Oakland, CA–April 11, 2008. Janet L. Holmgren, Mills College President, and Vivian Stephenson, chair of the Mills College Board of Trustees, have been named among the Bay Area's "Most Influential Women in Business" by the San Francisco Business Times. They are featured in the April 11–17, 2008 issue.

For more than a decade, the San Francisco Business Times has presented this annual recognition honoring the most dynamic and accomplished women in the business community, including those who are making a difference in their organizations, industries, and communities.

Holmgren is honored among "The Most Influential Women in Government and Nonprofits."

In the forefront of higher education for more than 30 years, Holmgren was appointed President of Mills College in 1991. She came to Mills as one of the highest-ranking female administrators at Princeton University where she was vice provost from 1988 to 1991. Through her leadership at Mills and advocacy and service on national boards, Holmgren has been instrumental in shaping the country's agenda for women and higher education.

Her vision has advanced Mills into a preeminent 21st-century liberal arts educational institution with a steadfast commitment to educating women and underrepresented populations. The College enjoys national and international recognition for academic excellence, while achieving unprecedented student enrollment and endowment gains.

Holmgren said that "leading a great college and believing passionately in our mission and work" enables her to be influential. She also emphasizes the importance of "great colleagues and a strong vision of a strategic model for coupling business, education, and social change."

She currently serves on the Boards of Princeton University, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the National Council for Research on Women. She recently received the Chief Executive Officer Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Holmgren has an MA and a PhD in linguistics from Princeton University (1971 and 1974, respectively) and holds the title of Susan Mills Professor for presidents who teach.

Vivian Stephenson, the retired chief operating officer (COO) of Williams-Sonoma Inc., was selected for the annual list because of her high-ranking position and outstanding leadership.

Prior to joining Williams-Sonoma Inc. in 2003 as COO, Stephenson worked in the information technology field as executive vice president and chief information officer for Target Corp. (1989–2000), and in information technology leadership positions for Tenneco Gas, Rand Information Systems, and Occidental Petroleum.

Stephenson is vice chair of the board of the American Automobile Association, Northern California. She has also served on the boards of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation.  She was the co-recipient of the 2004 Kile Ozier Award celebrating the spirit of volunteerism in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and she accepted on behalf of Target, the 1994 Computerworld-Smithsonian award for technology in business and related services. Stephenson was also featured in Computerworld's "Road to the Top" series in 1998 and in Hispanic Business Magazine's "Women Work Harder" article on nine Latina executives who reached the top of their professions.

Mills College gave Stephenson an honorary doctor of humane letters in 2005 that read: "Whose ethical and compassionate leadership shines forth in all of her business and volunteer endeavors, who is an inspired, unwavering advocate for women and the power of education to transform women's lives and society as a whole."

A Cuban-born exile, she earned her BA in mathematics from New York University and an MBA from the University of Havana.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California, Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering a dynamic progressive education that fosters leadership, social responsibility, and creativity to approximately 900 undergraduate women and 500 graduate women and men. Since 2000, applications to Mills College have more than doubled. The College ranks as one of the top colleges in the West by U.S. News & World Report and one of the Best 366 Colleges by the Princeton Review. For more information, visit http://www.mills.edu/.

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