL SCHOLARS

FOUNDERS OF EWA

JD, MBA
IP Counsel, Arbonne

Meredith Kohler serves as Intellectual Property/Commercial Counsel at Arbonne International. Prior to joining Arbonne, Ms. Kohler served as a class action lawyer/litigator for Ahdoot & Wolfson PC. Having long held a passion for the cosmetics and beauty industry, Ms. Kohler embraces her role at Arbonne with a diverse set of skills. Meredith holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Drucker School of Management and her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School. Ms. Kohler is a Larraine Segil Scholar.

MBA
CEO Injoy Global
Former CEO Giorgio Beverly Hills, Frederiks of Hollywood

Linda LoRe is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Injoy Global, Inc., a company devoted to turning the workplace back into an engaged and profitable place of business. Using both online and mobile gaming technology, InJoy Global is a social enterprise focusing on the verticals of leadership, wellness, and customer contact.

In her 23-year career as a CEO of world-renowned brands, Linda LoRe is recognized as a top brand strategist. Her extensive experience includes building consumer companies from the ground up, revitalizing storied brands and breathing new life into consumer favorites. She has been a prominent leader in some of the country’s most successful corporations, including Avon Products, Proctor and Gamble, May Corporation (now Macy’s) Giorgio Beverly Hills and Frederick’s of Hollywood.

Ms. LoRe holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on Strategy and Leadership from the Presidential & Key Executive (PKE) program at Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, where she also received the 2012 Presidential George Award.

Alongside this, Ms. LoRe has received numerous awards including the Spirit of Life award, the Beautiful Apple award, the NAWBO Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Visionary award for youth mentoring, to name a few. She is a member of The Committee 200, the Trusteeship of the International Women’s Forum, serves on numerous Board of Directors and is a sought-after keynote speaker and corporate trainer for major brand corporations. Linda is also an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Critical Care Physician, Cedars Sinai, CEO Hadian Law
MD, JD, MScCR, FCCM

Dr. Mehrnaz Hadian is Founder and President of The Institute for Public Informing of Research and Education in Critical Care Medicine, (INSPIRE CCM). Inspire CCM is a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization which specializes in providing insight and knowhow to individuals who need critical care but are not at centers of excellence hospitals such as those in rural locations. In addition, she has a consulting firm that provides structure and analysis to existing critical care facilities that are not run as well as she believes they can be.

She is also presently an Assistant Clinical Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, while being a current Intensivist, medical-surgical ICU, Saperstein Critical Care Tower, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Hadian is an Iranian immigrant who prior immigrating to the Unites States served as a family doctor in Iran, where she was the Director of Women’s and Public Health Research, Damavand Epidemiological Research Center (DERC), Damavand Health System, Damavand, Iran as well as being a General Practitioner, Damavand Medical Center Clinic and Emergency Room.

Upon arriving in the US, Dr. Hadian became a Visiting Researcher, at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Departments of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, Boston, MA followed by becoming an Internal Medicine Resident, at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA and thereafter a Multidisciplinary Critical Care Fellow, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA. she then went on to earn a Master’s in Clinical Research from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research Education, where she went on to become a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Critical Care Medicine. Finally, after moving to Los Angeles, Dr. Hadian completed her JD in Bioscience Industry Law and Practice, at Southwestern Law School.

Dr. Hadian has many professional appointments, has authored multiple papers on Intensive Care, and is board certified as a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM), USA
Dr. Hadian is a Larraine Segil Scholar.

Lauren Plunkett Cox

JD
CEO Essential Oils

Lauren Plunkett is an experienced Associate Attorney with a demonstrated history of working in the construction law and civil litigation industry. Ms. Plunkett is also a licensed real estate salesperson in California, and Founding Owner and President of Essential Natural Health, Inc., a natural health solutions company specializing in DōTERRA Essential Oils and wellness products.

In addition to being a skilled professional in Business Leadership & Coalitions, Management, Policy Analysis, Business Process Improvement, and Training, Ms. Plunkett is a mother of five children with a strong passion for representing the interests of foster children and parents. Ms. Plunkett has served as a Certified Law Clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, The Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights.

Prior to becoming a single foster parent, herself in her early twenties, Ms. Plunkett worked in Enterprise IT Architecture for the State of Colorado, Governor’s Office of Information Technology where throughout her years there she held the positions of Director of Business Architecture, Health IT Program Director, State HIT Coordinator, and Program Management Specialist.

JD
Associate Attorney, Panda Express

Tania Gonzalez is an Associate Attorney specializing in Licensing, Non-Traditional, and New Concepts at Panda Restaurant Group. Prior to joining Panda Restaurant Group, she was with JML Law where she was a member of the Law and Motion team with a strong focus on plaintiff's employment law.

Ms. Gonzalez has also served as an Assistant Manager for Barrister Executive Suites in addition to inter/externships for corporations such as JustFab Inc. and Universal Music Group.

Ms. Gonzalez serves as a volunteer mentor with the Peer Mentor Program at South Western Law School where she is also an active Board Member as well.

Tania holds a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School with a concentration in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Real Estate Transactions, Employment Law, Federal Income Tax Law, and 3L. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in both Business and English with a Pre-Law minor from Mount St. Mary’s University, where she graduated with Honors (Cum Laude). Ms. Gonzalez is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Jacqueline McCauley

MBA
CFO ubeam, Former Interim CEO

Jacqueline McCauley is former Interim Chief Executive Officer/Chief Financial Officer at Sonic Energy and is on the Board of Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation where she serves as its Secretary.

As a seasoned Executive, Ms. McCauley is both an expert in Human Resources and as a Financial Consultant. While at Sonic Energy, Ms. McCauley stepped in as Interim Chief Executive Officer at the request of the Board during a critical pivot and change of management within the company. As Interim CEO, Ms. McCauley executed a technical move with only one-week downtime, pivoted from mobile device charging focus to sensor IoT applications reaching distances never seen before, gained market attention with first public reveal of new technology at CES in Las Vegas, moved from high attrition to less than 3%, cut finances over $1M, hired a seasoned CEO, moved into interim CFO through transition of role, stabilized the company; meeting and exceeding all milestones set as CEO.

Prior to her roles as Interim CEO/CFO Ms. McCauley served as Vice President of Human Resources/Finance where she developed all human resources strategy, tactics, and infrastructure in alignment with product development roadmap, managed cash and other financial operations including management of the financial team and overseeing Series raise of $11M in a B round.

Ms. McCauley’s deep Finance/Operations experience also includes prior roles as Director of Finance and Operations at Go Live! Mobile, and VP of Finance at Airpush, Inc. Additionally, Ms. McCauley has served as a Board Member of The/Nudge Foundation. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Presidential & Key Executives (PKE) program at Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management. Jacqueline is a Larraine Segil Scholar.

Esme Williams Berenc

Berenc MBA
Director of Operations, uBeam

Esme Williams-Berenc is Director of Operations at Sonic Energy. Prior to her position at Sonic Energy, Ms. Williams-Berenc served as Chief Operations Officer at Katapult and Chief Administrative Officer at Master & Muse, where she was known for her ability to solve complex problems and drive success by identifying new areas of value and opportunity. Ms. Williams-Berenc has strength in the retail segment, general management, partnership and stakeholder management and possesses a demonstrated ability to hone brand awareness, uphold company's vision and values, and generate revenue. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Business Administration & Management from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business, as well as a Bachelor of Science (BS), Broadcast Communications from the University of Miami. Esme is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

PhD, MBA
Director of Reseach, Cedars Sinai

Phoebe DeWing Chang is Associate Director, Clinical Research Administration at Cedars Sinai Health System. An experienced research scientist with a highly successful track record in both preclinical and clinical trials. She has extensive experience managing multiple highly complex projects, from a scientist, project manager or data management perspective, for trials in Phase I to Phase IV.

Ms. DeWing Chang is former Director of Data Management at Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. Prior to that, she was a Senior Scientist at Lotus Clinical Research, a company recognized as a leader in providing analgesic CRO and site services. Her clinical trial experience includes protocol design, trial methodology research, trial management and execution, clinical statistical report analysis, business development, and building strong relationships with monitors and sponsors. She is dynamic and a creative thinker, bringing multi-departmental teams together to optimize efficiency in order to implement executable solutions for successful outcomes.

Dr. Chung holds a PhD in Human Genetics from UCLA, where she specialized in gender-based science and neurobiology. Phoebe also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Presidential & Key Executive (PKE) program at Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management and earned her BA in music from Yale University. Ms. DeWing Chang is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Paulette Pantoja

MBA
CEO of BLU.

Paulette E. Pantoja is CEO of Blu., which provides transformative digital supply chain, distribution, and testing solutions to the entertainment industry through its BluEvo, BluFocus, and BluMedia arms. Since the company’s founding in 2007, she has helped Blu play an increasingly influential role within the home entertainment (Digital, Film/TV, Media) industry.

Throughout her career, Ms. Pantoja has focused on proprietary workflows and patented applications that help streamline key operational aspects for entertainment industry companies. Prior to founding Blu, Ms. Pantoja was Director, Production at Panasonic Hollywood Labs. She also held senior positions at Ascent Media and Hearst Entertainment. Her areas of focus include Virtual Reality, 4K/UHD, DVD/Blu-ray, 3D, Digital Distribution, Streaming, Apps, Software, Websites, Hardware/Software certification and Technology certification.

Ms. Pantoja is currently a mentor for the UCLA Mentorship Program, a Board Member of the Youth Mentoring Connection and Chair for Miles of Music 5k, an annual event that supports the non-profit organization YMC which provides mentoring and support to at-risk youth.

Within her industry, Ms. Pantoja is a member of many organizations including the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the Blu-ray Disc Association, The Digital EMA, the Television Academy. Ms. Pantoja also holds patents in online quality assurance system, and project management.

Paulette holds a Master of Business Administration from the President and Key Executive program at Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management. She earned a BA in Film and Television from UCLA and also graduated from the Executive Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management, in addition to the Goldman Sachs 10ksb program. Ms. Pantoja is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

CTA CTC MBA
Global Sales, Kempinski Hotels

Pamela Irwin is Director Global Leisure & Entertainment Sales for Kempinski Hotels. Ms. Irwin has over 15 years of leadership in Luxury Travel, Entertainment Travel, Hotels, Resorts, Cruise and Non-Profit industries specializing in Global Sales & Marketing and Business Solutions. Ms. Irwin is a consummate travel advocate and served as Director-at-large for National ASTA and SoCal ASTA, the largest chapter of The American Society of Travel Agents representing more than 6,500 members and affiliates in Southern California and Las Vegas. She is also Treasurer on the board for California Coalition of Travel Associations, CCTO.

Ms. Irwin has held key leadership, management, digital director, strategic planning, sales and marketing positions both domestically and internationally with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Cruise Line, Ensemble Travel Group, Regent International Hotels, Hard Rock Cafes, CSA Travel Protection, Starwood Hotels and American Tours International.

As Treasurer of The California Coalition of Travel Organizations and ASTA, Ms. Irwin works closely with Luxury travel and hospitality organizations and members worldwide. In these key roles, she frequently travels to both Sacramento and Washington D.C. to lobby on behalf of the hospitality, tourism, transportation and travel industries with the goal of protecting the rights of the American and International traveling public.

Pamela holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management and is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Venessa Simpson

JD
Associate Attorney, Lewis Brisbois

Venessa Simpson graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Southwestern Law School. Prior to transferring to Southwestern Law School, Ms. Simpson attended Syracuse School of Law.

Venessa earned her Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) in Psychology, Business, and Legal Studies from the University of Rochester. Ms. Simpson is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Former CHRO of Aerospace Companies, MBA

Rocio Chatham is Group Vice President Human Resources at H-D Aerospace and Defense. As a Human Resources Professional with more than 16 years of experience in the manufacturing industries including Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Trade Print and Machine Tooling, Ms. Chatham has an extensive background in all Human Resources related functions including but not limited to Strategic Management, Safety and Labor Compliance, Compensation and Benefits, Labor Relations and investigations, Training and Development, Recruitment and Talent Acquisition, Worker’s Compensation, Safety and Occupational Health, Leadership Development, Payroll and Wellness.

Prior to joining H-D Aerospace and Defense, Ms. Chatham served as Vice President of Human Resources at ATS Systems, Inc. and has held other key Human Resource positions at various companies such as 4over, Rincon, Anthony International, Levlad LLC, and Hydro-Aire, Inc.

Ms. Chatham serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Networking Association and is an active volunteer with organizations such as the Children’s Hunger Fund, American Heart Association, and The Church at Rocky Peak. Additionally, she was also nominated as Poet of the year 2008 by the International Society of Poetry.

Rocio holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Presidents and Key Executive Program (PKE) at Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business, a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, and is Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Ms. Chatham is a Larraine Segil Scholar.

Chairman of Finwell Benefits
VP Wealth Management, First Citizens Bank, MBA

Breanna Stott is Founder of Finwell, a Financial Wellness company. Finwell® Benefits provides financial education, planning, and advice as an employee benefit to help reduce stress in the workplace and to improve overall wellbeing and engagement.

Prior to Founding Finwell, Ms. Stott served as Vice President & Wealth Advisor at both First Citizens Bank and Union Bank. She has also served as Assistant Vice President and Private Banker at Wells Fargo and as Senior Relationship Manager at Bank of America. While at Wells Fargo, Ms. Stott was ranked #2 in the nation amongst her peers and awarded the company's highest acknowledgment, given to the top 1% of the company.

Ms. Stott has been recognized in Pacific Coast Business Times "40 Under 40" for her work throughout the community, including her volunteer contributions to the Big Brothers - Big Sisters Program where she has served as a Big Sister turned Mentor.

Breanna holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business with a strong emphasis in Organizational Behavior and the creation of a values driven high performing, high wellbeing and ethical company culture. Through UCLA, she has earned her Personal Financial Planning Certificate. Additionally, she holds her Series 7, 66, and Life & Health licenses. Ms. Stott is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Bridgette Windham

JD
Lionsgate Entertainment

Bridgette Windham serves in Business and Legal Affairs at Netflix and as Legal Assistant at Lionsgate. Prior to joining Netflix, Ms. Windham’s passion for the Entertainment industry is evidenced by the four internships she has held at Lionsgate, IM Global, Brighthouse Networks, and the Cannes Film Festival.

Ms. Windham aspires to become one of the top Entertainment Lawyers in Los Angeles.

Bridgette holds a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Southwestern Law School and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, graduating with Honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ms. Windham is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

BBA Notre Dame
MBA, JD
Former CFO City of Atlanta, Former Treasurer City of LA

Joya C. De Foor was the founder of De Foor Consulting Solutions, LLC and is on the Board of Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation where she serves as its Chief Financial Officer. During her extensive finance career, she has been directly responsible for $10 billion in debt issuance and management of a $7 billion investment portfolio. In 2009, Treasury & Risk named her to its list of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance.

Ms. De Foor is the former CFO for the City of Atlanta where she advised the Mayor and City Council on municipal financing, budgeting, treasury activities, accounting, financial policies, and pension reform. Previously, Ms. De Foor served as the Treasurer for Los Angeles, CA and was the City Treasurer & Revenue Officer for Long Beach, CA.

In addition to past service as a member of the Government Finance Officers Association's Executive Board, she has held trustee or committee positions with US Bank, the Association for Financial Professionals and the Long Beach Museum of Art, and the Arts Council of Long Beach, CA. She is currently a board member (alternate) for the California Municipal Finance Authority.

Ms. De Foor earned a BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a JD from Southwestern Law School where she was a Dean’s Scholar, Dean’s Fellow, VP of the Black Law Students Association and Treasurer of the American Constitution Society. Joya is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

As a promising, appointed Larraine Segil Scholar, Chantel Maina is in first year at the University of Cape Town where she is working towards her Bachelor’s of Business Science/Actuarial Science degree with a concentration in Business and Commerce. Ms. Maina transferred to the University of Cape Town from Kingsmead College and previously attended the same exclusive private school in Johannesburg South Africa as Larraine Segil.

Chantel previously participated in the Yale Young Global Scholars Program Frontiers in Math and Science and she is fluent in Afrikaans, French, and English as well.

MD, Family Medicine, MA Medical Anthropology, MA Global Health
MBA

Dr. Joy Jones is a Family Medicine Physician at Accelerated Urgent Care and is a passionate provider of medical services both internationally and in in the greater Los Angeles area.

Dr. Jones has written over 16 papers and received over 14 scholarships in addition to providing volunteer health care across the globe including Nicaragua, Ghana, Kenya, Cuba, Egypt, South Africa, Turkey, and Egypt, as well as throughout underserved communities in California and the United States. Dr. Jones aspires to someday work for the World Health Organization (WHO) and to run a global organization in that niche.

While completing her residency at Eisenhower Medical Center, she simultaneously earned her Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) through the Presidential and Key Executives Program (PKE) at Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management.

Dr. Jones holds a Master’s in Medical Anthropology from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, in addition to a Master’s in Public Global Health from Loma Linda University where she earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) as well. Joy completed her undergraduate degrees earning a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelors of Science in Biology at Duke University. Dr. Jones is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

MD, OBGYN, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
JD
Associate Professor UCLA
Maternal Fetal Health Harbor Medical

Dr. Hindi Stohl is Director of Perinatology and Obstetric Quality at Harbor UCLA Medical Center where she also serves as Medicolegal Chair. She also has the title of Assistant Professor of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Dr. Stohl completed her Fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and served as Resident Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Stohl has been the recipient of many scholarships, written multiple papers, articles and chapters of books, in addition to being a valued speaker at many conferences.

She also teaches Jewish studies at the congregation where her husband is a Rabbi and has significant duties as the Rabbi’s wife and a mother of six young boys.

Hindi holds an MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in addition to her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Southwestern Law School. While earning her Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Columbia University, she completed her degree in 3 years graduating Cum Laude and making the Dean’s list, all semesters matriculated. Dr. Hindi Stohl is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.

Julie Min is President of HW Consulting LLC, which provides consulting services by creating and selling on-trend, healthy food products through alternative format channels, particularly club stores.

She is also Founder of BelleTress, which utilizes innovative techniques and state of art technology to provide a premium line of wigs and hairpieces for over thirty-six years.

A serial Entrepreneur, Ms. Min is previously Co-Founder and President of Mrs. May’s Naturals where she was instrumental in helping the company achieve annual revenue of 30 million dollars by executing a successful business model to fit club stores such as Costco, Sam’s, and BJ’s as well as other national retailers including Hudson News, QVC, Whole Foods, Kroger’s, Safeway, Wall Mart, Bristol Farms, Grocery Outlet, WinCo, Bed and Bath, Delta Airlines, including sales in over fourteen different countries. During her time at Mrs. May’s Naturals, Ms. Min negotiated the successful sale of the company to Dole Packaged Foods. After being approached by a variety of interested parties such as Nestle, Hersey’s, and Pepsi, she managed all the moving parts required during an extensive Merger & Acquisition process and went on to become appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Dole Packaged Foods, LLC.

Julie is currently a candidate for her PhD in Global Leadership and Change at Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, holds a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management, and earned her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA. Ms. Min is an appointed Larraine Segil Scholar.