Shearman & Sterling co-hosted the Expertise & Influence Breakfast Program with The OpEd Project on October 25, 2016 in New York. The program was led by Donna Parisi, Shearman & Sterling’s Global Co-Head of Financial Institutions, and Theresa Amato, a lawyer in the firm’s International Arbitration practice. Katie Orenstein, the founder & CEO of The OpEd Project, was introduced by Amato, who has been involved with the organization for several years and has had her op-eds published in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and CNN.

Dozens of female directors, lawyers and executives attended this innovative and interactive 90-minute session that addressed the core questions of thought leadership: what we know, why it matters, and when and how we can have maximum impact.

The OpEd Project is an initiative to expand the range of voices and increase the volume of thought leaders in the public sphere to a tipping point — where the best ideas, regardless of where they come from, will have a chance to be heard and to shape society and the world. Orenstein, who writes and speaks about the intersection of media and mythology, has contributed to the op-ed pages and appeared on news programs of several prominent media outlets.