In 1912, two years before the city of Beverly Hills was established, a wealthy widow named Margaret Anderson opened the Beverly Hills Hotel. Anderson owned and oversaw hotel operations for many years, sparing no expense to ensure a luxurious five-star experience for guests.
It was only fitting, therefore, that the third annual “Women Who Shine Gala,” orchestrated by Beverly Hills Chamber’s Women’s Business Network, took place at the iconic “Pink Palace” on March 26.
“It was a woman in business,” Sherry Andrus, a member of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and owner of the Epiphany Boutique, told the sold-out crowd at the Crystal Ballroom. “And tonight, we honor her [Anderson’s] legacy as we celebrate women in business, women who shine, and women in our community because women like her really forged the path for the rest of us who are here celebrating tonight.”
Photos courtesy Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce
The gala featured keynote speaker Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), who has raised over $204 million for programs tackling education, health care, homelessness, and social justice, and Dania Ramirez, an actress and producer best known for her roles in the drama series “Devious Maids” and Netflix’s “Sweet Tooth.”
This year, the Women’s Business Network partnered with the 3-2-1 Empower organization, which supports female victims of human trafficking worldwide by providing them with education and vocational training to help survivors heal and rebuild their lives. Founder of 3-2-1 Empower, Ramona Braganza, emphasized that the exploitation of women is not only happening in countries on the other side of the globe but also in our own backyard. According to law enforcement, over a recent seven-day period, over 500 arrests were made related to human trafficking in California. Of those arrests, 230 were made right here in Los Angeles County.
Funds raised at the gala would support their work in aiding victims of trafficking, as well as helping local charities with wildfire relief efforts.
For the keynote address, Whiteman was interviewed by Erika Martin, a certified broadcast meteorologist. Whiteman discussed her career journey and commitment to philanthropy. “My career is really built on—yes—the foundational economics degree and manner of management organization, but also doing the hard, hard work and being pointed out in rooms or being picked and chosen to be the next person in various roles,” Whiteman said. “And I took risks in many instances, whether that was to shift careers or position or to do something that I had never done before.”
A Spelman alumna and former VP at the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Whiteman has been at the helm of the LADF for the past 12 years, winning the 2020 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year award.
Whiteman’s advice to younger entrepreneurs and leaders is to take risks and put in the work.
“Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a believer in hard work, she said. “I just don’t think there’s any other way.” She also underscored the importance of having mentors who act with honesty and integrity, who she said helped guide her in her career.
The evening’s second keynote speaker, Ramirez, is also known for making history for her role in ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” where she played the first Latina Cinderella. Ramirez told the crowd exactly how she defines success: with the five pillars of belief, hard work, conquering fear, perseverance and service.
When Ramirez moved to Los Angeles, she noticed meeting a lot of people who were making a lot of money, but many were sad, she said. “I asked myself, ‘What is success?’ It’s not just financial stability. It’s not just getting married and having babies. It’s about service, and I got to a place in my life where I looked at myself and I said, ‘How can I serve?’”
Overwhelmingly, that theme was the dominant one of the evening: success is about service.
