Thedrum

For Liz Valentine, CEO and co-founder (along with Alicia McVey) of Swift in Portland, Oregon, community is a big deal — and it starts when people walk through the door of the Possible agency. There is a sense of calm but it is quickly obvious that the agency has energy and vitality and is bound together by the work and philosophies that Valentine, McVey and the rest of the leadership convey. In many ways, Valentine is an ideal player/coach and especially strong at advising women, both inside and outside the agency, to fully understand their worth and value — and to do so with confidence. She coaches women on the important art and craft of negotiation, further helping them see that they can advocate on their own behalf, without fear, and clearly articulate what they deserve, both in and beyond the salary. Valentine’s fearlessness (praise that she received from a senior male WPP leader) began as she was growing up in the Philadelphia area where her mom, a highly-respected doctor, overcame gender bias in her