Wednesday, October 22nd

Breakfast Event Open to All Attendeees

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM – Marina Vista Room - Webcast Live from This Room

The Challenge of the Industry and Government:

Enhancing the Role of Women in Technology, Entertainment and Entrepreneurship

Laura Z. Rosenthal, Councilmember, City of Malibu

Meghan Sahli-Wells, Mayor of Culver City

Carolyn Ramsay, Chief of Staff LA Councilmember Tom LaBong and Candidate for LA Council

Madeline Di Nonno, CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and See Jane

Laura Zahn Rosenthal was elected to the City Council in April 2010 and re-elected to a second term in April 2014. Her term will expire in April 2018. She served as Mayor Pro Tem from January 2011 to November 2011, and as Mayor from November 2011 to August 2012.   Laura is a member of the League of California Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee. She is the City’s alternate representative to the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and our local Council of Governments, as well as a Los Angeles County Library Commissioner. She sits on the JPA with Santa Monica College and is a liaison to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.   As a volunteer, Laura has served the City as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner and Public Works Commissioner. She has been a member of the Malibu Business Roundtable since 2004 and was also on the Malibu Economic Advisory Committee.   Beginning when her two sons were young, Laura spent many years working as an education activist and school district volunteer, focusing on environmental and marine education. She is a past PTA president at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School, Shark Fund Director at Malibu High School, PTA Council board member for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and co-chair for a number of education measure campaigns in Malibu. Working with the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, Laura was the event coordinator for the 2009 Malibu Youth Leadership Summit. She is the founder and current City Council liaison for Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS).  Laura's civic interests (and passions) include coastal protection, environmental innovation, water conservation and recycling, clean water, education and youth, the arts, and public safety. Her goals while on the Council have included passing a graywater ordinance (completed April 2012), helping make Malibu and PCH safer and more accessible for bicyclists, motorists, pedestrians, and coastal access, improving the City's relationship with outside agencies, adopting a View Protection Ordinance (completed January 2014), establishing a Cultural Arts Commission (completed June 2012), and improving communication between the City, its residents, and the greater Los Angeles area.   Laura hails from Great Neck, New York and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Psychology with Departmental Honors. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California and has been a practicing Clinical Psychologist for 30 years. She is also a consultant for strategic and community outreach efforts.  Known as a consensus builder and a judicious and hardworking public servant, Laura’s psychology background has been invaluable in working with the myriad of people that have dealings with the City. She knows how to listen yet also articulate complex and competing issues before her.   Laura's Malibu family includes her husband Walter, a businessman, her son Will (Malibu High School Class of 2013), son Joe (Malibu High School Class of 2009, University of Oregon Class of 2013), sister Claudia Zahn, and father Leonard Zahn, a former Mayor of Thomaston (Great Neck, New York). She and her family have lived in Malibu since 1989.

Carolyn Ramsay is an American politician, environmental advocate, and former journalist. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Tom LaBonge, a three-term member of the Los Angeles City Council who represents Los Angeles’s fourth district.  Ramsay recently announced her candidacy to replace LaBonge.  Before going into local government, Ramsay worked as a freelance journalist for local and national news outlets. Her career in public service began in 2006, when she was hired as a field deputy by LaBonge’s office and then as the communications deputy for the councilman. In 2010 she left the council office to serve as the program director for the Los Angeles office of the Trust for Public Land, a non-profit environmental organization. In this capacity, Ramsay played a key role in managing the organizations campaign against the privatization of undeveloped, natural spaces across the city. Under her direction, the organization fought to protect public spaces such as Griffith Park and the landmark Hollywood sign[4] as well as to increase park space across the greater Los Angeles area.  In 2012 she accepted the job of Chief of Staff to Councilman Tom LaBonge.

Madeline Di Nonno is the Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the only research based non-profit working with the entertainment and media community to improve gender diversity in children's entertainment through research based programs. Di Nonno leads the Institute's strategic direction and brings over thirty years experience in media, marketing and business development in the entertainment, non-profit, digital media and consumer packaged goods industries.  Previously, Di Nonno served as President and CEO of On The Scene Productions, a leader in digital media content creation and distribution. Di Nonno lead the company’s new business development and content distribution platforms for the entertainment, healthcare, and consumer products clients such as Nike, Gatorade, Iconix, and PepsiCo. Prior to On The Scene, Di Nonno served in executive marketing positions for Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment where she led global brand marketing, branded franchise development, acquisitions, digital media initiatives for home entertainment and limited theatrical releases in North America, United Kingdom and Australia.  As Executive Vice President and GM for Nielsen EDI, a leading research provider of Theatrical distribution measurement and information, Di Nonno drove innovations in product development, new business development and client management.  Previously, Di Nonno served as Senior Vice President, Marketing Alliances and Digital media at the Hallmark Channel, and helped launch the cable channel and established marketing, digital media, e-commerce, and corporate alliance functions. Di Nonno developed revenue-generating, integrated marketing programs with brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Fuji, Mail Boxes Etc., Universal Pictures, Target, Sony Pictures, Chrysler, and Baskin Robbins.  Di Nonno pioneered the Channel’s digital media initiatives.  Di Nonno served eight years at Universal Studios Home Video as Vice President, Strategic Marketing where she established the company’s first Websites and digital marketing campaigns. Di Nonno supervised marketing campaigns for all theatrical, direct-to-video and library releases and spearheaded Universal’s launch into DVD.  Di Nonno began her career at ABC Television Network in corporate publicity working on the marketing communications campaigns for mini-series, sports and daytime, including “The Winds of War,” “The Thorn Birds” and the 1984 Olympics.

Madeline Di Nonno is the Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the only research based non-profit working with the entertainment and media community to improve gender diversity in children's entertainment through research based programs. Di Nonno leads the Institute's strategic direction and brings over thirty years experience in media, marketing and business development in the entertainment, non-profit, digital media and consumer packaged goods industries.   Previously, Di Nonno served as President and CEO of On The Scene Productions, a leader in digital media content creation and distribution. Di Nonno lead the company’s new business development and content distribution platforms for the entertainment, healthcare, and consumer products clients such as Nike, Gatorade, Iconix, and PepsiCo.  Prior to On The Scene, Di Nonno served in executive marketing positions for Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment where she led global brand marketing, branded franchise development, acquisitions, digital media initiatives for home entertainment and limited theatrical releases in North America, United Kingdom and Australia.  As Executive Vice President and GM for Nielsen EDI, a leading research provider of Theatrical distribution measurement and information, Di Nonno drove innovations in product development, new business development and client management.  Previously, Di Nonno served as Senior Vice President, Marketing Alliances and Digital media at the Hallmark Channel, and helped launch the cable channel and established marketing, digital media, e-commerce, and corporate alliance functions. Di Nonno developed revenue-generating, integrated marketing programs with brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Fuji, Mail Boxes Etc., Universal Pictures, Target, Sony Pictures, Chrysler, and Baskin Robbins.  Di Nonno pioneered the Channel’s digital media initiatives.  Di Nonno served eight years at Universal Studios Home Video as Vice President, Strategic Marketing where she established the company’s first Websites and digital marketing campaigns. Di Nonno supervised marketing campaigns for all theatrical, direct-to-video and library releases and spearheaded Universal’s launch into DVD.  Di Nonno began her career at ABC Television Network in corporate publicity working on the marketing communications campaigns for mini-series, sports and daytime, including “The Winds of War,” “The Thorn Birds” and the 1984 Olympics.