Latest news with #NationalBoard
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
NAWBO® Installs Megan Patton to the 2025-2026 Board of Directors
Megan Patton will lead the NAWBO mission and represent the 14 million business owners nationwide as Chair of the National Board WASHINGTON, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) installed Megan Patton, co-owner and the Chief Strategy Officer of Beyond Strategy Partners, Inc. (BSP), as Chair of the 2025-2026 NAWBO Board of Directors. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the organization, which began when women business owners could not join Rotary Club or Chamber of Commerce organizations without their spouses. Today, NAWBO represents the more than 14 million women business owners across America. At the local level, NAWBO members serve as community-minded leaders and business professionals committed to creating positive change. Nationally, the organization advocates for women entrepreneurs, educating lawmakers about their challenges and proposing meaningful solutions. The NAWBO National Board guides this vital work. 'Serving as Chair during NAWBO's 50th anniversary is both an honor and a responsibility I take to heart,' said Megan Patton, NAWBO National Board Chair. 'As we celebrate five decades of progress, we are also laser-focused on the future—championing policies and partnerships that ensure women business owners can thrive for the next 50 years and beyond. It is my duty to represent our members and ensure that lawmakers are aware of the current realities facing women business owners and the support needed to help them continue on a stable and successful path.' Megan is a co-owner and the Chief Strategy Officer of BSP Inc., an international consulting firm focused on fueling sustainable growth and enhancing wealth for entrepreneurial-minded businesses. The firm works at the intersection of strategy, people, and finance, ensuring alignment with goals. Megan worked in a 'Big Four' consulting firm for many years and focused on business process reengineering, change management, and learning system development. Her clients ranged from large multinational companies to internal constituents. She also ran a small family consulting firm, ODA Strategy, for many years before the founding of Beyond Strategy Partners, Inc. Before her career in management consulting, Megan was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal. Megan received a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College and an MBA in Strategy from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Megan is an active NAWBO Northeast Ohio Chapter member and served as the Chapter President in 2015-2016. The 2025-2026 NAWBO Board of Directors includes Megan Patton — Chair; Dr. Janis Shinkawa — Immediate Past Chair; Thresette Briggs — Chair-Elect; Krista Martinez — Treasurer; Amber Wallace – Secretary; Liliana Bernal, Sandra Clitter, Sylvia Garrett, Leslie Hassler, Janet Kendall White, Victoria Stevenson, and Trisha Barita — Chair of the Chapter Leadership Council. NAWBO held the board installation on June 6, 2025, before the National Women's Business Conference held June 7-8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. About NAWBO Founded in 1975, NAWBO is the unified voice of America's 14 million women-owned businesses. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. NAWBO develops programs that help navigate women entrepreneurs through the various stages of their business growth. To learn more, please visit View original content: SOURCE National Association of Women Business Owners
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA Suspends Video Game Strike After Securing Tentative Deal With Major Developers
SAG-AFTRA has officially suspended its strike against some of the major video game developers, nearly two days after securing a tentative new contract. The union announced Wednesday that the work stoppage will end at 12 p.m. PT. The strike suspension has received the consent of both the Interactive Media Agreement negotiating committee as well as National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. More from Deadline WGA East & FilmNation Reveal 2025 New York Screenwriting Fellowship Participants Free Streaming Service Zone-ify Offers Video Games Via TV Remote In An AVOD First SAG-AFTRA Inks Tentative New Deal With Major Video Game Developers That Includes "Necessary A.I. Guardrails" While the deal reached earlier this week still needs the approval of the National Board and the membership at large, SAG-AFTRA members will now be able to return to work on productions under the Interactive Media Agreement, including publicity and promotion. The union says its National Board is set to meet Thursday to consider the agreement. If approved, it will be sent to membership for ratification. This is also when SAG-AFTRA is expected to release details regarding the contract. SAG-AFTRA went on strike against the signatories of the Interactive Media Agreement in July 2024. The sides had bargained on and off for more than a year by then, operating without a contract since November 2022. Artificial intelligence was the big sticking point in these negotiations. The contract covers voice and performance-capture talent on video games, and the union has repeatedly sounded the alarm on how AI could negatively impact these professions. The gamer companies involved in this contract are Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions and WB Games. 'We are pleased to have reached a tentative contract agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games,' a spokesperson for the companies said Wednesday. 'This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union. It delivers historic wage increases of over 24% for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games. We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world.' Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Irish Times
Highest number of abuse allegations in 16 years received by Catholic Church's safeguarding body
The Catholic Church 's safeguarding board received the highest number of abuse allegations in a single year since it began publishing annual reports 16 years ago. There was a 50 per cent increase in the number of new clerical abuse allegations received by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the year to March 31st, according to its latest annual report which has just been published. The board received 385 clerical child abuse allegations in the year compared with 252 in the previous year. The vast majority of the new allegations relate to five decades – 1950s-1990s – with 332 or 86 per cent of the new 385 allegations reported in the year covering those 50 years. READ MORE Just three of the new abuse allegations reported related to the past 25 years, though 47 of the new allegations, or 12 per cent, did not have any definite time frame attributed to them. By contrast, in the report for the previous year to the end of March 2024, the number of clerical child sex abuse allegations increased by just one on the previous year, to 252, compared with 251 in the year to March 2023. The board chief executive Aidan Gordon said the large increase in new allegations related to the scoping inquiry report on abuse at schools that was published last September. He said the increase in allegations received by the board occurred 'predominantly' from September 2024 and 'coincided with the release of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools run by religious (members of religious orders) and the subsequent media coverage'. 'These events in September 2024 appear to have given individuals renewed strength to tell of their experiences,' he wrote. [ 'Shocking, shocking:' Justice Sean Ryan on the abuses of children uncovered in his report Opens in new window ] 'While this is undoubtedly an extremely difficult undertaking for those who have suffered any type of abuse as a child, it is good to be able to begin to address that trauma and we are grateful for the production of such a comprehensive and far-reaching report by Mary O'Toole SC,' he said, referring to the lawyer who carried out the scoping inquiry. Her report found that almost 2,400 allegations of historical sexual abuse were recorded by 308 schools run by religious orders across Ireland with allegations made against 884 accused. Some 182 survivors spoke to the inquiry about what happened to them over the decades from the early 1960s to the early 1990s. Of the total 385 abuse allegations received by the board up to March 31st last, 338 were made against members of the clergy, with 44 made against diocesan priests. Of the total allegations received, 291 concerned sexual abuse, with 55 relating to physical abuse, while other allegations concerned boundary violations where someone's personal space was invaded, emotional abuse and neglect. The worst decade for newly reported abuse allegations was the 1970s, from which 111 allegations were made. This was followed by the 1980s, which gave rise to 92 allegations, followed by the 1960s with 81 allegations and the 1950s with 34. Fourteen allegations related to incidents from the 1990s, while there were no allegations for the period covering the 2000s. There was just one relating to the 2010s and two in the 2020s to date. The accused clergy in these latest figures number 376, of whom 241 are dead. There were 34 in prison, while 52 had been laicised or were out of ministry. [ Commission on abuse in schools must examine how seminary training formed perpetrators Opens in new window ] Meanwhile, in the wake of the scoping inquiry report last September, a high-level Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) was appointed by the then minister for education Norma Foley to examine its recommendations and to draft terms of reference for a commission of investigation into schools. It is understood the group has reported to the Minister for Education Helen McEntee and she is in consultation with the Attorney General before bringing recommendations to Government on what should happen next.
Indian Express
31-05-2025
- Indian Express
Jharkhand to set up its first tiger safari: The plan and concerns around it
The Jharkhand government plans to establish the state's first tiger safari in the fringe area of the Barwadih Western Forest Range in Latehar district, which falls under the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR). The government believes that the project will help boost tourism in the state, and serve as a conservation and education centre for wildlife, offering experiential learning and nature-based recreation. However, experts have raised numerous concerns about the project, including the potential displacement of local communities. Tiger safari is not defined under The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which says 'no construction of commercial tourist lodges, hotels, zoos and safari parks shall be undertaken inside a sanctuary except with the prior approval of the National Board' [for Wild Life] constituted under the Act. The concept was first envisaged in the Guidelines for Tourism issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2012, which provided for such establishments in the buffer areas of tiger reserves 'which experience immense tourist influx in the core/ critical tiger habitat for viewing tigers'. The idea was to build an enclosure within tiger reserves where animal sightings are not left to chance, unlike in the case of traditional wild safaris that are undertaken, for example, in the Jim Corbett National Park. This would be done by housing animals in large naturalistic enclosures within a tiger reserve. In 2016, the NTCA issued guidelines for establishing tiger safaris in the buffer and fringe areas of tiger reserves for rescued, conflict-prone, or orphaned tigers with the clear restriction that no zoo-bred animals would be introduced. Three years later, however, the NTCA made an amendment that allowed tigers from zoos to be housed in safari parks. The authority to identify and approve such zoo animals was delegated to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), which also became responsible for overseeing animal welfare, enclosure design, and compliance with zoo standards in safari projects. In March 2024, the Supreme Court directed that tiger safaris should be established outside the core and buffer areas of tiger reserves. It said that such initiatives should not disturb natural habitats or compromise conservation goals. Keeping in line with the apex court's directive, the Jharkhand government plans to create the safari in the fringe area of the Barwadih Western Forest Range, beyond the protected core and buffer zones of PTR. The safari will be set up in around 150 hectares of forest land. The project will not feature any wild animals — it will house only conflict, injured, or orphaned animals rescued from tiger reserves and zoos across India. The Jharkhand government believes that the safari would not only increase tourism but also generate direct jobs for at least 200 locals in the tourism sector. People would be required for the roles of guides, support staff, and maintenance crews. Currently, the project is in the ideation stage. Once the state Forest Department gives the go-ahead, the Deputy Director of PTR will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and send it to the NTCA and CZA. The CZA will evaluate the proposed area and the selection of species. The entire approval and clearance process could take up to five to six months, followed by a construction period of around 18 months. Speaking to The Indian Express, Madhe Gowda, a Soliga tribal leader and conservationist based at Karnataka's BRT Tiger Reserve, says that although tiger safaris attract tourists, they tend to erase the presence and contributions of forest-dwelling communities, portraying them as a threat rather than stewards of biodiversity. As a result, such initiatives often lead to the displacement of local tribal communities. Speaking on the concerns pertaining to displacement of people, state officials have clarified that the project site falls under forest administration and no relocation or displacement is expected. Tiger safaris also threaten the disruption of local economies. The projects restrict livestock grazing and collection of forest produce, which severely impacts the livelihoods of Adivasis. George Monippally, a senior activist and member of Van Adhikar Manch (VAM) in Latehar, tells The Indian Express that before establishing the tiger safari the Jharkhand government should ensure that the project has the consent of local communities. 'If this tiger safari is planned on forest land, the Forest Department must consult the Gram Sabha and allow them to deliberate on all details — location, impact, and plan. Otherwise, it's a clear breach of law,' he said. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA National Board Overwhelmingly Approves Commercials Contracts Deal
SAG-AFTRA's National Board overwhelmingly approved 2025's Commercials Contracts tentative agreements reached with the Joint Policy Committee April 12, meaning the agreements will now move on to the membership for ratification. The decision, made at the regularly scheduled, two-day, in-person assembly, yielded a deal valued at an increase of $218.4 million in new earnings and benefit plan contributions over three years. If ratified, the agreements would provide compounded increases in performer compensation at a rate of 5% in year one, 4% in year two and 3% in year three. More from Deadline Nicolas Cage Urges Young Actors To Protect Themselves From AI: "This Technology Wants To Take Your Instrument" SAG-AFTRA Praises New California Bill Restricting AI Usage Of Dead Performers Hollywood's Mental Health Crisis: How Film & TV Workers Can Seek Support From Their Unions With the board recommending a vote of 'yes,' one-year streaming use fees would increase by up to 33.33% to keep stride with the transforming advertising industry; additionally, paid use now commands a 12% increase over the current Traditional Digital rates — a restructuring that reflects its rise as a premium platform. 'A huge congratulations goes out to the Commercials Contracts negotiating committee for their diligent work in this agreement which is an important step forward for protecting the stability of performers' livelihoods during this time of major technological upheavals in the ad industry,' SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement. 'The Committee was co-chaired by Katie Von Till and Erin Fritch who led with strength, wisdom, intellect and patience. Brava ladies! The Commercials Contracts are a real powerhouse when it comes to addressing tech with more A.I. protections than any contract so far! Well done!' SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland added, 'This deal, hard-won thanks to an incredibly dedicated negotiating committee, achieves real wage growth and puts rules and a price tag on digital replica use — essential progress for a changing industry. I'm thrilled the National Board has approved this forward-thinking agreement and that members will now have a chance to review its many gains. I also want to extend my deepest appreciation to our extraordinary and courageous negotiating committee, especially co-chairs Erin Fritch and Katie Von Till, and the best co-lead negotiator anyone could ask for, SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez.' Other highlights from the deal include the following: performers' data can't be used to train artificial intelligence without consent; performer consent is required before any digital replica is created; use of a digital replica to generate a performance requires informed consent and triggers a 1.5x session fee plus applicable holding and use fees; provisions that ensure a level playing field in generative AI and remove economic advantages to the use of synthetic performers; the total pension and health contribution rate is raised from 20.5% to 23.5%, subject to a waiver reduction for JPC authorizers to 19.95%; an initiative to develop an automated commercial use monitoring service; created a new extra zone and preference of employment for Austin, Texas; disability accommodation(s) must be offered, in writing, at the time of engagement; dramatic improvements in protections for minor performers; late fee penalties have been strengthened and streamlined; per diems are required to be paid on the first day of work and/or travel; dancers who are asked to lip-synch now earn an extra 25% of session; singer wage increases for non-air demos; a brand new digital structure in the Audio Commercials Contract. Eligible SAG-AFTRA members will have until 5 p.m. PDT on May 21 to cast their vote on ratification. Best of Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far
