Women to Watch Media® with Sue Rocco Sue Rocco

Kiesha Nix, VP Charitable Affairs-Executive Director Lakers Youth Foundation, will share the story behind her title with us on May 15, 2024.
In her current role, Kiesha oversees and directs programming and funding priorities for the charitable arm of the Los Angeles Lakers. She is responsible for implementing the mission of the Foundation which is to assist underserved youth in our communities to develop and recognize their full potential by providing positive experiences and resources in education, health & wellness and sports.
Kiesha oversees the funding which supports over 100,000 youth in 20+ Southern California Boys & Girls Clubs through basketball and health & fitness and the Jr. Lakers Youth Basketball Program; has helped to build 40+ basketball courts throughout Los Angeles and surrounding counties, 15+ Reading Rooms and has completed 3STEM Lab projects at local middle and high schools in Los Angeles. Kiesha is also very active in the Lakers civic engagement, social justice and diversity & inclusion efforts. Being one of the founding members of the organization’s Employee Resource Group–B.A.N. (Black Action Network).
Kiesha works with countless non-profit organizations and serves as a Mentor to youth throughout the community. Kiesha has received numerous Leadership, Community Service & Humanitarian Awards. She strives to uphold the Lakers reputation of being “Champions in the Community” as well as on the court.
SUE SAYS
"I sit down for an interview with Kiesha Nix to talk about her upbringing in south central L.A, the sacrifices her grandparents made to provide for her, the support she's received from Magic Johnson over the years and why giving back to the community Kiesha grew up in is so important to her."


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Kavita Sahai, CEO & Founder at K Sahai, shared the story behind her title with us on April 24, 2024.
Kavita has over two decades of professional experience, with a background in investment banking, private equity, startup consulting, entrepreneurship, and education. After working as an Investment Banking Analyst at Wachovia Securities, they transitioned to private equity, serving as a Growth Equity Fund Executive at TA Associates and a Consumer Product Turnaround Fund Associate at Sun Capital Partners.
Later, they worked as a Head of Channel Development for BackOps and a Growth Consultant for Have BIGplans, LLC. In 2016, they became the CEO and Founder of their own company, K Sahai, and is still currently in that role. Sahai also spent four years as an Adjunct Professor at Lynn University, where they co-created the entrepreneurship curriculum and annual business plan competition. Throughout their career, Sahai has executed on mergers and acquisitions, structured debt and equity transactions, and developed turnaround and restructuring strategies for distressed portfolio companies.
SUE SAYS
"I sit down with Kavita Sahai to talk about her years in Saudi Arabia, her large conservative Indian family, growing up with the desire to challenge tradition and her decision to leave a successful corporate career for entrepreneurship."


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Regina Bain, Executive Director for the Louis Armstrong Museum, shared the story behind her title with us on April 17, 2024.
In the midst of the reverberations of slavery, Jim Crow laws and the great migration, Armstrong became America’s first Black popular music icon. The Museum preserves his home and archives and develops programs grounded in the values of artistic excellence, education and community. This year, Ms. Bain recently opened the new 14,000 sq. foot Armstrong Center housing a multimedia exhibit curated by Jason Moran, a 75-seat performance space, and the 60,000-piece Armstrong Archives — the largest archives of any jazz musician and one of the largest of any Black musician.
Previous to her appointment at LAHM, Ms. Bain served as Associate Vice President of the Posse Foundation — a national leadership and college access program. Bain’s efforts helped to increase Posse’s national student graduation rates for four consecutive years. Bain is currently the co-chair of Culture @3’s anti-racism subcommittee and recently served on the Yale Board of Governors.
SUE SAYS
"I sit down with Regina Bain and talked about her upbringing in southern California, her mother who taught her the value of music and the arts, finding her voice, and what it took to step into a leadership role during a global pandemic."


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Kelley Steven-Waiss, Chief Transformation Officer at ServiceNow, shared the story behind her title with us on April 10, 2024.
As a chief transformation officer at ServiceNow, Kelley helps ServiceNow's customers drive workforce transformation. She previously served as head of workforce innovation at ServiceNow and was the founder and CEO of Hitch Works Inc., an internal talent mobility platform acquired by ServiceNow.
Kelley brings more than 25 years of executive management experience, with 13 years as a chief human resources officer in technology. She serves on the board of FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM) and is Chair of the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation
SUE SAYS
"I sit down with Kelley Waiss, CTO of ServiceNow and discussed the tragedy that happened with her mother, her winding career path, the acquisition of her company by ServiceNow and her latest book, Valley Girls."



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Meghan Pierce, President & CEO of The Forum of Executive Women, shared the story behind her title with us on March 27, 2024.
A lifelong champion of women’s rights and gender equity, Pierce was most recently Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for the management and
operation of the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with 2,500+ members statewide.
Prior to that position, she provided strategic support and thought partnership for Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, one of New York’s premier litigation boutiques. She also served as policy communications advisor for the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. She earned a Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute for Government. While at Penn, she served in several fellowship roles at vital PA-based women’s organizations, including Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the Women’s Law Project of Pennsylvania, and Rittenhouse Political Partners.
“It is an honor to be selected to lead The Forum of Executive Women,” said Pierce. “I look forward to
working closely with the board to identify and evaluate the many ways this preeminent organization can make an even deeper impact within the region. Expanding The Forum’s advocacy footprint, diversifying revenue sources, developing our member base, and connecting more employers to the dynamic, experienced women leaders in our network are just a few of the areas of opportunity I cannot wait to realize."
SUE SAYS
"I sit down with Meghan to talk about her "family of feminists," the positive experience she had attending an all girls school, her time working for Mayor Bill de Blasio and something Meghan refers to as "the third space.""


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Erin Krolikiewicz, Global Head of Precision Talent at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, shared the story behind her title with us on March 20, 2024.
As the Global Head of Precision Talent and Executive Scouting at Novartis, Erin leads a cross-divisional and cross-unit team of talent professionals with a focus on executive advisory and community of practice for internal and external talent strategies.
With over 20 years of HR and talent experience, Erin has broad and diverse expertise across talent management, talent acquisition, talent scouting, executive search, talent analytics and insights, and strategic leadership initiatives. She is also a certified leadership coach and a member of Chief, a network of women leaders.
Erin is passionate about human connection, employee advocacy and engagement, and championing talent innovation. She thrives on leading high-performance teams across the globe to ensure the future success of the organization. Erin has a proven track record of delivering effective talent strategies in complex and innovative environments, as well as superior talent identification, engagement, business insights, competitive intelligence, and project management. She is an inclusive and servant leader who loves collaboration and partnership.
SUE SAYS
"I sit down with Erin Krolikiewicz of Novartis Pharmaceuticals to talk about being the first in her family to go to college, what it was like being an introvert and an old soul growing up, and how her divorce was one of the greatest challenges of her life."


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