Read below for a description of optional preconference sessions and details about this year’s keynote speakers. For a complete schedule of events, including details about concurrent sessions on April 9, download the full conference schedule in PDF format.
Preconference Workshops, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. (Optional)
Moving On Up: Career Mapping and the Search Process (Thursday, April 8)
Women leaders in higher education can chart their professional careers and create a competitive edge by understanding the search process. This preconference will feature Donna Phillips, Executive Director of the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education, and Bill Funk, President, William R. Funk & Associates, a higher education search firm. The session will have value for leaders engaged in the hiring process at their universities as well as those wishing to be hired.
Our Time Has Come: Today’s Women and Their Charitable Giving (Thursday, April 8)
Women donors are increasingly important to our institutions of higher education. This preconference, featuring university administrators and development leaders, women philanthropists, and fundraising experts, will prepare higher education leaders to carry out fundraising with women philanthropists. Panel presenters include Mary Jalonick, President of the Dallas Foundation; Becky Sykes, President and CEO of the Dallas Women’s Foundation; and Susan Wommack, Gift Planning Legal Counsel, Baylor University.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Address (Thursday, April 8): Dr. Judy Jolley Mohraz
President and CEO, Virginia Piper Charitable Trust, Phoenix, AZ
Topic of Address: Organizational Culture for the 21st Century: The Coming of Age of Women’s Values
Dr. Mohraz joined the Trust as its first president and CEO in September 2000. Prior to joining the Trust, she was president of Goucher College in Baltimore. She received her B.A. and master’s degrees in History from Baylor University and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois-Champaign. Currently she serves on the Council of Foundations’ Board of Directors, the Advisory Board of the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University, the board of Greater Phoenix Leadership, and the Advisory Board of William Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University. She previously chaired the Council on Foundations’ Committee on Public Policy and served as president of the Arizona Grantmakers Forum from 2002 to 2004.
Keynote Address (Friday, April 9): Dr. Marilu Goodyear
Chair, Department of Public Administration, University of Kansas
Topic of Address: Positive Leadership in Difficult Times
How can we lead in a positive way in these difficult times without sounding naive? How can we keep our colleagues motivated to contribute to our organizations? How can we maintain a collaborative spirit when we are competing for few dollars? Is this an opportunity to sharpen our focus? These are a few of the questions that will be explored in this presentation utilizing the most recent research on leadership and organizational culture.
Dr. Marilu Goodyear is the Chair of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Kansas, where she teaches information technology and policy as well as organizational change. From 1999 to 2005 she served as the Vice Provost for information services and the Chief Information Officer for The University of Kansas. In this role, she led all campus-wide information technology services, printing services and the KU Libraries. Dr. Goodyear holds master’s degrees in library and information science and public administration from the University of Missouri, as well as a doctorate in public administration from the University of Colorado. Dr. Goodyear is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Luncheon Address (Friday, April 9): Nancy Barry
Author of When Reality Hits: What Employers Want Recent College Graduates to Know
Topic of Address: You Hold the Future in the Palm of Your Hands
Nancy Barry is a speaker, author and Gen Y expert. After 25 years in the corporate world, she walked away from the “best job in the world” to share her extensive business experience with others. One of her passions is helping young adults be successful in their careers. In Nancy’s book, When Reality Hits: What Employers Want Recent College Graduates to Know, she shares the secrets to success – mastering “soft skills” in the workplace. Nancy has the opportunity to speak on college campuses across the country and helps her clients get their young professionals off to a great start. She tells young adults what managers want them to know and don’t have time to tell them. Prior to launching her company in 2005, Nancy served as vice president of community services for The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Break-out Sessions
Breakout sessions on intercultural relationship building, challenges with students, women’s health, family-friendly policies, the power of alliances, and leadership development. For a complete description of all the break-out sessions, see our details about concurrent sessions.
Additional events
- Panel featuring successful higher education leaders, Update on Her Story: The Pathway to Higher Education Administration
- Breakout sessions on intercultural relationship building, challenges with students, women’s health, family-friendly policies, and leadership development
- Networking opportunities with women leaders in higher education from across Texas