Women’s Gala 2018
Women’s Gala 2018
Women's Gala 2018
April 30, 2018
12pm
The Plaza Hotel - Grand Ballroom

On Sunday, April 30th, over 500 influential women, from social media tastemakers to Fortune 500 CEOs, will gather in the heart of Manhattan at the iconic Plaza Hotel for an afternoon of art, music, philanthropy, and fashion while celebrating the work of women committed to creating lasting social change. Join us and network with fellow executives and fearless females to discover how you, too, can be part of the social blueprint that will influence generations to come.

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HONOREES

Adi Heyman

Writer

Adi Heyman is an accomplished writer and highly respected fashion influencer. An advocate for modest fashion and hailed a "Most Stylish New Yorker," Adi established a strong fashion profile after the launch of her Jewish lifestyle blog 'Fabologie' in 2010. The website quickly redefined her career as a fashion Stylist and Journalist. Profiled by The New York Times highlighting her conversion to Orthodox Judaism and her conservative influence on the fashion industry, Adi has been recognized by Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, WWD, and W Magazine for her statement, mindful style. In 2017, Adi spearheaded "Faith in Fashion" a premier platform and showcase for Jewish women of impact within the fashion industry.

A strong supporter of Jewish organizations, Adi works with Israel's Open University, Shalva and the Jewish Life at Fashion Institue of Technology. She has recently launched sustainable fashion collaborations in London, Israel and New York bringing awareness and support to emerging Jewish talent. Adi's work in ethical, transparent fashion now couples with her passion for religion and community empowerment.

Alexandra Schinasi

MODERATOR
IVY: Founder

NYC Co-Founder, Ivy.

Ivy is the fastest growing community and business management tool built by interior designers, for interior designers.

Margarita Levieva

Actress

Margarita is currently filming Season 2 of the critically acclaimed David Simon HBO  show “The Deuce,” starring opposite James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. She can next be seen starring opposite Josh Hartnett and Bruce Dern in the independent film INHERIT THE VIPER directed byAnthony Jergen. She can last be seen in the independent feature film LA TIMES which premiered at Sundance, opposite Michelle Morgan and Jorma Taccone.

Margarita’s past film credits include: DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, SLEEPING WITH  OTHER PEOPLE, JAMES WHITE, FOR ELLEN, THE LOFT, KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM, NOISE, THE INVISIBLE,MOSCOW-RUSSIA EXPRESS, Lakeshore’s LINCOLN LAWYER, Miramax’s ADVENTURELAND and
SPREAD opposite Ashton Kutcher.

Margarita’s recent television credits include her r ole of ‘Amanda Clarke’ in the hit ABC showREVENGE opposite Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp.

She co-starred opposite Hope Davis in NBC’s ALLEGIANCE, written and directed by George Nolfi and has reoccurred in the NBC hit show THE BLACK LIST. Her previous television credits include HBO’S LUCK, HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA and VANISHED.

Rona Lee

Actress

Rona was born on January 9, 1983 in Ramat Gan, Israel. She is an actress, known for "A Quiet Heart," "Policeman" and the popular Netflix hit, "Fauda."

Chagit Sofiev–Leviev

Leviev Group USA
President & CEO

Born in Israel as the fifth of nine children to Olga and Lev Leviev, Chagit graduated from Bar Ilan University, with a B.A. in Economics and Business administration. Following her graduation, Chagit worked as a financial advisor at Deloitte, advising on international real estate valuations and business planning which led her to a CFO position at the Memorand Group.

By 2012, Chagit relocated her family to New York City to head the U.S. arm of the multi-billion-dollar international conglomerate the Leviev Group of Companies founded by renowned businessman and philanthropist Lev Leviev with investments in a wide range of dynamic industries, including real estate, mining, energy, diamonds and jewelry.
Headquartered on Fifth Avenue, Chagit also runs the US branch of Lev Leviev Diamonds (LLD). LLD is one of the world’s largest diamond manufacturers and distributers. LLD is the only diamond firm in the world to control all facets of the diamond pipeline: from ownership in diamond mines, rough trading, manufacturing, and polishing, all the way to designing, and marketing prestigious diamond jewelry.

During this time, Chagit also manages the prominent real estate firm Africa Israel USA (AFI USA), where she serves as the firm’s CEO. AFI USA built a reputation of excellence in its residential developments by introducing some of the top brands in the real estate market over the past decade including District at 111 Fulton Street, 20 Pine - The Collection by Armani Casa, 15 Broad - Downtown by Philippe Starck, The Apthorp, 88 Leonard Street and The Marquis Residences on Brickell Avenue in Miami.

Chagit is currently a member of several Boards of Directors for a wide range of companies in Israel and in the US and has previously served on the boards of Fox-Wisel, an Israeli Public traded apparel company, holding such brands as Fox, Laline, Billabong, The Children’s Place and American Eagle among others; and she previously served as a Director for Israel’s TV channel 9.

Chagit, wife of Greg Sofiev and a mother to 4 young children, follows in the footsteps of her family’s philanthropic spirit with her time and resources, serving as President of select non-profit organizations that focus on Jewish education and the community.

Tzili Charney

Tzili Charney: a woman of valor, a curator of exhibits, a costume designer, a producer, an activist, and a philanthropist with a passion towards justice and peace.

Tzili was born in Israel and studied at the Midrasha Art School in Tel Aviv, graduating in 1981.  She worked as a costume designer in numerous theaters such as The Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv, The National Theater of Israel, HABIMA, and eventually the Jewish Repertory Theatre and the National Yiddish Theatre, Folksbiene, in New York. She has also worked as an art curator and collaborated with many Israeli artists at Art Basel Miami and other venues, and in 2008 joined the team of the LABA art program at the 14th Street Y in the East Village.

In 1991, Tzili married real estate mogul Leon Charney in Tel Aviv, and in 1999 gave birth to twin boys Mickey and Nati Charney.

When Leon became ill in 2010, Tzili dedicated herself to tending not only to her husband’s health, but also to his business empire. She became chairman of L.H. Charney Associates, Inc. a major commercial real estate investment company in New York City owning over one million square feet in Times Square, and remains as chairman to this day.  In December of 2017, Tzili created ZAZ10TS, a cultural initiative that integrates art forms into office buildings at 10 Times Square (aka 1441 Broadway).

Tzili also took over Leon’s entertainment legacy and signed on as a producer of Leon’s 25 year running talk show The Leon Charney Report, which featured numerous distinguished guests such as Rudy Giuliani, Elie Wiesel, and Shimon Peres. Tzili also helped produce the documentary Back Door Channels:  The Price of Peace, based in part on Leon’s influential role in the historic Camp David Peace Accord between Israel and Egypt.  Tzili also supports NFCT (The New Fund for Cinema and TV) in Leon’s name, a development program for Middle Eastern and Northern African Documentary Filmmakers.

Tzili is dedicated to supporting non-profit organizations devoted to social programs, such as Beit Hatfutsot: Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv; Kishorit, a home for adults with special needs in the Western Galilee; Forum Dvorah: Women in Foreign Policy and National Security, an active network of almost one hundred professional Israeli women; the initiative “Have You Seen The Horizon Lately?”: young Israelis who seek to stimulate a new public discussion about the need to resolve the Israeli Palestinian conflict with the help of fresh and unexpected speakers from assorted disciplines and domain; the National Project on Trauma, Disaster, and Civic Resilience in Israel, an organization committed to providing coping mechanisms in the face of mass trauma for Israeli citizens; and Umm el-Fahem Gallery, an art organization that she support and collaborate with.  Since January 1st, 2018, Tzili has been supporting a new pilot program called Medical Excellence and Compassionate Care with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, in affiliation with Tel Aviv University and the Sackler School of Medicine.  In Haifa, she is working on a new program called The Leon Charney Center for Practical Diplomacy (the Rise of the New Diplomacy).

Tzili is also known for her commitment to helping educational institutions, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the University of Haifa’s Board of Governors, following in Leon’s footsteps. She also supports Florida Atlantic University’s Diplomacy Program, Yeshiva University, and the NIAD Art Center in California for people with disabilities. On May 25th 2017, Tzili was honored by Yeshiva University with an honorary doctorate recognizing her tireless commitment to preserving both diplomacy and peace education.

In 2014, Tzili founded the Leon Charney Resolution Center in Hakfar Hayarok Israel, which focuses on educating students in conflict resolution, the art of negotiations, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and global peace, as inspired by the luminous legacy of her husband Leon.

Tzili currently resides in New York City with sons Mickey and Nati and their dog Chewi.

Gila Gamliel

Minister for Social Equality

Gila Gamliel is Israel’s Minister for Social Equality. The ministry encompasses the advancement of senior citizens, young people, gender and minority equality, as well the Digital Israel project, which aims to leverage the country's standing as the Start-Up Nation to ensure that governmental and business services offered to the public use the most advanced methods in the world

A member of the Knesset (Parliament) from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party for over a decade, Ms. Gamliel has previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Deputy Minister for the Advancement of Young People, Students and Women. Among other roles, she chaired the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, and served as a Member of the Knesset's Finance Committee, Economics Affairs Committee, and the Education, Culture and Sports Committee.

Ms. Gamliel is also a member of the Young Leaders Community of the Davos World Economic Forum, (the only Israeli public representative to the Forum) and was the first woman Chairperson of Israel's National Students' Union. Ms. Gamliel holds an L.L.M. from Bar Ilan University, a L.L.B. from Ono Academic College, an M.A. in Philosophy and a B.A. in Middle Eastern History and Philosophy from Ben-Gurion University. She holds the rank of Sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), having served as the head of an air force investigative staff. Ms. Gamliel, who lives in Tel Aviv, is married and the mother of two.

SPECIAL GUEST

Sheryl Sanburg

FACEBOOK Chief Operating Officer
Sheryl Kara Sandberg is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the chief operating officer (COO) of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org. In June 2012, she was elected to the board of directors by the existing board members, becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook's board. Before she joined Facebook as its COO, Sandberg was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Before Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.

Sheryl Sanburg

FACEBOOK
Chief Operating Officer
Sheryl Kara Sandberg is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the chief operating officer (COO) of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org. In June 2012, she was elected to the board of directors by the existing board members, becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook's board. Before she joined Facebook as its COO, Sandberg was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Before Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.
CO-CHAIRS

Batsheva Hay

BATSHEVA

Queens-born Batsheva Hay started her eponymous label in 2016 after leaving her job as a lawyer and deciding to experiment with designing dresses for herself and her daughter. Growing up, Batsheva’s artist mother would often take her to flea markets and vintage shops, dressing her in antique calico dresses, which became Batsheva’s uniform throughout her time at Stanford University and Georgetown Law School. After leaving her job at a big law firm, she began to redesign some vintage dresses, which were worn to bits, and quickly became obsessed with the design process. She bought her fabrics on eBay and at quilting shops, and she still uses vintage and limited-run cotton quilting fabric to make her clothing.

Batsheva initially made a small collection of four matching mother-daughter dresses and set up a simple website. As her dresses got more attention from magazines and retailers, her collections grew. Now she is designing four collections a year.
Batsheva lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, photographer Alexei Hay, who she collaborates with on brand imagery, and their two small children, Ruth and Solomon.

Ariana Stolarz

MRM//McCann
Chairwoman

Argentine native. New Yorker by adoption. Curious by nature.

Ariana has built a career out of building and growing relationships between people and brands. She’s created connections with virtually every group of people out there: Moms, business travelers, political elites, kids, teens and tweens. Fashion lovers and home improvers. Affluent shoppers and deal hunters. Immigrants and emigrants. First time home buyers and students. And the list goes on and on.

Her innate understanding of how to connect with people stems from her nearly two decades of being plugged into the world of strategy. She has crafted strategy at the local, hyper-local, regional, national and global levels, and she has worked with multicultural and general market audiences.

Ariana has led digital strategy teams within award-winning advertising agencies. Before becoming Global Chief Strategy Officer at MRM//McCann, she lead teams at mcgarrybowen, The Vidal Partnership and JWT. Ariana holds an M.A. in Media Studies. She has spent her career unearthing, tracking and understanding human behavior and decoding people’s drivers to interact with media and technology; examining and shaping the way in which people relate with family, friends, colleagues, trusted sources, and strangers through technology; and coming up with novel ideas that creatively engage people beyond technology.

Ariana is also a Board Director at PVBLIC Foundation. Through her work and speaking engagements at the United Nations, she continues to push forward her commitment to harnessing the power of media to drive social change by raising awareness and activating citizens globally around the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017, Ariana was recognized as a Leadership Council Honoree at the Media for Social Impact Summit held at the United Nations.

Kimberly Silver-Elgarbi

Kimberly is passionate entrepreneur in the sustainable and innovative plant-based food space, Israel activist, and Jewish community leader.

Rachel Shatkin

The Stacks and the City Founder is a Buffalo-native, multi-faceted, tech lady with a passion for the functional and interactive aesthetic. Rachel teaches and mentors in the NYC Startup ecosystem, and provides career counseling services for career changers and women in technology. She is a strong advocate for changing the gender ratio and increasing inclusivity in the startup world.

Nina Roket

Olshan
Managing Partner

Nina Roket concentrates on commercial real estate law with an emphasis in leasing, conveyancing and finance transactions. She was named to the Leading Women Lawyers in New York by Crain’s New York Business and serves as a member of WX and NY Women Executives in Real Estate

Nina advises clients across the U.S. in sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, sales, acquisitions and mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity financings.

Nina is landlord's counsel at numerous office buildings in Midtown and Downtown New York City. Nina also manages complex retail leasing transaction projects on behalf of numerous developers and owners at significant, high profile retail sites across the U.S., including New York, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Atlantic City.

Nina has a specialty in restaurant transactions and is counsel to high-profile restaurateurs in bringing complex projects to fruition, advising them and providing resources on matters ranging from negotiating leases to acting as business counsel.

Nina was named to the Leading Women Lawyers in New York by Crain’s New York Business.

Nina serves as a member of WX, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, an invitation-only association of executive-level women actively engaged in the commercial real estate industry in New York and as a board member of Sarcoma Foundation of America.

Additionally, Nina is a co-administrative partner at Olshan, chair of the firm's Hiring Committee and founder and chair of the Women’s Committee, which serves as a networking, business development and mentoring platform for the firm’s women lawyers and their clients and colleagues.

Nina received her J.D., cum laude, from New York Law School and holds a B.A., cum laude, from Fordham University.

Shevi Peters

Community Leader
Philanthropist

Shevi Peters, born in Israel to Libyan and Yemenite parents, lives in New York City with her 5 children. Shevi’s boundless energy and time is also devoted to Jewish causes, in particular, to those that involve education. Her goal is to provide information on Israel’s rich history and Judaism, in particular to young adults.. Shevi believes that the key to reaching unaffiliated Jews is through inspiring education. The platform for her vision is her short video series designed to capture the attention of college students in a strategic and unique way. As a producer, Shevi creates short films designed to present the facts in a nuanced, thought-provoking way. She recently partnered with Jerusalem U on the Six Day War Project. The success of this project led to production of The History of Israel Explained. Shevi’s passion for Judaism includes her involvement in Mechina Tavor, an Israeli program from which her son graduated, that attracts young high school graduates, preparing them for leadership roles in the Israeli army. Shevi is a supporter of the Israeli organization Reservists on Duty, which sends IDF reservists worldwide to provide college students with a first hand account of the diverse population in Israel today. She is also involved with the Chabad Center for Jewish Discovery. Shevi works tirelessly to strengthen Israeli culture and Jewish identity.

Sarah Rotenstreich

Founder

19 years ago, Sarah recognized the need for a stellar, progressive education that would inspire and propel children to become leaders and thinkers, accessing key skills early in their development and preparing them for the future.

Her insights led her to found Preschool of the Arts, with a focus on academic learning, and building healthy habits of the mind, heart, body, and spirit. Sarah is keenly aware of the needs of young children and their families and has dedicated her professional life to catering to them.

Under her leadership, Preschool of the Arts has become of the most in-demand programs in NYC. Moreover, Sarah has established herself as an expert in child development and academic skill-building and authored Curriculum of the Arts, a holistic preschool curriculum used by over 300 schools worldwide. Sarak has lectured to thousands of educators from all around the world and conducted countless workshops. She also serves as a consultant for hundreds of schools and institutions, having supported the establishment of high-caliber Early Childhood programs throughout the U.S., Asia, Canada, and Israel.

Stacey Kotler

An avid supporter of Chabad and Jewish education, and sponsor of the new Kotler Jewish Children’s Center in the West Village. She is also the founder of Stacey’s Circle, a networking group connecting like-minded women.

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