Denise DuBarry

Palm Springs Life Honors Talented Trio

Congratulations to 2017 Women in Business honorees, Susan L. Davis, Ann Mostofi, and Paula Simonds

Erin Peters Social Scene

Denise DuBarry
Keynote speaker, Denise Dubarry Hay.
PHOTO BY DIMITRI HALKIDIS

The 2017 Women in Business Awards luncheon, a Palm Springs Life event, honored the Coachella Valley’s best and brightest talent from throughout the diverse business community May 19 at The Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage.

Presented by SBEMP Attorneys and sponsored by El Paseo Jewelers, indiGO Auto Group, BMW of Palm Springs, The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage and PSAV, the honorees come from different industries and walks of life, but they share several traits – extraordinary accomplishments, a strong sense of self, and a belief that anything is possible.

The honorees all live and work in the Coachella Valley and have excelled in their professional lives as leaders and role models.

Keynote speaker, Denise Dubarry Hay is an entrepreneurial dynamo, having co-founded Thane International in 1990 to market products and produce commercials. Today, she owns Bikram Yoga Plus Coachella Valley.

Honoree, “Rising Star,” Susan Davis, is president of Desert X, the international contemporary site specific art exhibition. She’s also the editorial director at The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands.

“When I began the enormous undertaking of Desert X there were a lot of people close to me that said to me, ‘how can you possibly have the time?’ …the truth is, if you’re motivated by passion and dreams, work is not the issue. Work and life meld together. And Desert X was not work, it was a true passion project,” Davis said.

Ann Mostofi, vice president, Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer at Eisenhower Medical Center, was the honoree for the Business Leader award. Mostofi was recently honored by the Association of California Nurse Leaders after receiving the 2016 Best Practice Administration Award.

A longtime La Quinta resident, Paula Simonds serves as the Desert Cancer Foundation executive director. Simonds was the honoree for the Community Non-Profit award.

“Whether it be time donated, or donation of funds, many want to be a part of the greater good. And for me, that is the definition of making a difference,” Simonds said.

The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage
68900 Frank Sinatra Drive
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-321-8282
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/rancho-mirage

Photography By: Dimitri Halkidis