The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara will present a Conversation with Sherry Lansing, one of Hollywood’s most influential women, at its 33rd Annual Women’s Philanthropy Luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., March 14, at the Four Seasons Santa Barbara Resort — The Biltmore.

During nearly 30 years in the motion picture business, Lansing was involved in the production, marketing and distribution of more than 200 films, including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995) and Titanic (1997).

In 1980, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed president of 20th Century Fox, and from 1992-2005, she served as chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures.
 
In 2005, Lansing created her nonprofit foundation dedicated to cancer research, health, public education, and Encore Career opportunities. Among the foundation’s initiatives is the EnCorps STEM Teachers Program, founded by Lansing to retrain career-changers with the technical backgrounds to serve as California public school science and math teachers.
 
Lansing is a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer, which funds multi-institutional cancer research “Dream Teams.”

She also serves as on the UC Board of Regents and on the boards of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, The Broad Center, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Carter Center, Encore.org, the Lasker Foundation, the W.M. Keck Foundation, and the Pacific Council on International Policy.
 
As a Lion of Judah at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Lansing received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 79th Academy Awards; an Only In America award from the National Museum of American Jewish History; a Distinguished Service Award for the Performing Arts from the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and Artistic Achievement Award from the American Jewish Congress.
 
An authorized biography written by Stephen Galloway titled Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker, will be released in and the Women’s Philanthropy Luncheon will be among the first venues for Lansing to discuss her story, as told in the book.

For more information about the luncheon or to become a patron, contact Jilli Spear, Women’s Division coordinator, at 957-1115 or jspear@sbjf.org.

For more on the Jewish Federation, visit www.jewishsantabarbara.org.

— Briana Sapp Tivey for Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.