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Molly D. Shepard is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Leader’s Edge, LLC, a company dedicated to the advancement of executive and high-potential women. She has more than twenty years’ experience in career counseling, leadership development, executive coaching and executive search. Through her leadership as Chairman, President and Co-founder of Manchester Inc., one of the world’s largest career development consulting firms, she helped develop the highest standards of excellence in program design and delivery. Manchester became one of the nation’s top human resources consulting firms helping thousands of people a year transition into new jobs and reach their potential as leaders under her guidance.Prior to co-founding Manchester Inc. in 1983, Ms. Shepard was Regional Vice President for Hay Career Consultants, a division of The Hay Group. Prior to joining Hay, Ms. Shepard was Vice President of Diversified Search, Inc., a Philadelphia-based executive search firm. Early in her career, Ms. Shepard was Director of Admissions and a member of the executive committee of the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia.In addition to managing her company and raising three children, Molly has served as a member of the Boards of Directors of The American Heart Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Keystone Financial Inc., Keystone Bank N.A., Rosemont College, Liberty Savings Bank, a subsidiary of Equimark Corporation, the Kimmel Center, and The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. She is currently active as Chairman of the Board of WHYY, Inc., Chairman Emeritus of The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, President Emeritus of the Pennsylvania Women’s Forum and is Vice Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Molly is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater Delaware Valley Chapter, and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Board of Overseers.In 1998, Molly was awarded the American Heart Association’s Heart of Philadelphia Award for her leadership and dedication to the community. In 2001, she received the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Paradigm Award as the outstanding woman business leader of the year and won the Pennsylvania Best 50 Women in Business Award. In 2003, Molly was honored by the March of Dimes as a Montgomery County Woman of Achievement. Molly was the recipient of the 2004 Beta Gamma Sigma Award from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, and in 2005, the recipient of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Women of Distinction Award. In 2006, she received the Trailblazer Award from Philadelphia Magazine, the Citizen Volunteer of the Year Award from United Way, and the MSM Leadership Award from the American College, to be awarded in June.Molly published her first book, Stop Whining and Start Winning, which deftly exposes the roadblocks that keep women from reaching the top of the corporate ladder and offers eight powerful strategies to overcome these hurdles and be more successful. It is a valuable resource for women helping them understand their business culture, work through the challenges, balance work and home life, and get ahead without sacrificing their unique style and identity. Molly holds a B.A. from Wheaton College, a Masters degree in Psychological Services and Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania, a MSM in Leadership from The American College, and in May 2006 received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from West Chester University. Molly, with her husband, Peter Dean, are partners in business. They are parents of four children, two of whom live with them in Philadelphia, PA. | 