A View From the Top: Women Navigating Leadership and Change
Embark on a journey to the summit of leadership at the Columbia College Women’s Signature Event. This year’s theme, “A View From the Top: Women Navigating Leadership and Change,” brings together a panel of trailblazing alumnae from diverse fields who will share their experiences steering their organizations through the evolving landscapes of culture, society and global events. Additionally, they will share powerful stories of pivotal moments that shaped their lives and careers. The event includes networking opportunities and a reception.
Alumnae panelists:
- Dolores Fernandez Alonso CC’89, President and CEO of South Florida PBS
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Dolores Fernandez Alonso CC’89 serves as the president and CEO of South Florida PBS, an organization that brings together WPBT and WXEL to collectively represent the seventh-largest TV market in the United States. She is one of the first women at PBS to have led a merger, launched a 24/7 health channel and quadrupled the size of the South Florida PBS endowment.
Alonso began her television career in 1990 at the international newsgathering division of Disney General Entertainment Content in New York. In 1998, she joined WPBT2 as VP for facilities services, where she was responsible for the for-profit activities. She was promoted to station manager in 2002 and to executive VP and chief operating officer in 2003.
Alonso contributes to professional affiliates across diverse fields, spanning both past and present board engagements, including Public Broadcasting Service and its Station Services Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Diversity Advisory Committee; America’s Public Television Stations and its CEO Search Committee and Finance and Membership Committee; The Strategic Forum; The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida; Florida Public Media, a statewide consortium of Florida public television and radio stations; International Women’s Forum Florida Forum and International Women’s Forum North America Global Forum; Nova Southeastern University Levan Ambassadors Board; FIU School of Communication, Architecture and Arts Advisory Board; Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Business Committee; and the GMCC Creative Industries Committee.
A proud bilingual Hispanic, Alonso earned a bachelor’s in Spanish literature, and master’s from the University of Miami.
- Maryam Banikarim BC’89, BUS’93, SIPA’93, Emmy-Award Winning Producer and Co-Founder of NYCNext | Longest Table + MaryamB
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Maryam Banikarim BC’89, SIPA’93, BUS’93 is a seasoned C-suite executive, Emmy-winning producer and community builder with more than 25 years of experience driving growth and transformation for global organizations such as Fortune Media, Nextdoor, Hyatt, Gannett, NBCUniversal and Univision. Known for blending strategy, creativity and operational execution, she has led global teams across sales, marketing and operations, managing substantial budgets and profit and loss statements. Her leadership style combines strategic vision with operational rigor, valuing collaboration and relationships to drive sustainable transformation.
Banikarim is also the founder of MaryamB, a purpose-driven consultancy that specializes in rapid-fire strategy, positioning, communications and breakthrough creative solutions. In 2020, she co-founded NYCNext, a nonprofit to help the city recover and rebuild through moments of joy, which produced pop-up events including “A Moment for Broadway,” the Emmy-winning rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” as well as The Longest Table, a grassroots movement to foster connection and civic participation. In 2023, Banikarim led the award-winning WE❤️NYC campaign for The Partnership for New York City, contributing to the reenergizing of New Yorkers in the wake of the pandemic. Previously, she served as the managing director of Fortune Live Media, revitalizing the Most Powerful Women and Brainstorm Tech franchises.
Banikarim is a trustee of Barnard College and an independent director of One Spa World. Her achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards, including a Columbia Alumni Medal. She has been featured on notable lists such as the New York Post's “50 Most Powerful Women in NYC” and Fast Company’s “Top 10 Disruptors.”
Banikarim earned a bachelor’s in political science, and a dual M.I.A./M.B.A. from SIPA and the Business School. She resides in New York City with her family and her dog, Charlie.
- Joyce Chang CC’86, Chair of Global Research at J.P. Morgan
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Joyce Chang CC’86 is chair of global research for J.P. Morgan’s commercial and investment bank, and has 36 years of experience in global research. Her expertise spans macro, cross-asset, fixed income, emerging markets, geopolitical and strategic research. She has held numerous leadership positions in research since joining J.P. Morgan in 1999, including global head of research, global head of fixed income research and global head of emerging markets research.
Chang began her career as an emerging markets strategist in 1989 and has held top rankings in institutional investor surveys for emerging markets research, earning 25 number 1 individual rankings; she was inducted into the Fixed Income Analyst Society Hall of Fame in 2014. Before joining J.P. Morgan, she was a managing director at Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers.
Chang is also the executive sponsor for J.P. Morgan’s AsPIRE network for employees of Asian heritage and serves on the executive committee for the commercial and investment bank’s Women’s Leadership Forum. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the German Marshall Fund, Fixed Income Analyst Society, Asian American Business Development Center and Trickle Up. Additionally, she serves on numerous boards of visitors and external advisory councils for universities, including Columbia, Princeton, Georgetown and UC Berkeley. Chang is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Inter-American Dialogue, Economic Club of New York and Committee of 100. She has been included in Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in Finance and in American Banker’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance.
Chang earned a bachelor’s in history, and a master’s in international development from Princeton. She was presented a John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement by Columbia College in 2014.
- Stefanie Tsen Ward CC’02, Former Chief Integrated Retail and Customer Officer at Neiman Marcus
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Stefanie Tsen Ward CC’02 is a strategic C-suite executive with 20-plus years of experience driving growth in retail, digital and consumer products. She most recently served as the chief integrated retail and customer officer of Neiman Marcus. Known for her ability to leverage technology to enhance customer experiences, she has led multibillion-dollar businesses through complex transformations with bold vision and collaboration.
Tsen Ward played a key role in transforming Neiman Marcus’ $4.5 billion multi-channel business into a profitable, relationship-driven model, culminating in the company’s 2024 acquisition by Hudson’s Bay Co. She developed an integrated strategy across stores, digital and remote selling, and led initiatives such as the creation of the proprietary CONNECT tool, the acquisition of the AI platform Stylyze and the relaunch of the e-commerce app. She also successfully managed $3.5 billion of stores and businesses across 41 locations, improving productivity and profitability.
Previously, Tsen Ward held leadership roles at Sephora and Louis Vuitton, and also has expertise in data analytics, customer relationship management, merchandising and finance from her time at Bath & Body Works, TIME and Merrill Lynch.
Originally from New York and the daughter of first-generation Chinese immigrants, Tsen Ward earned a bachelor’s in economics and psychology, and a master’s in general management from Harvard Business School. She lives in Dallas with her husband, two young children and a Boxer.
- Moderated by Stacie Hoffmeister CC’96, Managing Director, Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley
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Stacie Hoffmeister CC’96 is a senior executive known for driving innovation and transformational change across a variety of industries, with a recent focus on financial services, leading people and culture as an executive at Morgan Stanley. She has a strong track record of launching mission-critical divisions, enabling positive organizational change and forging partnerships. Most recently, she is focused on business transformation, operational efficiencies and optimization and aligning initiatives to financial goals.
Hoffmeister has prior experience in brand marketing and innovation process management at global brands such as LVMH and Coty, driving significant business impact. She was also the founder of Facts and Heresies, a coaching firm that created and delivered bespoke leadership programs for Fortune 500 clients, with a client base of companies such as Google, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and SNP Communications.
Hoffmeister earned a bachelor’s in English literature, and a master’s in high-performance teams, innovation and organizational management from the NYU Stern School of Business.
