Patti Austin Announced as the Spokesperson for the Foundation for Social Change

“As an artist involved in the entertainment business for over fifty five years, I have always managed my career in terms of maintaining a connection with current trends while honoring time tested strategies that lead to increased stature on my own terms,” says Ms. Austin. “I joined with the Foundation For Social Change because this organization, with it’s approach to the use of technology to teach long standing, productive life skills connects to my vision of how we can make tangible change in ending poverty on a global level.”

The Foundation’s core mission is educating women and girls in disadvantaged areas around the world, and convening both corporate and NGO leaders in both social and environmental sustainability.

“I believe that the FSC approach that features investment in people by corporations for mutual return is brilliant and I’m honored to be the spokesperson for FSC’s very creative mission,” says Ms. Austin.

Founder and CEO of the Foundation, Louise M. Guido, says: “We are deeply honored to have Patti join our mission. Her legacy in the music business, and status as a respected global citizen defines who she is as a person, a woman and a true leader. Patti’s values and core beliefs align with ours. That is, to help women and girls in need receive life and business skills training to become economically and socially empowered.”

The Women & Girls Education Summit – sponsored by Intel, Abbott Labs, NewsCertified and Santa Fe Group – focuses of the financial impact around the world by educating young women and girls in poverty. There will be powerful presentations made by leading NGOs about how educational empowerment is the key to economic development. NGOs are from Venezuela (Wayuu Taya), Colombia (Fundacion Pies Descalzos), Ghana (IDP Foundation), India (Pratham) and Brazil (Consulador da Mulher/Whirlpool), Puerto Rico (Ricky Martin Foundation) and Rwanda (SameSky), GirlUp/UN Foundation (Teen Advisors from the US),

The Global Conference for Social Change honors the 2011 Leaders of Change – those visionary, inspirational leaders, who through their actions exemplify how leadership, creativity and innovation can engage in initiatives that solve social problems.

The 2011 Leaders of Change awardees include: Billabong, Carbon Disclosure Project, Domini Social Investment Fund, DSM, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Marks & Spencer, NatureWorks, Philips, Seventh Generation, and Unilever.

Special Honoree for Leader of Change Award is Ricky Martin, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and President of the Ricky Martin Foundation  (video acceptance only, will not appear in person).

Highlights of this year’s Conference & Summit:

Guest Speakers include: Cherie Blair of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary General of UN Women, Amir Dossal, Chairman, Global Partnerships Forum, and John Paul DeJoria, Co-Founder, Paul Mitchell, Patron Spirits, JPSelects.com

Presentation Moderators include: Jane Bornemeier, The New York Times; Amy Resnick, Thomson Reuters; Heidi Moore, Marketplace, American Public Media; Mia Haugen, TheStreet.com; Femi Oke, New York Public Radio; Diane Brady, Bloomberg Business Week and David Ushery of WNBC-TV Channel News 4 New York, Genevieve Bahrenburg, Above-magazine.

Over 200 attendees from across the range of organizations involved in solving social problems:

Prudential Foundation, Citicorp, General Electric, UNIFEM, UNDP, Millennium Challenge Corporation, PriceWatershouseCoopers, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Ambassadors from Egypt, Rwanda and Norway, Johnson & Johnson, NYU Stern School of Business, Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation (Kingdom of Saudia Arabia Foundation) and many others.

Highlights from the most inspiring examples of corporations solving social problems throughout the world and in the United States.

“This year’s Leaders of Change honorees are an exemplary group of individuals and organizations who represent the strong leadership role needed to address social issues,” said Roland Rich, Officer-In-Charge of UNOP. “Corporate engagement is essential to the international community’s efforts to alleviate poverty, ensure clean water, and help underserved populations realize healthy living. We want to recognize the creativity, technology and resources that the private sector brings to our collective efforts in solving social problems.”

A committee consisting of representatives from UNOP, NYU Stern School of Business, and the Foundation for Social Change chose the Leaders of Change awardees.

Sponsors:

    Abbott Labs
    Intel
    GenConnect
    NewsCertified

Strategic Partners

    UN Office for Partnerships
    UN Women
    NYU Stern School of Business
    Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
    mWomen / GSM Association
    World Computer Exchange
    Global Partnerships Forum
    10×10 Women

About the Foundation for Social Change

The Foundation works with corporations and NGOs around the world to create programs that define how doing good is good for business. It is not charity. It is not philanthropy. It is not impact investing. It is just doing the right thing. We prove that there is a bottom-line financial impact to solving problems. One example of this is through our eLife – Economic Opportunity for Women & Girls education program teaching life and business skills.

About the United Nations Office for Partnerships

The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a gateway for collaboration between the private sector and foundations, and the United Nations family. It promotes new partnerships and alliances in furtherance of the Millennium Development Goals and provides support to new initiatives of the Secretary-General.

Global Conference for Social Change and Women & Girls Education Summit

October 5-6, 2011

One United Nations Plaza | 1st Avenue at 44th Street | Millennium UN Plaza Hotel | New York, NY 10017