FIRST
GLOBAL ATHENA AWARDEE
EDIE FRASER
is President, founder and CEO of the Business Women’s Network (BWN) and the
Public Affairs Group, Inc. Divisions include BWN, Diversity Best Practices (DBP),
and Best Practices in Corporate Communications (BPCC).
Her contributions in the area of women and diversity are significant. She
developed Diversity “Best Practices and Business Women’s Network(BWN) as
concepts and turned them into reality.
Business Women's Network (BWN), offers a clearinghouse and a giant network for
business in the United States and in more than 100 countries. BWN’s website,
BWNi.com, offers a wide array of information. BWN is known for its business
resources, its annual Summit and Diversity Gala. Trailblazer is the signature
event for women’s network groups held each summer before the fall Summit and
Gala. Edie is also proud of the mutually leveraged relationships with
eWomenNetwork and LATINA Style, and Enterprising Women Magazines, for example.
The Business Women’s reaches out to some 7,000 women’s organizations. Edie has
served as publisher of major recognized resources including The Directory of
Women’s Associations; Women on Corporate Boards; Women and Technology, and Women
and Access to Capital. Edie previously authored Risk to Riches: Women’s
Entrepreneurship in America.
Edie has worked with more than 100 countries in their support of the advancement
of entrepreneurial women. She has done so much to give back and that has been
recognized with awards and advisory roles.
Some of the women’s awards include the following
She is the first woman to be the Honorary Board Member of the
International Alliance.
First ever One to One Advocate Award (2004), for Supporting Women by the Women’s
Regional Publishers. Presented October 26, 2004.
Enterprising Women Hall of Fame. (2003) Ms. Fraser was inducted into the
Enterprising Women Hall of Fame.LATINAStyle advocate presented for support
Latina women (2003)
Mentor of Distinction Award (2002).
Edie received the Mentor of Distinction Award from the Women’s
Business and Professions Advisory Council.
Edie received recognition (including the Indian Blanket) from Pat Parker,
President of the Native American Women's Business Council and president of the
Native American Management Services at the 2002 Women's Summit and Gala.
State Government Recognition: Previously she has received awards for supporting
women by several state governments including a special award from the State of
VA.
Women’s boards and advisory board leadership include:
Edie is a founding member of the Committee of 200, the most prestigious
business women’s organization.
Edie is on the board of Count-Me-In, the vital organization for online
micro-loans for women.
She is on the board of Women's Business Center of Washington.
Edie is Past President in Washington of the National Association of Women
Business Owners (NAWBO) and is a supporter of NAWBO’s PAC and of Women Impacting
Public Policy(WIPP) where BWN is a partner organization.
She serves on the Advisory Board of Enterprising Women
Magazine.
She serves on the Advisory Board of the American Business Women's Association's
Small Business Program, Capital Connection.
Edie also is on the Leadership Committee of the Women’s Campaign Fund.
She serves on the Women’s Leadership of the Women’s Senate Campaign Committee.
Edie is a "Femtor" leader with Sandra Yancey, the founder and CEO of
eWomenNetwork.
Edie has mentored 100s of young women.
She also serves on the Leadership Board of the National Foundation of Teaching
Entrepreneurship in Washington.(NFTE) where thousands of high school youth, both
girls and boys are helped to developed from the inner city.
Edie on a global basis has done much to help women and previously served on an
Advisory Board to help women in Nigeria (years ago Edie served as a desk officer
for the women in Nigeria).
Edie is on the Women’s Advisory Board of Office Depot. She formed the Advisory
Board for Inter-Continental Hotels and was previously on a bank advisory board.
Edie works now with her team to support 150 corporate and government members for
Diversity Best Practices and an outreach to thousands of women’s groups for BWN.
Edie is forever the advocate of advancing women and minorities. She seized on
the new demographics of this nation and the impact where 70% of all new jobs by
2008 will be women an minorities. Edie is a visionary business leader and
strategist with stellar leadership in the area of best practices and
benchmarking, workforce and market trends overall--- diversity, women and
corporate communications. She has mentored many and hired more than 200 interns.
1st ever: Edie designed the CEO Diversity Leadership program which has several
components, including the prestigious CEO Diversity Awards each October as the
most visible; and the firm prints a CEO Magazine on Diversity. She designed the
program and planned and executed an Advisory Council of some 40 major members.
1st ever: President of Diversity Best Practices and Business Women’s Network and
former chair of the magazine, Profiles in Diversity Journal.
Edie as Editor and Publisher with her team:
1st ever: Edie authored The Diversity Primer and The Diversity Officer as core
management vehicles. The other publications are significant including Diversity
and Women University Enrollment and Best of the Best: the 50 Best Lists for
Corporate Leadership.
1st ever: Women and Diversity Wow! Facts is the demographic resource filled with
13,000 facts on diversity and women and in 2004, Quick Facts was developed to
provide a snapshot.
Edie is often called “the advocate” for women and minorities. Awards and
recognition are exemplary:
Many other awards include: (examples)
Asian American Advocate Award (2004) by the National Council for Asian American
Business--May, 2004 in Las Vegas at NCAABA Gala.
Minority Business Special Advocate award (2003) by the Director of the Minority
Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce helping minorities at
MED-Week in September, 2003.
Mentor of Distinction Award (2002). Edie received the Mentor
of Distinction Award from the Women’s Business and Professions Advisory Council.
Top 50 for supporting minorities (2001). Edie was selected as one of the 50
Americans doing the most for Diversity.
First ever Lifetime Achievement Award (2004) at Linkage Conference presented by
Martha Fields, November, 2004.
Big Brothers Public Service Award: She is the recipient of the
Big Brothers Most Outstanding Service Award. She is the recipient of the Big
Brothers Most Outstanding Service Award and was honored for five years for
outstanding service to youth.
Disabled Advocate: Edie was honored by the National Roundtable on Corporate
Development for Americans with Disabilities for her outstanding service for the
disabled and for years on the board of the National Organization on
Disabilities.
Edie is the founder and president Diversity Best Practices (DBP)
diversitybestpractices.com. More than 135 Fortune 500 companies and government
agencies are participants. Diversity Best Practices is a rich member service for
diversity practitioners and leaders in corporate and government area. DBP is a
one-stop resource and information center for Diversity and a means of
benchmarking diversity leadership on issues such as pipeline and multi-cultural
marketing, all with the intent of building business against the new demographics
and being highly competitive. DBP supports members with organized major reports,
peer-group workshops, conference calls, commissioned research/reports, and
tailored consulting services to support the development and implementation of
integrated diversity programs company-wide.
Edie served on the Board for the Business School at the University of Maryland
and the Journalism School of the University of Tennessee and the Women's Center
in Nigeria and has been honored by all three. Edie is active on several
community boards and had been an officer of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of the
National Capital Area for 26 years.
Best Practices in Corporate Communications (BPCC): Edie developed BPCC and
serves as its president. (bpincc.com). She works with companies on the world of
changing communications with ground-breaking reports, conference calls, one day
sessions at corporate headquarters and internet access to all information. Edie
is the publisher of many reports including 2003-2004 reports on Corporate
Branding, Community Relations and Philanthropy and Ethics: A Holistic Approach.
She has served as the Chair of the Public Affairs Section and the Government
Affairs Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and been a
keynote speaking for the International Association of Business Communicators.
Edie won the highest award possible in the field or communications, the Silver
Anvil for a specialized international campaign on US and Japan communications
and trade promotion.
Personal: Edie lives in Washington with her husband, Joe Oppenheimer Esq.
WATCH FOR ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS ON SEPTEMBER
19, 2005
