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Mission: To strengthen and inspire leaders of the social sector and their partners in business and government.

For immediate release

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Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute
Phone: 1-212-224-1187

Susan Phillips Bari Named President and Chief Executive Officer

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008 - NEW YORK, NY - The Board of Governors of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute has appointed Susan Phillips Bari, effective October 14, 2008, as the President and Chief Executive Officer.

Susan Phillips Bari brings to the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute the knowledge and first hand experience gained in a diverse career providing her leadership talents, and skill as a manager and marketer.

Formerly, Ms. Bari was the President of The Susan Bari Company: Imagine, Plan, Execute which provided business development coaching, customer acquisition strategies and supplier diversity consulting services to corporations, nonprofit organizations and entrepreneurs.

Ms. Bari is President Emeritus of the Women?s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the leading advocate for the advancement of women owned businesses as vendors and suppliers to the nation?s corporations, and was its founding architect.  From 1997 to 2006 she served as President and CEO and grew the organization to become the nation?s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women and counting among its members America?s top corporations for Supplier Diversity.

Ms. Bari marshaled the support and leveraged the considerable talents of the staff, corporate members (who comprised the board and committees), certified women business owners and professional colleagues in the leadership of affiliated organizations across the country to build an effective and respected organization.

Ms. Bari has received numerous awards including the Standing Ovation Award from the WBENC, the Impact Award from the Billion Dollar Roundtable and the Advocate of the Year Award from the WPEO.

Ms. Bari received her BA from the University of Massachusetts and her MBA from Virginia Tech.

Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute was assisted in this search by Mr. Roddy Gow of Gow & Partners.

The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute?s mission is to strengthen the leadership of the social sector.  Established in 1990 as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, the Institute furthers its mission by providing social sector leaders with the essential leadership wisdom, inspiration and resources to lead for innovation and to build vibrant social sector nonprofit organizations.

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