Maxine Clark Inducted in the 2025 Toy Industry Hall of Fame
An IWF Missouri member since 2000, Maxine will receive the prestigious honor on February 28, 2025 in Rochester NY. She revolutionized both the toy and retail industries by pioneering the “retail-tainment” store concept more than 25 years ago. Now a globally recognized brand, Build-A-Bear Workshop has sold more than 200 million furry friends and generated over $5 billion in cumulative revenue. Inspired by her own childhood connection with a teddy bear, Clark sought to create an emotional bond between children and their stuffed animals. This led to the famous Build-A-Bear process, where owners can choose, stuff, dress, and name their furry friends, accompanied by a signature “heart ceremony” that brings the plush animal to life through a unique bonding experience.
Meet Our New Members
- NADINE ALAMEH, Executive Director, Taylor Geospatial Institute
- ANGELA CLARK, President, Goldfarb School of Nursing
- AKBERET BOYKIN FARR, Vice President, Diversity and Social Responsibly, Emerson
- DAWN KOTVA, Chief Operating, MTM, Inc.
- NALINI MAHADEVAN, JD, MBA, MLO Law, LLC
- CARA STARKE, Executive Director, Pulitzer Arts Foundation
- DR. DORIAN TRAUBE, Dean, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University
- KRISTEN WILD, President and CEO Operation Food Search
IWF 50th Anniversary Celebration in New York City
Have you ever left a conference feeling truly inspired, educated, and on cloud nine? That was the experience at the IWF 50th Anniversary celebration in NYC this May. BETSY COHEN and YEMI AKANDE-BARTSHE were immersed in a remarkable 3-day conference, connecting with women from 33 different countries. They had the opportunity to hear from esteemed speakers on leadership, technology, and culture, including:
Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, James L. Vincent Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Arbuckle Professor, Harvard Business School
Carla Harris, Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley
Baroness Moyo (Dr. Dambisa Moyo), Member of the House of Lords; Co-Principal, Versaca Investments; Global Economist, Author, and Board Member
Pat Russo, Chair, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Maggie Wilderotter, CEO, Wilderotter Vineyard
Dr. Donna Shalala, President, The New School
Edie Weiner, President and CEO, The Future Hunters
The week concluded with a Hall of Fame Induction Gala, where the phenomenal SHEILA JOHNSON, CEO of Salamander Hospitality, was honored. Sheila, known for her acute sense of aesthetics, design, and humor, was celebrated alongside ANNA WINTOUR of Vogue, who inspires with her fearlessness and view of fashion as a vehicle for positive change.
Here are a few key takeaways from this incredible experience:
Edie Weiner: Embrace new ways of entrepreneurship and view data smithing as the new engineering. Emphasize happiness and gratitude and aim for exponential growth. Mentorship is a two-way street—affirm and support emerging women leaders.
Carla Harris: “You can’t fix it if you don’t know that it is broken.” Understanding and addressing issues is essential for progress.
Ashleigh Shelby Rosette: Key career success objectives include getting ahead, getting along, gaining autonomy, being hired, and achieving balance. Psychological success is about connecting, achieving, and influencing as a leader.
Our time there was transformative, expanding our horizons and equipping us to integrate these lessons into both work and play. Looking ahead, we’re excited to bring this renewed energy and perspective to upcoming conferences, particularly the one in May 2025 in Seattle, and hope others can join us in ENSURING A STRONGER REPRESENTATION FROM ST. LOUIS!