Class of 2008

AMBER CHAND

Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Amber Chand fled her birth country with her family in the 1970s to escape the horror under the regime of dictator Idi Amin. Settling first in Great Britain and then the United States, she never forgot the devastation and upheaval that people, and in particular women, endured in order to survive. In her words, “I was at a crossroads and could either choose the path of bitterness, revenge and anger, or the path of healing, forgiveness and love. Ultimately, I knew that it was my responsibility to find meaning within this tragic circumstance and an anchor for my life.” Using her knowledge and experiences, Amber Chand founded a company designed to alleviate the plight of women in worn-torn areas. Her business, Amber Chand Collection, works with organizations such as the Women for Women International and the CHF International, to market and distribute hand-made crafts from around the world. A founding member of the international Business Council for Peace and a member of the board of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, she has created business partnerships that thrive at the grassroots level while allowing women to have financial independence that positively impacts their families…their communities...and ultimately our world.

CAROL MOORE CUTTING

A pioneer…a visionary…Carol Moore Cutting persevered through a 15-year struggle to establish WEIB 106.3 Smooth FM. Born and raised in segregated Alabama, her experiences gave her the courage and tenacity to overcome obstacles and fulfill her dream of being the first African-American woman in Massachusetts to operate a radio station. Known for her gracious manner and her quiet, but formidable iron will, Carol has been recognized for her entrepreneurial efforts by Springfield Technical Community College’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, the New England Black Chamber of Commerce, and has received the Year 2000 Business Woman of Distinction award. A champion for the value of community, her life is all about the community. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the oldest Greek sorority established by and for African-American women, and sits on the Board of Tribunes for WGBY, as well as the boards for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Fine Arts Center and the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters. When talking of her life and career, she often refers to a quote from Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee University in Alabama, her alma mater:

“Every person who has grown to any degree of usefulness, every person who has grown to distinction, almost without exception, has been a person who has risen by overcoming obstacles, by removing difficulties, by resolving that when he has met discouragement, he would not give up.” Carol Moore Cutting has truly lived by these words.

SHELLY LAZARUS

Shelly Lazarus is known for building other people’s brands, but she is also one of the biggest names in advertising. For over three decades she has been working in the world of advertising, beginning a career at Ogilvy that included a mentorship under the agency’s legendary founder, David Ogilvy. A strong believer in the power of the big idea, she and her team have guided successful branding campaigns for blue-chip companies such as IBM, Kodak, American Express, and most recently, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. Named by Fortune magazine as one of America’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business since the list’s inception in 1998, she also has the illustrious honor of being the first woman to receive the Columbia Business School’s Distinguished Leadership in Business Award. A graduate of Smith College, she serves on the boards of the American Museum of Natural History, World Wildlife Fund, and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, among others. Respected and revered by her peers within the advertising and marketing world, she has been honored as the Woman of the Year in 1994 by the Advertising Women of New York, the Matrix Award bestowed by Women in Communications, and Business Woman of the Year by the Partnership for New York City.