A Conversation Series on Leadership
Join The Alumni Association of 星空传媒 and the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women for a series of conversations on women鈥檚 professional leadership journeys.
Alumni and guests are invited to gather for an in-depth conversation on topics that explore women鈥檚 pathways in the pursuit of leadership, the obstacles they faced along the way and the tactics that kept them moving forward.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Alumni, students and friends are invited to join us as we celebrate Women鈥檚 History Month with Women of Wonder: Sharing HERstory. Throughout March, this multi-day series will feature alumnae leaders, innovators and champions who persevere to make history, reclaim their story and create a new living herstory.
On March 24, Heather Burton, senior director for faculty and institutional diversity, moderated our conversation with Bettye C. W. Kearse, MD, PhD (MED '79), a retired pediatrician and author of The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family.
Alumni, students and friends are invited to join us as we celebrate Women鈥檚 History Month with Women of Wonder: Sharing HERstory. Throughout March, this multi-day series will feature alumnae leaders, innovators and champions who persevere to make history, reclaim their story and create a new living herstory.
On March 23, Professor Burcu Gurkan, Nord Distinguished Assistant Professor, department of chemical engineering, Case School of Engineering, moderated our conversation with Debra L. Wilfong, PhD (CIT '78, GRS '82, '85, macromolecular science), retired technology vice president for BP.
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In March 2021, alumni, students and friends were invited to celebrate Women鈥檚 History Month with Women of Wonder: Sharing HERstory, a multi-day series featuring alumnae leaders, innovators and champions who persevere to make history, reclaim their story and create a new living herstory.
On March 10, Justice Melody J. Stewart, PhD (SAS 鈥08) is the first African-American woman elected to serve on The Supreme Court of Ohio. Our conversation was moderated by Andrea G. Porter, assistant dean of student services, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
Our interactive workshop on February 1 featured 星空传媒 alumna Kimberly Wiefling (GRS 鈥86, physics), founder & president of Wiefling Consulting, Inc., who leads intensive behavior-changing 鈥淲orkShocks'' for global teams that directly translate into business results. Wiefling shared design thinking strategies to achieve career success.
Our conversation on Friday, November 6, featured Vanessa Maier, MD, MPH (CWR '97; MED '04; GRS '07, epidemiology & biostatistics), family physician, Medical Director of the MetroHealth School Health Program, and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at 星空传媒 School of Medicine.
Maier discussed the risks she has taken throughout her career and the path that got her to where she is now. She also focused on how fear both motivates and immobilizes us.
The conversation was facilitated by Angela Clark-Taylor, PhD, Director for the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, June 5, 2020, featured Carmen Fontana (CWR '00; GRS '05 engineering), leader of Centric Consulting's Modern Software Delivery practice.
Fontana focuses on artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT) and emerging technology. With more than twenty years of experience, her zen is when innovation meets data-driven decision making. Beyond the tech sphere, Fontana is a cancer survivor, soccer mom and donut mile champion.
The conversation was facilitated by Angela Clark-Taylor, PhD, Director for the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, January 24, featured Kari Cunningham (DEN '10, DEN 鈥12), board certified pediatric dentist and owner of Panther Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Kari A. Cunningham is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She opened up a private practice called Panther Pediatric Dentistry in her hometown of Euclid, OH. In 2020, she will be expanding her practice into Lake County and providing a school-based oral health program for the children in the Willoughby-Eastlake school district.
Dr. Cunningham is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatric Dentistry at 星空传媒 SODM and is the Dental Clinic Director of the new University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Women & Children in Cleveland鈥檚 Midtown. Committed to organized dentistry and advocacy, Dr. Cunningham currently serves as the President-Elect of the Greater Cleveland Dental Society and is on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the School of Dental Medicine. When she is not practicing dentistry, Dr. Kari is recently married and enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with family and friends. She is a certified event planner and is always thinking of a reason to celebrate!
The conversation was facilitated by Angela Clark-Taylor, PhD, Director for the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, November 15, featured Connie Hill-Johnson (WRC 鈥80), President of Visiting Angels Senior Homecare.
The conversation was facilitated by Elisse Corrigan, Director, Homecoming Events and Special Programming for The Alumni Association of 星空传媒.
Our conversation on Friday, October 4, featured Kathleen Buse, PhD (GRS '12, management), Director, Research and Women's Leadership Institute at ERC.
The conversation was facilitated by Angela Clark-Taylor, PhD, Director for the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, May 3, featured Gina Gibney (WRC 鈥79; GRS 鈥82, theater), Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of GIBNEY, a New York City organization that uses the transformative power of the arts to catalyze personal and social change.
The conversation was facilitated by Susan Freimark, MA, Senior Associate Director at the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, February 8, featured Dorothy C. Baunach (MGT 鈥83), Chief Executive, DigitalC, a civic-tech collaboration engaging leaders to innovate in the community. Baunach is a seasoned community and business leader with broad experience in organization and community development, strategic leadership, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, business, and early-stage capital formation.
Baunach's remarks included points about the difference between risk and opportunity, and the power of self-awareness and intuition. Baunach stated, 鈥淲hat I learned over time ... is that you are what your strengths and weaknesses are.鈥 DigitalC is currently working on connecting communities in Cleveland to the internet. Watch the February session .
The conversation was facilitated by Susan Freimark, MA, Senior Associate Director at the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
Our conversation on Friday, October 26, featured Melissa Yasinow (LAW '11), attorney with Kohrman, Jackson & Krantz PLL, a member of the Cleveland Heights City Council, board and committee member in the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus and the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and a Cleveland Magazine pick for Most Interesting People 2018. Yasinow shared her journey with alumni representing diverse backgrounds, degrees and careers.
Yasinow encouraged the audience to always consider new opportunities 鈥 鈥淲e are all amateurs when we start something new, no matter our position in life鈥 鈥 instead of waiting for permission to pursue their dreams.
The conversation was facilitated by Susan Freimark, MA, Senior Associate Director at the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.