Legal Momentum Honors San Francisco Women Leaders in Business, Law, and Public Service

May 26, 2009 -

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Erin Smith, esmith@legalmomentum.org, 212.413.7516; mobile: 512.203.6206

2009 Women of Achievement Honorees
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News Release

NEW YORK -- Legal Momentum, the nation’s oldest legal defense and education fund dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls, announces the recipients of its 2009 Women of Achievement Awards, recognizing women whose personal leadership has broken new ground for women in business, law, and public service. The recipients will be honored at the Fourth Annual Women of Achievement Awards Dinner at The Presidio in San Francisco on June 16. The fundraising event brings together hundreds of advocates, professionals, and supporters of women’s rights whose contributions support Legal Momentum’s work to promote women’s economic and personal security. Sponsorship and ticket information is available at www.legalmomentum.org/woa.

 

This year’s honorees demonstrate women’s pioneering leadership in San Francisco:

 

Heather J. Fong – Chief of Police, San Francisco Police Department: When Ms. Fong was appointed Chief in 2004, she became the first woman to head the San Francisco Police Department, and the first Asian-American woman to head a major metropolitan city police force in the United States. After more than 22 years on the force – during which time she served as a Academy instructor, youth programs coordinator, grant writer, and strategic planner before becoming a commanding officer and finally chief — Ms. Fong recently announced her intention to retire once the city identifies a successor.

 

Mary Huss – Publisher, San Francisco Business Times:  Ms. Huss has been at the helm of San Francisco’s premier business publication for 14 years.  Prior to that, she worked at business publications in Philadelphia and St. Louis, and while in St. Louis, founded the Riverfront Times, an alternative weekly in 1977. An active participant in San Francisco’s civic life, she serves on the boards of several organizations including the Bay Area Economic Forum and the Center for Economic Development. 

 

Lynn M. Sedway – Executive Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis: Ms. Sedway, is Executive Managing Director of CBRE Consulting, the successor entity to Sedway Group, the real estate and urban economics consulting firm she formed in 1978. Since founding the firm, she has led its consulting practice which has earned an unsurpassed reputation in its field for innovative thinking, sound research, and objective advice. She is a well-known voice on land use matters in the San Francisco and beyond and serves on a number of boards

 

Irasema Garza, president of Legal Momentum, notes, “From law enforcement to media to real estate, each of our 2009 Women of Achievement honorees is demonstrating the positive impact of women’s leadership in the Bay Area and throughout the nation.”

 

Legal Momentum inaugurated the Women of Achievement Awards in 2006 to recognize women whose personal leadership has broken new ground in law, business and public policy, thereby demonstrating the positive impact of women’s full and equal participation in civic and corporate life. Former recipients include: San Francisco District Attorney Hon. Kamala D. Harris (2006); Joanne Hayes-White, Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department (2007); and Anne W. Halstead, Vice Chair of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (2008).

 

About Legal Momentum: Founded in 1970, Legal Momentum is the nation’s oldest legal defense and education fund dedicated to advancing the rights of all women and girls. www.legalmomentum.org

 

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