NEWH's first Woman of the Year, Dorrit was born in Vienna, Austria and fled with her mother and sister to the United States during the Holocaust. She started to work as a sewing machine operator in a New York sweat shop for $7 per week. In the '40's, she worked as a Showroom Manager and model for a well known sportswear house in New York. For 9 years she owned and operated a bedspread and drapery workroom in New Jersey. In 1959 she moved to Los Angeles, were she worked as a retail buyer for a home furnishings store for two years prior to founding a business with her husband manufacturing architectural special effects. She was active in this enterprise for 15 years. In 1971 she became a licensed contractor (at that time only 81 women held this license in the U.S.). As general contractor, she was responsible for overseeing construction crews and sub-contractors on job sites. She joined Purchase Service Limited in 1976 and became President and partner in 1979. PSL became a worldwide purchasing company with offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong Singapore and London. At the end of 1994, she decided to take life a little easier and left PSL. She now works as a consultant to the Hospitality industry. She started NEWH in 1984 with Susan Spalding and Shelia Lohmiller, and was named NEWH's 1st Woman of the Year in 1985. She also received the Hospitality Design Platinum Circle Award in 1990 for the highest standards of purchasing in the industry.

Boundless energy and a determined perseverance are among the qualities that have led Patricia to success in life. Growing up in Southern California, the daughter of a Baptist minister, she graduated as Valedictorian of El Monte High School and then attended college, where she studied nursing. After working as an RN in Long Beach, Patricia married and began a family. Showing her entrepreneurial flair, she opened a restaurant, Paty's Cafe, at Firestone and State in Southgate, now the site of a Lucky's Market. Never content with the status quo, Patricia soon expanded her chain to several new locations. In 1950, Patricia again made a career change when she was hired by Float-In-Ez as a sales representative. By 1953, she added Charm Lamps to her lines, and within three years, became a partner. In 1963, Patricia added the Raymond Company to her lighting package, and again within three years became a partner in the firm. In 1978, Patricia joined Hallmark Lighting as they first ventured into the hospitality field with a new line of custom lamps and wall sconces. The same year, she began working with Geron Furniture and became a partner in 1988. Patricia has been involved in NEWH since its inception, providing the organization with the benefits of her talents. For her many accomplishments within the industry and within NEWH, Patricia was honored as the 1986 NEWH Woman of the Year, and the 1994 NEWH Woman of Excellence.

Edith was in the home furnishings and hospitality industry for approximately 40 years prior to her retirement in 1990. Sewelson's Carpets is known for imported hand-made custom carpets and Oriental rugs. She went to mainland China (Shanghai, Beijing and Tientsin) in 1946, where she was introduced to custom carpets by husband, Rupert, who had introduced the needles, and educated the Chinese in how to make custom carpets to size, color, pattern, etc. (they only knew hand-knotted rugs, which took years to make). When the Chinese Cultural Revolution started in 1950, they became associated with Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Edith was on the Executive Board of National Home Fashions League (later known as IFDA), in every position, and then became President for two successful terms in the early 1970's. In 1985 she joined NEWH as a charter member and was active on the Board of Directors until 1996. She had a wonderful and successful marriage for 51 years, until October 1995, when Rupert passed away. Her current buddy and companion is Brandy, a cute little Bijion Frise.

Author/editor Carol Soucek King, MFA, Ph.D., has long been interested in the ability of the arts to uplift and empower human life. She has written eleven books, each one demonstrating her belief in the crucial role played by the arts in mankind's physical and mental well being. Carol's design/architecture/garden books have been published by PBC International. Her poetry has been published by International Forum. Carol lives in Pasadena, California, where she has established the Institute of Philosophy and the Arts, an interdisciplinary forum created to deepen awareness through artistic classical philosophy and contemporary critical thinking. Under the auspices of The Institute, a salon on "The Spiritually Creative Life" is held on the second Sunday of each month at her home. Carol's husband, Dr. Richard King, is founder of King International Group, International business advisors, in Pasadena, California.

Mrs. Lee entered the work force in 1932 and left it in 1997, retiring at the age of 87. She started her career in the world of fashion but, upon the untimely death of her husband in 1971, she stepped in to run his interior design firm, Tom Lee, Ltd., and to complete the interior design of several major hotels. Over the next three decades, she designed over 40 hotels, 19 of which are in New York City. She came to specialize in the restoration of signature hotels in a romantic but efficient style. Her assignments included the Helmsley Palace, The Parker Meridian, the Willard in Washington and the Bellevue in Philadelphia, as well as work in Australia and Asia. Born in Union City, Tennessee, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Randolph Macon Women's College, where she served as president of her class and later as trustee for 17 years. A stylish woman of Southern charm and New York determination, she wore her trademark hat, gloves and pearls with clothes of her own design. Coming to New York in 1936, she became a confidante and advisor to Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. She worked with such accomplished women as Diana Vreeland, Carmel Snow, Jacqueline Bouvier and Leona Helmsley. She began her career at Bonwit Teller, where she met her husband Tom Lee, and later was Copy Editor of Vogue during World War II. Subsequently, she served as Beauty Editor of Harper's Bazaar, vice president of advertising, display and promotion of Lord & Taylor and Editor-in-Chief of House Beautiful from 1965 to 1971, where she encouraged "romantic modernism." On behalf of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she edited American Fashion, a major study of mid-century American clothing designers, published by The New York Times. She served as the President of the Fashion Group from 1960-1963. Her career changed dramatically with the death of her husband in a car crash in 1971 near the family home in Greenwich, CT. She completed contracts of her husband's design firm with the Four Season's in Toronto and the Rye Town Hilton and took great joy later on in working on the Plaza Hotel which at one time had been a project of his. She went on to contribute such spaces to New Yorks' built environment as the Helmsley Palace with its restored Gold Room and Parker Meridien with its 65 foot high atrium connecting 56th and 57th streets, inspired by the Vatican Library. Other notable assignments included the historic rehabilitation of the Willard in Washington and the Bellevue in Philadelphia, as well as several Doral Hotels, the Empire and the Pursuit of Happiness, a pioneering discotheque in the New York Hilton. In 1993, Mrs. Lee merged her firm with the architectural firm of Beyer, Blinder, Belle. Subsequently she served as president of the Decorators' Club and as a trustee of the New York School of Interior Design, which staged a retrospective of her hotel work in 1997 entitled "Without Reservations". Her public activities included the co-founding of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, where she served for many years as vice president, and the restoration of public spaces in City Hall during the Guiliani administration. Although she received many awards and several honorary degrees, she resisted the label of role model for subsequent generations of working women, insisting that she had simply been lucky and entitled her unfinished memoirs Too Good To Be True — Almost. Her close friend, Brendan Gill, profiled her in his book Late Bloomers and said that her work was a "manifestation of wit and shrewdness". Sarah Tomerlin Lee, whose sense of history and romanticism guided a sixty-five year career in fashion, advertising and interior design, died on Easter morning, April 15, 2001, at her home in Beekman Terrace, New York City. She was 90 and the cause of death was congestive heart failure. Sarah Tomerlin Lee was an honorary member of the Greater New York Chapter of NEWH.

Trisha Wilson is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wilson Associates, an interior architectural design firm based in Dallas, Texas, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Cochin, India. The firm was created in 1971 and now employs a staff of over 325 professionals. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Trisha Wilson is a dynamic businesswoman and an internationally acclaimed hotel designer who has built her global empire around the business of designing hotels, restaurants, clubs, casinos, and high-end residences. From five-star luxury resorts catering to every whim of the well-traveled elite to the charming whimsy of childhood dreams at Disney World in Florida and France, Wilson's signature can be seen at every stop. Wilson Associates is one of the pre-imminent hospitality design firms worldwide, and literally hundreds of projects can be credited to her firm. Accolades for Ms. Wilson are numerous. In April 2011, she accepted the Chiapas International Women Who Give Hope Award. In November of 2009, she was honored with the Interior Design Award at the 2009 Fashion and Lifestyle Awards sponsored by Fashion Group International, Inc. In 2007, Trisha Wilson received The Pepsi Everyday Freedom Award sponsored by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. In December 2006, Ms. Wilson was awarded the VNU inaugural Women in Design Award. In April 2006, Ms. Wilson was awarded the Manfred Steinfeld Humanitarian Award by Hospitality Design Magazine. In 2004, Ms. Wilson was named Distinguished Alumni of The University of Texas at Austin. In 2001, 2000 and 1999, Ms. Wilson was included in Harvard Business School's Graduate Level Case Study concerning entrepreneurship and management in the creative world. In 1999, she was named Distinguished Alumni of The University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture, and she was included in Working Woman Magazine's annual ranking of the top 500 women in business today. Among many other honors, she was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1993, named Woman of the Year in 1990 by the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality, and recognized as the 1988 Entrepreneur of the Year in the Woman-owned Business Category of Venture Magazine. Her firm's work receives honors and awards annually in design excellence competitions including the prestigious American Hotel and Motel Association's Gold Key Award. Wilson Associates' work appears monthly in design publications including, Architectural Digest. Ms. Wilson has appeared on countless radio and television broadcasts. Her positive spirit and entrepreneurial expertise has been chronicled in such books as Enterprising Women, Women of Design, and Empowered Spaces. In 2004, Ms. Wilson completed her book called Spectacular Hotels that takes you on a journey around the globe through the world's most remarkable hotels. Business associates describe Ms. Wilson as tireless, energetic, and enthusiastic. Currently, she serves on over seventeen boards, and is active in many civic and community organizations as well. She is the Chairman and Founder of The Wilson Foundation. She is on the Board of Directors for JP Morgan Chase Bank in Dallas. As well, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Governor's Business Council Texas, the Executive Board at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, and the Advisory Board for the Texas Stampede and the Nature Conservancy Dallas. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Ms. Wilson serves on the Development Board, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Chancellor's Council, the Littlefield Society, and the Commission of 125.

Elaine Grossinger-Etess says it's one of her favorite stories, and it illustrates how the former hotelier has never let the concept of hospitality slip far from her mind. "Once my husband, Dr. David Etess, and I were walking up the grand staircase of the Waldorf=Astoria and I saw an empty pack of cigarettes on the floor," she recalls from her home in South Florida. "As I bent down instinctively to pick it up, my husband gently chided me. 'It is Conrad Hilton's problem, not yours,' he said." Even years removed from her family's noted resort in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the daughter of the legendary Jennie Grossinger is still practicing her trade. The octogenarian works as director of hospitality for Forest Trace Resort, a retirement community in Lauderhill, Fla. Once the first female chair of the what was then known as the American Hotel & Motel Association (now AH&LA), Grossinger-Etess and her husband moved full-time to Florida after the family sold the Grossinger Catskill Resort Hotel in 1985. But that didn't stop her from keeping up the Grossinger tradition of hospitality. "I'm involved with special events, booking big name entertainment," she says of her position with Forest Trace. "So many of the residence were guests of Grossinger's or the Catskills, so it's like coming home to them. It's a lot of fun. They have wonderful memories. They bring pictures they had taken at our resort while on their honeymoon. They have kids who worked there." She says the job is a lot like when she was executive vice president of the Catskills' resort. "We do a lot of the same things, but bring them up to date," she says with a slight chuckle. "Of course, you can't do what you did 50 years ago." While residents of Forest Trace rent apartments, Grossinger-Etess says her hotel background has enabled her to bring a sense of hospitality to the community. "There's a special event nearly every month," Grossinger-Etess says. "It's fun to be able to use your skills and not just sit in a rocking chair, because I'm not that kind of a person." Working into her 80s wasn't something she imagined she'd be doing. "I thought I'd retire, maybe start to play golf again, those kinds of things," she says. "But then I got a call from Stanley Rosenthal, the founder of Forest Trace. He heard I was living nearby and wanted me to become involved." Now, she's still practicing hospitality, and couldn't be happier. "They wanted the place run in the Grossinger tradition, so in order to do that, we had to have a Grossinger there," she says. "It's been a wonderful relationship." In many ways, she's brought a mini-Grossinger to Forest Trace, but she's quick to point out that the heyday of the resort can only be recaptured so much. "It's an era that will never be recaptured because the world has changed so much," she says. "People have become much more sophisticated. You can sit home and put on your television set and see the greatest performers. You have to really keep up with the times. But, I've been very fortunate to be able to get great acts to come to Forest Trace." Performers she's booked include Joel Gray, Freddy Roman, Roberta Peters, and McCoo and Davis. And they've all performed at the "Jennie Grossinger Theater" at Forest Trace, which, of course, was named for her mother. Grossinger-Etess says her greatest skill is "probably my ability to make people feel comfortable." And, she credits that skill to her mother, who she says always said, "There are no strangers in this world, only people you have not met." "It is a good feeling to walk into a room, meet someone unfamiliar, and make them feel comfortable," Grossinger-Etess says. "I am sure that part of my skill is inherited, but I also had incredible practice so it can be a learned art." Having grown up in the Grossinger family, Elaine learned the trade from the ground up. She says her favorite job at the hotel as a teenager was working the switchboard. "When all the lines would light up at once, it reminded me of the TV episode from I Love Lucy, where Lucy and Ethel were working in the chocolate factory." While the AH&LA has its third female chair this year, Grossinger-Etess as the first says she had a wonderful experience with the association. As a groundbreaker, she says she only hopes that people thought of her as a good chair and not a "good female chair." She still keeps up with the industry, and she says there have been a lot of changes over the years. "It's so much more important an industry today than it ever was. The companies today aren't just hospitality companies but also investment companies. And, they probably look at it in a different manner than those of us from a different era," she says. "I'm sure it's become much, much more competitive because there are more hotels and people travel more. It's easier to get around." She says even though she doesn't travel much now, she still does occasionally, and she sees a difference in the hotels of today and the hotels of her era. "I can usually tell if someone's been with the company a long time or if they're just passing through, so to speak," she says. Grossinger-Etess' children have carried on the family's hospitality tradition. Mitchell Etess served as CEO of Mohegan Sun, and Mark Etess was an up-and-comer in the industry working for the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City before tragically dying in a helicopter crash. These days Grossinger-Etess takes a 35-minute car ride approximately eight days a month to do her work at Forest Trace where she's continuing to work in hospitality, and continuing to put smiles on the faces of the residents of the community.

Helen Marcus has been in the design/architectural business since 1961. She is a principal of Contract Hospitality International, representing a group of manufacturers for the hospitality, healthcare and corporate markets. A native New Yorker, Helen was actively involved in a company she helped found, marketing carpet to designers and developers. She and her sister were nearly the only women in the carpet industry, and were fondly known as "the girls". It was then that she became determined to better the position of women in the floor covering industry. Now, 30 years later, there is hardly a major mill that does not employ women in managerial places. She has been in Los Angeles since 1978 and actively involved in the hospitality community since 1981. Helen has volunteered her energies to a variety of charitable causes adopted by the floor covering industry, including The Floorcovering Industry Foundation, The City of Hope, Brandeis University, The ADL of the B'Nai Brith, and together with her husband, Jim, was honored by ADL twice for her outstanding contribution to the carpet industry. She was a major force in fundraising for the NYU Medical School. Helen has been instrumental in NEWH-Los Angeles Founding Chapter, having started as PR director, then becoming the editor of the NEWHsletter for three years. She was elected Executive Vice President, and in 1990 became President. In 1990 she was appointed to the National Board as Director of Expansion, and during her tenure many of the chapters were chartered. Helen did the NEWH's News column in the LA NEWHsletter and served as Editor of the NEWH Magazine. Helen is a true feminist – and her support of women in this industry is legendary. She is a member of IIDA, the National Association of Female Executives, Women for the Arts and NEWH. She has been invited to appear in Who's Who in Industry. An avid tennis player and accomplished culinary wizard, Helen enjoys frequent entertaining and spearheaded the production of the NEWH Cookbook. She is married to Jim Marcus, the true joy of her life.

Lynn Wilson is founder and president of Lynn Wilson Associates International (Coral Gables, FL), an interior design practice specializing in hospitality projects worldwide. Lynn, at 27 and the mother of three pre-schoolers, began her commercial design business at home in 1970 with $200. Now credited with more than 250 projects worldwide, Lynn Wilson Associates International maintains offices in Miami, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Tokyo, the Marianas Islands, and Madrid. Lynn directs a talented staff consistently listed by Hospitality Design magazine and Interior Design magazine among the top 10 hospitality design firms for the past decade. Her design expertise includes creating elegant environments for five-star resorts and hotels. Lynn Wilson studied design at the Art Institute of Chicago and received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Miami. Upon graduation, she established and chaired the Design Department of the International Fine Arts College. Lynn is a member of the Committee of 200, a national business policy council, and is the sole woman member of the Southeastern Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization, an international entrepreneurial business group. Active in local arts and culture, Lynn is on the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum & Art Center, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, and the newly formed Miami City Ballet. She is affiliated with numerous professional groups including the International Hotel Association.

With 23 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Valerie Ferguson was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Travel for 1998 and 1999 by Travel Agent magazine and one of the Top 100 Women in Corporate America by Ebony. Ms. Ferguson is the Immediate Past Chairman of the American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA), where she spearheaded "Opportunity of a Lifetime," a campaign to promote hospitality careers throughout the United States. She currently serves on the AH&MA Diversity Committee. In 2000, Ms. Ferguson was named as Diversity Institute's Hospitality Leader of the Year and the Multicultural Black Culinary Alliance Food Service and Hospitality Hotelier of the Year. She also received an Honorary Doctorate in Food Service from the Food Manufacturing Association. She was awarded the Drum Major for Justice Award on behalf of Coretta Scott King and the women of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1998 and, that same year, the Georgia Hospitality and Trade Association voted her Lodging Leader of the Year. In 1994, she received the Turner Broadcasting Trumpet Award saluting African-American achievement and was named to the Atlanta Business League's list of Top 100 Black Women of Influence. The Network of Executive Women in Hospitality voted Ms. Ferguson National Women of the Year in 1993, and she was the recipient of the Atlanta Business League Pioneer Award in 1991. Ms. Ferguson arrived in Philadelphia in 1998 with a corporate mandate to direct the $115 million conversion of the landmark PSFS Building into the luxury, convention-driven Loews Philadelphia Hotel. She was further charged with leading the property through its high-profile opening in the spring of 2000, into the National Republican Convention and beyond. The transition called for an industry veteran with the business savvy to position the hotel against the competitive onslaught of some 50 new hotels in the greater Philadelphia market. It also required a skilled collaborator able to build community and corporate partnerships that would help propel the company's growth projections. She proved to be a visionary strategist, armed with an inclusive agenda for the 21st century toward stronger diversity and more effective mentoring in the hospitality industry. She currently serves as a director on the boards of the Pennsylvania Travel Council, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Historic Philadelphia Inc., Urban League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Workforce Investment Corporation, the School District of Philadelphia's Communities in Schools and Widener University. Before joining Loews Corporation in 1998, Ms. Ferguson served with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Hyatt Hotels. She served as general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta and held general manager positions at Hyatt properties in Atlanta, Chicago and Flint, Michigan. Ms. Ferguson is active in numerous business, civic and educational endeavors. She travels throughout the country to key industry and association events, high schools and colleges, championing the cause of lodging as a vital force in the national economy. In an effort to strengthen the industry, she urges fellow hoteliers to seek out young men and women who represent "the promise of a new generation" and to create a diverse workforce reflective of today's America. A native of San Francisco, Ms. Ferguson received a BA in government from the University of San Francisco.

Elsie is President and Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Lighting for Architecture. ELA produces an outstanding and versatile product line, as well as high quality custom lighting. Their projects include commercial, architectural, hospitality, theme parks and restoration work, both domestically and internationally. The breadth of project that the firm has undertaken is evident in each of these projects. Elsie Dahlin was born in Northern Ireland, where she spent her early years under the shadow of World War II. Shortly after the war ended, with their home and all their possessions destroyed by a bomb, Elsie's family came to the United States, settling in Altadena where they had relatives. The first boy Elsie met was Gene Dahlin, who lived just around the corner. When she was nineteen, they married, and have since raised two children, Leah and Kevin. Elsie's five grandchildren are now her greatest pride. Elsie jumped right into business even before she finished school. She had evidently found her calling, as she quickly worked her way up to management positions. In the mid-seventies, Elsie became a partner, and later sole owner, of a start-up company, which manufactured tuna processing equipment for firms such as Star Kist, Van Camp and BumbleBee. In 1981 she was one of seven industry participants, and the only woman, asked by the U.S. Department of Commerce to join a Trade Mission to South America. After selling her company, Elsie began her involvement with ELA in 1983. According to her, manufacturing is manufacturing. She began her involvement with NEWH in 1987 when she filled several positions on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Founding Chapter before serving two years as President of the chapter, and three years as Founding President of NEWH, Inc. (National). During her tenure, Elsie brought to the organization her formidable management skills, as well as her ability to keep a diverse group of busy volunteers working toward a common goal. The Network of Executive Women in Hospitality selected Elsie Dahlin as the 1994 Woman of the Year because she is a true role model for us all. She exemplifies the professional woman who balances business with family, ability with humility and tenacity with grace.

Nikki, who was one of the highest women executives among the 17,000 employees of the "Mirage family of Hotels", was selected by NEWH's National Board of Directors for her work to promote the advancement of women within the hospitality industry, for winning the respect of her peers, and because she serves as such a positive role model for younger women, both in the industry and the community. Nikki was raised in the ranching area of Simi Valley in Southern California. After graduating from High School, she spent several years in the financial world. She started her interior design purchasing career at KS Wilshire in Los Angeles. Approached by Kenneth Wynn of the Golden Nugget Las Vegas to help develop Atlandia Design & Furnishings, she took up the challenge and moved to Atlantic City. With the sale of the Golden Nugget Atlantic City to Bally Mfg., the Corporate Offices of ADF moved to Las Vegas to build the Mirage and later other hotel properties for Mr. Stephen Wynn. In 1997, she retired and then formed N.J. & Associates, Inc., a hospitality and residential purchasing company. In 1998, she was called upon to come back to ADF to help open the Bellagio and Beau Rivage. Nikki is a Founding member of the Las Vegas Chapter and their second President. She has been on NEWH's National Board of Directors since its inception. As Vice President of Corporate Development, she spearheaded the development of the Corporate Partner program, whereby prominent corporations are recruited to take a leadership role towards sponsorship of our National Organization. Her success in this position has enabled NEWH National to continue its work in promoting the health and growth of the individual Chapters. In 1998, she accepted the position of President of NEWH, Inc. and was re-elected to this position in 2000.

A California native, Tanya attend Los Angeles High, Stephens College, Columbia, Mo. receiving her BFA in the School of Architecture at USC. It was during this time Tanya married and began raising her daughter, Dr. Faron Leslie Scott, a professor in Durango, CO, of whom Tanya is most proud. Tanya entered the field of hospitality, and could not have begun her career more auspiciously than as assistant to Howard Hirsch at Integrated Design Associates. Thereafter, she joined the Albert Parvin Company, and subsequently Hirsch/Bedner Associates/PSL, and Doubletree Inns in Phoenix. Opportunity beckoned, sending Tanya off to Chicago and a position with Hyatt Hotels Corporation and later JMB/Urban Hotels. In 1994 Tanya started her own firm, Scott Global Enterprises, providing hospitality consulting services to an impressive list of clients that includes among others, Hyatt and Hilton Hotel Corporations and the Illinois Facilities Fund. It was clear from the very start that her energetic style, ability to assume responsibility and keen management skills, would rapidly propel her into decision making and executive positions. Since the beginning of her career, Tanya has generously shared her knowledge with women, as well as men, who might benefit from her experience. She has been responsible for the success of many notables in the Hospitality field and as Founding President of the Chicago Chapter of NEWH and an active member of the National Board, she continues to set an example for women.

Lynda has demonstrated her commitment to the hospitality industry by being involved in interior design, product development and sales and marketing. By her diversified background she has been able to mentor many women in the industry. In addition she has been instrumental in creating many new opportunities for women by pioneering the role of women as sales executives in the industry. Lynda is President of J L F Contract Furnishings in Rancho Dominguez, CA. JLF is a leading manufacturer specializing in seating and fine tables for the hospitality industry. Previously, Lynda was Director of Hospitality Development for Falcon Products; a manufacturer of furniture and fixtures. Spending over two decades in the laminate industry Lynda had a position created for her as Market Development Manager at the Formica Corporation. This position of new business development utilized her 15 years' experience at Nevamar Corporation where she "blazed the trail" for women as Architectural and Specification Representatives to the design community. Lynda contributes her success in these positions to her interior design education and the experience attained at the prestigious firm of Cannell & Chaffin. Learning to "speak the language" was a real asset in the sales, marketing and product development positions Lynda later held. A noted lecturer on color and design, Lynda holds a BS in Interior Design from the University of Arizona and is a Certified Interior Designer, State of California. She has also completed the Marketing Management Graduate Program at the University of Southern California. Lynda is a professional member of Color Marketing Group; International Interior Design Association (IIDA); Institute of Store Planners (ISP); Themed Entertainment Association; Association of Women in Architecture; and Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH). She was honored as the 1993 recipient of the Joyce L. Johnson award as "Woman of Excellence" for the Los Angeles Founding Chapter of NEWH. Lynda has served on the National Board of Directors of NEWH since its inception. She also served on the National Board as Director of Membership.

Barbara Barrett is President and CEO of Triple Creek Guest Ranch, a Montana Hideaway. In 2012 Barrett served as Interim President of Thunderbird School of Global Management, in a time of transition between former president Ángel Cabrera and current president Larry Penley. In 2008 and 2009, Barrett was U.S. Ambassador to Finland. Prior to Finland she served on the corporate boards of Raytheon, Exponent and The Mayo Clinic, and was a Trustee of Aerospace Corporation and Thunderbird School of Global Management. She was Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and a member of the Smithsonian National Board, Space Foundation Board, Horatio Alger Association Board, Defense Business Board and Senior Advisory Board at Harvard's Institute of Politics. Earlier Ambassador Barrett was Senior Advisor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and President and CEO of the American Management Association, both in New York City. She was Valley Bank of Arizona's founding Chairman and taught leadership as a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She served as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Partner in a large Phoenix law firm, Vice Chairman of the United States Civil Aeronautics Board and executive/officer of two Fortune 500 corporations. Barrett was President of the International Women's Forum and national Chairman of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce's Export Conference in Washington, DC. She served in leadership roles with the Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations, Center for International Private Enterprise, Freedom House and Global Center for Dispute Resolution Research, among others. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been a frequent participant with Club of Madrid and the World Economic Forum. In her community, Barrett was Chairman of the Arizona District Export Council, World Affairs Council, Economic Club of Phoenix and Thunderbird. She was a candidate for Governor of Arizona. Barrett earned her bachelor, master and law degrees at Arizona State University. Honorary doctorates have been conferred by ASU, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Thunderbird School of Global Management and the University of South Carolina. Barrett was also the commencement speaker in 1984 at Eureka College, Ronald Reagan's alma mater, and was an advisor in the establishment of The Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program at the College. She has been recognized with the Horatio Alger Award, Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship and Sandra Day O'Connor Board Excellence Award from the American Bar Association. An instrument-rated pilot, Barrett was the first civilian woman to land in an F/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier. She climbed Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro in August 2007 and bicycled 900 kilometers around Finland while Ambassador. She has trained as an astronaut, and was the backup spaceflight participant for the Soyuz TMA-16 flight to the International Space Station.

Our 1999 Woman of the Year, Patricia Durkan is President and Chief Operating Officer of Durkan Patterned Carpet, Inc., and President of Mohawk Industries' Hospitality Group, based in Dalton, Georgia. Durkan, a division of Mohawk Industries, is one of the most successful patterned carpet companies in the world. Patricia started her career in carpeting 23 years ago as an office assistant in New York. Rapidly ascending the ladder, she became a Sales Representative and number one producer in the company. Seeking a more active role in management she moved to Dalton as Marketing Director. Promotion came swiftly and in 1998 she became the first woman to head a major carpet manufacturing company. Throughout her career she has worked to enhance the role of women in American industry and played a major role in building the New York chapter of NEWH. Within her own company she has encouraged women to seek promotion to managerial positions. Additionally, she has actively recruited women representatives, allowing them the opportunity for success in what had previously been a male dominated industry. Despite her responsibilities at Durkan, Patricia has never hesitated to give of her time and expertise to help her industry and community. She is a member of several hospitality industry committees, as well as supporting organizations which shelter and counsel victims of domestic violence. One of her deepest concerns is the fight against AIDS. She has devoted time and money to this cause and, on a personal level, given support and assistance to friends who have contracted this disease. In 1997 she served as the Steering Committee Chairperson of a fundraiser benefiting the Whitman-Walker Clinic's AIDS research and patient care. Patricia, whose hobbies include skiing, fly-fishing and traveling, also enjoys entertaining friends and family in her home.

Eng, a 22-year veteran of the hotel business, began her career as a front-desk clerk and concierge, eventually gaining the prestigious designation of Les Clefs d'Or Gold Key concierge. As general manager of the Hilton Washington Embassy Row property, Eng now oversees the 193-room full-service hotel where she started as a desk clerk. Eng joined MeriStar Hotels & Resorts in 1991 as general manager of the Best Western New Hampshire Suites where she led her team to win the Paul W. Whetsell Exceeding Expectations Award in 1994 (named for MeriStar's chairman and CEO). She moved to the Latham Hotel as general manager in 1996, adding responsibilities for the Georgetown Inn in 1999, representing combined revenues of $17.4 million. She was named general manager of MeriStar's Hilton Washington Embassy Row in December, 1999. A consistent top performer at MeriStar, which leases or manages 221 North American and Caribbean lodging properties, Eng credits her success to her early front-of-house experience. "This business is really quite simple," says Eng. "Satisfy the guest. Give them more than they expect and be up front if there are issues." Eng was nominated for NEWH Woman of the Year for both professional accomplishments and personal dedication to mentoring in hospitality. Among her greatest business accomplishments, Eng lists working with a team of business leaders in the hospitality industry to bring D.C.'s new convention center to reality. She assisted in the chartering of the first hospitality-oriented high school in the U.S., Marriott Hospitality High School in Washington, D.C., and is currently featured in "Be," the American Hotel & Motel Association chairman's educational and career awareness video. She is the first woman chairperson of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C., and a participant in its "Check In To the Hotel Industry" career opportunities video. She serves on the executive committees and boards of the Washington Convention and Visitors Association and the DC Committee to Promote Washington and is an executive advisor and board member of the NEWH D.C. Metro Chapter. Though Woman of the Year is not bestowed based on membership in or service to NEWH (that's the reason for the Joyce L. Johnson Award), Eng, a NEWH member since 1993, has shown exemplary dedication to the organization. In her nomination letter for Dixie Eng, Jeanne Varney, director, Asset Management at Crestline Capital Corporation, and NEWH Washington, D.C. Metro Chapter president, writes: "Many women in Dixie's position have enough responsibilities to consume their entire schedule. Dixie has shown countless examples of going out of her way and making time to make a difference in the lives of others, particularly women. I speak from experience. Several years ago when I was transitioning jobs, I first met Dixie at a networking lunch. She provided advice, contacts and a 'voice of reason' when I was at a crossroads. She continues to host one of our monthly networking luncheons at her hotel, offering advice, contacts and a 'voice of reason' for whoever is in need. She strongly believes in our organization's credo: Women Helping Women. She is a leader in our chapter, in her business and in our community."

In Michelle Finn's 20-year industry career and in her role as publisher of Hospitality Design, the premier design magazine serving the hospitality professions, Ms. Finn has developed and fostered numerous industry-wide events and causes. She advocates and champions excellence in hospitality design, recognizing its potentially great impact on profitability, and touts the industry's impact on related sectors including senior living. Ms. Finn has continued to strengthen the HD brand and its related products, such as the HD Exposition & Conference, the industry-wide trade show and educational forum on design and the hospitality business held each year in Las Vegas. To establish recognition of excellence in hospitality-related product design, Ms. Finn helped launch the International Interior Design Association/Hospitality Design Product Design Award competition, which honors innovative, best-of-breed products at the HD Exposition & Conference. Her interest in fostering the careers of young design professionals through increased education and industry awareness led Ms. Finn to found the New Design Professionals Program in conjunction with the HD Exposition & Conference. The New Design Professionals Program offers new hospitality designers a travel grant from HD exhibitors to attend the HD Exposition & Conference in Las Vegas. And Ms. Finn continues the magazine's long-standing co-sponsorship of the venerable Gold Key Awards, a competition of the American Hotel and Lodging Association that brings outstanding hospitality design to the fore. Among initiatives in the area of industry philanthropy, Ms. Finn founded the Manfred Steinfeld Humanitarian Award to help foster a spirit of giving among hospitality design professionals and to honor specifically those who have given extraordinarily in service and contributions. (The award's namesake founded Shelby Williams Industries, became a Horatio Alger winner and gave to countless industry causes and other philanthropic entities.) HD magazine and the HD Exposition & Conference partner with several trade groups and charities in sponsorship events and donations. Ms. Finn's continuing emphasis on networking, learning and leadership vision resulted in her idea to found the Hospitality Design Leadership Summit, held this year for the first time in Vail, Colorado. An annual event for hospitality executives by-invitation-only, Summit has been heralded as the premier think-tank for industry leaders from design, purchasing, management and manufacturing sectors. Ms. Finn expanded the editorial reach of HD magazine with additional issues, including the groundbreaking i20 issue, annually devoted to the 20 top people, places, projects, ideas and trends that have the industry buzzing. "I'm thrilled and honored to receive this award, and to be in the company of the esteemed women who have preceded me as Woman of the Year," said Ms. Finn. "In my position, I have a responsibility to give back, to mentor others on what I've learned. I believe the greatest contribution I can make to promote women within our company and within this industry is to provide the inspiration and the opportunity for women to succeed."

A renowned authority on color in design, Shirley founded Interior Design International, Inc. (I.D.I.) in Seattle in 1980 and has grown it to an international design firm specializing in casinos, restaurants, hotels, luxury trains, and marine hospitality, i.e., cruise ships, casino boats, yachts. Her clients include major cruise lines and high-profile owners including Donald Trump for projects in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Among her current projects are a $120 million casino, hotel, and office complex in the United States, and a luxury yacht in Europe. In addition, I.D.I. designs and specifies customized interiors for Ocean Alexander Yachts and other yacht manufacturers. Mentoring and education in the hospitality field has been a major part of LaFollette's career. Each year, she sponsors the I.D.I. student practicum program, which has attracted new designers from coast to coast to work with senior staff members on major projects. This year, Art Institute of Seattle graduate Stephanie Ellis has worked alongside LaFollette on several jobs. A noted lecturer, LaFollette has presented more than 50 programs on color and design at colleges and conferences including the Hospitality Design (HD) Expo & Conference in Las Vegas. She has been a featured guest on Home and Garden Television's Christopher Lowell Show as a design authority on small, luxury spaces. A member of the International Color Marketing Group, LaFollette has served on its board of directors. She is a past president and program chairman for NEWH, and holds a fellowship award from Northwest Society of Interior Designers. She was honored with Who's Who of Outstanding American Women in 1995, and was the Northwest Designer of the Year in 1987. A graduate of the University of Washington, she is a member of its alumni association and Chi Omega sorority. Professionally, LaFollette places strong emphasis on excellence of design and detailing, business integrity, and personal commitment to clients. She says she believes that global alliances and networking are key factors for success in today's marketplace—and geared to position design firms for a solid future. "Good design," she explains, "has no national borders." Her own design quest includes continual research and development of new ideas and products, particularly by working with manufacturers and artists around the world. LaFollette also researches and consults extensively on color trends and color forecasting. LaFollette has a son and a daughter, a stepson and stepdaughter, plus grandchildren she describes as "wonderful." Her husband, Ben Cozadd, develops medical properties and recently joined NEWH. They share a love of boating and cruising Washington's San Juan Islands. As members of the Seattle Yacht Club, they are working on the Americas Cup race committee. Seattle Yacht Club's entry, "OneWorld Challenge," is competing in pre-trials in New Zealand at this writing. Cozadd and LaFollette are preparing to be in New Zealand in January, 2003, for the Louis Vuitton finals of Americas Cup competition. The trip will offer LaFollette an opportunity to visit New Zealand's textile and carpet mills that are producing products for her current casino project. On being named Woman of the Year, LaFollette says, "I am thrilled and so appreciate the honor. Many thanks to everyone in NEWH who has contributed time, effort, suggestions, and insight into making NEWH the professional, productive association it is today, and for all the help and encouragement we received in getting the Northwest chapter started. NEWH and its network of wonderful friends and colleagues have been blessings in my life. I have won many design awards, but this is the greatest honor, for it is not just about designing, it's about people, community, and family." Despite the NEWH accolades, LaFollette remains humble, quoting advice given to her by a university professor. "'Never put yourself on a pedestal, only your projects,' she said. I try to live by that motto."

Lyndall has been an advocate for children since 1995 when she founded the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) in Thailand. The success of this program led to an invitation to join the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum in London and expand YCI activities which now operate in thirteen countries. Lyndall established two global initiatives for Prince Charles: The International Tourism Partnership mobilised the Leaders of the International Hotel Industry into a force that lead the change to build and operate more sustainable hotels. The Digital Partnership in South Africa and Ethiopia was a ground breaking public/private partnership that bought tens of thousands of computers, connectivity and infrastructure to these countries with the support of their governments and funding from the World Bank. In 2005 she received the NEWH (US) Woman of the Year Award for her humanitarian work and in 2009 a Leadership Award for leading the change to a more sustainable tourism industry. Formerly the Corporate Director of Education for Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts responsible for the development of 14,000 staff, Lyndall recently designed a global empowerment program for women in partnership with UNWTO and UNFEM. She is currently a board member of Australians Helping Abroad, a trustee of the Diamond Jubilee Trust Australia and a member of the UNWTO World Committee for the Protection of Children. An Adjunct Professor for the Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise and a regular guest lecturer in Responsible Leadership, Lyndall brings to CHF a unique brand of international business experience, a successful career in the NFP world and a track record in mobilising business as a force for good.