Diana Ruiz, President and Founder

Diana Ruiz is the president and founder of Women’s Global Leadership Initiative. Since 2008, Diana has served as a professional advisor for women’s leadership and economic development in several communities throughout the United States, Latin America, the Balkan Region and women in STEM associations in Tunisia and Turkey. She is currently working with delegates from 14 Latin American countries to form an initiative around women’s economic development. Diana resides in San Francisco, where WGLI is headquartered. The daughter of pro-democracy Cuban revolutionaries, Diana continues to build on her family’s legacy through believing in the possibility of a more just world. Diana received her BA in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco and has worked for more than 20 years in finance, sales, mediation and negotiations.

Marilyn Nagel

Marilyn is the former CEO of Watermark leading strategic initiatives designed to help exceptional women in the Bay Area enhance their personal and professional impact. As CEO of Watermark, Marilyn leveraged her passion for gender diversity by promoting inclusive, diverse, and well-balanced workplaces. Prior to joining Watermark, Marilyn was Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco. She was a recognized as a thought leader in creating inclusive environments, and a co-chair of the Conference Board Global Diversity Group as well as senior advisor to the Center for Talent and Innovation. Marilyn is CEO of Ready-Aim-Aspire, a Bay Area consulting company. WGLI Board Development

Goretti Heinz

Goretti is a talent acquisition expert. She is a dynamic, entrepreneurial sales, recruiting and operations professional with a 15+ year record of achievement. She has demonstrated success driving sales growth while providing award-winning sales leadership in highly competitive markets. Goretti is an effective negotiator with strong interpersonal skills that allows me to win contracts and close deals. She is adept at learning and grasping new ideas, concepts, information and new technology. She is the founder and CEO of Zemployee, Inc.  a San Francisco Bay AreaData-driven recruiting software that brings clarity to hiring.

Mica Zuniga

Mica Zuniga works in highly technical and niche industrial market segments focusing on ensuring that QAdvantage is aligned with its customers’ needs. She takes pride in ensuring that QAdvantage delivers industry-leading service and support to the light commercial manufacturing sector. “My focus is on ensuring that companies in this unique and innovative sector receive the attention and support they require to grow their businesses.”  Mica started her career with the country’s leading wholesale clothing manufacturer, SanMar, before entering the Food and Personal Care market at ChemPoint. She has held leadership positions spanning several functional roles, including sales, marketing, product management and project management.

Janet Miller

Janet Miller Evans is a Principal Consultant and Transition Coach recognized for hiring and coaching successful teams, building excellent client relationships and effective negotiation skills. Janet has made successful career transformations at multiple Fortune 100 companies where her business responsibilities included sales growth, P&L, customer satisfaction, and operations delivery. Currently, she leverages 30 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience to guide others in reaching their goals.  Client partners include corporations, small business owners, nonprofit organizations, and individuals navigating major life experiences. Janet earned a Masters of Public Administration and B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and in her spare time enjoys volunteering at community organizations, hiking, traveling, and the arts.  

Anneka Gupta

As Chief Product Officer & GM for brands, Anneka oversees the execution and strategy of LiveRamp’s overall roadmap as well as the P&L for the Brands vertical. Her background includes extensive experience across a variety of disciplines, including marketing, recruiting, product management and software development. In 2016, Anneka was recognized in the 10 Top Digital Marketing Innovators by AdAge. She speaks at events and conferences on a variety of topics from digital marketing to diversity & inclusion in tech. Anneka received a Bachelor’s degree in Math & Computational Sciences from Stanford University.

Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq.
Global Advisory Board President

Karima is the President of the Women’s Global Leadership Initiative Global Advisory Board and an internationally recognized expert in cutting edge adult education and complex consulting. She is also the Founder and CEO of WordSmithRapport™, an international consulting firm specializing in professional development and strategic corporate advisory services. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, as well as leading corporate, government, academic and non-profit entities in every continent around the globe. She is the author of Poised for Excellence and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Her work is regularly featured by the Human Capital Institute, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Success, Black Enterprise and Speaker magazines. For Global Advisor Board related inquiries, contact Karima directly at consulting@wordsmithrapport.com.

Patricia Green, Advisor

Patricia is Founder and Chief Strategist of the Patricia Green Group, a public relations firm grounded in connectivity, particularly relevant to women and global leadership. From 2006-2007 she teamed with a female entrepreneur in London and organized trade missions to the UK for women and minority-owned businesses. Her achievements are notable, including first black PR director of a predominantly white Western Pennsylvania college, President’s Award from the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners, President’s Letter of Recognition from former President George W. Bush, Congressional Record Tribute from Congressman Edolphus Towns and Governor’s Proclamation from then Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Patricia was also Publicist to Dr. Donda West, mother of Kanye West. She is a 2009 Top 100 MBE for Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC, and Virginia and a member of Leadership America, the VCU Alumni Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Patricia is Events Director and Producer for Stone of Scone Farm, a 200 year old historic farm near Gettysburg, PA, and is US Correspondent for Middle East Business Magazine and News. She holds graduate degrees in Public Relations and Social Work. For GAB-related inquiries, contact Patricia at patriciagreen1212@gmail.com.

Ayla Schlosser, Advisor

Ayla Schlosser is the Co-founder & CEO of Resonate, an organization the uses storytelling to empower women and girls to build self-confidence and unlock leadership potential. As CEO Ayla is responsible for leading strategy, partnerships, program expansion, and curriculum innovation. Prior to starting Resonate she was a Field Organizer and Program Manager at Groundswell in Washington, DC, where she led and managed the launch of a city-wide energy efficiency and financing program for low-income residents. She has also worked as a strategic communications consultant and specialized in stakeholder engagement and facilitation. She brings these skills to her work at Resonate, leveraging the influential power of storytelling for positive change. Ayla was a Mary Maples Dunn scholar at Smith College, where she graduated with honors with a B.A. in Government and a minor in Spanish Language. Ayla was awarded the 2014 Brimstone Award for Applied Storytelling for her work with Resonate and was named one of Conscious Company Magazine’s 17 Rising Social Entrepreneurs. She is a 2015 Unreasonable Institute Global Fellow and a 2016 recipient of the Cordes Fellowship.

ADVISOR:

Laura Chiyono Rosenthal, Attorney

Laura is an attorney practicing in workers’ compensation and employment discrimination. She has more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of legal positions in Colorado and Sonoma County, including as a paralegal, law librarian and private investigator. Laura is a member of the California Bar Association, Sonoma County Bar Association, Sonoma County Women in Law, and California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA). She is a committee member of the Women’s Caucus of CAAA and a member of the Sonoma County Bar Association’s Archives Committee. Laura received her BA in psychology and JD from the University of Denver.