School of Business to Host Women in Leadership Panel

BY LINDSEY HAZLETT | PHOTO BY YASIR ALHUMAIDAN

On Thursday, November 16th, the fourth installment of the Executive Speaker Series will take place in Anderson Auditorium. The focus of the event is Women in Leadership and will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a reception following in Wingra Cafe from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Dr. Stevie Watson, event organizer and the Dean of the School of Business at Edgewood College, said, “The Executive Speaker Series is designed to provide students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and the greater Madison community with an opportunity to network and to learn about relevant business topics that are taking place today.”

Watson continued, “This particular series looks at women in leadership. We’re focusing our attention on some of the challenges and opportunities that business executives, specifically women, face in the workplace…One of the things we will talk about is pay and equity issues, and the gaps between men and women’s pay.”

Five businesswomen from the Madison area will be attending as panelists: Vicki Villacrez, Senior VP & CFO at TDS Telecommunications Corporation; Joanne Holland, CFO at Access Community Health Centers; Christina Podoll, VP of Investor Relations at SARA Investment Real Estate; Lori Richards, President & Partner at Mueller Communications; Mary Jo Spiekerman, VP & Director of Human Resources at Hausmann-Johnson Insurance.

These guests are contacted through the School of Business and voluntarily partake without pay or compensation.

During the event, panelists will be each prompted with five questions, taking two minutes for each answer. Afterwards, the audience will be invited to participate in thirty to forty minutes of Q&A, followed by a reception with refreshments.

Watson believes that this seminar will benefit more than just women. “Being able to talk about these different topics will hopefully resonate with people of all walks of life. It’s about understanding that women have a very powerful voice too and that there are lots of people, regardless of gender, who care about these issues.”

Previous topics covered in the Executive Speaker Series include Perspectives on Value and Quality in Healthcare, Business and Public Policy Issues in Health Care Leadership, and Economic Challenges Facing the African-American Community.

Students, faculty, alumni, and members of the Madison community are invited to attend.

Registration is free and may be completed online. There is no deadline to RSVP.

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