For Our Members
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President Update
Dear Fellow Forum Members,
As we approach the end of those “lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer” (if only it were true...), let us look forward to a Fall season with renewed vigor and excitement in all things Forum.
Our Membership Committee has, once again, vetted and recommended a fabulous new group of members for the Class of 2020, thanks to your active support and participation in the nomination process. We can’t wait for you to meet our new members with an enthusiastic welcome at our annual meeting in November!
Our programs continue to be well attended and varied, from the favored dine arounds and read arounds to receptions at The Wharf, The Watergate Rooftop, The Spanish Embassy, and the recently held Ladies Do Lunch with Ris…this time with a read of all your good fortunes. More programs are in the offing, including one on Leadership coming up, as well as our Annual Meeting on November 19th. So please, stay tuned for all the upcoming announcements.
In addition to our local programs, several of our members attended the IWF Cornerstone Conference in Barcelona, Spain. It was a resounding success and gave everyone the opportunity to meet or reconnect with forum members from all over the world. Our next global event is the 2019 World Leadership Conference that will take place in November, in Toronto, Canada. I hope many of you can attend, as it will be spectacular and an easy trip from our area.
We continue to be so proud of our Leadership Fellows! Many of our former Fellows have advanced their careers so successfully that they have met our membership selection criteria and have joined our ranks. Our board recently invited our current Fellows to a lunch visit—what an impressive group! It won’t be long before they, too, will be eligible for membership. And we are delighted to see so many of them attending our programs. Please continue to support this valuable leadership program through the Leadership Foundation with your mentoring efforts and resources. We need a pipeline full of women leaders in all employment areas and sectors.
Thank you for all you do to keep our Forum thriving!
Cari Dominguez
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Nicole Nason
New Member
Nicole R. Nason was sworn in as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration on May 2, 2019. In this role, she leads a Modal Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for the Nation’s $49 billion Federal-aid Highway program.
Previously, Ms. Nason was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Administration, from December 2017 to March 2019. She also previously served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Overseas Building Operations and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State.
Ms. Nason has served in numerous roles in Washington, D.C., notably as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (2006–2008), where she was a two-time gold medal winner, the department’s highest honor. She also served as DOT’s Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs (2003–2006). At NHTSA, her many achievements included overseeing new seat belt rules for school buses, rulemaking for electronic stability control systems, and new car seat safety regulations. Under her watch, NHTSA developed the first-ever criteria for crash test ratings for the Five-Star Safety Ratings program and held the first-ever bilateral with the government of the Republic of China on regulations for motor vehicle safety. During her previous tenure at USDOT, Ms. Nason made numerous appearances on national television news programs, testified frequently before Congress, and advocated at the United Nations in Geneva for harmonizing motor vehicle testing.
Previously, Ms. Nason served in the legislative branch as counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and as press secretary for Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.).
A black belt in karate, Ms. Nason founded Project Koe (KOH-ee) in Connecticut in 2014, empowering women and improving health and fitness using traditional Japanese martial arts techniques.
She has also served two terms on the national board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and on the board of directors of Shakespeare on the Sound. Her media experience includes a TEDx Talk at American University on finding inner power.
Ms. Nason earned a B.A. in political science and government at American University and a J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
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About Membership
Membership is by invitation only, and prospective members are nominated by existing members. Invitation for membership is extended to those women who have achieved success in their chosen field and whose interests are aligned with the objectives of the Forum. A prospective member is recognized as a leader in her field both inside and outside her own organization. The Forum strives for diversity of membership in many areas including field of expertise, ethnicity, age, and public, private and non-profit companies and organizations.