Evolution of a power poker player

At 15, Wendeen Eolis began in earnest, her journey as a power poker player, leaving home to support herself and finishing high school and then a BA degree on her own.

Inventor of the legal recruiting industry in the late 60s, Ms. Eolis was a calculated risk taker. She developed a unique niche in legal affairs management.

An activist with a plan, Ms. Eolis was the youngest person and the first woman to become president of the New York State Association of Personnel Consultants.

Putting the commitment to ethical conduct high on a radar screen, she founded the National Association of Legal Search Consultants.

With the reputation for unique people reading skills, Wendeen Eolis was recruited by Rudy Giuliani as a confidante in a male dominated City Hall, advising on on City Hall operations, communications, and the law department.

Standing as an independent thinker, Ms. Eolis navigated from City Hall to the Governor's office to become First Assistant and Senior Advisor to Governor George Pataki. She was the first woman appointed to either post in New York State history.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Ms. Eolis placed herself center stage in downtown Manhattan to establish her leadership as the Commander of HOPE's Champion Task Force. It is devoted to emergency preparedness and disaster recovery initiatives.

Since 2006, Ms. Eolis has passed on the lessons she has learned in business, politics, and poker as the Managing Director of Eolis Institute for Leadership.

Since 1986, when she became the first woman to cash in the final event of the WSOP, Wendeen Eolis has scored ten No Limit Hold'em records for a woman in major tournaments and world class fields.