2025 Lifting Girls Up Gala and College Shower

Girls Inc. of New York City’s annual gala brings together the city’s most influential thought leaders from the corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic communities for an evening of dinner and dancing to raise critical funding for educational programs that inspire girls, young women, and gender-expansive youth to be strong, smart, and bold.

We will honor several distinguished leaders who have advanced equity in their industries.

The Gala and College Shower also provides the unique opportunity to witness our mission firsthand as we applaud 25 college-bound high school seniors and present them with scholarships and gifts for college.

For additional information and sponsorship inquiries, please contact lchang@girlsincnyc.org.

2025 Lifting Girls Up Gala & College Shower

About the 2025 Strong, Smart & Bold Leadership Honorees

Ursula Burns

Founding Partner of Integrum
Chairwoman of Teneo
Retired Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation and VEON, Ltd.

Ursula Burns has extensive international experience in leading large companies that are facing technology sea changes within their industries.

She served as Chairwoman of the Board of Xerox Corporation from 2010 to 2017 and as Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2016, after being appointed President in 2007. Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and held leadership roles spanning corporate services, manufacturing, and product development. As CEO, she led Xerox’s transformation from a global leader in document technology to a diversified business services company serving enterprises and governments worldwide. Shortly after becoming CEO in 2009, she spearheaded Xerox’s largest acquisition—the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services.

In 2016, Burns oversaw Xerox’s successful separation into two independent, publicly traded companies: Xerox Corporation, focused on document technology and outsourcing, and Conduent Incorporated, a business process services company. After retiring from Xerox, Burns was appointed Chairwoman of VEON, Ltd. in 2017. She later served as both Chairwoman and CEO from December 2018 to June 2020, guiding the company through critical compliance and restructuring initiatives.

Burns has extensive experience serving on public company boards, including past roles at Nestlé, American Express, Exxon, Waystar, and Endeavor. She is currently a Founding Partner of Integrum, a private equity firm, and serves as Non-Executive Chairwoman of Teneo, a global consulting and advisory firm. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Uber Technologies, TSMC Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, and IHS Holding. In addition, Burns serves on several private company boards and provides leadership counsel to prominent community, educational, and non-profit organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the Mayo Clinic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Corporation, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama, Burns led the White House’s national STEM program from 2009 to 2016 and served as Chair of the President’s Export Council from 2015 to 2016, following her tenure as Vice Chair from 2010 to 2015. She served on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness as Vice Chair from 2022 to 2024.

Burns holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the G7 Gender Equity Advisory Council.

Her memoir, “Where You Are Is Not Who You Are,” was published in June 2021.

LaChanze Sapp-Gooding

President, Black Theatre United

With a career that has spanned thirty-eight Broadway seasons, LaChanze consistently brings women of complexity and triumph into the cultural lexicon. 

In 2022, LaChanze made her debut as producer on two shows, the 20th anniversary revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-Winning play, Topdog/Underdog, as well as Kimberly Akimbo, a new musical by Tony-Winning Composer Jeanine Tesori and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, earning a combined 11 Tony Award nominations and 6 Tony Award wins, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical, respectively. Last season, she produced Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, earning a combined 9 Tony Award nominations. In Spring 2024, she joined the producing team of The Outsiders, a new musical based on S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. This season, she will make her New York City directorial debut with Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness at Classic Stage Company and serve as producer on the upcoming Buena Vista Social Club and Purpose.

LaChanze won a Tony Award for her performance as Celie in The Color Purple, originated the role of Ti Moune in Once on This Island (Tony Award nomination), and upheld her commitment to artistic excellence as Wiletta in Alice Childress’ historic play, Trouble In Mind (Tony Award nomination). Other notable stage performances include roles in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Tony Award nomination), A Christmas Carol, The Secret Life of Bees, If/Then, The Wiz, Ragtime, Uptown… It’s Hot! and Dreamgirls.

On screen, she has delivered memorable roles in both TV and film including: “East New York,” “The Blacklist,” “Handel’s Messiah Rocks: A Joyful Noise” (Emmy Award), “Melinda,” “The Help,” HBO’s “The Night Of,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Good Fight,” “Sex And The City,” and Disney animated feature film “Hercules” among other titles.

On June 3rd of 2024, LaChanze launched LaChanze Productions, a production company that is “Making Broadway Cool”. LaChanze Productions discovers, develops and delivers groundbreaking Broadway and commercial entertainment projects. Their mission is to nurture untapped talent both on and off stage, as we usher in a new era of entertainment.You can learn more about her company at lachanzeproductions.com

She is the President of Black Theatre United, a community of creatives dedicated to awareness, accountability, and advocacy. Proud mother of Celia Rose and Zaya LaChanze. She resides in Westchester, New York with her three cats and gardening hats.

Suzanne Yoon

Founder and Managing Partner, Kinzie Capital Partners

Suzanne Yoon is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on control investments in lower middle market companies in the manufactured products, business services and consumer industries. She currently serves as Chair of the Investment Committee for Kinzie and as Board Chair of Kinzie’s portfolio companies including Chelsea Lighting, GT Golf Holdings, Arctic Industries and Fraser Steel. In 2017, Suzanne launched Kinzie as part of her long-standing vision to advance the use of technology and innovation to help companies unlock value. In 2020, Kinzie was recognized by the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) as the North American Female Founded Firm of the Year.

Suzanne has over 25 years of experience investing in and advising middle market companies. She started her career at LaSalle Bank and Ernst and Young before holding senior roles at Versa Capital Management, CIT Group and LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO.

A recognized leader in both the business and civic spheres, Suzanne has extensive experience serving on public boards such as NYSE ADT where she is the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and on civic boards including National Philanthropic Trust, Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium and the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. She is dedicated to the advancement of women in business and supports the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE), the Private Equity Women’s Investor Network (PEWIN), The Chicago Network and the Women’s Advisory Board of the Chicago Bears.

Suzanne earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa and is an Executive Scholar of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Mergers & Acquisitions named Yoon one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; The Wall Street Journal recognized her as a Top Female Deal Maker Shaping Private Equity’s Present and Future in 2019 and Chicago United named her one of their Business Leaders of Color in 2021.

Suzanne lives in Chicago with her husband and three children and is an outdoor and sports enthusiast who enjoys golfing and fishing with her family.

Guest Performers

Orfeh

Tony Award and Grammy Award nominee Orfeh was most recently seen on Broadway in “Chicago” as the Countess of the Clink, Mama Morton. She has performed concerts all over the country including New York City’s Perelman Performing Arts Center, Sony Hall, and the prestigious Cafe Carlyle, and across the pond at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.

Her storied career has taken her from tween pop star to Broadway baby, where she is best known for originating the role of Paulette in “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Other favorite New York stage roles include Kit De Luca in “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” Janis Joplin in “Love, Janis” and Annette in “Saturday Night Fever.” You might recognize her from TV guest roles on “Law & Order: SVU” and “Sex and the City,” among others.

Orfeh’s hit album “Or-N-More” was released digitally in 2021, many years after its Billboard chart debut. Orfeh’s music including her latest singles, “Peep Show” and “Hurt Me,” are available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you like to stream your music! Instagram @orfeh; tiktok @official_orfeh

Darius de Haas

Darius de Haas is an award winning singer and actor whose career has spanned from Broadway to concert stages around the world. His Broadway credits include Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Carousel, Rent, The Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm, Marie Christine, Shuffle Along and the anniversary concerts of Dreamgirls and Hair (both for the Actors Fund). Other notable theater includes his Obie award winning performance in Running Man, the premiere production (at Papermill Playhouse) of Children of Eden and Public Works’ As You Like It . Notable TV credits include Dietland, In The Life, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for which Darius is the singing voice of “Shy Baldwin”.

Sponsors