Lopez will receive recognition at GC4W’s virtual celebration on April 9
The Global Connections for Women Foundation (GC4W) will honor New York Women in Film & Television Executive Director Cynthia Lopez as one of its Top 100 Women in the World during its virtual program on Saturday, April 9th, 2022, at 11 AM EDT. These remarkable women exemplify the pinnacle of strength, bravery, industrious leadership, resilience, business acumen, and equity. GC4W continues its tradition to recognize women’s accomplishments in exclusive settings that allow them to celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion. This year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”
The Global Connections for Women Foundation is an award-winning 501c3 not-for-profit organization which, for the past nine years, has been at the forefront of advancing women’s rights, promoting gender equality, and increasing access to quality education for women and girls globally. It has honored and recognized the accomplishments of the TOP 100 Women in the World including Dr. Joyce Banda (Former President of Malawi), Congresswoman Barbara Lee, US Congress, Rebecca Minkoff (Renowned Fashion Designer), Chief Temitope Ajayi (African Business Female Icon), Paula Cole (Grammy Award-Winning Artist), to name a few. IT has held the GC4W’s Top 100 Women celebration at the Harvard Club of New York City, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and now, virtually.
Cynthia López is an award-winning media strategist and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she implemented strategies to support film and TV production throughout the five boroughs. Prior to working as Commissioner, López was Executive Vice President and Co-Executive Producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series American Documentary | POV, and was involved in the organization’s strategic growth and creative development for 14 years. López is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and is proud to have spent her career collaborating with independent filmmakers across all portions of the film and television industry. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center, NYC & Company, Museum of the Moving Image and the Tribeca Film Institute Latin America Fund Advisory Board. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Latino Public Broadcasting, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Hunter College IMA Program, as well as the Board of Trustees for the Hunter College Foundation.
During her tenure as Executive Director of NYWIFT since January 2019, Lopez has instituted new annual flagship programs including the NYWIFT Creative Workforce Summit, Finance Institute, and Tech Talks; bolstered and expanded programming and awards recognitions at festivals including the Hamptons International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and UrbanWorld; increased grant and scholarship opportunities for emerging women filmmakers; developed NYWIFT’s first-ever three printed industry publications; and oversaw the organization’s pivot to a robust schedule of fully virtual professional development panels and industry screenings attended by more than 20,000 audience members worldwide.
“I am honored to be included in this prestigious group of women leaders from across all areas of business and walks of life. It is crucial that women lift one another up – that is how we will reach new heights and achieve true gender parity. During this time of continued uncertainty, it will be a joy to come together to celebrate how far we have all come. Thank you, GC4W for this incredible honor,” said NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez.
“NYWIFT’s continued success and growth – during a global pandemic, no less – is due in large part to the brilliant, strategic, and endlessly creative leadership of Cynthia Lopez. We are thrilled to see her excellence recognized by GC4W, an organization with its finger on the pulse of social change, coming from a global perspective,” said NYWIFT Board President Jamie Zelermyer.
This year’s Top 100 Women list also includes Hortense le Gentil (Global Executive Leadership Coach and Best-selling author, Aligned), Renee Montgomery (two-time WNBA Champion), Ekpedeme “Pamay” M. Bassey (Chief Learning and Diversity Officer for the Kraft Heinz Company), Carmen Bryant (Director of Marketing Indeed.com and Cultural Ambassador), Renu Hooda (Chief Talent Officer at Kinesso), Dr. Towanna Burrous (Founder and President of CoachDiversity Institute), Melissa McGhie Proctor (Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and Philips Arena), Mary Kate Loftus (Senior Vice President, Director of Digital for M&T), Michelle Atagana (Head of Communications and Public Relations for Africa at Spotify), Dr. Patricia Colomine (Leader in Neonatology), Carolyn Kissane (Academic Director of New York University’s Center for Global Affairs), Dr. Jane Kim (Board-certified Emergency Medicine Attending and co-founder of NY Health Tech), Michelle King (Founder of Equality Forward and Senior Advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign), Professor Caroline Makaka (Founder and President of Ladies of All Nations International and Creator of We Are The Change World Movement), Viola Edward (CEO and co-owner of GRIT Academy) and others.
Guests are invited to support in 3 ways:
1) Purchase tickets to the Top 100 Women Virtual Summit on Eventbrite
2) Make a Charitable donation to connect, educate, and empower the next 100 of young women
3) Re-share the Top 100 Women in World list on your social media accounts. The guests at the virtual celebration will have access to our Top 100 Women, Inspirational Talks, Live Entertainment by Katini Yamaoka and Liesl Mattar, and Network Roulette.
