On March 19, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will host its first Women’s Conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Union. The event – “Generations of Women Moving History Forward” – is part of Women’s History Month.
“I believe it is important to have a women’s conference to meet a void and need in the region,” said Jennifer Hightower, executive director for the Office of Campus Diversity and event coordinator. “No university in the region hosts a women’s conference that is not only geared towards university women, but towards students as well as the community. I believe we can meet the needs of women, regardless of where they are in life.”
Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, executive vice president of the UL System, will serve as the keynote speaker.
Sessions will take place throughout the day and include:
• Women Entrepreneurship by Sharon Moss with Moss Motors
• Protecting Yourself and Your Assets by Carolyn French with Smith Barney and attorney Vandana Chaturvedi
• The ‘How-To’ of Marketing Yourself for the Workplace by Sarah Berthelot with United Way of Acadiana and Kim Billeadeau with UL Lafayette’s Career Services
• Balancing Work and Life by Paula Carson and Paula Montgomery, UL Lafayette faculty members
• Women’s Health by Melissa Fournet with Red Lerille’s Health & Racquet Club and Paulette Landry with UL Lafayette Student Health Services.
Luncheon speakers are Dr. Sarah Brabant and Dr. Doris Bentley, UL Lafayette Professors Emeritus and founding members of the Mayor’s Commission on the Needs of Women (now the Lafayette Commission on the Needs of Women).
A registration fee of $25 before March 3 or $30 after March 3 includes all conference materials, a continental breakfast and lunch. Student registration is $10.
For registration information and program details, go to http://diversity.louisiana.edu. The conference is being sponsored by AT&T.