Yitty Gutner
Yitty Gutner has spent most of her professional years in the banking industry.
A career path that began as a part-time secretary with Citibank, ultimately earned her over 15 rapid-fire positions and a Senior Vice President title. In addition to her role as Chief of Staff for all New York State, her eclectic combination of positions to which she was appointed, afforded her the opportunity to work the front-line and back office, supervise over 350 people, oversee 60 plus branches, as well as initiate new products and services, manage turnaround situations and effect change environments.
Yitty was also sent overseas as a Country Head to establish Citi’s first consumer bank in Israel. Though indeed a trailblazing professional accomplishment, this was by no means her first “first.” That designation belongs to her being the very first Orthodox Jew to be hired by Citibank. She is also credited with developing the first variable compensation program for branch employees, was one of 20 worldwide Citibank employees selected to pilot the Chairman’s Leadership Forum, and was one of seven people internationally to participate in the Chairman’s action team on performance management for global implementation.
Overall, Yitty worked in three countries. In addition to banking, her background includes coordinating an extensive partnered research project between McGill University and the Institute of Psychiatry in Montreal. She also served as Director of Customer Service for a dot-com startup, where she developed and implemented all elements necessary to establish an exceptional in-house call center. She recently turned her professional attention to Jewish not-for-profits, working with Aish Connections and Partners in Torah.
Moreover, while working full-time, she also pursued higher education degrees as an evening student at Pace University. Within six years, she received her BA summa cum laude (graduating in the top 3% national average) and completed her MBA courses with distinction.
Rebecca F. Silberstein
Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Rebecca Silberstein,is a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and a member of the Investment Management Group, focuses on advising investment banks, financial institutions and boutique firms as sponsors of global private equity, leveraged buyout, energy and infrastructure, banking and financial services, mezzanine, credit, and distressed debt funds. She also advises on carry plans, employee investment programs, and acquisitions and dispositions of interests in private equity firms. Ms. Silberstein’s clients include Altpoint Capital Partners, BAML Capital Partners, Fairview Capital Partners, Kelso & Company, Morgan Stanley, Ripplewood Holdings, Solera Capital and Stone Point Capital.
Ms. Silberstein was named to The American Lawyer’s “45 Under 45” list of the top women lawyers. She is ranked as a leading lawyer for private equity fund formation by Chambers USA (2010) and Chambers Global (2010). She is also listed as a leader in the field of private equity fund formation by The International Who’s Who of Private Funds Lawyers (2010) published by Law Business Research and PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook (2009). Ms. Silberstein is a contributing author of The Private Equity Primer: The Best of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report.
Ms. Silberstein is an Advisory Board Member of the Private Equity CFO Association and an officer of the IBA Investment Funds Committee. She is also a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences, including the IBA/NICSA Annual Conference on the Globalisation of Investment Funds 2008 and 2009, The Private Equity Analyst’s Raising a Fund, Thompson Financial’s Private Equity 2006, 2007 and 2008: What You Need To Know, Institute for International Research’s Private Equity Fund Formation and Operations and Practising Law Institute: Doing Deals.
She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Yeshiva University in 1990 and her J.D. summa cum laude from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1993, where she was a Supervising Editor of the Law Review. Ms. Silberstein joined Debevoise in 1993 and became a partner in 2001.
Ms Silberstein, her husband, and three children, reside in Englewood, New Jersey.
Rebecca Bar-Shain
Partner, Cedar Brook Financial
Rebecca Bar-Shain is a Financial Planner with Cedar Brook Financial Partners.
Ms. Bar-Shain possesses more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning, small business management, finance and operations. She has served in consulting and senior management positions at Ernst & Young, LLC, Kaiser Permanente and Dr. Senders & Associates.
Ms. Bar-Shain received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She currently holds a Life, Health and Variable Annuities license in the state of Ohio. She is a Registered Representative with Securities America, Inc., and Investment Advisor Representative with Securities America Advisors.
An active member of the Greater Cleveland community, Ms. Bar-Shain was a co-founder of the Daily Dose of Reading, a literacy organization. She remains a member of the organization's Board of Trustees, as well as its Treasurer. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wharton Club of Cleveland, and she is a member of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland's Partnership 2000 Steering Committee. She also is a graduate and active alumna of Cleveland Bridge Builders.
Ms. Bar-Shain and her husband, David, have three sons and reside in University Heights, Ohio.
Winnie Borden
Winnie Borden has over 25 years experience creating and leading innovative programs.
She is currently Co-Director of Successful Teaching Solutions, a professional development project in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools. She served as Executive Director of Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (1991-2009), where she created several award winning projects and Director of the Women’s Management Development Project at Goucher College (1977-1983), a unique re-entry program for women college graduates interested in careers in business. Ms. Borden also managed the administrative functions of a law firm and a real estate development firm. She has been a consultant to law firms, the Educational Testing Service and the University of Louisville. She was an adjunct professor at the University Of Baltimore School Of Law. She is a volunteer tutor in the fourth grade at the Barclay School. Ms. Borden has a B.A. from Goucher College and M.Ed. from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has received awards for her leadership in the non-profit community.