Previous Defining Moments Galas

 The 2010 Defining Moments Gala

October 4, 2010

2010 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Samantha Ettus

Samantha Ettus is a best-selling author, TV personality, personal branding expert and entrepreneur who has brought together over 500 top celebrities, experts, and industry leaders in her print, video and online media properties.

A Harvard trained social anthropologist and MBA, Samantha began her career by launching Ettus Media Management, the first-of-its-kind talent agency for personality-driven brands. Her talent for selecting the people at the forefront of lifestyle trends, her skill in cold calling and networking, and her on camera and print communication experience led Samantha to create the best-selling Experts’ Guide series of books (published by Random House) and the Internet’s premier web talk show, Obsessed TV. Her interviews and books have included Sir Richard Branson, Rachael Ray, Jennifer Capriati, Larry King, Al Roker, Colin Cowie, Eric Ripert, Donald Trump and countless other luminaries.

Samantha also penned "Celebrity Assets," a weekly syndicated column for Scripps Howard News Service focused on how celebrities manage their brands. She appears regularly on various television programs as a prominent branding expert including the TODAY Show, The Early Show, The O'Reilly Factor, Inside Edition and Your World with Neil Cavuto and was the host of the iVillage "iCelebrate" series for NBC as well as a correspondent on WNBC's and NYCTV's New York 360°.

Samantha has several projects in development with women entrepreneurs and her next book is a personal branding guide for women in business. She writes frequently for ForbesWoman and she continues to be a highly sought after speaker on the subjects of personal branding, networking, and entrepreneurship.

Samantha is on the board of ForbesWoman and The Friends of Baby Buggy. She lives in New York with her husband, Mitch Jacobs, and their two young daughters.

2010 Defining Moments Celebrity Honoree

Ramona Singer

Ramona Singer is an astute businesswoman and a true aficionado of fashion with a passion for being a wife and mother. In addition to her role on BRAVO’s The Real Housewives of New York City, Ramona has taken the beauty and accessory industries by storm. Ramona was born the eldest of four children in upstate New York. She learned responsibility at a very young age and wanted to have a career in business combined with fashion. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, with a B.S. Degree in Business. Ramona started her professional career thirty years ago as a buyer for Macy’s, and then created her first company RMS Fashions, Inc.

Her businesses include Tru Renewal skin care, True Faith Jewelry, Ramona Singer Collections on Amazon and most notably, Ramona Singer Jewelry for HSN. Her line of pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings, priced $200 to $600, was inspired by her love for estate and art deco, which she says she adores because it is timeless. “I don’t want a trendy piece of jewelry to hand down to my daughter Avery, because it will be out of style and she won’t want to wear it,” Singer notes. “Estate jewelry will always be in style, and women will always wear it.”

Her entrepreneurial skills have received praise from media industry giants such as Women’s Wear Daily, FoxBusiness, People, and What’s Haute to name a few. Ramona has a new lease on life and is ready to let things go and kick up her heels with a fresh new hair-do and attitude to match. Ramona is "renewed" this season in every way.

Having conquered the design world, Ramona was inspired to create a skin care line, Tru Renewal, after struggling to find products she herself could use that were effective, yet free of chemicals that could potentially harm and irritate her skin. Singer worked with a world-renowned chemist and a top New York City doctor to create her line. The key ingredient to garner skin-firming results is green algae. “After using the products for just 6 weeks, all of my friends noticed a difference in my appearance. My skin looks and feels healthier; it really is more vibrant and glowing!”

Ramona lives and works in Manhattan with her husband Mario and their daughter Avery. After 17 years of marriage and going strong, Ramona and Mario’s relationship is as beautiful as ever. The two truly are best friends and confidants and share the greatest luxury of being parents to Avery. Ramona very much enjoys playing tennis, dancing and spending all the time she can with her family and their dog Coco in the Hamptons.

2010 Defining Moments Honorees

SUSAN BERMAN, PRINCIPAL AND MANAGING DIRECTOR UNDERLINE COMMUNICATIONS

Susan is Principal, Managing Director of Underline Communications, a relationship marketing agency that connects businesses with customers through strategic interactive programs. Their work includes: email, print and e-newsletters, websites and landing pages, online advertising, mobile applications, and direct mail.

Underline works with the world’s best-known brands and nonprofit organizations, across all industries. American Express has been one of the company’s largest and most longstanding clients, and Underline would like to thank them for their support, both personally and professionally.

Founder of Underline Communications in 2001, Susan co-manages the strategic and conceptual development for new projects, and oversees the agency’s operations, business development, and finances.

Susan was previously a Partner at Lippincott & Margulies, a leading brand strategy firm owned by Mercer Management Consulting, where she was responsible for large-scale projects for Fortune 500 clients.

Prior to joining Lippincott, Susan was Chief Operating Officer of Donovan and Green, a 60-person marketing communications firm. During her tenure, she also directed many major projects, including American Girl Place in Chicago; the retail renovation of Citicorp Center in New York; the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul; and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library public exhibition space.

Susan began her career with architect Richard Meier & Partners. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from The Cooper Union and is a registered architect.

2009 Defining Moments Gala

September 22, 2009

2009 Defining Moments Honorees

Mimi So

Mimi So has been devoting herself to fulfilling a dream to build a brand – a world of luxury for all to share. Her brand building and success stem from a background as a third generation jeweler working with her family in their atelier, and her training as a Graphics Designer at the Parsons School of Design.

In 1993, Mimi opened a retail boutique in New York City. For several years, she was primarily a fine jewelry retailer who produced custom bridal sets for clients including celebrities, while also attracting a growing following, especially within the fashion industry.

Mimi So’s designs are art-based, with a very definitive and distinctive style. The collections, focused on the brand’s signature design principles, are firmly positioned as modern. They are created for what global women want today and tomorrow – wearability from day into evening, and styling for vintage and couture casuals.

In 2000, Mimi So debuted her wholesale business in Neiman Marcus precious jewelry salons. Over a short span, the company drew the attention of some major brands including Richemont, who in 2004 made a significant investment in Mimi So International. During the partnership with Richemont, Mimi So expanded globally and built the Fifth Avenue Mimi So Studios and Penthouse Workshop. Additionally, Montblanc asked Mimi So to design their first fine jewelry collection which became an instant success. Richemont sought to acquire the exclusive ownership of Mimi So International, however, Mimi turned them down, and subsequently she bought out their ownership share. read more...

Also visit Mimi So's website located at www.mimiso.com

Jen Groover

Tagged by Success Magazine as a "One Woman Brand" and “Creativity and Innovation Guru”, a leading "Serial Entrepreneur" by Entrepreneur Magazine and having drawn comparisons to Walt Disney and Benjamin Franklin, Jen Groover's name has quickly become synonymous with innovation, entrepreneurship, and evolution. This concept and product development expert has not only masterminded and built her own companies but she also has assisted in the launch of over fifty other companies and, in the process, taken on more roles than a Shakespeare theatre. She has gone from guest-hosting spots on QVC to inking deals with some of the industry’s biggest heavyweights.

Although it was Jen’s innovative handbag company (the award-winning Butler Bag Company, which launched just over 2 years ago and is now being tracked as one of the fastest growing handbag brands in history) that catapulted her into the spotlight, don’t make the mistake of assuming her experience, appeal, and expertise extend only to the fashion industry. With a sharp, relevant, and vast breadth of knowledge on everything from business issues to education to government policy and with a natural, energetic on-air presence, Jen is a progressive force to be reckoned with. She has already become a regularly featured business and lifestyle expert for such programs as Fox News’ “Strategy Room”, ABC’s “Money Matters”, CBS’ “Early Show”, CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch”, and Meredith Corporation’s “Better TV”. read more . . .

Also visit Jen Groover's website located at www.jengroover.com.

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September 23, 2008
Capitale, New York City

Honoree Kim Azzarelli of Avon Products, Inc.

Honoree Leslie Leventman of MTV Networks

Cashmere Mafia star Bonnie Somerville will host this year's event.

Tamara Jacobs, keynote speaker

2007 Defining Moments Annual Gala

Maria Otero, Founder and President;
Tracy Caliendo, Goldman Sachs, Gala Chairperson

Diana Taylor, Wolfensohn & Co., 2007 Defining Moments Keynoter