Are we aware of how many outstanding women are being added to corporate leadership these days? How many women are finding very creative ways of "fixing" the mess in which we’ve found ourselves of late, rather than simply crying about the latest "crisis."

There are more women in charge of, heading up, leading a CEOs and Presidents at top Fortune 1000 firms than ever before. See my 2009 tally at: http://www.championboards.com/women_ceos_2009.htm. For those who want to compare last year’s data, see: http://www.championboards.com/women_ceos_2008.htm

In these critical economic times, President Barack Obama has tapped a number of talented women on the shoulders for help meet the financial and regulatory challenges.

Sheila Bair as head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is the primary federal entity responsible for ensuring the safety of our banks and bank deposits.

Christina Romer is Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and a principal point person to help analyze economic trends and indicators and make sense of them to the American public along with Cecilia Rouse (labor and education economist from Princeton).

Elizabeth Warren heads up the Congressional Oversight Panel charged by the Senate with monitoring the federal government’s bailout programs.

Mary Shapiro is Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the principle regulator of banks and investment entities.

Just across the border, Susan Wolburgh Jenah is President & CEO of the Investment Industry Regulatory Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), the proposed self-regulatory organization intended to succeed Investment Dealers Association of Canada and Market Regulation Services Inc.

Barbara Topping heads the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors, the nonprofit entity that trains and certifies the qualifications of Canadian board members.

Back home again, Ann Yerger is Executive Director of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) and its public voice in congressional testimony and shareholder activism.

Barbara Hackman Franklin is President/Chair of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and, with Bonnie Hill, is spokesperson on behalf of the NACD’s Directors Challenge to America’s Corporations to adopt the NACD Key Agreed Principles for Corporate Boards of Directors.

Mary Pat McCarthy is the U.S. vice chair of KPMG and executive director of KPMG's Audit Committee Institute. She is a major contributor to articles on the issue of audit committee oversight for Directorship magazine.

In an earlier blog entry, I gave credit and links to Muriel Siebert’s information and web sites for her marvelous Personal Financial Program for NY area schools: http://www.championboards.com/blog/2008/03/muriel-siebert.html

Joline Godfrey is the founder of Independent Means Inc, providing financial education products and programs focused on “Raising Financially Fit Kids” – including a book by the same name. See http://www.independentmeans.com/

Kay Koplovitz is the founder of Springboard Enterprises, a vehicle for connecting women and venture capital. See: https://www.springboardenterprises.org/ She also writes for The Huffington Post.

Suze Orman is taking the lead in another effort to educate women how to "Speak UP!" and say your own name with great pride and self-respect: See her web site at:
http://www.suzeorman.com/ and see my posting at: http://www.championboards.com/blog/2008/04/suzie-ormans-got-new-gig.html

Two innovative electronic news entrepreneurs include Gail F. Goodman
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Constant Contact (see: http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/management-team.jsp) and
Cathy Baron Tamraz, President and Chief Executive Officer, of BusinessWire, now a Berkshire Hathaway company (see: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/bios/).

If you want more inspiration about the unique nature of businesses formed by entrepreneurial women, look at all of the enterprises built by Celeste V. Ford, of Stellar Solutions, Stellar Foundation, and Stellar Ventures (see: http://www.stellarsolutions.com/ford.htm).

Amazing women all. And there are many more out there.