From the Editor

ceciliaA Word on the Most Powerful and Influential Women in Ohio

The inaugural edition of Ohio Diversity is the culmination of a dream. I have worked in the field of diversity for many years, in academia and corporate America. When Dennis Kennedy, our publisher, first asked me to edit a magazine on diversity, I had a flashback to my days in journalism school when my dream was to become a magazine editor. Today, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to edit a magazine that focuses on a passion of mine – diversity.
Our first issue features the Most Powerful and Influential Women in Ohio. In compiling our list, we sought and received nominations from many outstanding women leaders in business.

The women selected for our inaugural list are successful women leaders, based on our criteria. These women demonstrate leadership excellence in their respective sectors, maintain a record of accomplishments throughout their careers, and are major contributors to their fields of work. They significantly impact the profitability and direction of their organizations, and they are committed to the well-being of the community.

Analysts agree that much progress has occurred in the area of women’s corporate representation during the last three decades. However, research shows a general decline in recent years. This list is significant in light of what we know about the inroads women have made.

Catalyst, a leading nonprofit research and advisory organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for professional women, reports that the representation of female corporate officers in Fortune 500 companies decreased from 16.4 percent in 2005 to 15.6 percent in 2006. In the same period, the number of companies with three or more female corporate officers also decreased from 236 to 234. In 2006, the only gain was in the percentage of top-paying positions held by women – from 6.4 to 6.7 percent.

Catalyst indicates that at this rate, it will take 47 years for women to be at par with men as corporate officers of the Fortune 500. Clearly, the women on our list have earned their positions within this context and the profiles we present in this issue speak to the realities of rising to the top.

I hope you enjoy our first issue as much as our team has enjoyed the process of developing it for you, our reader. We welcome your opinion and ideas.

Cecilia Orellana-Rojas, Ph.D.
Editor
[email protected]