Leanna Bonamici | Christian Sesma | Sharon Bell | Carole Sumner Krechman | Cheryl Blythe | Christiane Joubert
Carole Sumner Krechman
CEO
Ms. Carole Sumner Krechman is currently the Chairman and President of The Peacemaker Corps Association, a non-for profit 501-C3 International charity founded over a decade ago, whose mission is to teach children around the world to create “Peace in the Streets”. The organization is a member of the United Nations family having been accepted as a NGO in early 2003 under the Department of Public Information. In 2008 Ms Krechman was honored for her years of philanthropy and innovation by receiving the Purpose Prize Fellowship
Ms. Krechman was the Managing Director of Digital Directions Group (“DDG”), an investment-consulting and structured capital development firm located in Beverly Hills, CA, from 1998 until 2008. She participated in the strategy for the acquisition of over $250 million dollars in private equity. DDG focused on corporate underwriting and structured real estate financing. Corporate Clients tactics core was to raise capital from the first institutional investment round through IPO. In addition the company’s real estate strategy serviced clients to secure equity, mezzanine and sr. debt financing for commercial, retail and multi-family residential. The company also developed strategy for Mergers and Acquisition as part of the consulting portfolio.
DDG also serviced clients in the technology driven growth business who provided hardware, software, strategic services, content and other products to the expanding digital marketplace. DDG’s strategy and client list covers all sectors of technology businesses. During the last 5 years of operation its clients included: That Glow.com, (e-commerce), Federal Reality Investment Trust, (Connectivity for Mixed Use Real Estate Project) ROI, Inc., an IPG company, (On-line Market Research) Inn Technology, (LAN System) Flying Rhinoceros, (Distance Learning Streaming Content Provider) VuePoint.com, (Distance Learning Platform) E-jamming, (Distance Learning Music Technology Software) Fredrick’s of Hollywood, (Leveraged Buy Out) StorrCom (Digital Medical Reporting Service) and Mod Studios, (Interactive Magazine publisher). Dispensing Solutions Inc (A Generic re-packager of Pharmaceuticals)
Through the early to late 90’s, Ms. Krechman was Founder, CEO and President of Recreation World, Inc., a leading nationwide location-based sports entertainment firm, operating 22 ice skating rinks (Ice Capades Chalet) in shopping malls, free standing roller skating rinks and bowling centers in 12 states, from coast to coast. From 1983 to 1991 Ms Krechman was one of the Founders and Executive Vice President of World China Trade, Inc, a U.S.-China based trading and development company headquartered in Beijing PRC, which financed and built the $60 million dollar Asia Hotel, a mixed use complex in downtown Beijing which opened in 1990. World China Trade also provided consulting services to a variety of diverse Fortune 1000 companies assisting them to do their business in the PRC. As President of American operations Ms Krechman was responsible for supervising the construction of the mixed use project in Beijing, plus marketing the company’s services world-wide and accompanying clients to China for Business negotiations.
From 1981 to 2003 she was a trusted member of the Alliance Board and then a politically appointed Governor and Trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
During that period of time Ms. Krechman was involved as a fiduciary with over-site of design and construction of all three museums currently under management by the LA County Museum of Natural History. The William S. Hart Home as a museum, the Peterson Automotive Museum, which was created from converting an existing department store into a world class museum showing the history of Los Angeles’ development through the automobile and then most recently until her retirement this year, with approval of the selection of a creative team and initial design of the primarily museum buildings in downtown Los Angeles, which are projected to be a $200 million dollar remodel.
Ms. Krechman as a life-long active volunteer who since 1988 was a Board member and the for 6-years as Chairman of the Board of Friends of the United Nations, where she created the Nation-wide Program called “The Peacemaker Corps” in partnership with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Simon Youth Foundation. In 1988, she was the technical advisor for the first United States government sponsored business junket for women business owners and leaders through the U.S. Department of HUD. This was the first and only government sponsored Business development trip specifically for Women into the People’s Republic of China.
Ms. Krechman has been a member of Whose Who in American Business since 1979. Ms. Krechman studied architecture and design at U.C.L.A, earned her BA in 1961. She is married with three grown children and three granddaughters and a son who recently passed away.