When Working Woman magazine wanted to relaunch its brand back in 1998 with original research that documented the status of women in the Fortune 1000, they asked me to handle the project from start to finish.

The result: Working Woman 2000 Top 25 companies for executive women  list, which measured and quantified for the first time how well big publicly held companies recruit, retain, and advance women in their leadership ranks. The list made headlines of its own and instantly redefined how companies measured their own and others’ success.

As architect of the project, I created a research, analysis and scoring methodology that sought out and scored the status of women on a variety of categories, from raw numbers to the influence of corporate culture. When Working Woman magazine folded in 2001, the project was adopted by a sister organization, the National Association of Female Executives. I continued to lead the project until January 2004.

Working Woman’s editors found the Top 25 so successful that they asked me to launch another list – The Top 30 Companies for Diverse Suppliers. That one-time list ran in March 2001.

The Top 25 methodology proved so solid that Working Mother Media asked me to serve as its contract project manager for Women in Cable and Telecommunications, an industry association that wanted to develop its own, industry-specific annual ranking of companies that are smart about advancing women.

With the Working Woman Top 25 Companies Projects for Executive Women list, Joanne developed the MOVE methodology of measuring and supporting the advancement of women in the workplace. Read more about MOVE at Wilson-Taylor Associates.