April 21st: 2026 Spring Gala
Join NCJW NY on April 21, 2026 for our Spring Gala, where we will present the Woman Who Dares Award to:
Dina Bakst
Jessie Freschl
Susan Kohlmann
Marni J. Lerner
The Woman Who Dares Award honors women whose spirit, work and character exemplify the mission of NCJW NY. The award celebrates women who are compassionate, courageous, and powerful; women who are leaders in their fields; women who inspire and empower other women; and women who make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Tribeca 360 | 10 Desbrosses Street, New York, NY
6:00 pm – Cocktail and Dinner Reception
7:30 pm – Awards Program
8:30 pm – Desserts
Cocktail Attire
Meet our 2026 Women Who Dare
Dina Bakst
Co-Founder, Senior Advisor, and President Emerita of A Better Balance (ABB)
Dina Bakst is a Founder, Senior Advisor, and President Emerita of A Better Balance (ABB), a national legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that workers can care for themselves and their loved ones without jeopardizing their economic security. For 18 years, Dina led ABB’s pioneering efforts to combat gender discrimination and secure fair workplace protections- such as paid sick time, paid family leave, and pregnancy accommodations- in more than 40 states and localities, benefiting millions of working families nationwide. Representative Jerry Nadler credits her 2012 New York Times op-ed, “Pregnant and Pushed Out of a Job,” as the inspiration for the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). She testified twice before Congress to champion the bill, and after a decade-long campaign led by ABB, the landmark PWFA was signed into law in December 2022.
Dina’s advocacy has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and other major outlets. She played a pivotal role in the first pregnancy-accommodation class action against Walmart, resulting in a $14 million settlement benefiting thousands of workers. Her work has been recognized with the 2021 Heinz Award for the Economy, the inaugural Visionary Women Award for Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2022, and inclusion in Time magazine’s 2020 list of “16 People and Groups Fighting for a More Equal America.” She was also named a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School and is the co-author of the award-winning book Babygate: How to Survive Pregnancy and Parenting in the American Workplace. Dina earned her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Michigan.
Jessie Freschl
3X Fashion Entrepreneur and Nonprofit Founder
Turnstyle, Freschstyle, and Repurpose Wardrobe
Jessie Freschl is a New York City–based fashion entrepreneur, personal stylist, and nonprofit leader with more than 15 years of experience in the luxury market. She is the founder and executive director of Repurpose Wardrobe, which merges luxury resale with workforce development to create mentorship and career pathways for young people while advancing conscious consumption.
Rooted in Jewish values and the principle of tikkun olam—repairing the world—Jessie infuses both Repurpose Wardrobe and her ventures Freschstyle and Turnstyle with a commitment to dignity, opportunity, and systemic change.
Susan Kohlmann
Partner and Co-Chair of Trademark, Advertising, and Unfair Competition Practice, Jenner & Block LLP
Susan Kohlmann is an award-winning litigator with significant experience in high-stakes intellectual property and commercial disputes. Having successfully litigated and tried numerous high-profile cases, Susan’s practice encompasses copyright, trademark, false advertising, and trade secrets law as well as defamation and complex contract disputes. She is Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Trademark, Advertising, and Unfair Competition Practice.
Representing entertainment and media industry giants, including film studios and television networks, new technology companies, and others in media and entertainment, she has tackled some of the most significant issues the industry has faced and deftly navigates clients at the convergence of content and technology. Susan litigates cases addressing critical issues threatening her clients’ ability to exploit their creative works and key brands and clarifies the reach and application of federal law to new technologies and their content distribution platforms.
Susan guides clients in recognizing which issues are worth a fight. Then, she forges a litigation strategy, leaving no stone unturned to achieve success.
A litigation trailblazer, Susan secured a $100 million trademark infringement dispute win for ViacomCBS over an MTV reality show title. Susan represented Diageo in connection with its famous Bulleit whiskey brand, successfully enjoining the continued sale of Redemption whiskey following a three-week jury trial in which the jury confirmed that Diageo’s Bulleit brand was famous and that Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits’ Redemption bottle diluted its distinctiveness. Susan has also protected at trial and on appeal John Steinbeck’s estate’s right to control the use of the author’s iconic works.
Susan served as the President of the New York City Bar Association from 2022-2024. In 2022, New York Law Journal named Susan “Attorney of the Year.”
Marni J. Lerner
Partner and Co-Head of Private Equity Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Marni J. Lerner is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she practices in the Corporate Department and serves as Co-Head of the Firm’s Private Equity Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. Marni advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, public and private divestitures, strategic investments and corporate and securities law matters.
In her more than 25 years of corporate deal making, Marni has consistently worked on a variety of significant, complex and record-breaking transactions for a wide range of clients.
Marni was featured as one of The Deal’s “Top Women in Dealmaking” in 2022 and 2021. She was also named “Best in Private Equity” at the Euromoney Legal Media Group Americas Women in Law Awards 2019 and to The Deal’s inaugural “Women in M&A: The Powerhouse 20” list in 2019. She is regularly recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Legal 500 United States, with the former adding that Marni is “impressive” and “a strong negotiator who is noted for her ability to get deals done.” In 2017, Marni was named among Crain’s New York Business’s inaugural list of “Leading Women Lawyers in NYC.” Additionally, she has been named an “MVP” in Private Equity by Law360 in 2023, 2020, 2016 and 2014.
Marni joined Simpson Thacher in 1991 and was elected a Partner of the Firm in 1999. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Amherst College in 1988, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1991. Marni is admitted to practice in the State of New York and is a member of the New York City Bar Association.