The BPW Foundation Board of Trustees
Barbara A. Henton, BPW/MI
BPW Foundation, Chair
Barbara A. Henton is the Executive Marketing Director for Traverse Global Communications, a full service internet hosting company. She retired from Consumers Energy in 2003 where she had been employed in various levels of management in the Nuclear Operations and Gas Distribution Divisions since 1978.
Henton began her volunteer service with Business and Professional Women/USA in 1984 because she wanted to join an organization that would focus on advocacy issues related to working families. Since joining the organization, she served in many leadership roles, including President of BPW/USA and as a Trustee and Officer of Business and Professional Women’s Foundation.
Henton, an alumna of Leadership Midland, is active in her community. She has served 15 years on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement and is completing her twelfth year as a Girl Scout board member, currently serving as Vice Chair. Ms. Henton’s contributions have been recognized through her selection as “Outstanding Community Volunteer,” “Woman of the Year,” “Woman of Distinction,” and as a “Woman of Achievement.”
Henton knows first-hand the challenges facing military spouses since her career was interrupted when her husband, David, was called to active duty. Her work on behalf of Women Veterans and military families comes from her own experience as a military spouse and a deep personal commitment to assisting those who serve our country.
Roslyn Ridgeway
BPW/GA Board of Trustees, Vice-Chair
As a seasoned executive and passionate activist for women’s rights, Roslyn Ridgeway is the Immediate Past Chair of BPW Foundation. Prior to this position, she served as the national president of Business and Professional Women /USA. During her presidency, the Women Joining Forces: Closing Rank, Opening Doors program was successfully launched, to support the transition of women veterans upon their return from deployment.
In addition to her role with BPW Foundation, Ridgeway is a small business owner. She is the president and chief executive officer of De Roz Productions, Inc., an entertainment production company that specializes in artist management, entertainment production and promotions. In 2002, having overcome the challenges that many women face in a male-dominated entertainment business, Ridgeway founded the National Council of Women in Entertainment, Inc. which provides mentoring and networking opportunities for women working in the arts and entertainment.
Ridgeway’s international affiliations include participating in the Tokyo Women’s Forum, the Liberian Conference, the South African Women’s Conference, the London Business Exchange and the Beijing Women’s Conference. All of these events gave her the platform to speak strongly on the areas of equality, women’s rights and community leadership. She is an Executive Committee member of the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO) and also participated as a member of the Institute of Women’s Policy Research Job Quality Advisory Group.
Ridgeway became involved with BPW/USA in 1985 through a BPW local organization in Atlanta, as a representative of the Young Careerist program. She quickly climbed the ranks of the organization to become the president of BPW/GA. In 2003 she joined other BPW members and rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the 75th anniversary of National Business Women’s Week.
Roslyn serves as Goodwill Ambassador for Georgia and Arkansas; an Outstanding Georgia Citizen, and holds honorary citizenships in various states. Several counties in Georgia recognize May 17th, July 9th and 16th as Roslyn Ridgeway Day. In 2011 she was selected to be a member of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.
Ridgeway, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, resides in Atlanta, GA.
Velma R. Hart, CAE
Treasurer
Velma Hart, is a proven and respected nonprofit financial professional who has worked for a wide variety of nonprofit organizations over her career in several capacities. However, her passion and home is in the area of finance which she considers to be the heart and soul of business.
With over 20 years of nonprofit experience, Velma is currently the Chief Financial Officer for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization and nationally known public speaker. Prior to these assignments, she served as the National Finance Director/Chief Financial Officer for AMVETS National Headquarters for 10 years until December 2010. Velma has held various positions with organizations such as The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). She was also a Secretarial appointee to the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans for the Department of Veteran Affairs leaving that post in 2009, a proud Army veteran, a 2005 ASAE Fellow and earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 1994.
Velma is an innovative thinker with vision and leadership; and, is known for her strategic focus in moving companies and organizations forward in their goals. She serves on various nonprofit boards, including Past Chairman of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Treasurer of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, and of the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA) Foundation and as a member of the Army Women’s Foundation Planning Committee.
Venita Garvin Valdez, BPW/FL
Secretary
Venita Garvin Valdez is the Chief Executive Officer of the Domestic Abuse Shelter, Inc. serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West. Venita has been with the Domestic Abuse Shelter, Inc. for thirteen years. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she has a B.S. degree in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health from Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee. She has a Masters degree in Liberal Arts from New York University, New York, New York. Venita has been involved in the domestic violence movement since her first position with the YWCA in Cincinnati, Ohio where she was the Director of the Alice Paul House and the Transitional Housing Center from 1990-1991. She became the Director of the YWCA, Women’s Advocacy Program in Richmond, Virginia from 1991- 1995. Venita has experienced a lot of firsts in her lifetime. She was the first woman of color to hold the position of Director for the battered women’s program of the YWCA in Cincinnati and Richmond, Virginia. She was the first woman of color to hold the position of CEO for the Domestic Abuse Shelter and the first woman of color to hold the office of President for the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence since the inception of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 1977. Venita held the office of President from 2002-2003.
Venita held the position of State President of the Florida Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. from 2008-2010. She serves as Secretary for the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation in Washington, DC, serves as an advisory board member for the Florida Diversity Council, and a member of the Blue Ridge Institute, a leadership institute for Southeastern Executives with representation in 14 states. Venita also serves as a board member on the International Board of the Professional Woman Network 2010 -2012.
Leslie Wilkins
BPW Foundation Trustee
Leslie Wilkins serves as vice president for the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. (MEDB). Wilkins joined MEDB in 1999 to launch its Women in Technology Project and in June 2000 she was elected by MEDB’s Board of Directors to the position of vice president.
Wilkins continues to direct the Women in Technology (WIT) Project which has grown from a Maui pilot to a national demonstration project, funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education and Agriculture. The program serves a statewide constituency of more than 5,000 students, teachers, and industry members each year, including administering regional partnerships. The program designed to recruit and retain girls/women and under represented groups into the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) pipeline has garnered ‘best practices” recognition and received a 2005 International Economic Development Council multi-year performance award. WIT has published more than a dozen papers in academic and education association conference proceedings.
Wilkins is a seasoned advocate for women in business, workplace equity and economic development opportunities. She has served in state and national leadership roles with Business and Professional Women/USA (BPW/USA) for more than two decades, including national president and foundation chair. She was appointed by the governor for two terms on the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and served as its chair from 1996 – 2003. She currently serves as a board member on the Hawaii Women’s Fund. Prior professional experience includes a decade in the commercial banking industry and private practice consulting with non-profit organizations on program development, revenue diversification and proposal writing.
Deborah L. Frett
BPW Foundation Chief Executive Officer
Deborah Frett joined BPW Foundation as CEO in May 2005. Frett is an accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience providing strategic direction and executive management to associations, for-profit and start-up organizations. As CEO, she is a frequent speaker and panelist on the implementation of successful workplaces, providing expertise in the areas of workforce development, workplace policy and job readiness as they pertain to working women and businesses.
Frett engages in policy discussions and is an advocate for women veteran, green job development, and redefining the workplace to meet the needs of the 21st century. She has provided congressional testimony and served as an expert for key briefings on issues impacting working women, families and veterans. She is a creative leader and has demonstrable experience ensuring that working women are included in today’s marketplace.
Under her leadership, BPW Foundation conducted the first research on the challenges facing women veterans in their transition from military to civilian careers and hosted the Inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans National Summit. Most recently the organization launched the Joining Forces for Women Veteran’s Mentorship Program.
She is a member of the 2011 Pfizer Small Business Council, served on the planning committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs 2011 National Training Summit on Women Veterans and is a member of the Inter Department Work Group on Women Veterans Employment.
Prior to BPW Foundation, Frett was an entrepreneur serving as an independent consultant and chief executive officer for DFA Project Solutions. She provided senior level management and consultation on business strategy development, marketing, management and operations for various projects and initiatives, including women’s health issues. Frett previously served as executive director for an online start-up, SeniorNavigator, a public-private partnership initiative with the Virginia Health Care, AOL Time Warner and CollisWarner Foundations. Ms. Frett began her career in association management at the American Hospital Association, Chicago, IL. During her 23 year tenure she served in a number of positions including CEO of Healthcare InfoSource, COO of Health Forum and vice president of Special Membership Services.
Frett has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Quincy University in Quincy, Ill. She has earned advanced certification in Nonprofit Management through The Nonprofit Organizations Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.