2015 Conference

The 15th annual Women’s Leadership Conference focused on the theme of “Charting a New Course" and featured female speakers who have taken unexpected paths in life and broken from the status quo. Nazenin Ansari, Editor ofKayhan Londonand graduate of Mount Vernon College, was the keynote speaker. The morning address was followed by four break-out sessions: "Financial Markets and Investment Strategies" by GW Professor Şenay Ağca; "Is Your Self-Care Stuck? How To Get Past Your Bad Habits and Into Real Fitness + Mindful Living" by Gracy Obuchowicz, Yoga Health Coach; "Strategies For Turning Ideas Into Products, Cash, Customers, and Shareholder Value" by Marie-Louise Murville, Founder and CEO of Delight Me; and "The Elevator Pitch: Delivering Your Message Clearly and Concisely" by Sarah Baldassaro, GW Associate Vice President for Communications.

The afternoon address feature GW Women's Studies Professor Bonnie Morris. Professor Morris delivered her one-woman show "REVENGE OF THE WOMEN'S STUDIES PROFESSOR." This show focuses on the backlash against women's history and pokes fun at panicked stereotypes about women’s studies. This address was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Sharon Hadary, principal of Sharon Hadary & Co. and author of “How Women Lead: 8 Essential Strategies." The panel featured two Mount Vernon College alumnae: Vicki Bowman (MVC ’89) a Program and Management Analyst for the Department of Commerce under the Chief Administrator's Office for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Dhyana Delatour (MVC ’81) who is a yoga therapist. In addition, the panel featured Karin Jones, Educational Trainer and Historian, International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Honorable Emily Hewitt, a former Federal Judge for the United States Court of Federal Claims.