Athena Film Festival Highlights

Despite Nemo, the mega-blizzard that hit New York on opening night, the Film Festival went on as scheduled before a record audience of over 4000 film lovers. The festival screened 21 feature-length movies, many of which were Academy Award winners and nominees, such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Brave, and The Invisible War. Notable directors such as Ava DuVernay, David Riker, Angela Alford, and Mary Fishman, came to host Q & A panels. There were extraordinary workshops for filmmakers produced by the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women.

Many thanks to all the people who have made the festival a complete success, particularly our Founding Sponsor Artemis Rising Foundation and its CEO and Founder Regina Kulik Scully; our Premiere Level Sponsor, Ford Foundation's Just Films and the other numerous sponsors, honorary host committee members, industry advisors and Festival co-chairs.

Athena Power Talks: A Conversation with Ina Drew

Wednesday, April 10, 2013
7–8:30 p.m.
Held Lecture Hall, Barnard Hall 304

TICKETS ARE FREE. Click here to register.

Athena Power Talks are poignant conversations with today’s thought-leaders discussing the most pressing and provocative topics on women and leadership. This semester, we welcome Ina Drew, retired Chief Investment Officer, JPMorgan Chase, for a conversation with Barnard President Debora Spar.

Acknowledged as one of the most prominent women on Wall Street, Ina Drew started her career at the Bank of Tokyo in 1979. Several years later, Drew became an analyst at JPMorgan Chase, where she remained for the next 30 years as she built a reputation of being one of the most successful female bankers in her field. She was the bank’s CIO for seven years from 2005 to 2012. Now retired, Drew is ready to share her knowledge and experience.

Calling all High School Juniors and Seniors!

Barnard's Office of Pre-College Programs and the Athena Center for Leadership Studies are launching a 10-day summer program focused on providing young women a transformative immersion into the world of entrepreneurship. Participants will be guided through the process of creating an idea for a socially responsible business.  Talented high school girls will work in small teams to develop their ventures through guided, experiential workshops.  They will gain critical problem-solving skills as marketers, storytellers, public speakers and first-time entrepreneurs.

At Entrepreneurs in Training, girls will be coached by some of the most accomplished and well known entrepreneurs in the industry as well as educators passionate about developing women leaders and promoting women-led start-ups! Instructors range from a former executive at one of the world’s top Ad Agencies, a CEO named a "Forbes Top Ten Female Entrepreneurs to Watch", an angel investing expert, and an instructor of strategic problem solving from Columbia Business School to the cofounder of Lean Startup Machine.

Global Symposia: Women Changing Brazil

On Monday, March 18, Barnard hosted the Fifth Annual Global Symposium, this year in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  This program promotes the extraordinary work of some of Brazil’s most successful women leaders from a host of fields:  business, government, science, and the arts.  Kathryn Kolbert, the Constance Hess Williams ’66 director of the Athena Center accompanied Barnard President Debora Spar, and other faculty to the Symposia and moderated one of the day’s panels.  Six Barnard students, most of whom are Athena Scholars,  also travelled to Sao Paulo to conduct leadership workshops with approximately 80 high school students.

Athena Center at Lady Drinks Panel

On March 7th, our very own Erin Vilardi, Leadership Development Director at the Athena Center, recently sat on a panel for Lady Drinks NY, founded by CNN host Joya Dass. The panel was titled, The "Speak Up” Series: Negotiating Your Professional Life, and featured leading professionals and entrepreneurs. The group met to discuss effective ways to navigate your professional career in order to get positive results.

Athena Center Events

Past Athena Power Talk: A Conversation with Sheila Nevins '60

On March 5, Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentary Films, came to speak at the Athena Power Talk on Barnard’s campus.  President Debra Spar led the discussion with questions for Nevins, ranging in topics from her leadership style, to balancing work and motherhood, to the challenges of being a women working in the film industry. Nevins remained candid and honest throughout the entire discussion, offering advice to audience members on what it takes to be successful in her field.