2010 WIB Conference Key Note Speaker

Linda LoRe

Linda LoRe CEO & President, Frederick’s of Hollywood

CEO & President, Frederick’s of Hollywood

In her 18-year-career as a CEO of world-renowned brands, Linda LoRe is widely recognized as a leading brand advocate. Her extensive experience includes building consumer companies from the ground up, revitalizing storied brands and breathing new life into consumer favorites. LoRe became President and CEO of Frederick’s of Hollywood in August 1999, and immediately set upon the challenge of revitalizing and re-launching the iconic Frederick's of Hollywood brand. Since her arrival, she has overseen Frederick’s July 2000 Chapter 11 reorganization and brand turn-around and its much-lauded January 2003 emergence, securing the company’s strongest growth period in more than 10 years, and most recently, seeing through the merger between Frederick’s and apparel partner, Movie Star Inc. LoRe believes strongly in the Frederick’s of Hollywood brand and its potential to become a billion-dollar fashion business. Read more »

Guest Speaker

Debi Gutierrez

Debi Gutierrez

Debi Gutierrez is not your run-of-the-mill entertainer or television personality. She is as unique in her performances as she is in her personal life. Debi refuses to be lumped in with girl comedy and ethnic humor. Instead, she speaks of the common threads that describe us all with a relatable, sharp wit, energy and realism that makes it okay to be a human again.

During her 16-year career, she’s gone from high-school teacher to international performer and is a regular at premiere comedy clubs in Los Angeles and around the country. Debi has appeared on Lifetime, Showtime, NBC, CBS, HBO, as the Ebay Girl and much more! She was also featured in the Just for Laughs – New Faces Show in Montreal. While there, she met Rob Reiner who told her she would some day be a star and before she knew it, Castlerock was signing her into a deal at NBC.

Recently, Debi completed three seasons as the host of the daily parenting show, A Place Of Our Own, at KCET. On set, she comfortably navigates through topics and discussions in a natural yet structured way that allows her guests to comfortably be real and share their views and experiences. The show and its sister series, Los Ninos En Su Casa, have quickly snapped up three prestigious awards that include an Emmy, a National Peabody Award and The Parents’ Choice Award.

After two of her three kids left the nest, Debi realized she would soon be left with just her husband. Questioning why she put the kids first all those years, she began to develop a how-to seminar for strengthening marriage and re-kindling friendship with her husband… all wrapped up in a hilarious one-hour comedy show!

Sharpened and ready for the public, Debi took her cutting edge & controversial "Comedy For Men… and the women they love" routine on tour around the country. With a clear and determined vision, she lays out the non-mysteries of men and how women over-complicate them.

Interviews with Masterful Women

We are pleased to announce that this years conference will a discussion with several inspiring women within the South Bay community.

Chat Room Moderator

Portia Cohen

Portia Cohen

Portia Cohen is a practitioner of public policy leadership and advocacy for various private, nonprofit and civic interests.  She is an attorney-at-law, and currently a Council Member for the City of Manhattan Beach, California. Councilmember Cohen is the official liaison to the city’s business, environmental and school communities, and serves as chair or member to ten different state, regional and local committees and organizations.  Ms. Cohen has also served as a city Planning Commissioner, Parks & Recreation Commissioner, and Program Director for Leadership Manhattan Beach. Read more »

Chat Room Panelist

Listed below is the bio’s for the women that will make up our panel of Interviews with Masterful Women.

Sandy Abrams

Sandy Abrams

Sandy Abrams is the founder and CEO of Moisture Jamzz, Inc., established in 1993 around her signature moisturizing glove product. After starting her company in the corner of her one-bedroom Los Angeles apartment, Abrams built Moisture Jamzz, Inc. from scratch into a million dollar corporation without the benefit of a business degree. Today, Moisture Jamzz products can be found in some of the finest spas, resorts, skin-care salons and beauty supply stores around the world. Read more »

Melanie Barsuk

Melanie Barsuk

In 2003, Barsuk left a successful career in corporate sales and marketing to devote herself to her lifelong love of cooking and entertaining. She founded Simple Gourmet™, a company that brings her straightforward approach to cooking classes, culinary consulting, catering and parties. Barsuk’s infectious enthusiasm and commitment to making simple and delicious food has made the company a success. Read more »

Jane Buckingham

Jane Buckingham

Jane Buckingham is the world’s foremost expert on Generations X, Y and Z. Buckingham began her career by writing the book, Teens Speak Out, about her own generation at age 17. This started her on a quest to better understand and explain how young people feel. She pioneered the trend-forecasting field by creating Youth Intelligence and The Cassandra Report, the leading trend forecasting study used by the entertainment industry to determine all things “cool”. Read more »

Leslie Wickman, PhD

Leslie Wickman, PhD

Dr. Leslie Wickman is an internationally respected research scientist and engineering consultant. As an engineer for Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space in Sunnyvale, Calif., Wickman worked on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendation from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed's Corporate Astronaut. Read more »

2010 MBWIB Heart and Soul Recipient

Terry Louchheim Gilman

Terry Louchheim Gilman

Until the age of 13, I moved (almost) every year with my military family. School: Beverly Hills High School, University of Colorado (Economics and Business) and an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago.

My family has always been philanthropic. I was taught from a young age that one third of any money I earned (an allowance at that time) was to be given to charity (the other two thirds were for spending and saving). My parents not only supported a lot of organizations financially, but worked to raise money for many different causes and often opened their home for fund raising events. But this story started much earlier than that. Both of my grandfathers gave large amounts of their accumulated wealth to benefit others in the community and have been a powerful role model for me.

Even before this, my great-great grandfather set an example for his family by leaving an Ethical Will for his children, directing them to support charitable organizations, among other things. I have always known that giving back is an important part of being born into a privileged family.  Read more »