Recent gender-based social movements, including #MeToo and #TimesUp, will give added weight to the Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs upcoming third annual Women’s Empowerment Summit, slated for Friday, March 8, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Twilight Ballroom.
Veronica Beavers, OMA director, said that while organizers did not directly address the movements in planning for the event, these and other similar themes will be mentioned in keynote addresses and various breakout sessions.
“The summit was created to empower women and educate the community on women’s issues,” Beavers said. “During this summit, we invite participants to develop relationships with others who strive to make an impact, learn professional development skills, discuss current issues for women today, learn how to improve personal wellness and much more. Regardless of gender, everyone can benefit from this summit.”
The event will host two keynote speakers, Binta Brown and Victoria White.
Brown is a dual career and recruitment consultant at the University of Texas at Austin where she spearheads the SmartHire program, a campus search committee that assists with the recruitment and selection process for executive or hard-to-fill positions. She will present “Navigating the Evolution of Work: The Gig Economy” to open the summit.
White holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and public relations. She worked in the nonprofit sector for six years as a victim rights advocate and is now a college admissions counselor. White will discuss leadership in its various forms as the summit’s lunch speaker.
Event check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. March 8. The opening keynote presentation will begin at 9 a.m. followed by a breakout session at 10 a.m. The lunch keynote will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and will be followed by two more breakout sessions. Presenters are a mix of faculty, staff and community members.
The event is free and open to the public. Lunch is provided, but seats are limited. Registration can be completed online at sfasu.edu/oma. The deadline to register is March 4.
By Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
