The Boston Business Journal will honor Toni G. Wolfman, executive in residence at Bentley's Women's Leadership Institute (WLI), for her efforts to advance the cause of women in business and the professions on March 12. She receives the Advancing Women Award at the Boston Business Journal's first-ever Advancing Women breakfast which will focus on strategies for success in the workplace.

At Bentley, Wolfman is a resource to faculty, students and alumnae on issues facing women in business. She serves as a liaison between the university and business leaders, helps to identify and create programs for current and future women leaders, and engages in research and advocacy to promote better corporate governance and a more inclusive business environment. 

"I am extremely honored to receive the BBJ's inaugural award," says Wolfman.  "This acknowledgement of my efforts to find 'win-win' opportunities for business and for women is welcome recognition that there are many different ways to measure success, and very often it is behind-the-scenes connecting, collaborating and persuading that produce meaningful change."  She adds, "WLI's programs for current and future leaders reflect a similar appreciation of the fact that leadership can take a variety of forms and that every woman has the ability to find her own path to success."

A former partner at a major Boston law firm, Wolfman has long played key roles in organizations dedicated to the empowerment of women, starting with the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts, of which she was a director and one of the prime movers behind its initiative to study gender bias in the judicial system. For many years, Wolfman has held leadership positions in The Boston Club (TBC), the region's largest organization of business and professional women. She is a director of TBC and former chair of its Corporate Board Committee, and she continues to lead its corporate board search practice, helping build a large database of board-ready women and a pipeline of future board candidates. 

With TBC, Wolfman helped to found InterOrganization Network (ION), a national network of women's advocacy organizations that leverage their collective influence to advance women to corporate leadership positions throughout the United States. A former president of ION, she still serves on its board of directors. In 2004, she organized Women Corporate Directors-Boston, part of an international network of women who serve on public company boards and who meet periodically to share perspectives on corporate governance and other matters of common interest.

"In addition to the relationships she has built during her career as a legal adviser and advocate for women, Toni has been a critical link between business women and a variety of opportunities for their advancement as entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and board members," says JoAnn Cavallaro, chair of the Corporate Board Committee of The Boston Club and president of DeCava Consulting.

Other organizations in which Wolfman has played an active role include the Center for Women & Enterprise, The Commonwealth Institute, and the Jewish Women's Archive.  She is a Trustee of Smith College and provides mentoring and informal support to a host of other organizations and individuals who share her passion for creating meaningful opportunities for advancement to women and girls of all ages and circumstances.