By Forough Ghahramani
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2010
WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS of WOMEN IMPACTING PUBLIC POLICY (WIPP) ATTEND WHITEHOUSE BRIEFING
Princeton Business Leader Forough Ghahramani Attends White House Briefing
Princeton resident, Forough Ghahramani, was among Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)’s women business leaders who were briefed by Senior Administration Officials at the White House on Tuesday, September 28. Speakers specifically addressed the unique challenges faced by women business leaders today and highlighted women-owned business’ overarching importance in the U.S. economy.
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, announced upcoming small business forums where the Administration would want WIPP members’ input and involvement. Other speakers included Austan Goolsbee, Chief Council of Economic Advisors; Elizabeth Vale, Executive Director of the White House Business Council; Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform; Rosie Rios, United States Treasurer; and Jennifer Kaplan, Deputy Director of the White House Council on Women & Girls. Each official focused on ways to promote the health and well-being of small businesses and topics included access to capital, health care reform and government procurement. WIPP members directly engaged in question and answer sessions and provided suggestions for future policy initiatives.
“As an advocate for women in business and entrepreneurship, I was empowered that White House officials took the time to explain what they are doing on economic policy and listened to our ideas and concerns” – Forough Ghahramani, Principal of Life Sciences Computing and Associate Dean of College of Business and Management at DeVry University
The White House Briefing was part of WIPP’s three day Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, DC that ran from September 27-29th. Conference agenda included vital briefings on current policy issues and the exciting unveiling of WIPP’s updated Economic Blueprint: The Women Business Owners’ Platform for Growth, used as the organization’s call to action for the current Administration.
During the WIPP conference,Virginia Littlejohn, President and CEO of Quantum Leaps, Inc., thanked Forough for her contributions to The Roadmap to 2020 – Fueling the Growth of Women’s Enterprise Development, by presenting her with an official copy. The Roadmap to 2020 is a strategic action plan designed to energize the growth of women’s business development starting in the United States, and then expanding internationally, and helping women become part of the global supply chain by working to create a global certification standard for women’s business enterprises.
Women Impacting Public Policy is national nonpartisan group with over half-a-million members. WIPP is The Collective Voice in Washington, D.C., for 51 national women and small business organizations. WIPP advocates for and on behalf of women and minorities in business in the legislative process of our nation.

