Cindy Black received her Professional Chef's Diploma at Madeleine Kamman's Modern Gourmet Cooking School before apprenticing in Magesoq, France. Soon after, she became known as one of America's top chef's. Ms. Black has won numerous awards including those from Food & Wine Magazine, DiRoNA, The Wine Spectator, Zagat, and San Diego Magazine's "People to Watch." She is chef and owner of Sheppard's in La Jolla, California. This lecture is sponsored by PMC's French Program.

"We are extremely proud of this achievement," said Gloria Nemerowicz, President of PMC. "We recognize not only the benefits of diversity in fostering creativity and learning, but also the importance of preparing young women from all backgrounds to become tomorrow’s leaders."

Recently, the Board of Trustees at PMC used a $4 million alumna bequest to lower tuition by 34 percent (from $16,700 to $11,000), putting a PMC education within reach of many women who previously could not consider a private education.

To identify colleges where students are likely to encounter a variety of racial or ethnic groups, U.S. News and World Report uses a mathematical diversity index ranging from 0 to 1.0, with 1.0 indicating the most diverse student body. PMC scored .53, compared to .67 for the highest ranking institution.

"The College is fortunate to have the addition of these two prominent members of the Boston community to the Board of Trustees," said Gloria Nemerowicz, President of the College. "Ms. Moseley's contributions and dedication to Boston's youth will play an invaluable role in Pine Manor College's increasing involvement with the Boston community. Dr. Cabot's extensive academic background and commitment to women1s education make him an excellent selection."

Prior to joining State Street Global Advisors, a division of State Street Bank Corp., Ms. Moseley served as President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston from 1992-1998, and was the first woman of color to head the organization. Ms. Moseley has 20 years of experience in Boston's corporate sector, including service as a senior manager at John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, consumer affairs manager with Boston Edison and as associate director of promotions at WGBH-TV. Ms. Moseley is currently a Trustee of the Belmont Hill School, the Massachusetts Sports Partnership, the New England Aquarium and the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. She is also a Director of Tufts Associated Health Plans, Inc. A graduate of the University of Denver, Ms. Moseley was recently named one of the 100 most influential people in Boston by Boston magazine.

Dr. Cabot was a member of the Pine Manor College's faculty for 23 years and chaired the College's Humanities Division. He is currently the President of the Board of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge. Before beginning his career at Pine Manor, Professor Cabot served on the faculty of Middlebury College. Dr. Cabot is a graduate of Harvard College and received his Ph.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The main Commencement speaker, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift, along with honorary degree recipient Kip Tiernan, founder of Rosie's Play and Linda Whitlock, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, set a tone of strength and pride. As the sun cast its warm glow upon the lush, green grass near the Pine Manor pond, this year's graduates listening intently to the honorees' words of wisdom.

"Don't try and figure out your futures today, tomorrow, or even this year because you won't, nor should you," advised Lt. Governor Swift. "The key to success, in my opinion, is to prepare for anything."

"Leadership is not measured by what position you have on the corporate ladder or the number of people you supervise," explained Swift. "Leadership is not about ruling with an iron fist. It is about extending a helping hand to others to make lives better."

The youngest woman ever elected to the Massachusetts State Senate, Lt. Governor Swift has been a powerful advocate for education reform and helped bring to life the Education Reform Act of 1993. Least year, Lt. Governor Swift's campaign efforts with Governor Paul Celluci were in high gear while she was pregnant. "Everyone had an opinion on whether this was the right or wrong thing to do," she said. "Election Day was the proudest day of my professional life," explains Swift. "And, at the same time, there has never been a more tender, overwhelming, and all-encompassing moment in my life than the day I gave birth to my daughter, Elizabeth."

Like the Lt. Governor, Tip Tiernan aptly personifies Pine Manor's mission of inclusive leadership and social responsibility as founder of the first shelter for homeless women in the United States.

"For the past twenty-five years, we at Rosie's Place have always lived one day at a time, one woman at a time, one dream at a time," says Tiernan. "We too believe that caring begins with caring for oneself, caring for the community, and caring for others."

"We at Rosie's Place moved beyond sheltering and like to think that we are part of the solution by providing jobs, education, working co-ops," Tiernan adds.

Linda Whitlock, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, gave yet another perspective for the graduates. She told of her experience growing up as "a little black girl" in Richmond, Va., before the Civil Right Act was passed. She described the severe limits imposed on her - how the list of places where she was not allowed was much longer than the list of places where she was allowed.

"Because that little black girl had role models and mentors," Whitlock explained, "because she was immersed in a community of blacks who cared about her - who encouraged her to value personal and educational achievement - a community that paradoxically conveyed a sense of power in the midst of what should have been absolute powerlessness - because of all this, that little black girl grew into a confident, empathetic, highly motivated woman who revels in being engaged in leadership."

Commencement was a day of bittersweet emotions for the Class of 1999. As year young woman begins a new life, she can look back upon the day with great pride and remember the powerful words of three inspiring women.

"With Japan facing many social and economic changes, Japanese women are faced with many challenges as well as opportunities to play a more active role in business and society," said Gloria Nemerowicz, Ph.D., President of Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and the conference's keynote speaker. "The goal of this conference is to give Japanese women a forum through which they can meet other highly successful and professional women to discuss what it means to take an active role in today's world. The discussion will focus on how Japanese women can balance their roles in their families, their communities and their work places and still be an influential voice in society." Participants at this conference will also find it an excellent opportunity to build professional networks.

An active scholar, writer and speaker, Dr. Nemerowicz authored "Children's Perceptions of Gender and Work Roles" and co-authored "Education for Leadership and Social Responsibility." She will also be a speaker at a Women's Leadership Conference in Italy in June 1999. Founded in 1911, Pine Manor College is a four-year liberal arts college preparing women for lives of inclusive leadership and social responsibility. Ranked as a leader in campus diversity by U.S. News & World Report, the college has consistently attracted a strong contingent of Japanese students.

In addition to Dr. Nemerowicz, four distinguished guest panelists will also speak about their own experiences: Ms. Yuka Fujioka, a freelance journalist; Ms. Fusako Ishibashi, Senior Advisor, Cultural Affairs at the American Embassy; Ms. Donna Morris, Senior Vice President and Branch Manager with Fidelity Brokerage Services; and, Ms. Satoko Nozawa, a lecturer at Rikkyo University and Daito Bunka University.

The conference is organized and coordinated by Ms. Atsuko Toko Fish, who is a native Japanese from Tokyo. Formerly a television producer of sports programming in Tokyo, Ms. Fish currently resides in Boston, Mass., and works as a Cross-Cultural Communications Consultant. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Asian American Commission for the state of Massachusetts and Vice President of the Japan Society of Boston.

The conference will end with a look at the upcoming "Global Women's Leadership Conference Year 2000" to be held in Boston next summer. The hope is that these conferences will mark the beginning of an annual event that offers Japanese and other women from around the world an opportunity to come together and discuss how they can best be involved in the society in which they live.

The day will include workshops, self-esteem building exercises and speakers sharing their real-life experiences. Information about Safe & Drug Free Programs, Teen Pregnancy and HIV awareness will be reinforced throughout the day. Funding for this event has been provided by the Schott Foundation.

Pine Manor currently has an active Club Golf program for students, faculty and staff, which practices at the Putterham Meadows Golf course in Brookline, Mass.

With the addition of the golf team, Pine Manor will have seven varsity sports in its roster: Cross-country, soccer, tennis and volleyball—all in the fall; basketball in the winter, and golf and softball in the spring. These growing programs demonstrate Pine Manor is preparing for the future and growing competition of GNAC and other Division III schools.