Our Team
Celine Gumbiner
CEO and co-founding publisher
Celine had the idea of publishing a woman’s magazine whose content she simply could not find on the newsstands. Prior to forming parent company Femme Publications, she was an analyst for The Hallwood Group Incorporated, where she developed investment opportunities.
Erik Velez
President and co-founding publisher
Erik partnered with Ms. Gumbiner in May 2004 to develop the product. Prior to this, he was Vice President in charge of strategic marketing and partnerships for New York-based Family Publications, a publisher of print publications for the parent and educational market.
Elizabeth Ritter
Editor in Chief
Liz joined BeE Woman in August 2007. Prior to joining BeE Woman, she was managing editor of Worth, a consumer magazine dedicated to the management, preservation and transference of substantial wealth. She previously held the Managing Editor position at Time Inc./Time4 Media's SHOT Business magazine and served as Assistant Editor for sister publication Outdoor Life.
Liz began her publishing career as an editorial intern at US Weekly and a stringer reporter for MTV Networks. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a minor in Business from Villanova University and is currently in the process of earning a Master's degree in Publishing from New York University. She resides in Los Angeles.
Advisory Board
Ambassador Kathryn Hall
Kathryn is an attorney and the proprietor of Kathryn Hall Vineyards. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and most recently as the United States Ambassador to Austria from 1997 to 2001. Hall has served on the National Advisory Council for Violence Against Women and as a trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Gail Velez
Gail is the co-founder and chair of the Cool Culture Initiative that provides free admission to over 28 cultural institutions in NYC for low income Head Start, Day Care and Foster Care families. She is the author of the Parent Resource Book published by Plume in 1986.
Dr. Bernadine Healy
Bernadine is a physician, educator, and health administrator who was the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Known for her outspoken, innovative policymaking, she has BeE Womann particularly effective in addressing medical policy and research pertaining to women. As president of the American Heart Association from 1998 to 1999, she initiated pioneering research into women's heart disease.
Amber Brookman
Amber is President and CEO of Brookwood Companies, a textile & apparel company, where she manages five divisions as well as four subsidiaries. She is a member of the Committee of 200, the Belizean Grove, and the Women's Leadership Forum.
Marsha Firestone, Ph.D.
Dr. Marsha Firestone, an award-winning speaker, author and educator, is the founder and president of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) for women who lead multi-million dollar businesses. As WPO president, Dr. Firestone oversees the strategic operations of 60 chapters focusing on organizational growth and empowering members to achieve increased business and financial success. The author of a regular column in Enterprising Women, Dr. Firestone serves on a number of boards and advisory councils, including: the Board of Advisors of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Harvard’s Kennedy School, the Board of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the Merrill Lynch Diversity Advisory Council, the American Express Open Network Advisory Council, the International Women’s Forum and New York Women’s Agenda. Dr. Firestone was Executive Director of The Women’s Economic Summit, where her work resulted in a master plan for accelerating the growth of women’s business that was presented to Congress and the public.
