I love telling the story about the first time I witnessed the magic that happens when power women and millennials embrace each other. It was 2011 and I hosted a 60-person lunch -- 30 power women and 30 millenials. I thought the young women would benefit from meeting CEOs, government leaders and heads of foundations. I was right, but within the first 30 minutes of the lunch, I realized how shortsighted I was when a power woman said, "Holly sh*t. I just met a 16-year-old girl who is combatting sex trafficking here in the US. I had no idea that is happening. I'm going to work with her." Notice she didn't say "help" her, but she said "work with her." That’s when I first realized that the power to fix the world's problems was being redistributed from boomers to millennials, and it was time for women from multiple generations to truly embrace and support each other. It’s not just about traditional leaders helping women in their 20s (although that’s great) -- it’s about collaboration, top down and bottom up working together.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this tweet from 28-year-old Tammy Tibbetts, Founder of She’s the First and an alumna of the Forbes 30 under 30: "I just nominated @DeniseRestauri for Forty Women To Watch Over 40. Nominate someone who inspires you." Tammy was embracing me, her 60-year-old board director. She wasn't sucking up and she had nothing to gain except the rewards that come when women support women.
The "40 Women To Watch Over 40" list was founded by Christina Vuleta and Whitney Johnson, both 40-plus mentors, consultants and innovators to challenge age stereotypes and raise awareness that “over forty” is when many women come into their most productive era. This is the second annual list and the winners are disruptors, innovators and role models, ranging in age from 40 to 72.
Brutally Honest Career Talk From Women Who Beat The Youth Trap spotlights the trials and triumphs that thirtysomething women face. Join the conversation today.
I'm honored to be on the list that celebrates women like Sallie Krawcheck, once known as the “most powerful woman on Wall Street" and now leading Ellevate (formerly 85Broads) and the Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund, the first and only mutual fund in the United States that focuses on investing in companies that are leaders in advancing women. And I’m excited to join under-the-radar leaders such as Naama Bloom whose “HelloFlo” tampon subscription service and hilarious marketing are taking the taboo out of periods, and Kimberly Bryant who founded San Francisco based Black Girls Code as a way to close the digital divide for girls of color.
But my first thought when I saw my name on the list wasn't about winning. I thought,“This is the perfect example of what happens when women from multiple generations truly support each other.” Over the past few years I have nominated Tammy for awards and she’s delivered many acceptance speeches, including winning the prestigious DVF (Diane Von Furstenberg) Award. Tammy never asks me to nominate her --I do it because she inspires me and I think she deserves to win. I didn’t ask Tammy to nominate me, she did it because I inspire her and she thought I deserved to win.
Too often I hear women leaders say they don't have time to mentor a young woman, believing millennials want to receive but not give. With 32 more years of work and life experiences, I do know more than Tammy. But that doesn’t mean I’m the wise sage and she’s the student. Our age difference makes our relationship more valuable because we see things differently and that challenges us to do more than we know. We’re both teachers and students. The "40 over 40" is just one example of how Tammy and I support each other. I introduce Tammy to powerful women and millennials, and she does the same for me (yes, a 20-something knows people I want to know). Our emails start with, “What do you think about..." and often I'm the person sending the email. We brainstorm, come up with action plans and make things happen for each other and the world.
Vuleta and Johnson say they want this list to inspire women over 40 and motivate women in their 20s and 30s to see new possibilities. I'm over 40 and not only am I motivated, but I see new possibilities. And they inspired a millennial to embrace a boomer. The "40 over 40" list rewards women of all ages.
40 Women to Watch Over 40 - 2014 Winners
Dr. Alissa Johnson: Deputy Chief Information Officer, Executive Office of the President/White House, early 40s
Carol Fishman Cohen: Co-founder of iRelaunch, 54
Celia Pronto: Group Marketing and E-Commerce Director, Ford Retail Group, United Kingdom, 41
Cindy Gallop: Founder of If We Ran The World and Make Love Not Porn, 54
Denise Restauri: CEO, GirlQuake, Forbes.com contributor, 60
Dr. Diane Griffin: Chair in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor at Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 60+
Elizabeth Beezer Clarkson: Managing Director, SAP Ventures, 42
Ellen Galinsky: President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute (FWI), 72
Erin McKean: Founder, Reverb Technologies, Inc., 42
Erin Newkirk: Founder/General Manager, Red Stamp, 41
Farah Mohamed: Founder & CEO, G(irls)20, 44
Fran Hauser: Partner, Rothenberg Ventures, 45
Hilary Weeks: Inspirational Singer/Songwriter; Top 10 Billboard Chart; Motivational Speaker; Founder of BillionClicks.org community, 44
Janelle Maiocco: CEO, Farmstr, Inc, 42
Dr. Joanne Kamens: Executive Director, Addgene, 50
Joanne Bamberger: Founder/ Editor-in-chief of The Broad Side, 55
June Sugiyama: Director, Vodafone Americas Foundation, mid 50s
Kara Walker: Fine artist; Professor of Visual Arts in Columbia University’s MFA program, 44
Karen Carter: Global Strategic Marketing Director, Packaging & Performance Plastics Division, The Dow Chemical Company, 43
Katie Orenstein: Founder of the Op Ed Project, early 40s
Katie Rae: Managing Director at TechStars; Managing Director at Project 11; Co-founder and Chairman at Startup Institute, 40s
Kat Gordon, Founder and Creative Director at Maternal Instinct, Founder of the 3 Percent Conference, 48
Kimberly Bryant: Founder, Black Girls Code (BCG), 47
Liz Wiseman: President, The Wiseman Group, 49
Maria Chrin: Founder and Managing Partner, Circle Wealth Management, 49
Marisa Thalberg: Vice President, Corporate Digital Marketing Worldwide, 40s
Mauria Finley: Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Citrus Lane, 40
Melissa Sterry: Design Scientist, Futurist, Writer, Designer, 41
Meredith Kopit Levien: EVP, Advertising at the NYT, 43
Naama Bloom: CEO, HelloFlo, 41
Nancy Rodkin Rotering: Mayor, City of Highland Park, Attorney, 52
Nancy Spector: Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Guggenheim Museum 54
Rachel Sklar: Co-founder, Change The Ratio, The Li.st, 41
Ruth Ann Harnisch: President of The Harnisch Family Foundation; Co-founder of SupporTED; Former Emmy-nominated “recovering journalist”, 64
Sallie Krawcheck: Owner, Ellevate (formerly 85 Broads), 49
Sally Bergusen: CEO, Oiselle, Athletic Apparel, 46
Stacy Ratner: Founder, Open Books, 42
Sue Chen: Founder and Chief Executive Officer at NOVA Medical Products, 43
Tere Blanca: President and CEO of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, 53
Wendy Clark: President-Sparkling and Strategic Marketing, Coca-Cola North America, 43
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