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Women’s Venture Fund Honors Exceptional Women For Their Professional Accomplishments and Commitment

Honorees Receive “Highest Leaf Awards” at breakfast underwritten by Citi

NEW YORK, NY — June 25, 2008 — The Women’s Venture Fund, Inc. (WVF) announces the recipients of its “Highest Leaf Awards” for business leadership and civic engagement. The 2008 honorees are Susan Ascher, Mary J. Barneby, Katherine Combs, Sharon R. Cooper, Mary C. García, Elizabeth Kressel and Debra Walton (see bios at end). This annual award celebrates trailblazing women business executives who have shown outstanding leadership and commitment to their respective industries and other women.

The winners were evaluated on their willingness to take risks, creative use of resources to achieve their goals, their entrepreneurial spirit in managing uncertainty, their commitment to mentoring others, the measurability of outcomes and their impact and value to the organization. “The Highest Leaf Awards celebrate women who represent the characteristics we try to instill in our own clients: bold, strategic thinking, creativity and a certain amount of fearlessness in order to achieve,” said Maria Otero, WVF’s Founder and President. Women’s Venture Fund supports women entrepreneurs through training, coaching and micro loans.

Founded in 1994, The Women's Venture Fund (WVF) is a nonprofit organization that offers courses, business consultations and micro loans to help women establish thriving businesses in urban communities. By troubleshooting specific challenges and encouraging women to share their experiences with other entrepreneurs, WVF is able to expedite the growth of businesses participating in our programs. To date, Women’s Venture Fund has impacted the lives of more than 13,000 women. To learn more about Women’s Venture Fund, visit: www.womensventurefund.org.

2008 Highest Leaf Honorees

Susan Ascher
The Ascher Group * Founder, President and CEO
The Ascher Group is the premier provider of human resources contract professionals. Founded in 1981, The Ascher Group re-engineered itself from a traditional executive search firm to a pioneer of the concept of the interim executive. The Ascher Group has witnessed sweeping changes in the employment industry and corporate hiring practices. From Yuppie candidates of the early 1980s to the downsized Baby Boomers of the 1990s to the advent of the New Millennials, Susan proactively seeks to forecast her corporate clients’ hiring requirements as well as meeting the needs of her candidates. A philanthropist, Susan is an officer of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges, a board member of Spence Chapin, and a Trustee of the Mountainside Hospital Foundation. An alumna of Lehigh University’s first class of women, Susan currently serves as Class Fundraising Chair.

Mary J. Barneby
UBS Wealth Management * Executive Director/Manager of the Stamford Private Wealth Office
As Executive Director and Manager of UBS Wealth Management's Private Wealth Office in Stamford, Connecticut, Mary Barneby oversees the efforts of UBS Private Wealth Advisors delivering the firm's global wealth management capabilities to ultra high net worth individuals, families and institutions.
Since joining UBS in 2002, Mary has served as Branch Manager of UBS's office in Hartford, the Eastern Divisional Sales Manager, as well as Sales Manager for the firm's Park Avenue, New York, office. UBS Wealth Management is an affiliate of UBS AG, the world's largest wealth management firm and global leader in investment banking and securities. Mary earned her M.B.A. in finance from New York University and Fordham University and her Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation at The Wharton School. Mary currently serves as a Trustee for the Securities Industry Institute, a member of the Board of Governors of the University of New Haven and a Director at Domus, a CT-based non-profit. She is also an active supporter of UBS's women's network.

Katherine K. Combs
Exelon Corporation * Senior Vice President/Deputy General Counsel and Secretary
Katherine K. Combs is senior vice president, Corporate Governance, Corporate Secretary and Deputy General Counsel, Exelon Corporation. Exelon has the largest market capitalization in the electric utility industry. Its retail affiliates serve 5.4 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and its generation affiliate operates the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the nation.
Combs oversees SEC reporting and compliance, provides legal counseling on securities laws and regulations, and manages the shareholder services function. Combs provides legal advice and support for the Exelon board of directors and its committees.

She is responsible for corporate governance and compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other corporate governance reforms. Combs chairs Exelon’s Ethics and Compliance committee and manages the Ethics and Compliance Program. Combs also chairs Exelon‘s Corporate Policies Committee and serves on the Corporate Citizenship Review Committee.

Sharon R. Cooper
Selective Insurance Group * Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
As senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer Ms. Cooper maintains oversight for the company's marketing and communications strategy, including employee, agent, public and media communications, corporate branding and advertising, and marketing and communications business integration. Ms. Cooper was promoted to senior vice president in 2003 and to her current role in October 2007. Before joining Selective in 2000 as vice president and director of communications, Ms. Cooper was director of media relations for The Allstate Corporation and a corporate relations manager for Allstate Insurance Company in Irving, TX. Prior to that, she was executive director for the Insurance News Service in Columbia, SC, and a news reporter, anchor and producer at TV stations in Texas and Georgia. Ms. Cooper holds a B.A. in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Strategic Communications and Leadership from Seton Hall University in New Jersey, and the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) designation.

Mary C. García
University Health Plans, Inc. * President and Chief Executive Officer
Over 20 years ago, Ms. Garcia decided to focus her professional career in one area where she could develop a leadership and policy-influencing role particularly seeking to positively impact women of diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Mary realized that access to good healthcare is a cornerstone for the successful personal and professional development of all women. In her career, Mary has held leadership positions in various health care organizations particularly focusing on their government sector health programs. In her current role, Mary leads a managed care organization with a significant purpose to provide access to care for many disenfranchised women and children, breaking down the barriers that often prevent the appropriate level of access and assisting these women in navigating through the complexities of the health care system. Mary comes from a long line of independent women whom she credits for paving her road to empowerment. Her ultimate goal is to pass that along to her daughter as well as to other women who may not have been as fortunate as she.

Debra Walton
Thomson Reuters * Global Head of Market Development
Debra Walton is Global Head of Market Development for Thomson Reuters, and a member of the newly merged company’s Operating Committee. Debra is responsible for interfacing between the Divisions, the Sales Channel, and the customers to build robust and professional enterprise functions for the newly merged company. Prior to the merger between Thomson and Reuters Debra held two key management roles within Thomson Financial, most recently as President of Global Accounts, and prior to that as managing Director and Head of the Investment Banking Division. Prior to joining Thomson Financial, Debra spent her career with Nucleus Financial Network, Inc.; Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. and Dow Jones Telerate. In addition to her business roles, Debra has been active in a number of financial industry and community-based organizations, including the Board of Directors of the Women’s Bond Club of New York, the board of the YWCA of New York City and Cancer Care.

Contact:
Women’s Venture Fund
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