Susan Colantuono CEO and Founder of Leading Women Named Vision 2020 Delegate

June 3, 2010 - PRLog -- Leading Women today announced that founder and chief executive officer Susan Colantuono and Marcia Coné, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island were chosen as Vision 2020 delegates to represent Rhode Island. Vision 2020 is a national, decade-long project intended to complete the work of suffragists by advancing gender equality across sectors chose 102 delegates from across the nation who will help to shape the project’s agenda.  

While American women have made momentous strides since 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified, they continue to face substantial roadblocks. Vision 2020’s first public event aimed at addressing these issues will take place on Oct. 21-22, 2010, when a congress of national delegates representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including Coné and Colantuono, will meet at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to launch an action agenda to move America toward equality by 2020, the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment.  

Vision 2020’s mission is inspired by the work suffragists, who pursued women’s right to vote as the first step in achieving full social, political and economic equality. The initiative will focus on seven areas that go beyond the traditional spheres in which women have had the greatest influence; namely, family and community. The areas are: Politics and Government; Business, Law and Finance; Science, Technology and Health; Education; Communications and Media; Philanthropy, Faith and Voluntarism; and Arts and Culture.

The project was launched late last year and is led by a former U.S. Senate and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Lynn H. Yeakel, director of Drexel’s Institute for Women's Health and Leadership; founder and CEO of Women’s Way, the first and largest women’s funding federation in the country and a founder of the National Women’s Funding Network; and former Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health Human Services. Yeakel co-chairs VISION 2020 with  Rosemarie B. Greco who was, until December, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell’s director of the Office of Health Care Reform — a Cabinet-level position to which she was the first appointee. Greco is a former banker who rose from secretary to become one of the top-ranking women in her industry. During her tenure as president of CoreStates Financial Corp., the $45 billion institution was ranked one of America's most profitable and efficient banks. Both women have led or participated in civic and nonprofit activities throughout their careers.

About Susan Colantuono

Susan L. Colantuono is the CEO and Founder of Leading Women, founder of the Women's Institute for Leadership at Bryant University and author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven't been told about leadership. For more than two decades, she has specialized in leadership development solutions for leaders at all levels. Through coaching for leadership excellence, leadership team building and leadership development programs, Susan’s clients have enhanced their business analysis, strategic thinking, visionary leadership and interpersonal skills and produced high impact results. Susan was recognized for her contributions in this area when Providence Business News named her Business Woman Ally/Mentor of the Year.

To learn more about how Leading Women is helping companies overcome common barriers to women's advancement, visit: www.LeadingWomen.biz or call 401-789-0441.

# # #

Leading Women offers unique live, online and Self-Managed Solutions™ to help women succeed from career-start to the C-suite and onto corporate boards and helps organizations meet their goals for advancing and retaining women at all levels.