Madeleine Kunin, Vermontʼs first female governor and author of The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family, is the keynote speaker for the 2013 Vermont Women in Higher Education (VWHE) Womenʼs Leadership Conference.
More than one hundred women from across the state are expected to attend the conference March 21 and 22 at Killington Grand Resort. The conference features several workshops on topics related to leadership, wellness, current issues in education, and more. The pre-conference on March 21 features Jane Weintraub, who will discuss “Everyday Practices for Putting Wisdom to Work.”
At Friday's conference, Barbara Murphy, president of Johnson State College, and Joyce Judy, president of the Community College of Vermont will moderate a lunchtime leadership panel titled “Vermont Girls & Women: How Are We Doing?” Panelists will include Tiffany Bluemle, Director of Vermont Works for Women, and others who work outside of higher education and are leading projects focused on strengthening the lives of Vermont girls and women. The panel is designed to give attendees insight into how well we are doing preparing the girls and women who will become our college students and later our workforce.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have the lineup we have for this yearʼs conference. Our presenters include college presidents, representatives from NASA, professional life coaches, faculty members, and financial planners,” said Tiffany Keune, conference co-chair and Community College of Vermont Director of Workforce Education. “The Leadership Conference offers a varied and well-rounded agenda to meet the needs and interests of our diverse audience.”
This yearʼs conference theme is "Pearls of Wisdom" in honor of Kuninʼs first book, Pearls, Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead. Kunin served as governor of Vermont from 1985 to 1991. She was also a state legislator (1972-1978) and lieutenant governor (1978-1982). From 1996-1999 she served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. For three and a half years she was U.S. deputy secretary of education in the Clinton administration. She is currently a James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont.
“Weʼre so pleased to have Governor Kunin joining us this year,” said Christina Fabrey, conference co-chair and Green Mountain College Learning Center Director. “Itʼs hard to imagine a more successful model of how Vermont women can achieve positions of leadership, and use them to create real and lasting change.”
VWHE is sponsored by the American Council on Educationʼs Office of Women in Higher Education, based in Washington, D.C. The organization has been active in the state of Vermont for more than 20 years. VWHE works to foster connections among women in various sectors of higher education, promote women's leadership and encourage and support women leaders of diversebackgrounds. The organization maintains an open membership policy and welcomes the participation of women from all levels of administration, staff and faculty.
Learn more about the 2013 VWHE Womenʼs Leadership Conference.