NEW YORK,NY(SMI-PHILANTHROPY,06.17.19)-The Women's Forum of New York, known for helping women over 35 to with educations grants, held its 9th annual Elly Awards Luncheon today, honoring three oustanding women leaders;Katie Couric, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Muriel Fox, on celebration of its 32nd anniversary benefiting The Education Fund of the Women’s Forum at the renowned " The Plaza Hotel " in the Big Apple

 

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The Education Fund is the educational and charitable arm of The Women’s Forum of New York, that has provided financial awards to women 35 and over who have demonstrated high potential and faced extreme adversity which has disrupted their education and derailed their futures.

 

" These oustanding women leaders are honored today for their efforts to lay a ground work for almost 50 years of achievement by women.Many of the things that we take for granted today, getting a college education and entering the job orbit and having  a real opportunity to rise to the top of the institutions that change the way we live and even having the door open to seat on the board of corporate America, that all happened because the work of Muriel Fox, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Elinor Guggenheimer and Muriel Siebert" Said Linda A. Willett, President of the Women’s Forum of New York on her opening statement at the luncheon.

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"It's a honor to be here and congratulations to all the Elly awards recipients , this is all about you today. The women's forum views, I'm such a fan and I love  the whole concept  that really run on the issue believing women helping women never gets tired and I love that philosophy and I totally agreed."said Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC Co-Host of Morning Joe and founder of “Know Your Value," on her opening keynote remarks at the event.

 

Daryl Roth and Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney were the Co-Chairs of the 2019 Elly Awards.  Both women were past honorees of the Elly Award.

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The 2019 Elly Award Recipients were:

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Eleanor Holmes Norton, Congresswoman for the District of Columbia and former Professor of Law at Georgetown University.

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Muriel Fox, Board Chair of Veteran Feminists of America and former Executive Vice-President of Carl Byoir & Associates.

 

Katie Couric,             an award winning journalist, producer, New York Times bestselling author, cancer advocate, podcast host, documentary filmmaker, and former co-anchor of the Today Show on NBC.

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Muriel Fox is the board chair of Veteran Feminists of America and the former executive vice president of Carl Byoir & Associates, one of America's three largest public relations firms. She was a co-founder and public relations chair of the National Organization for Women in 1966, acting as the communicator who introduced the new women's movement to the media of the world.  She chaired NOW’s national Board from 1971 to 1973. 

 

Muriel joined with founder Elinor Guggenheimer in co-organizing the Women’s Forum of New York as one of the “Two Elinors and Two Muriels” (Elinor Guggenheimer, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Muriel Fox, Muriel Siebert) who brought the organization into being in 1974.  She served as president in 1976.  She has served on the boards of directors of Rorer Group, the international pharmaceuticals company, and Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company. 

 

She was a co-founder of Legal Momentum, formerly the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund.  She has served as its president, then board chair, and now honorary board chair. While president she chaired the National Assembly on the Future of the Family (1979) and the Convoca­tion on New Leadership in the Public Interest (1981). For 22 years she served as Chairwoman of its Equal Opportunity Awards Dinner.  In 1991 the organization created the Muriel Fox Award for Communications Leadership Toward a Just Society, and named her the first winner of its "Foxy."

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She was president of the Rockland Center for the Arts and a director of the American Arbitration Association, the Child Care Action Campaign, International Rescue Committee, and the United Way of Tri‑State.  She was Senior Editor of VFA’s “Feminists Who Changed America,” published by U. of Illinois Press. She is listed in "Who's Who In America," "Who's Who In The World," "Who's Who in Advertising," "World Who's Who of Women," and "Fore­most Women of the Twentieth Century." Business Week Magazine's list of 100 Top Corporate Women described Muriel in June 1976 as the "top‑ranking woman in public relations." 

 

In 1985 Barnard College selected her to receive its Distinguished Alumna Award, and she also became the first recipient of New York State NOW's Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Award.  She was the first public relations executive to win the Achievement Award of American Women in Radio & Television and the first woman to receive the "Business Leader of the Year" Award from Americans for Democratic Action. She received the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communica­tions, the Woman of Accomplishment Award from the Wings Club, the Caroline Babcock Award from Rockland County NOW, and the Woman of Achievement Award from Veteran Feminists of America.  She has been elected into the Public Relations Hall of Fame.

           

Muriel is a graduate of Barnard College, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  She and her husband, Dr Shepard Aronson, had a son and daughter and three grandchildren.  He died in 2003. She now resides in Kendal on Hudson in Westchester County, NY, where she serves on the Residents Council and the staff of The Kendal View magazine.

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About The Women’s Forum of New York:

The Women’s Forum of New York is an invitation-only organization of more than 500 women representing the highest levels of achievement across all professional sectors and spheres of influence in our city. Women's Forum members are recognized among New York’s thought leaders, influencers, trailblazers, policymakers, change agents, power brokers, innovators, icons, creators, and business builders.

Funding is provided by member donation and an annual fundraising event, The Elly Awards Luncheon, which honors outstanding women leaders. To date, the Education Fund of the Women’s Forum has raised over $1.8 million, enabling us to assist more than 260 women in relaunching their lives and becoming role models for their families. 

 

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