This program is part of the university’s efforts
to engage and support executive-level women on campus and in the San
Francisco Bay Area. The office connects female leaders from both the public and
private sectors with leaders in our campus community, facilitating opportunities for career development and
mentoring, as well as internship and employment opportunities for USF students and
alumni.
Spring/Summer 2012 Special Guests
Kaye Foster-Cheek, Onyx Pharmaceuticals
Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources
Kaye Foster-Cheek joined Onyx Pharmaceuticals in September 2010 as Senior Vice President, Global
Human Resources. Ms. Foster-Cheek is responsible for all aspects of the human resource function at Onyx
Pharmaceuticals, including staffing, recruiting, compensation and benefits, performance management,
organizational learning and development, organizational structure and design, and employee relations.
Prior to joining Onyx, Ms. Foster-Cheek was Vice President of Human Resources and Executive Committee
Member at Johnson & Johnson where she was responsible for the human resources and talent
management functions. Ms. Foster-Cheek began her career at Johnson & Johnson in May, 2003, as Vice
President, Human Resources, for the Johnson & Johnson North American Consumer Products Companies.
In March, 2004, she was promoted to Vice President, Human Resources, for the Consumer & Personal Care
Group, the position she held until assuming her role as Vice President of Human Resources in 2005. Prior
to joining Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Foster-Cheek held several senior Human Resources executive positions
with Pfizer Inc, and led the integration of both the Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia mergers for multiple
countries. Ms. Foster-Cheek earned her undergraduate degree at Baruch College of the City University of
New York and received an M.B.A. from Columbia University, Graduate School of Business.
Lora Lee Martin, California Council on Science and TechnologyDirector of the Sacramento Office & Science Technology Fellows Program
Lora Lee Martin was elected a Fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010 for her
extensive work at the interface of science and policy. As Director of the Sacramento office of the
California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), Ms. Martin has led the
development of the first state level science and technology policy fellowship
in the nation; a program that places Ph.D. scientists and engineers in the
California state Legislature. Throughout her career she has been involved with
projects ranging from smart meter health impacts, signal interruption of
contraband cell phones in prisons, climate change, biodiversity, and oceans, to
land use, groundwater remediation, and military base conversion. All have
involved working at the interface of science and policy.
At the junction of
federal, state and local governments she has numerous successes in impacting
legislation and program directions to support important science and technology
research agendas. Her efforts have lead
to the launching multiyear, multi-institutional research collaborations in
areas such as marine technologies and groundwater remediation. She led the conveyance
negotiations for transfer of Fort Ord properties from the Department of Defense
to CSU, for the creation of CSUMB, and to UC, for the creation of the
University of California's Monterey Bay Education, Science, and Technology
(MBEST) Center, an inter-disciplinary and multi-institutional center on the
shores of the Monterey Bay Research Crescent. Ms. Martin was a funding Board
Member (’98) and past Chair 2006-2009) of the Monterey Bay Crescent Ocean
Research Consortium (MBCORC) bringing together over 20 institutions of higher
education and ocean systems research around Monterey Bay, California. Ms. Martin holds a B.S. in zoology from UCDavis and an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley.
Christie Smith, Deloitte Consulting
Principal, West Region Life Sciences Leader
Christie Smith has a track record of breaking boundaries – including her past career as a professional golfer, her leadership in fostering growth of the San Francisco biotech sector, and her experience as one of Deloitte’s most senior diversity partners. Christie has spent the last 24 years consulting, focusing on aligning business strategy with the requirements of organizational structure, talent, leadership development and global workforce planning. She is Deloitte’s West Region Industry and Life Sciences leader, and is responsible for growth of Deloitte’s industry practice. She recently drove the formation of Deloitte’s collaboration with the California Institute forQuantitative Biosciences (QB3) to spur bioscience innovation and convert that innovation into a catalyst for jobs, companies, and better health in California.
In addition to her client work, Christie is Deloitte’s West region Women’s Initiative (WIN) leader and West region Diversity and Inclusion leader. She is responsible for helping to ensure Deloitte supports and advances its diverse talent and making Deloitte an employer of choice for the best and brightest talent. In this capacity, she is spearheading Deloitte’s relationship and activities with MissRepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign that seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting media labels in order to realize their potential. Christie has a master of social work from Rutgers, and a Ph.D. in industrial organizational psychology from New York University. She is a former national board member of Out & Equal.
Loretta Walker, AT&T California
Vice President, External Affairs-Bay Area
Mrs. Walker has held senior positions in Public Affairs, Human Resources, Competitive Analysis, Quality, Marketing, Regulatory, Cost Studies and Wholesale Sales. As Vice President of External Affairs for AT&T in the Bay Area, Mrs. Walker heads the company’s local government and
community affairs initiatives. Managing a team of senior professionals, she is
responsible for AT&T policy and philanthropic initiatives in the Bay Area.
