15th Annual Aiming High Awards, May 6, 2015

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Thursday, May 7, 2015

2015 Aiming High Awards

(L to R: Emcee and Legal Momentum Board member Loria Yeadon, Honorees Eileen Simon, Linda Zecher, Suzanne Rich Folsom, Gina Proia, and Aiming High founder Karen Kaplowitz.)

Legal Momentum’s 15th Annual Aiming High Awards Luncheon took place Wednesday, May 6, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The four honorees, Suzanne Rich Folsom of US Steel, Gina Proia of Ally Financial, Eileen Simon of MasterCard, and Linda K. Zecher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, provided inspiring examples of “aiming higher” and achieving professional and personal success. Their remarks were by turns humorous and enlightening, encouraging other women to “take risks, put your hands up, don’t wait for the opportunity to find you.”

Suzanne Rich Folsom shared her childhood ambitions, noting that “You don’t need to be a princess, a general, or President of the United States to make a difference in the world,” and concluding “I hope everyone in this room will continue to encourage the next generation to dream big, never give up, and continue to aim high.”

Gina Proia drew laughs by outlining her life “by the numbers,” but was serious about Legal Momentum’s mission. “The work you do is so important and there is still clearly so much more to be done to reach true equality and economic stability for women,” she said.

Linda Zecher encouraged women “Every day to support one another wholeheartedly, to lead by example, and to be champions of one another.”

Eileen Simon recognized “The individual and collective efforts, truly the village, that it takes to change the lives of those in need and to create a truly equal workforce,” and expressed the hope that her daughter and future generations of women will “feel that shattering the glass ceiling is no longer elusive.”

Five hundred guests joined the honorees as “Gender Justice Warriors” for the afternoon, enjoying a delicious lunch and terrific networking, as well as supporting  Legal Momentum’s ongoing work as a “lean, mean, gender justice machine” advancing equality for all women and girls through the power of law and innovative public policy.

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