Established in 1986, Los Angeles Women in Music (LAWIM) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to fostering equal opportunity for women and men in the music industry and to promoting the advancement of women through empowerment, support, education, encouragement and recognition of their achievements. The goals and activities of Los Angeles Women in Music are founded on the belief that women and men working together in mutual respect, sharing abilities and expertise, will strengthen the music business and the music that is at its heart. At the same time, we recognize the unique and valuable contributions of women and advocate a musical world where these contributions are acknowledged and talents are nurtured.
As such, we provide forums and opportunities for emerging talents; pay tribute to women who have made distinctive and/or significant contributions to our musical culture; recognize those (individuals/organizations/entities) who have contributed to the betterment of women in music; provide educational programs and events at large; and give rise to social and civic issues in our local community through musical endeavors.
Board of Directors
Leanne Summers, LAWIM PRESIDENT/CEO
Owner, Leanne Summers Entertainment
A LAWIM member since 1992, having served as President, CFO and Chair of the Advisory Board since her initial appointment to the Board of Directors in 1994, Leanne Summers is once again at the helm of LAWIM as President (2008).
An accomplished performing artist & much sought after vocal coach/producer, Leanne teaches and sings all styles of music.
Sarah
Miller, CEO of Axis Marketing & PR, has over 15 years of strategic
experience in marketing and public relations within the Mobile
Entertainment, Digital Music, High-Tech and Consumer industries. Her
expertise and success in leading Axis Marketing & PR, combined with
in-depth public relations, strategic marketing, branded entertainment,
and industry-exclusive event planning has helped launch numerous brands
and start-up companies.
Gabriela Cocco Sanchez is a young entertainment industry veteran who brought her accomplishments to the flourishing world of mobile entertainment at GoTV. She entered the company as Executive Producer at a very exciting time, as she successfully launched ES Música, the first ever made-for-mobile Latin music channel.
Harriet Schock
Gold and Platinum Songwriter / Recording Artist
Harriet
Schock is a songwriter (wrote words and music for the Grammy-nominated
"Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady"), a recording artist with seven solo
albums, a performer, a songwriting consultant, teacher and lecturer as
well as an author.
Lenise
Bent is one of the few pioneer women engineer/producers in the industry
today. She studied film & TV production at USC & Cal State Long
Beach, then engineering at Sound Masters Recording School. Starting out
as an assistant engineer at The Village Recorders in LA, Lenise worked
on several albums including "Aja" by Steely Dan...
Rachael McLean is an accomplished digital media executive with international experience in the music, entertainment, and video gaming industries. With a 12+ year track record of successfully building brands, digital in corporate and startup environments. Rachael currently is partner at Raydial 7 Co., a digital media firm.
Herbie Katz Sr. V.P., Princeton Corporate Consultants Inc. / Musician
Herbie Katz is the Sr. Vice President of a National Executive Search
firm and has been with them for 23 years. He started his musical career
working in the jazz field as road manager and tour manager in the late
70's. He also did all the promotion and booking for a Rock & Roll
club called "Bit a New York" in the early 80's. Herbie finally came out
of the closet as a musician about nine years ago and has performed as a
blues and jazz harmonica player with a number of bands. His stage name
is "Doctor Fun". www.myspace.com/doctorfun.
Michelle Krell Malone is an L.A.-based songwriter, keyboard player and singer, putting the finishing touches on her new album produced by Travis Allen.
As an ASCAP member, her songs have gotten
overseas airplay and appear on albums, such as "Rustic Heart" and
"Good as Gone" by Debbie Hennessey; the album "All Alone"
released in
Gale
Stoddard has been playing piano since age three. She attended the
Philippine Women’s Conservatory of Music at the young age of five.
Disliking the term “child prodigy,” she began to imitate her idol, the
great Carmen Cavallo, a talented classical and popular pianist. Gale
became obsessed with American songs and could play the entire Great
American Songbook and appeared on television by the time she was
thirteen years old. She immediately caught the attention of John
Lindberg, the President of ABC-TV Manila, and landed a position as a
radio pianist.
Tanya Rivers (Robbie LaTanya Rivers)
Music Promoter
Tanya Rivers began her music career at the early age of seven. Her
grandparents were the proprietors of a local mom-n-pop grocery store.
Fortunately for her, they also owned the first phonograph in the
neighborhood. Tanya’s fate in music was sealed when her grandfather
designated her as the official player of records, which included jazz,
country and gospel genres. Since her grandfather prohibited playing of
the blues, her grandmother slipped in blues tunes for their listening
pleasure. This early exposure to diverse types of music created a
passion that has only grown over the years.
Charlyn Bernal is the Associate Director of Film and Television Music for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). She works directly with ASCAP's composer, songwriter and publisher members who have music and or lyrics in a film, television program or series as well as assisting production companies with cue sheets and setting up an ASCAP publishing company. She supplies publisher information for licensing music, researches music cue sheets for distribution and enjoys connecting production companies with composers and songwriters for their projects.
Mark Northam is a film and television composer and publisher of Film Music magazine, a leading industry trade publication for the film, television and multimedia music industry. With a degree in Accounting and Taxation from The University of Houston, he has worked as a management consultant for firms including Coopers & Lybrand and BDO Seidman and has written and taught extensively about the film and television music business while continuing to compose for film and television.
Judi Pulver
Music biz vet, Judi Pulver, is the Director of Music Advertising at Variety. She’s responsible for all music-related print and
online sales, and is tasked with developing opportunities and revenue streams in the music sector for the global showbiz news brand. Prior to this position, Pulver spent the past 27 years at the Hollywood Reporter, where she created the newspaper’s film and TV music editorial franchise and spearheaded its annual two-day conference sponsored by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Earlier in her career, Judi was a singer, songwriter and keyboard player and
was signed to MGM Records during Mike Curb’s tenure at the label.
Pulver serves on the executive committee of the music industry chapter of the City of Hope medical research organization. She’s also a board member of the California Copyright Conference, a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting artists’ rights and music copyrights.
Ilene Weingard
Ilene is an award-winning art director in the entertainment industry and currently manages I Design Studio as its Principal and Creative Director. Ilene Weingard has served as an art director/designer at Universal Music Group for ten years before starting her own business, which she founded in 1994. Celebrated for her work in the entertainment industry, Ilene has served as the former President of the Graphic Arts Guild, Los Angeles Chapter and on the Special Committee for the Packaging category of the Grammy Awards for NARAS.
Music industry veteran, Iris Gordy, is a former Vice President of Motown Records. She is credited with helping to launch the careers of Rick James, Teena Marie, DeBarge and gospel powerhouse, Tata Vega. Ms. Gordy has numerous production credits to her name, including albums by Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, The Four Tops and The Temptations. Ms. Gordy is an entertainment consultant, writer, speaker and serves on the Executive Board of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
Financial & Legal
Elissa Wadds, Aeratus Financial (CFO)
Elissa Wadds has been CFO of Los Angeles Women in Music since 2005. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University in Canada, and more than fifteen years of experience in accounting, she owns and runs her own business, Aeratus Financial Services in Sandpoint, Idaho.
David B. Graubert, Esq., Legal Counsel
A graduate of Stanford University Law School ('96), David Graubert, who began his legal career in litigation, has, since 1999, practiced entertainment (music, film, theatre, new media) and corporate law at large law firms in New York, Los Angeles and Palo Alto. His clients are artists, entrepreneurs and large and small companies, including Warner Bros., Universal and HBO. For several years he has devoted much of his time into musician artist management, and first became involved with LAWIM through a singer-songwriter client. David's involvement in the music business goes back to high school, when as a Sophomore he started and ran a night club in his aptly named hometown of Rockville Centre, for which he combed Long Island for talent. Creative pursuits include guitar (having studied with Paul Simon's brother, Eddie), writing and directing.
