Washington, DC—
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its board of directors, Katherine M. Kimpel, Esmeralda O. Lyn, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Shuler. Katherine M. Kimpel is an attorney and managing partner of the Washington, DC, office of Sanford Heisler and Kimpel, LLP. Liz Shuler is the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Esmeralda Lyn will be rejoining the board of IWPR. She is Professor Emerita at Hofstra University having held the C.V. Starr Distinguished Professorship of Finance and International Financial Services and is a member of the Senior Team of Worldwide Capital Advisory Partners LLC, New York.
“IWPR is pleased to have these accomplished members join our board. They each bring their valuable policy perspectives from the worlds of law, labor, and business, as well as a commitment to advancing the status of women and families that aligns with IWPR’s mission,” said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of IWPR.
In addition to the election of these three new members, the IWPR Board of Directors also reelected Holly Fechner as Chair and Lorretta Johnson as Vice Chair, and elected Bill Baer as Secretary.
Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D.
, and
Barbara Gault, Ph.D.
, were reelected as President and Vice President, respectively. Holly Fechner is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, Lorretta Johnson is the Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, and Bill Baer is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Bloomingdale’s. Heidi Hartmann is founder and CEO of IWPR and Barbara Gault joined IWPR in 1997.
About IWPR’s new members of the Board of Directors:
Katherine M. Kimpel
is a member of the Executive Board and serves as the Managing Partner of the Washington, DC Office of Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP. She received her law degree from Yale Law School. She serves as Lead Counsel in numerous class action and individual matters enforcing federal and state anti-discrimination and wage and hour laws. The National Law Journal named her office as Washington DC’s Employment Litigation Department of the year in 2013 and named Ms. Kimpel one of the 75 most accomplished female attorneys working in the legal profession today and one of DC’s 40 under 40. Ms. Kimpel devotes extensive time on cases designed to shatter the glass ceilings still in place across industries, writing amicus brief on behalf of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce in
Dukes v. Wal-Mart
and the amicus brief on behalf of health care practitioners in
Young v. U.P.S.
She is the Senior Editor for
Shattering the Ceiling
and is often asked to write for national news outlets, legal publications, and for women’s organizations.
Dr. Esmeralda Lyn
is a member of the Senior Team of Worldwide Capital Advisory Partners LLC, New York, and is Professor Emerita at Hofstra University having held the C.V. Starr Distinguished Professorship of Finance and International Financial Services from 2005 to 2011. She joined the faculty of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business in 1982, after graduating with a Ph.D. in finance from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York at Baruch College. She has an MBA in Finance from St. John’s University, New York and a BS in Accounting from St. Theresa’s College, Philippines. Dr. Lyn’s areas of specialization include international finance and investments, corporate restructuring, corporate governance and socially responsible investing. She currently serves as Board Director/Second Vice Chair of NEFCU, a $2.5 billion credit union in NY, Board Director/Treasurer of the Global Share Resource Foundation, and Chairperson of the National Committee of the Cross Catholic Outreach Box of Joy Program.
Elizabeth “Liz” Shuler
Elizabeth Shuler is the current secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, one of three top-level officers for the federation. The first ever woman elected to the position in 2009, Shuler also holds the distinction of being the youngest officer ever to sit on the federation’s Executive Council. Coming from Portland, Oregon, Shuler has been at the forefront of progressive labor initiatives like green job programs and the fight for workers’ rights for many years, starting as an organizer at her local union. Prior to her election as secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, Shuler was part of the Executive Leadership team of the Electrical Workers (IBEW). At the IBEW, she was in charge of 11 major departments and an adviser for the International President. As chief financial officer of the federation, Shuler oversees six administrative departments and is leading the federation’s young worker outreach initiative as well as its repositioning efforts. Secretary-Treasurer Shuler also represents the AFL-CIO on various boards and committees including the Women’s Committee at the International Trade Union Confederation.
About IWPR’s officers:
Holly Fechner, Chair,
is a partner in the public policy practice of Covington & Burling, LLP in Washington, DC. Named a top lobbyist by
The Hill
, Fechner manages teams that handle public policy, government affairs, and regulatory matters for clients in Washington, DC, and around the world.
With over two decades of legal, legislative and public policy experience, Fechner focuses on pensions, healthcare, intellectual property, tax, food, energy and education. She has a proven track record in assisting clients fulfill their government affairs goals. Fechner is also a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Prior to joining Covington, Fechner was Policy Director for Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), where she developed policy initiatives, legislation, and campaigns on a broad range of issues, including the economy, health care, employment, education, retirement policy, and civil rights.
Lorretta Johnson, Vice Chair,
is the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, and is a vice president of the AFL-CIO—the federation representing 56 national and international unions, including the AFT. Johnson also serves on the board of directors of the Albert Shanker Institute, the AFL-CIO’s Union Privilege organization, and the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department. Before becoming AFT secretary-treasurer, Johnson chaired the AFT Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel (PSRP) program and policy council from 1979 until October 2011. Prior to that, she was an AFT vice president for 30 years. Johnson also served as president of the Baltimore Teachers Union’s paraprofessional chapter for 35 years and as president of AFT-Maryland for 17 years.
Bill Baer
, Secretary, is Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Labor Relations for Bloomingdale’s. Baer began his career at Avon Products, Inc., in 1974 and was promoted to Director of Human Resources in 1981. Since then, Baer has served in senior human resources positions at Giorgio Beverly Hills, Associated Merchandising Corporation (AMC), and Calvin Klein, Inc. before joining Bloomingdale’s in 2003. Baer holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Psychology from South Dakota State University and has a Masters of Art degree in Executive Development from Ball State University in Muncie, IL. Baer was a Commissioned Officer in the US Army for four years and has been a member of the IWPR board since 2007.
Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D.
, President, is an economist with a B.A. from Swarthmore College and M. Phil and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University, all in economics. Dr. Hartmann is also a Research Professor at The George Washington University. Dr. Hartmann lectures internationally on women, economics, and public policy; frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress; and is often cited as an authority in various media outlets, such as
CNN, ABC News, The New York Times,
and
The Washington Post
. She also serves as the Editor of the
Journal of Women, Politics & Policy
. In 1994, Dr. Hartmann was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship Award for her work in the field of women and economics.
Barbara Gault, Ph.D.
, Vice President and Executive Director, joined the Institute in 1997 and has studied a wide range of issues of importance to women and their families, including poverty, access to education, health, work-life balance, political engagement, and the need for expanded preschool and child care options for working parents. She is a Research Professor of Women’s Studies at the George Washington University and received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR)
is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families, promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies.
