PANELISTS

Bios from the February 6th event.

Panelist Bios summary from February 6th event (PDF).

MODERATOR:
LIZZIE BERMUDEZ
Lizzie Bermudez is an Emmy award winning tv journalist and news anchor. She is currently working as a freelance Parenting/Family Contributor for ABC-7's daytime talk show, "The View from the Bay." Prior to becoming a freelance journalist, Lizzie worked full time as the weekday co-anchor of the ABC-7 Morning News. Lizzie has worked in broadcast television for more than 14-years. During that time she worked for several network affiliates (KGET in Bakersfield, KCBA in Salinas/Monterey and KATU in Portland, Oregon) covering countless stories that made national headlines including: The Pacific Northwest Floods of 95', The Iraq War Protests and The Scott Peterson Trial.
Lizzie says working as a mom is the toughest "assignment" she's ever had. As for how she finds balance between work and family - she says it's a daily struggle. Some days are really, really good and some days aren't so good.

PANELISTS:
JODI BRICKER
Jodi has spent the past 16 years working in the retail sector as a merchant for Macy's, Gap, Inc. and Levi Strauss. Jodi was amongst a handful of merchants who launched Old Navy Clothing Company in 1994 and also served as Vice President and General Manager of Old Navy.com where she grew and managed one of the highest comping businesses within Gap, Inc. Midway through her career, Jodi took 2 years off from working to have her first child and was one of the first employees to successfully pilot flex time at Gap, Inc. at a senior director level. Currently, Jodi is the Vice President of Women's Merchandising for Levi Strauss.

Jodi received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona. She lives in Marin with her husband Dennis and is also the proud mommy of Natalie (5) and Ella (4).

TAMSIN SMITH
Tamsin Smith became president of (RED) to help form a team and organization to support the initiative launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver at the World Economic Forum in Davos. She brings to this role over fifteen years of work on economic development, political engagement, and corporate social responsibility, with a deep focus on sub-Saharan Africa. She is broadly recognized as a driving force behind the creation of trade ties with the continent and a champion of building sustainable business opportunities for African entrepreneurs and workers. Before joining (RED), she created and managed the government affairs department for Gap, Inc. and shepherded the company's public policy strategy and engagement. Prior to Gap, Inc. she spent six years on Capitol Hill during which time she served as senior legislative assistant to two members of the U.S. House of Representatives and associate staff to the House Appropriations Committee.

Tamsin left a flexible job at Gap, Inc. to become President of (RED) She now commutes to Los Angeles from her home in the Bay Area. Her new role holds many challenges but brings incredible rewards that she feels allow her to be the person - and the mother - she wants to be. Tamsin holds an M.A. in International Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University and a B.A. from Kenyon College. She lives in San Francisco with her son Scully and daughter Tabitha.

HOLLY SUTTON
Holly L. Sutton is a partner at the San Francisco law firm, Farella, Braun + Martel, where she specializes in employment law. Holly's practice includes counseling employers on how to navigate the various legal implications and requirements of creating part-time and flex positions, and how to develop policies and practices that protect companies' long-term and short-term interests. Holly also assists executives in developing personal business plans and employment agreements that protect their rights and objectives. When executives decide to strike out on their own, Holly counsels them through the departure process and can assist in setting up new businesses. Holly's ability to assist clients in creatively addressing the needs of the emerging workforce is based in part on her own experience.

Holly is a graduate of Stanford Law School, where she was co-chair of the Women of Stanford Law, and a member of the Stanford Law Review. Holly attended U. C. Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and was the student commencement speaker for her departmental graduation.

TRISHA ASHWORTH
Trisha Ashworth started off her career as a production assistant for the television show "The Wonder Years". After that she moved to the agency side and worked for many years as a broadcast producer for advertising agencies Foote, Cone and Belding and J Walter Thompson in San Francisco and Ogilvy & Mather in New York City. Over the course of her career, Trisha managed high-profile television commercial projects from concept to post-production for clients including American Express, Pepsi Co. and Lev's Strauss. After a brief leave for the birth of her first child, Trisha tried to adjust her new schedule and resume production work, only to run straight into the inevitable struggle to balance career and family. Her experience with this all-too-common dilemma prompted Trisha and her longtime friend and co-author Amy Nobile to collaborate on their first book, titled I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. Coming in May from Chronicle Books, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids diagnoses the overwhelming expectations of modern motherhood and offers stories of real-life struggles and solutions, all drawn from interviews with women across the country who cope with the demands of work and family.

Trisha graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Sociology. Her latest project, motherhood, has proved to be the most rewarding (and challenging) of her life. Trisha's 12 years of marriage to Eric and their three wonderful children - Alexandra 6, Pierce 4 and Julia 2 - continue to leave her humbled and awestruck.

AMY NOBILE
Amy Nobile launched her public relations career in New York City, working for two leading global agencies -- Hill and Knowlton and Ketchum -- for a range of consumer brands including Frito-Lay, Mattel, Visa and Hallmark Cards. She eventually transferred to Ketchum's San Francisco office to become their Vice President of Media Relations, helping to build Ketchum's West Coast practice and lead a national training program for agency account executives. Amy then joined Silicon Valley-based Webvan -- a once high profile online grocer pioneered by Louis Borders -- as their Director of Public Relations and a corporate spokesperson. Following the Dot Com boom, Amy experienced the challenges of combining career and family when she became pregnant with her first child while running a PR consultancy, and in doing so, discovered that "having it all" might not be as easy as she thought. Her raw and honest conversations about these issues with longtime friend Trisha Ashworth ignited their quest: To find out if other moms were feeling the same way, and get to the bottom of why many are "quietly losing it." The result, after interviews with more than 100 moms across the country, is their book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids.

Amy graduated from Albion College in Michigan, with a BA in Communications. By far her most important accomplishments have been her marriage to her husband and best friend Paul, and the birth of her two kids, Sam, 4 and Emily, almost 3. Motherhood has been an adventure that continues to challenge and amaze her.

CINDEE MOCK
As a jobshare, Cindee Mock and Nancy Weintraub are the Directors of Message and Evidence Marketing at Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park, Calif. In this role, Nancy's and Cindee's team is responsible for message excellence that is rich in compelling proof points -- including customer references, competitive differentiation and market share data. Nancy and Cindee have been in a jobshare for 5+ years and, prior to their current role, have jointly held the position of Director of Competitive Intelligence, and Director of Computer Systems Outbound Marketing at Sun Microsystems. Cindee has also worked as Sun Director of Event Marketing, marketing manager for Sun Laboratories (part-time), as well as several positions in Sun Public Relations. Before coming to Sun, Cindee worked at two high technology public relations agencies.

Cindee graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in international studies. She lives on the Peninsula and has two middle school-aged boys. She enjoys travel, cooking and writing and is a published author in Harvard Business Review.

CATHERINE LEE
Catherine Lee is a Director at Sterling Stamos, an investment firm, and is responsible for the firm's private equity investments. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, she was a senior principal at Stadium Capital Management, a private equity and hedge fund based in Palo Alto. Seaver Kent has over $300 million of capital under management in three investment funds. Prior to joining Seaver Kent, Catherine was a senior consultant at Bain and Company. At Bain, Catherine was a core member of Bain's LBO/Principal Investor Practice, where she led projects that provided due diligence and transaction assistance to principal investment groups. Catherine also worked at Delta Airlines, where she was a founding member of the Operations Research Group and at Booz Allen and Hamilton, where she served clients in the transportation industry. Catherine left her job at Stadium Capital Management in 2001 after having children, off-ramped for three years and then returned to work part-time at Sterling Stamos in 2004. She is currently on sabbatical from her position at Sterling Stamos.

Catherine earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering with high distinction from the University of Kansas; a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering/Operations Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Catherine has three five year old children, Charlotte, Spencer and Madeleine.

DAWN DOBRAS
Dawn has over 14 years experience at Gap Inc. in Merchandising, Marketing, Product Sourcing, General Management, and Strategy. She has been a bit of a "jack of all trades" at the Gap, working in the areas of merchandising, product sourcing, and strategy. Most recently, Dawn was Sr. Director of Strategy and New Business Development for Gap Direct, the online businesses for The Gap, Inc. including Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, and new brands. Previously, she was Vice President of Old Navy.com where she launched and grew the business to over $150mm in sales.During her 14 year tenure with Gap, Dawn took three maternity leaves and later returned to work in various flexible work positions. Dawn recently joined Mommy Track'd as the Chief Operating Officer because her life is managed chaos on the good days, having managed to balance a career at Gap, Inc. and raising 3 small boys. She is an "opt- in" because she believes that she is a better mom by working at home and at work

Dawn received her undergraduate degree from Penn and her MBA from Harvard. She serves on the boards of 2 non-profits and one start-up and is a room parent for room 1. She lives in Mill Valley with her husband Eric, 6 year old Jacob, 5 year old Ethan, 18 month old Macabee, and overfed ;and sweet dog, Lola.

ROBBIE KELLMAN BAXTER
Robbie Kellman Baxter is the President and Founder of Peninsula Strategies, a successful Silicon Valley-based Strategic Marketing Consulting Firm. Robbie helps companies evaluate growth opportunities by examining the competitive landscape, by analyzing the industry as a whole, and by talking with the prospects and customers. Her clients, who range from startups to industry leaders, have included Netflix, Yahoo!, PayCycle, Zoomerang, Sun Microsystems, and Oracle. Robbie tried her hand at a part-time position at a high-tech firm years ago, but found it unfulfilling. She currently runs her lucrative consulting practice on a part time basis, working an average of 30 hours per week. Her current path has been her most fulfilling yet, offering a unique combination of challenging and interesting work, significant earning potential, and more time and flexibility for family.

Robbie graduated with honors from Harvard College and received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. A longtime resident of the Peninsula, Robbie lives in Menlo Park with her husband Bob and three children Molly (almost 9), Annabel (6), and Nate (3).