2012 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
Thia Breen
Liz Duffy Adams
Barbara Goldsmith
Cornelia Guest

MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
Cindy Adams


AWARD PRESENTERS
Mark Badgley and James Mischka
Nora Ephron
Lynne Greene

Thia Breen is President of North America for the Estée Lauder Companies. In this role she is responsible for driving sales and profits for all the Company’s brands in North America across all distribution channels.

Joining the company in 1977, Thia has worked on leading beauty brands including: Aramis, Clinique, and Origins, where as a member of the founding team she helped to establish the brand’s unique profile.

She left the Estée Lauder Companies in 2002 and joined Federated Merchandising Group as Senior Vice President, Cosmetics and Fragrances. In her tenure at Federated, Thia gained further insight into the many challenges of today’s retailing environment.  She re-joined the Estée Lauder Companies in 2005 as President of the Americas for the Estée Lauder brand and in 2007 become President Worldwide of the brand, a position she held until her recent promotion in July 2009.

Thia is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a degree in marketing.  She serves as a board member on the National Mother’s Day Council and Cosmetic Executive Women. In 2007, Thia received a CEW Achiever Award, honored as a leader in beauty. Click here to read more about Thia Breen in January's Marie Claire.

Liz Duffy Adams' Or, premiered at Women’s Project and had its West Coast premiere at the Magic Theater in San Francisco. It has since had some dozen productions with more pending, including Seattle Rep this spring. Adams received a Lillian Hellman Award for Playwriting in 2010, the Lilly’s inaugural year, for productions of both Or, and Dog Act. Other honors include a New Dramatists residency (2001–2008), New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, Will Glickman Award for Best New Play (for Dog Act), and residencies at the MacDowell, Djerassi, and Millay artist colonies. Publications include Poodle With Guitar And Dark Glasses in Applause’s “Best American Short Plays 2000-2001,” Or, in Smith & Kraus’ “Best Plays Of 2010,” numerous short works in anthologies from Smith & Kraus and Heinemann, and several plays in acting editions by Playscripts, Inc. and Dramatists Play Service. Other plays include her newest, A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World, as well as  Wet or, Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitude; The Listener; The Reckless Ruthless Brutal Charge of It or, The Train Play; and One Big Lie. Her children’s musical, Buccaneers, will premiere next fall at Children’s Theater Company, Minneapolis. Her work has been produced or developed at the Humana Festival, Portland Center Stage, Portland Stage Company, Syracuse Stage, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, New Georges, Shotgun Players, MOXIE Theater, Flux Ensemble Theater, Clubbed Thumb, Cutting Ball, and Crowded Fire, among others. She holds degrees from New York University and Yale School of Drama.

Barbara Goldsmith has been elected a “Living Landmark” (by the New York Landmark Conservancy and its affiliates), awarded the Order of Merit by the Republic of Poland, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Barbara Goldsmith is a noted author and historian. Her well-known, award-winning, bestselling books include The Straw Man, Little Gloria . . . Happy at Last (for which she won an Emmy for the mini-series featuring Angela Landsbury, Christopher Plummer and Bette Davis), Johnson v. Johnson, Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull, and Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie which recently won the prestigious American Institute of Physics Best Book Award and has been translated into twenty-three languages, sparking a new interest in Madame Curie. Currently she is co-producer and special advisor to a television special on this subject.

Dr. Goldsmith was a Founding and Contributing Editor of New York Magazine, the Senior Editor of Harper’s Bazaar, and has written for The New York Times and The New Yorker. Goldsmith has received four doctorates in the field of Literature and in Humane Letters, honoris causa. She is the donor of the Preservation and Conservation Divisions of The New York Public Library and New York University and the Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Room at the American Academy in Rome.

Among her many awards was an appointment to the President’s Commission for the Celebration of Women in American History, a Lifetime Achievement Award in Literary Arts of the Guild Hall Academy of the Arts, the Poets and Writers “Writers for Writers” award, the American Publishers Association Literary Award and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Best Non-Fiction Book. She has received a Presidential Citation and served on the New York State Council on the Arts, on the commission for Preservation and Access, and the Permanent Paper Task Force of the National Library of Medicine.
As a crusader for human rights, she is donor of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Goldsmith is a Trustee and Literary Lion of the New York Public Library, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Authors League, Authors Guild of America, Poets and Writers and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Literacy Partners. Visit www.barbaragoldsmith.com.

Cornelia Guest has been passionate about animals and nature since she was a child. Her passion is reflected in every aspect of her life including her philanthropy, animal activism and business enterprises.

Cornelia is the author of the Cornelia Guest's Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining, which will be released by Weinstein Books in May 2012. In 2009 she founded Cornelia Guest Events and Cornelia Guest Cookies, catering high- end charity and entertainment events with healthy, vegan dishes. Her mission is to encourage and inspire people to be conscious of the diet choices they make in their daily lives.

Currently Cornelia has a line of animal-friendly bags available at Bloomingdale’s. Along with her Spring collection, she is also working on a line of jewelry, wallets and dog accessories. Her next project is a book (Weinstein Company, May 2012) that will include original recipes, decorating and party tips, and photos from throughout her life.

Daughter of American fashion icon CZ Guest and polo champion Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, Cornelia has been able to use her media attention and professional contacts to support Humane Society of New York, and was named by Donna Karan as one of the Women Who Inspire. She also serves on the Mayoral appointed Grow NYC board. Cornelia has been an advocate for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality and in 2010 hosted their New York flagship event with Mayor Bloomberg. For press enquiries please contact Teal Cannaday at teal@tealentertainment.com. Visit corneliaguest.com.

Click here for the complete list of
Women of Achievement

Cindy Adams has the most read daily syndicated column in the New York Post. Her headline stories place her on the front page repeatedly. She has had over five hundred “page one” exclusives, more than any other columnist in the country.

Cindy has also had regular features on E! Entertainment Network Gossip Show and is called upon by every other network to comment on news stories, in programs such as The Larry King Show, Crossfire and The Maury Povich Show, as well as virtually all the other popular talk shows. She is a featured writer in New York magazine. Her work also appeared in the now defunct Talk.

Her focus is international. Each year she travels the globe doing featured assignments. From Moscow to Thailand, her features and popularity are internationally recognized.

She was married to star comedian Joey Adams. She’s had a title song written about her, an MGM Record produced about her and was the model for Horsman Doll Company’s “Cindy” doll, made in her image and likeness. In 1977, Coty launched a perfume in her name- Gossip: The Fragrance of Cindy Adams.

Her as-told-to autobiography of Indonesia’s President Sukarno was published worldwide and translated into fourteen languages. She first met Sukarno when she accompanied her husband, Joey Adams who was the then President of the American Guild of Variety Artists, sent by President Kennedy to head the first cultural exchange unit in South East Asia. Her third book was Jolie Gabor, the as-told-to memoir of Mama Gabor, now in development as a Broadway play. Her fourth, the life story of the Actors Studio guru Lee Strasberg, was published by Doubleday. Her fifth, Iron Rose: The Story of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and Her Dynasty was published by Dove.  Her latest book, The Gift of Jazzy (St. Martin’s 2002) was a New York Times bestseller. In 2006 St. Martin’s published the sequel, Living a Dogs Life. 

After appearing for four years as a founding member of Fox-TV’s A Current Affair, a show wherein she wrote and did her own investigative reporting, she left to join Lifetime Cable Network’s popular Attitudes show. For two and a half years, she was newscaster for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News in New York. Until NBC’s Monitor went off the air, Cindy was heard each weekend on the award-winning network radio program. She was the only female host on the program’s seventeen-year history. She was an on-air commentator for four years on WNBC-TV. She has also been featured as an entertainment reporter on Good Morning America. She now appears every Sunday morning on New York’s Today Show on NBC.

Cindy’s column on people and places has often been cited in the Congressional Record. Her cover pieces run in major magazines and she has been a special guest in each White House since President Kennedy.

She lives on Park Avenue in New York City with her dogs Jazzy, who occasionally has his  own column in the New York Post, and Juicy. Visit www.cindyandjazzy.com.

Mark Badgley and James Mischka have been hailed by Vogue as one of the "Top 10 American Designers" and as the darlings of the Hollywood set. The design duo has made their mark over the past two decades with glamorous, stylish and wearable evening wear and accessories.

There is a unique synergy between the talented duo, who met while studying at Parsons School of Design in New York.  They share a similar aesthetic about clothes and the way people dress.  Both men spent time designing for leading names - Badgley for Donna Karan; Mischka, the men's collection for WilliWear WilliSmith - before starting their own line.

Mark and James joined forces to launch Badgley Mischka in 1988 and since the beginning Badgley Mischka has captivated the fashion press and prominent retailers around the world with their sophisticated style that caters to a younger, more modern couture customer, without forsaking women of any age.  They have remained true to this design philosophy and the consistent integrity of their collections. Their timeless designs appeal to a range of fashionable women, including celebrities Madonna, Catherine Zeta Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker and Ashley Judd.

Mark and James’ designs are constructed of the finest fabrics and superior craftsmanship.  There is always an element of interest, either in the silhouette or with luxurious detail. They have remained true to this design philosophy and the consistent integrity of their collections have pushed them to the forefront of fashion.

"Our style harks back to the glamorous Hollywood of the Forties" says Mischka.  “The Badgley Mischka signature style is simple, streamlined and thoroughly elegant.”

"One zip and you're glamorous!" says Badgley.  “We like to keep things effortless.  It's fabulous if you can spend hours getting ready, but a woman should also be able to bring a dress to work and change there for an evening out."

In 1993, after a quick rise to fashion fame, Badgley Mischka sought financial support to elevate their company to the next level.  Escada joined forces with the then up-and-coming design team. With solid financial backing, Badgley Mischka built a successful global business and expanded into new areas.

In October 2004, Candies, Inc., now, Iconix Brand Group, Inc., acquired the Badgley Mischka brand from Escada. With Iconix’s financial and marketing support, the Badgley Mischka label has flourished to the next level and become a true lifestyle brand.

 In 2009, the brand launched its contemporary collection Mark + James by Badgley Mischka.  Designed for a young yet sophisticated customer, Mark + James offers women a fresh, modern, sexy and more affordable way to wear the Badgley Mischka label.

Badgley Mischka is sold in the most prestigious stores in the world including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Visit www.badgleymischka.com.

Nora Ephron is a journalist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director.  Her credits include Heartburn, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle You’ve Got Mail, and the 2009 released Julie & Julia.  She received three Oscar nominations for screenwriting.  Her books include Crazy Salad; Scribble, Scribble; Heartburn and I Feel Bad About My Neck:  And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, a number one best-seller.  Her play Love, Loss and What I Wore, written with her sister Delia Ephron, is currently running Off-Broadway at the Westside Theater and on a national tour.  Nora’s latest book is I Remember Nothing, now available in paperback. 

Lynne Greene, Global Brand President of Clinique, Origins and Ojon, has 30 years of experience in the beauty industry, including over 20 years at the Estée Lauder Companies.  At Clinique, Origins and Ojon, Ms. Greene oversees all global aspects of the iconic brands. 

Most recently, Ms. Greene has solidified Clinique’s position as the global authority on dermatological skin care concerns.  Her mission at Clinique has been to evolve the brand while maintaining its core value.  She has been the guiding force behind the launch of the brand’s successful dermatological solutions, including the most recent success story, Clinique’s award winning Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, the #1 prestige skin care launch in key markets around the world.  Even Better Clinical was recently awarded the coveted International Prix d’Excellence de la Beauté 2011 in Paris.

Ms. Greene’s current leadership role on Origins is deeply meaningful to the brand, as she served as President of Origins for over five years and was responsible for the brand's globalization, the expansion of retail stores in the U.S. while guiding noted product launches including the A Perfect World franchise.  In addition, Ms. Greene oversees the Ojon brand, evolving the brand’s eco-friendly positioning while sustaining its leadership position on QVC. 

“My mission at Clinique has been to evolve the brand while keeping true to its core value.  As Origins and Ojon have such strong DNA, my goal will always be to grow the brands while preserving their essential heart and soul.”

Previously, Ms. Greene served as President of the Estée Lauder Companies Specialty Group Worldwide division where she oversaw the dramatic global expansion of both La Mer and Jo Malone. Before coming to the Estée Lauder Companies, Ms. Greene held senior posts with Lancôme and Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.

Ms. Greene graduated from the University of Missouri.  She is an active board member for Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), the leading organization for women in the world of beauty, and is a Board Member of the Women's Forum and, more recently, Women in Need.  She resides in New York City.