MADISON — Discussions about women in leadership are all over the news. Stories about figures such as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Yahoo! CEO Marisa Mayer are igniting conversations about the many roles of women in leadership. The YWCA Madison is pleased to highlight six local women who embody the many ways women lead in the Madison community. The 2014 Women of Distinction Leadership Award recipients are: Sadat Abiri, Emily Auerbach, Dawn Crim, Sally Miley, Laurel Rice, and Teresa Téllez-Girón.
Empowering women is a key component of the YWCA Madison’s mission. To highlight and support this mission, the 2014 awards will be presented during the 2nd Annual YWCA Madison’s Moxie Conference: Nerve and Know-How for Emerging Leaders, which is an expanded, full-day event. This women’s leadership conference aims to build tomorrow’s leaders and encourage them to draw inspiration from the Women of Distinction Leadership Award recipients. Attendees at the event strengthen personal career skills and contribute towards collective action aimed at removing structural barriers for women in leadership. At the same time, funds raised at the conference support women in the YWCA’s housing and job training programs. The conference and awards presentation are May 29 at The Monona Terrace. The Moxie Conference will be held from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. The Women of Distinction Leadership awards are presented during the lunch hour beginning at 11:30 a.m.
In addition to gaining inspiration from the award recipients, Moxie Conference attendees can choose from a number of breakout sessions with dynamic local and national speakers. Keynote speakers for the event are JoAnne Brandes, retired CAO and General Counsel of JohnsonDiversey; and Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of YWCA USA. Conference details, including keynote and breakout session descriptions, are available at www.ywcamadison.org/Moxie.
YWCA Madison CEO Rachel Krinsky says “Despite many gains in women’s access and equality, we still face significant gaps in wages and leadership. And the face of poverty, in America and here in Dane County, is still predominantly female. I am excited that the Moxie Conference provides an opportunity to celebrate gains, work towards greater equity AND support women who are still struggling to meet their own and their families’ basic needs.”
Prior to the early-bird registration deadline of May 1, tickets for the Moxie Conference + the Women of Distinction Leadership Awards presentation are $350. Tickets for the awards presentation and lunch only are $65. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Amanda Yu at (608) 257-1436, option 2 or visit www.ywcamadison.org/MoxieRegister.
About the Honorees
Sadat Abiri—Ms. Abiri was a Psychiatric Nurse at St Mary’s Hospital and will start working March 23 as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. She is a board member of the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice and the founder of the Muslim Women Support Group at Neighborhood House Community Center.
Emily Auerbach—Prof. Auerbach directs the UW-Madison Odyssey Project for adults overcoming adversity. She serves as co-host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s University of the Air, producer of “The Courage to Write” series of radio documentaries on brave women writers, literature teacher at libraries and retirement centers, and author of Searching for Jane Austen.
Dawn B. Crim—Ms. Crim is the Associate Dean for External Relations in the School of Education at University of Wisconsin-Madison and has over 20 years of higher education experience. She has served on several executive-level searches, including the Presidential searches at Madison College and Edgewood College, as well as the UW Madison Provost. She is a member of the Edgewood College Board of Trustees and a co-founder of the Madison Network of Black Professionals.
Sally S. Miley—Ms. Miley is Assistant to the Mayor of the City of Madison and former Common Council member. She is president of the Madison Opera board of directors. She is also a former board president and volunteer at the Madison Children’s Museum, as well as a former board member at Access Community Health Centers, SSM Wisconsin, and Camp Randall Rowing Club.
Laurel W. Rice— Dr. Rice, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, cares for women with gynecologic cancers. Dr. Rice is president-elect of the Council of University Chairs in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Secretary/Treasurer of the American Gynecologic Obstetrics Society. She serves as Director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Gynecologic Oncology.
Teresa Téllez-Girón—Ms. Téllez-Girón is Bilingual/Bicultural Social Services Specialist at Dane County Department of Human Services. She is the co-founder and chair of the Latino Children and Families Council. She is also a frequent speaker and facilitator for local and state-wide racial justice training programs.
