Conference encourages, empowers women at JMU

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From twelve to two hundred. Both in quantity and quality, there was a notable difference at this year’s second-annual Women in Leadership Conference: “Navigating Your Journey.”

“This conference gave attendees an incredible opportunity to network with very successful, driven women,” Patricia May, director of communications of the College of Business and coordinator of the event, said. “Our speakers were delighted to be at JMU; most of them were alums. They really wanted to give back and help JMU students as they transition from college to career.”

The conference held this past Saturday highlighted the transition from college to career as an especially difficult one for females, taking into consideration the discrimination women often face in the workplace.

“It’s a really changing environment,” Emily Platt, a sophomore finance major and a planner for the event, said. “We, as women, obviously face different obstacles. It’s important for the female college student to understand the differences they will face in the workplace and how they can handle them.”

Women in Leadership
Mark Owen | The Breeze

Touching on these subjects were speakers such as Bethany Clark, a director of global customer engagement for TOMS shoes; Chiquita King, an instructional systems designer for Booz Allen Hamilton; and actress Hilary Mann, who has worked alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Matthew Broderick. Also in attendance was JMU’s first lady Mary Ann Alger, who opened the conference with a welcome address.

“The one thing that is really important is that you leave today feeling supported,” Alger said. “You have a network here, a whole lot of wonderful people-- particularly wonderful women-- who are available to help you and consult with you.”

The event planning committee made an effort to feature successful women from a variety of professions, in order to make the conference more appealing to students from various majors.

“The hardest thing we faced was making sure it was interdisciplinary,” Platt said. “Last year it was more geared toward the College of Business but this year there was something for everyone.”

With an impressive line-up of speakers who would touch on a variety of meaningful topics, it was important for the event planning committee to spread the word.

“I signed up for the conference because I was curious to see what it was all about,” Valerie Cateriano, a sophomore accounting and management double major, said. “It was so exciting to see all of these inspiring women speak and learn from their experiences and ideas.”

Women in Leadership
Speakers are alumni Gwendolyn Brantley (left) and Chiquita King lead a panel discussion on landing your dream job. Mark Owen | The Breeze

Planning for the conference this year was far more extensive. There were multiple students, professors, deans and associate deans involved. The schedule was planned, speakers were obtained, topics were discussed, logistical factors were organized and heavy marketing was done through email, social media and the conference’s own website.

“It was tremendously satisfying to me personally to see the conference come to life after months of meeting, planning, and working on the details,” May said. “The conference was great and everything went very smoothly. The evaluations from attendees were extremely positive.”

What has now become a seemingly successful event for the second year in a row was once a mere idea suggested by a student in 2014. She felt that JMU students would benefit from a conference focused on women in leadership. The Women in Leadership planning committee wanted to give women the opportunity to network with and learn from successful, professional women.

“We are very proud of our students,” May said. “We want to provide them with tools and resources that will help them be successful. This conference gave them those tools: they learned about networking, the value of internships, finding your passion, landing your dream job and more.”

Speakers at the conference shared many messages of encouragement and inspiration.

Women in Leadership
Radhika Bhatt, senior media arts and design major, asks a question during the Women in Leadership Conference  Mark Owen | The Breeze

“Something that stuck out to me was during the ‘Landing Your Dream Job’ segment,” Cateriano said. “One of the speakers, Chiquita King, said ‘everything you do is a product of you; don’t half-ass anything.’”

Platt, who attended last year’s conference, hopes that students took away some of the same lessons she learned.

“It’s more of a female instinct to second guess yourself and your questions, but I’ve learned to always keep my hand raised,” Platt recalled. “It’s things like that that are so important to know before going into the workplace and trying to get ahead.”

With a much larger and more successful event this year, JMU can expect more conferences like these in the future.

“Having conferences such as this will help pave the way for today’s young women to be strong leaders in the future,” May said. “I think the highlight of it all was the energy, enthusiasm, and inspiration that filled the room; it was truly electric.”

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Published: Monday, February 2, 2015

Last Updated: Thursday, November 2, 2023

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